Zotter - Belize Sail Shipped Cacao 72% dark chocolate (bar) - Jan. 6, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Labooko Belize Sail Shipped Cacao 72% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $8.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zotter, online order 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's Zotter Labooko Belize 72% dark chocolate (bar) was made in Austria using cacao sailed across the Atlantic, and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Fort Myers, FL).

Zotter offers several single origin bars (Labooko line) as well as a wide variety of organic and fair trade, creatively layered, filled bars with flavor inclusions. (The wrapper design/artwork is powered by Andreas H. Gratze and has helped convey this family-owned company's unique and creative spirit.)

Aroma notes for this bar included: subtle dark chocolate (brownie, dark chocolate cookie), and very faint, fleeting cool green, warm sweet spice and barely there nut.

This well-tempered bar broke with a snap and had a surprisingly creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate with balanced, mixed fruit acidity, and a bit of ripe, sweet blackberries in the finish.

Like the other makers (and Belize bars featured this week), Zotter's 72% dark bar was made using cacao beans from the well-respected co-op and fermentery, Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC), in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The fact that cacao was sail-shipped to its European maker/destination is a nice environmental story. (It took two month to sail the cacao from Belize to Hamburg.) 

This bar was a bit higher in cacao solids (72%) than the other Belize dark chocolates (70%). It was creamier in texture, but tasted slightly darker, and had subtler fruit complexity than the even more tart-sweet, fruit-forward others.* The enjoyable, fluxing fruit from this origin can't be denied.

Maker's description: "...This bar starts with a fruity bouquet along with a hint of olive and cinnamon, then transforms into something entirely different on the tongue: a pleasantly mild taste, caramelized nuts, sweet condensed milk, and a delicate floral note. The finish offers blackberries and a beautiful aftertaste of grape hulls and malt."

Ingredients: Organic, fair traded cocoa mass; organic, fair traded cane sugar; organic, fair traded cocoa butter. 

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, milk, soy, peanuts and sesame."

*All these Belize chocolates have been above average; and tasting them in the same week makes it easier to experience the many choices, and sometimes trade-offs, that are made when working with a given cacao origin. 

In today's case, a creamier mouthfeel may have been, in part, the result of the 21-hour conching time and added cocoa butter. While still having some Belize/MMC fruit magic, the milder (less intense) fruit flavor (compared with others) could have been a result of roasting and processing times and/or the higher cacao percentage.

Standout Chocolate - Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar) - Jan. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Standout Chocolate

Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar)

Good ++ 

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 146 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)

Cost: $10.25 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar) was handcrafted in Sweden by Standout Chocolate (Kallered, Sweden), using cacao beans from Maya Mountain Cacao in the Toledo District of southern Belize.

Aroma notes included smooth dark chocolate, soft fruit (stone fruit salad: dried peach, ripe sweet cherry, plum with a drizzle of honey), sweet yeast bread, and very faint sweet green.

The texture was smooth with a very faint tart fruit astringency in the finish.

Low in bitterness, this flavorful 70% dark chocolate was high in tart sweet fruit flavor (stone fruits and dried fruit acidity--the type one might find in dried grapes (golden raisins) or dried golden berries, aka Inca berries (Physalis peruviana).

This naturally sweet bar gave me a lift with its invigorating, pleasing, tart fruit notes. 

Maker's tasting notes: Stonefruits, raisin, honey

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk. 

Maverick Chocolate - 70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 4, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Maverick Chocolate Co.
70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 178 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate - part of a larger, 3-bar order) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Good Food Awards Marketplace, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's 70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Maverick Chocolate Co. (Cincinnati, OH), using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao* in the Toledo District of southern Belize. 

Aroma notes for this person included true chocolate (dark chocolate cookie/brownie), gently undulating fruit (sweet black currant, pomegranate juice, peach jam), nut butter, faint warm vanilla spice and brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this three-ingredient 70% cacao chocolate included rich, smooth and subtly flavorful dark chocolate with subtle fruit (ripe red cherry) and spice (warm vanilla), faint bread, and ultra-faint sweet green notes. 

Summary: Nicely balanced, single origin bar; enjoyable deep (for 70%) dark chocolate bar with subtle, sophisticated layered fruit complexity. Clean finish; relatively low in bitterness.

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and milk products due to shared equipment. Soy free. Vegan."

*Founded in 2010, Maya Mountain Cacao--a co-op and centralized fermentery that works directly with cacao farmers in Belize (and Guatemala)--has become a key supplier of high-quality cacao for many craft chocolate makers--and has made possible the single origin Belize bars featured this week from Spinnaker Chocolate, Maverick Chocolate Co. and Standout Chocolate (Sweden).

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize with Nibs and Salt (bar) - Jan. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize with Nibs and Salt (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's 70% Belize Nibs and Salt (bar) was made by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize. 

This is the 3rd Belize bar featured this week from Spinnaker. All have been well above average. Like every bean-to-bar chocolate that "scores" very well, today's makers started with sourcing great beans, and followed a very rigorous chocolate making process to ensure the best results possible.

They have, e.g., built some of their own sorting equipment* to further ensure that no off flavors happen and they roast cocoa nibs vs. cocoa beans.**

Aroma notes for this bar included: Criollo-like (cacao variety) smooth chocolate; complex and layered fruit (dried peach and light tropical fruits, dried goji and red berries, very faint date); and fresh bread with jam and salted butter.

Flavor: deep, appealing chocolate with complex fruit notes. Flavor notes included: "true" chocolate (freshly roasted and ground cacao, deep dark chocolate brownies with cacao nibs (with mild woodsy nut aspects) that balanced out the natural sweetness of the mixed fruits (dried stone fruits (peaches, red plums), sweet citrus, very faint sweet tropical fruit and ripe red berries). 

There was a fleeting earthiness in one bite (likely from one nib), but otherwise it was awash in waves of bright, beautiful freshly baked fruity chocolate sunshine, and quite low in bitterness.

All this flavor was balanced with a perfectly balanced, judicious dose of sea salt. The Pure Flake Finishing Salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. (Portland, OR) contributed subtle, warm saline sparkles. When you have a cacao that is this flavorful, every inclusion must be thought about carefully.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa nibs, sea salt flakes.

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

*Without exception, all my favorite bean-to-bar chocolates have been made by chocolate makers who have been driven (some would say obsessed) with their process and machinery, right down to the micron level. 

And all who have been willing to show me how they operate in their factory will stand with pride (rightfully so) next to equipment they have either created themselves or finely tuned with a great deal of precision. Hats off and a deep bow for their dedication.

**Cacao beans may vary enough in size that a single roasting profile may not roast all beans equally; whereas grinding the cacao beans into smaller, more evenly sized cacao nib pieces may result in more even, predictable flavor. 

Note: My question was would the greater surface to mass ratio of the pieces vs. the whole cacao bean in the roasting process result in the loss of more volatile flavors. However, the makers at Spinnaker Chocolate seem to be very carefully choosing gentle roasting profiles.

 And, the proof is in the results. The resulting chocolates (based on the Belize bars I've tasted this week) have been very flavorful and wonderful.

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize (bar) - Jan. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's 70% Belize (bar) was made by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize. 

Aroma notes for this bar included: Criollo-like (cacao variety) smooth chocolate; slightly honey-ed fruits (peach, light tropical fruit, goji berry, faint date); faint fleeting fresh bread; faint sweet green; and graham cracker/cookie.

Flavor: tangy, relatively tart fruity flavor notes including: mixed fruits (stone fruits (dried peaches, red plums), sweet citrus (tangerine), very faint sweet pineapple, and berries (golden and goji)), and gently complex dark chocolate.

Summary: This single origin 70% dark bar had an appealing chocolate complexity with abundant and complex fruit, a natural sweetness (warm, fresh baked bread with honey), and long pleasant and clean finish. It was also relatively low in bitterness. A well-executed chocolate that preserved and highlighted the best features of a wonderful cacao.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize with Bourbon - Jan. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize with Bourbon (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar

Welcome to Day #1 of 2023, and the first day of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's 70% Belize with Bourbon (bar) was crafted by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize, and with 100% Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey supplied by Seattle distillery 2BAR Spirits.

Aroma notes for this New Year's Day bar included: Relatively "mellow(ed)" dark chocolate, sweet green notes, heady bourbon whiskey spirits, and faint, diffuse fruit (sweet orange, goji berry, very faint, fleeting fig and cherry).

Wow, the flavor. Notes included dark chocolate; diffuse and gently morphing/fluxing fruits (listed above); bourbon; sweet butter/cream; vanilla; very faint sweet corn; and much more. 

Flavorful may be an overused word to describe single origin chocolates, but today's 70% dark chocolate raised the bar for use of this term. There was more flavor per (ounce, gram, square, bar, ingredient, etc.) than 90% of 70%ers out there. 

And yes, I do like the flavors that spirits impart. Whiskies pair very nicely with many chocolates. Today, e.g., I enjoyed getting the maximum residual distilled and aged flavors without much (if any) alcohol.*

Thank you to Spinnaker Chocolate for making today's special chocolate. After some heavy rain yesterday in California (that included minor flooding in my kitchen, today's soothing, flavorful chocolate was especially welcome--and the Spinnaker "nautical" theme was humorously appropriate. Ride the waves!

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, straight bourbon whiskey (for flavor)

*Maker's Note: "This product contains liquor and the alcohol content is one percent or less of the weight of the product."

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

Definite Chocolate - 75% Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Oscuro) Dominican Republic Rum - Dec. 31, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Definite Chocolate

75% Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Oscuro) Dominican Republic, Finca Elvesia

Good ++ 

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 171 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week. 

Today's 75% Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Oscuro) Dominican Rum (bar) was made by Definite Chocolate, S.R.L. (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic) with Dominican Republic organic cacao from Finca Elvesia* 

Aroma notes for this three-ingredient, single origin bar included: dark chocolate and faint warm spice and vanilla, woodsy and nut, with even fainter, diffuse caramel, tropical fruit and aromatic tobacco.

Texture: This 75% bar had a thick melt (in a cold room at around 67 degrees F. (19.4 degrees C.), and a very light (fruit) astringency in the finish.

The taste: Deep rich flavorful dark chocolate and rum with balanced, smoky, distilled spirits (whiskey, rum) in aged barrels notes. There was also a small pop of tropical fruit (mango, stone fruit) toward the finish.

Three ingredients, and all that flavor. I really enjoyed the subtle complexity of this single origin bar. 

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, rum (less than 1%).

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that handles nuts and milk.

*Finca Elvesia is a cacao plantation in northeastern Dominican Republic, about 70 miles (112 km) east of Punta Cana. This 150-hectare (370.6 acre) farm is located in "the agricultural community of El Valle, in the Hato Mayor region," according to the background information for this chocolate provided by Bar and Cocoa (the site where I purchased this bar).