Fruition - Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) - Nov. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate Works
Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Limited Release Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) (Batch #1) was from Fruition Chocolate Works (Shokan, New York).

The company sourced the wild Beniano Bolivian cacao beans used to make this chocolate from Volker Lehmann via Uncommon Cacao. Lehmann operates Hacienda Tranquilidad, in northern Bolivia. And their cacao is designated as a special heritage cacao by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund.

Aroma notes included: subtle, complex dark chocolate that started with a slightly more intense dark chocolate and ended with a more delicate, almost floral, sweet botanical dark chocolate.

This well-tempered 66% dark chocolate bar broke with a hard snap, and had a smooth, even texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate; very faint coffee; molasses brown bread; honey; and sweet nut(s). This Bolivia Beniano dark chocolate had a gentle, pleasing finish with slight roasted cacao/coffee and faint, fleeting forest notes.

I've tasted and featured several bars from different makers who used Tranquilidad, Bolivia, (Beniano) cacao grown in the Beni Department of northeastern Bolivia. 

While the resulting chocolates vary slightly (based on harvest year, selected roasting and conching/grinding times, etc.) all have had gentle, appealingly complex aroma and/or flavor aspects to them. 

Love live these wonderful islands of heirloom cacao trees and those that protect them. 

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Allergen Warning: Our facility contains tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, and sesame. Trace amounts possible."

 

Chuao Chocolatier - Potato Chip Milk Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 31, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Chuao Chocolatier
Potato Chip Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 420 calories in 1 bar
Cost: N/A - birthday present
Purchased from: N/A - birthday present (Thank you Megan!)

Happy Halloween--one of the biggest chocolate consumption days of the year in the U.S. 

This Potato Chip Milk Chocolate (bar) is the last of 4 bonus Halloween chocolate entries sandwiched in between a week of Bolivian Chocolates. Two of these Halloween chocolates contained potato (crisps and chips).

What's the connection between potatoes, chocolate and Bolivia? 

1.) My two favorite foods are: chocolate and potatoes.
2.) Both cacao and potatoes originated (and are still cultivated in) Bolivia* (and Peru).
3.) It's Halloween! I can eat any chocolate that I want. I like savory chocolates.

This evening's Potato Chip Milk Chocolate bar was from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA).

Aroma notes for included: sweet milk chocolate; very faint salted potato (potato chip); and very faint vanilla.

The texture was both creamy (milk chocolate, cocoa butter) and crunchy (embedded potato chip bits).

Flavor notes included: sweet (41% cacao) milk chocolate, salty potato chip bits, and very faint vanilla. The sugar and salt levels landed this bar into the addictive snack zone. 

Neither chocolate nor potato (chip) flavors were very strong. The sugar (and vanilla) and the fat (cocoa butter and oil from the potato chips) were more prominent. I like flavorful dark chocolates (including those with salt/umami flavor inclusions); but that didn't stop me from eating this entire milk chocolate bar. Scary. 

Ingredients: Premium 41% milk chocolate (cane sugar*, cacao butter*, milk, cacao*, sunflower and soy lecithin [as an emulsifier], natural vanilla*), potato chips (potatoes, vegetable oil [sunflower, corn and/or canola oil]), sea salt. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Milk, Soy" "Manufactured in a facility that uses tree nuts and wheat on shared equipment."

*There are thousands of varieties of potatoes in South America. The potato may have been first cultivated/domesticated in Bolivia as far back as 9,000+ years ago.

Sjaak's - 1.) Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar, 2.) Chipotle & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Bar - Oct. 31, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates

Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 85 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Chipotle & Cinnamon 60% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 80 calories for 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate. We interrupt Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week to insert four spooky "bonus" Halloween chocolates on this night of tiny ghosts and goblins. 

This small bar duo: 1.) Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and Chipotle and 2.) Cinnamon 60% Dark Chocolate Bars were from Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA). 

Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar

Aroma notes included: robust dark chocolate aroma with balanced earth (loam, faint peat) and very faint chocolate torte and faint vanilla.

Texture: smooth, uniform dark chocolate with a buttery, easy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate with balanced earth (faint peat, loam); silky chocolate ganache; and very faint vanilla.

Ingredients: 72% Dark Chocolate* (Cocoa Liquor*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Vanilla Bean Powder*) (*=Organic)

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut.

Chipotle & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Bar

Aroma notes included: robust dark chocolate (very similar to the 72% dark chocolate above only diluted with a pinch more sugar, and spices); balanced, subtle earth notes (faint peat, loam); and very light warm spices (cinnamon); and faint chili pepper.

Texture: smooth, uniform with a buttery melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes were the same as the aroma notes, only with more dark chocolate-y taste--and heat from the chipotle pepper.

Ingredients: 60% Chocolate* (Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Liquor*, Cocoa Butter*, Ground Vanilla Beans*), Ground Chipotle Pepper*, Cinnamon*. (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut.

The Good Crisp Company - Limited Edition Creepy Crisps - Oct. 31, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

The Good Crisp Company 
Limited Edition - Creepy Crisps
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/ 5.6 oz. (160 g.) in total container
Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving (14 crisps)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: FarmFresh, produce box add-on 

Happy Halloween to all who celebrate this day filled with orange pumpkins, ghosts and other spooky apparitions. And yes, there are chocolates for that. This entry and the next two, feature some Halloween entries.

We're interrupting Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week for 24 hours to share some spooky treats--two of these items will include cocoa and potato. (Potatoes originated in Peru and Bolivia; more on that later.)

The Limited Edition cocoa-colored Creepy Crisps were manufactured in Malaysia for The Good Crisp Company, Inc. (Boulder, CO). These crisps contained certified sustainable palm oil in their crisps, and were gluten free and halal. 

Aroma notes were potato-forward and included: potato chips/crisps, salted fried potatoes, shoestring potato snacks.

The texture for these curved oval-shaped snacks was: light, almost airy, crispy and crunchy.

Flavor notes: Salted potato crisps/chips.

The alkalized cocoa (and vegetable and flower juices) used to color these chips added an inky Halloween night color and the tiniest ghost of cocoa flavor.

Ingredients: Dried Potato Flakes, Palm Oil (Vitamin E), Tapioca Starch, Alkalized Cocoa, Salt, Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color (Maltodextrin, Carrot Concentrate, Hibiscus Concentrate, Citric Acid), Sugar, White Pepper Powder. 

Mission Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) was from Mission Chocolate (San Paolo, Brazil).

Aroma: subtle dark chocolate with faint forest and natural sweetness; faint molasses (spice cookie); almost invisible fig; and very faint bright green/fruit (kiwi + sweet lime).

Flavor notes: rich dark chocolate with faint molasses/brown sugar and spice (star anise); a brief hint of cream*; followed by more true cacao, nut and very diffuse nut. The finish included a very faint, bright citrus note (sweet lime). Tasting this bar felt like a gentle walk through a lush rainforest that ended with dappled sunshine.

This chocolate was made with wild cacao from the Bolivian Amazon Rainforest. Wild and Heirloom cacaos can be full of subtle, nuanced flavors. This chocolate was no exception. 

Thank you to the chocolate makers like Arcelia Gallardo at Mission Chocolate who source these very special cacao (bean) varieties and produce chocolate with them for us to enjoy.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, lactose, coconut, tree nuts, and wheat due to shared equipment.

*There was no milk, cream or dairy ingredients in this chocolate.

Monsoon Chocolate - 73% Tranquilidad (bar) - Oct. 29, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Origin Series Tranquilidad Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Origin Series Tranquilidad* Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bars) was from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; floral, light oolong tea; other lightly sweet, green botanicals; and faint brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this smooth dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate, faint fermented cacao); very faint spice (black pepper); and faint cream. (Note: there was no actual cream/dairy in this bar. Some heritage cacaos can have this lovely cream note.)

This 73% chocolate had a very pleasing aroma; rich chocolate flavor that was relatively low in bitterness; and a gentle, lingering, almost honeyed finish.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*Hacienda Tranquilidad is a farm located in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. Wild ("Sylvestre") cacao trees grow in a large, natural forest. The estate's owner, Volker Lehmann, has been the key supplier of native Beniano (Heirloom) cacao beans to small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers. The results: some wonderful, very special chocolate bars.

LetterPress Chocolate - Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 28, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

LetterPress Chocolate
Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar (current price)
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Tranquilidad 70% Dark Chocolate (Batch #0006) (bar) was from LetterPress Chocolate LLC (Los Angeles, CA).

The cacao beans used to make this chocolate were from northern Bolivia. "Designated Heirloom Cacao (HCP #2) by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund in 2014, Tranquilidad is an ancient and rare varietal known as Beniano."*

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (fleeting freshly baked bread and butter, sweet green botanicals (green jasmine tea, sweet grass/hay); and fruit (light apricot)). 

This bar broke with a snap, and had a buttery melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: much more subtle versions of the light green botanical and stone fruit notes  mentioned above and rich dark chocolate (with a faint latte note) with balanced fruit acidity and relatively low bitterness. The buttery texture also gave this chocolate a luxe dark chocolate buttercream frosting feel.

The fragrance at the beginning was lovely. Hats off to the maker for preserving these more delicate notes-- that contributed pleasing complexity to the richer, buttery, chocolate-y taste and finish. 

Unfortunately, this Tranquilidad, Bolivia 70% chocolate bar is currently showing as sold out on the site where I purchased this.

LetterPress tasting notes: "buttercream, espresso"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes nuts and dairy"

*LetterPress Chocolate sources fine cacao beans from several countries to make their bean-to-bar chocolate bars. Chocolate makers often work with or consult cacao experts in cacao growing countries--such as Volker Lehmann in Bolivia. The maker's description of this cacao field expert is below.

Lehmann, "originally from Germany, relocated to Bolivia in 2000 as a trained agriculturist. Throughout the Beni Department, Volker works with wild cacao in the area and personally oversees the fermentation process to ensure the highest possible quality. We became enamored by these beans several years ago and were able to secure a very limited amount of these special cacao beans..."