Dick Taylor - Limited Release 80% Dark Peru Piura Blanco (bar) - Feb. 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor
Limited Release 80% Dark Peru Piura Blanco (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Peru Week.

Today's Limited Release 80% Dark Peru Piura Blanco (bar) was made by Dick-Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA). The cacao used to make this single origin bar was from the Puerto Pulache Community Cooperative in northeast Peru.

After tasting raw (100%) cacao White Piura (Piura Blanco) Peru cacao beans earlier this week, I was looking forward to tasting a dark chocolate made from similar cacao. I was expecting relatively delicate, nuanced flavors with red fruit/red apple notes. 

This 80% chocolate Piura Blanco bar went boldly beyond that expectation, and illustrated how significant roasting, conching and other maker choices can be.

Aroma notes included: roasted ultra-dark chocolate with medium fruit acidity and very faint green (nut, tea, wood) notes. 

I highly recommend letting this chocolate breathe a little after you open the inner wrapper, and re-tasting after it's been opened for at least 30 minutes. More subtle notes emerged in aroma and flavor. After this package was open for 30 minutes, the deep chocolate (fudge) note(s) came forward, and the heavy roast aroma seemed to recede a bit. 

And after 45 minutes there were some pleasant, faint gingerbread chocolate and other notes (botanical, sweet green) in the aroma. It's worth the wait to enjoy the complexity. The finish seemed to grow longer (or notes in the finish became more detectable) as well. Not quite a shape-shifter bar, but close!

Flavor notes included: bold 80% cacao ultra-dark (dark roast), deep chocolate-y, followed by a significant blush of tart apple (fruit acidity) and charcoal (at least initially), and ending with a relatively mellow/sweeter (floral, date, caramel) finish with smaller upticks of tart fruit (apple). (Later there were also very faint red wine notes in the finish as well.)

Maker's tasting notes: Aroma: Fudge; Flavor: Crisp Apple; Finish: Dates.

Ingredients: Cacao, Cane Sugar* (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that also processes milk, tree nuts, wheat, and peanuts."

Meridian Cacao - Peru Cuzco, Cacao Beans - Feb. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Meridian Cacao
Peru - Cusco Raw Cacao Beans 
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.2 lbs. (1 KG) in total package
Calories: 78 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. serving*
Cost: $15.00 for 1 large package of cacao beans
Purchased from: Meridian Cacao, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peru Cuzco Raw Cacao Beans were from Meridian Cacao (Portland, OR). 

Meridian Cacao directly sources single origin cacao beans (from several countries); and they offer beans, cacao nibs, cocoa butter, and other craft chocolate-making essentials. 

Yesterday and today, I "made" my own raw cacao nibs, from these Peru raw cacao beans. Raw cacao tastes different than roasted cacao. The beans had a more uniform, and deeper dark color once the skin/husk remnants were removed.

Aroma notes for these raw cacao beans included: fresh cacao, subtle fermentation (wine-like) that diminished after opening, and faint green floral.

Texture: satisfying; firm, nut-like crunch; even texture. Unlike yesterday's White Piura beans which were very easy to shell/break into pieces by hand, today's Cuzco beans took a little more effort. (These beans were wrapped into a towel and gently thumped with a small hammer.)

Flavor notes included: smooth, very slightly nutty cocoa flavor with light, balanced sweet green floral, and cookie (coconut oatmeal cookie, graham cracker).

Raw cacao tastes different than roasted cacao. I really enjoyed these high-quality, minimally processed cacao beans, with original flavors intact, just right out of the bag. 

Both yesterday's and today's Meridian Peru beans/nibs would make a great chocolate bar, confection, or high-end snack.  If you like dark chocolate, I highly recommend sampling different varieties (and origins) of high-quality cacao beans (side-by-side). Meridian is a great source for cacao beans.

Ingredients: Raw cacao beans

Allergen-related information: (none listed on package)

*Estimates of calorie counts (kcals) for raw cacao beans range from 130-180. I'm using 155 calories per ounce here to estimate calories. The fat content (cacao butter) varies with different growing locations (climate, latitude) as well as cacao variety and other variables. E.g., cacao grown at the cooler, outer edges of the cacao growing zone (more than 20 degrees from the Equator) may contain more fat.

 

Meridian Cacao - Peru White Piura Cacao Beans - Jan. 31, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Meridian Cacao
Peru - White Piura Raw Cacao Beans 
Good +++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.2 lbs. (1 KG) in total package
Calories: 78 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. serving*
Cost: $15.00 for 1 large package of cacao beans
Purchased from: Meridian Cacao, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peru White Piura Raw Cacao Beans were from Meridian Cacao (Portland, OR). 

Meridian Cacao offers directly sourced, single origin cacao beans (from several countries), cacao nibs, cocoa butter, and other craft chocolate-making essentials. CEO, Gino Dalla Gasparina, was born and raised in Portland, and founded the company when he was just 24 years old. 

White Piura beans are rare (making up only a tiny percent of overall cacao harvests worldwide). They are often cited for red fruit flavors, medium acidity--and being low in astringency and bitterness. You might read mentions of panela, malt and wine, but these notes may also be influenced by fermentation choices and other local conditions.

Also, today I am tasting raw cacao beans (seeds), with the thin skins still on the dried seeds. Unroasted cacao tastes different than roasted cacao. I tried a few beans with and without the thin papery skin (that can be removed by hand with a little pressure and rolling between fingers). The beans had a more uniform, deep dark color with the skins off and it was easy to break them into cacao nib-sized pieces.

Aroma notes for these raw cacao beans were delicious, and included: fresh cacao; red apple; smooth, fine red wine; and caramelized grapes with a splash of red wine vinegar.

Texture: satisfying; nut-like crunch; even texture

Flavor notes included: rich, smooth cacao flavor with light. balanced red fruit and red wine/red grape. This was a cacao with a light nut/seed character, very low bitterness and no detectable astringency. Rubbing the skins off the bean before eating it did remove a tiny bit of flavor, but not much.

I really enjoyed these high-quality, minimally processed cacao beans, with original flavors intact, just right out of the bag. I can't help but think these would make a great chocolate bar, confection or dessert.

Ingredients: Raw cacao beans

Allergen-related information: (none listed on package)

*Estimates of calorie counts (kcals) for raw cacao beans range from 130-180. I am using 155 calories per ounce here to estimate calories. The fat content (cacao butter) will vary with different growing locations (climate, latitude) as well as cacao variety and other variables. E.g., cacao grown at the cooler, outer edges of the cacao growing zone (more than 20 degrees from the Equator) may contain more fat.

jcoco - 72% Peruvian Dark with Cacao Nibs (bar) - Jan. 30, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Seattle Chocolate Company
jcoco - 72% Peruvian Dark with Cacao Nibs 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 155 (estimate) calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package of 3 smaller bars
Purchased from: Seattle Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's jcoco 72% Peruvian Dark with Cacao Nibs (bar) was from Seattle Chocolate Company, Inc. (Seattle, WA) and was one of three identical, individually-wrapped bars contained in a larger package. The packaging was attractively pink, and having these smaller bars made it easier to share this chocolate with others.

The Rupa-Rupa cacao used to make this bar was from a tropical, high mountains/"high jungle" area in Peru. (The Rupa-Rupa district is located in the (Upper) Amazon River basin, east of the Andes mountains.)

Aroma notes for this chocolate included: sweet dark chocolate, and very faint fruit (sweet lime), very fleeting hot cereal (cream of rice), and roasted nut notes.

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap. The texture was creamy smooth (base chocolate) and very crunchy (roasted cacao nibs including some very hard, well-roasted pieces).

Flavor notes included: almost earthy (not quite charcoal-roasted) sweet dark chocolate with heavily roasted, very crunchy cacao nibs; fleeting, very faint sweet tropical fruit (lime, pineapple); faint roasted nut; and a very faint aromatic, almost perfume-y, floral note in the nibs before the roasted nut" flavor kicked in. The roast for the cacao used to make this chocolate was listed as "medium"; however the nibs had such a hard crunch that it tasted like they were roasted for a longer time. 

This was an interesting chocolate, made with ingredients from a remote, mountainous area of tropical Peru. It was flavorful and smooth (and very crunchy) all at the same time. I enjoyed experiencing the complexity in this chocolate.

The finish was light, lingering and clean. 

Ingredients: 72% cacao dark chocolate (cracked cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin), roasted cacao nibs.

Allergen-related information: This product is manufactured in a plant that processes milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg and wheat products.

*Maker's notes: "fermentation: 6 days; drying 6 days; roast: medium"

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates - Cocoa Nib Brittle - Sea Salt (bar) - Jan. 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
Cocoa Nib Brittle - Sea Salt (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2.6 oz. (75 g.) (per label) in total bar
Calories: 403 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week. 

Today's Cocoa Nib Brittle (with) Sea Salt (bar) was from Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Inc. (Sacramento, CA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (ultra-dark/roasted brownie) with faint, fleeting black pepper and very faint roasted mocha brownie notes.

Texture: well-tempered chocolate with a well-executed satisfying crunch (well-distributed pieces of nib brittle surrounded by smooth dark chocolate. (Both nibs and dark couverture chocolate were from Valrhona.)

This 69% bar tasted more like a 75% dark chocolate (in part due to the inclusion of the cocoa nibs). This will really please dark fans. The dark chocolate flavors were very appealing, and well integrated. The nib brittle and overall balance were excellent.  

What I liked about this bar: 1.) satisfying, well-executed dark chocolate with nib brittle that wasn't too sweet; 2.) rich, authentic cacao flavor(s) with great texture, accented with just the right amount of brittle (light toffee) and sea salt--making it slightly addicting; 3.) a talented chocolatier who created a great product using high-quality chocolate and nibs.

Ingredients: Bittersweet Chocolate (Cocoa Beans from Madagascar, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Extract), Cocoa Paste (100% Cocoa Beans from Madagascar), Cane Sugar, Glucose, Roasted Cocoa Beans, Butter, Fleur de Sel Salt, Baking Soda, Vanilla Extract.

Allergen-related information: This product contains milk and soybeans. This product may contain traces of wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

Gnosis Chocolate - "Eighty Nibs" Limited Edition 80% Dark Raw Chocolate w/ Raw Cacao Nibs (bar) - Jan. 28, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Gnosis Chocolate
"Eighty Nibs" 80% Dark Raw Chocolate w/ Raw Cacao Nibs (Madagascar) (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week. 

Today's "Eighty Nibs" Limited Edition 80% Dark Raw Chocolate with Raw Cacao Nibs (Madagascar) bar was from Gnosis Chocolate (NYC, NY). The company worked with Francois Pralus (chocolaterie in France) to obtain the only raw cacao nibs available from Madagascar.

Aroma notes included: dark smooth chocolate with very faint dried fruit, light brown sugar, and fleeting smooth aromatic tobacco and sweet green.

Texture: a pleasing blend of creamy and crunchy 

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y, ultra dark fudge brownie) that was relatively mellow (low in acidity and bitterness) for an 80% dark chocolate + cacao nibs--with some of the same nuanced notes as the aroma notes mentioned above. 

Raw chocolate can taste more mellow (less roasted) and less processed--because it is. Some more volatile notes (e.g. easily lost with heat) and some nutrients may be better preserved using raw cacao. 

That said, raw chocolate is the exception in chocolate sales. Some prefer roasting and roasted flavors. Roasting and processing times can vary tremendously in chocolate making; and a maker's choices will depend on a number of factors, including the cacao source, variety, fermentation results, flavors (present and potential/possible), etc. 

What I liked about this bar: 1.) smooth, ultra-dark rich flavor; 2.) thoughtfully made raw chocolate; and 3.) well-balanced blend of cacao flavors and textures.

Ingredients: "80% raw chocolate* (raw cacao beans*, coconut sugar*), raw cacao nibs, Love. *organic"

Allergen-related information: (None found on label.)

Manoa Chocolate - Cacao Nibs - Jan. 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Manoa Chocolate
Cacao Nibs
Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 63.3 calories in 1 TB (10 g.) serving
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Aloha. Welcome to the last day (#27) of Chocolate and Hawaii Week, and Day #1 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

This package of roasted cacao nibs ("Direct Trade; Grade A Cacao") were from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, HI). Manoa, a bean-to-bar maker, created these nibs from cacao beans grown in Ecuador. 

Cacao nibs represent an important step in chocolate making. Cacao beans become cacao nibs and, after many more steps, nibs become chocolate. 

However, nibs are also tasty by themselves; baked into brownies; ground into milkshakes and smoothies; soaked in whiskey (or spirit of your choice); and/or folded into ice cream or cookies for a decadent dessert option. (Manoa also suggests including these nibs in oatmeal, yogurt, salads, cereals, pastas and baked goods.)

Aroma notes for today's nibs included: cacao (dark chocolate with slightly acidic earth (forest loam),woody and woodsy, chocolate-y, and a trace of brownie at the end.

These roasted cacao nibs had a pleasing, uniform roast and crunchy texture. There were no "off" notes.

Flavor notes included: deep dark chocolate-y flavor with no sweeteners and plenty of cacao flavors including the slightly woodsy notes mentioned above, and faint sweet, green nut (young walnuts).

Ingredients: Cacao Nibs (Ecuador) 

Allergen-related information: "Our facility processes milk and nuts."