Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar) - Sept. 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar) from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA) was part of this bean-to-bar maker's Signature Line of bars.

Aroma notes included: chocolate, delicate fruit, caramel, spice (green pepper), 

The texture was very smooth, almost creamy.

Flavor notes included: chocolate with complex, delicate very faint "cream", light loam and green foliage (barely detectable initial, fleeting cooling menthol); spice; very faint, diffuse tropical/cacao fruit; sweet notes (honeyed caramel, toasted marshmallow + bitter caramel ice cream); and a few other tantalizing notes too faint and fleeting to catch. I kept tasting more of this chocolate hoping to "find" more hidden notes. It was like trying to catch a glimpse of a rare tropical bird through a lush rainforest canopy. Tantalizing; and just out of reach.

I really appreciated the intriguing complexity of this bar. It tasted lighter, sweeter and more subtle than many 73% cacao chocolates. It was also sophisticated and well-crafted from start to finish. The freshly pressed cocoa butter enriched this single origin cacao experience. And even the natural-tasting sweetness was layered and nuanced. 

I associate some of the more subtle fruit, cream and caramel notes mentioned above with fine Criollo heritage cacaos. The cacao used to make this bar was from "a new fermentation facility in the town of San Pablo de Borbur" (in Boyaca, Colombia, that) "allows farmers to produce these exceptionally high-quality fine flavor beans."

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Toasted Marshmallow & Honey"

Ingredients: Single Origin Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter

Allergen-related information: "Soy Free, Vegan, Gluten Free"    

Cacao & Cardamom - 72% Venezuelan Mendiants - Sept. 12, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao & Cardamom
72% Venezuelan Mendiants
Good ++
Weight: 3.52 oz. (100 g.) / 4.7 oz. (133 g.) (estim.) in total container
Calories: 546 calories (estimate) in 100 gram serving
Cost: $15.00 for 1 container (+ shipping)
Purchased from: Cacao & Cardamom, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week. 

Today's 72% Venezuelan Mendiants with Fig, Almonds, Pistachio and Candied Ginger were from Cacao & Cardamom (Houston, TX).*

The company used "a (Valrhona) 72% Araguani chocolate from Venezuela with roasted Pistachios, Almond slivers, Calimyrna Figs, and crystallized Ginger" to make these hexagonal chocolate mendiants. (Mendiants are attractive, traditional French chocolate confections (often flat discs) topped with dried or candied fruits and nuts.)

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate, faint fruit and nut, and spice (ginger).

The texture was a tasty blend of creamy and crunchy elements -- including the very subtle, edible tiny seeds in the dried fig strip.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, ginger and subtle nuts (almonds, pistachios) and dried fig. The ginger added great flavor and complemented the dark chocolate nicely.

Ingredients: 72% Venezuela Chocolate, Calimyrna Figs, Almonds, Pistachios, Ginger

Allergen-related information: "Dairy Free & Gluten Free"

* Four of today's ingredients involved seeds: 1.) cacao beans (seeds); 2.) almonds and 3.) pistachios are seeds from drupes, i.e. not technically nuts; and 4.) dried figs offered additional tiny little seeds.

 

Creo Chocolate - Dark Toasted Coconut - 73% Premium Ecuadorian Cacao (bar) - Sept. 11, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Creo Chocolate
Dark Toasted Coconut - 73% Premium Ecuadorian Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Creo Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week. Coconuts have been labeled as fruits, nuts and...you guessed it...seeds (as in single-seed drupes). Confusing? Yes. Respect for all seeds. Now, let's taste.

Today's Toasted Coconut 73% Premium Ecuadorian Cacao (bar)--made with single-origin Ecuadorian cacao beans--was from Creo Chocolate (Portland, OR).

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate and subtle, authentic toasted coconut.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a luxe melt; and an attractive layer of coconut (thin ivory strips with golden brown edges) on the back side of the bar.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (smooth, ultra-dark flavor, extra dark ganache/fudge brownie) and coconut.

The dark chocolate was hearty and not too sweet, making it easier to enjoy the subtler cacao flavor nuances and the natural flavor of the coconut--that was also not too sweet (thank you!). 

Too much sugar in chocolates can overwhelm other flavors. Happily, this was not the case for this well-executed chocolate made with single origin Ecuadorian cacao.

Maker's flavor notes/description: "toasted coconut, nuts, fruit..." "...a crunchy piece of paradise"

Ingredients: "cacao beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, organic coconut" 

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Tree nuts (coconut)" "Manufactured  on shared equipment with products containing eggs, wheat, sesame seeds, soy, peanuts & tree nuts"

Theo Chocolate - Organic Salted Cashew 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 10, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Organic Salted Cashew 85% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $2.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today's Organic Salted Cashew 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes for this ultra-dark bar included: dark chocolate with very faint fruit, nut and even fainter spice (green floral, vanilla).

Texture: relatively thick (cocoa buttery) texture with a relatively rapid, smooth melt, with soft bits of nut.

Flavor notes included: smooth ultra-dark chocolate (roasted, deep, smooth fudge brownie); sparkles of sea salt; faint, mellow nut; and well-managed bitterness.

I enjoyed the salt in this bar, and the well-balanced, 85% dark chocolate--that wasn't too sweet (thank you!). 

I also appreciated the maker's short list of organic, fair trade (fair for life) ingredients (with no emulsifiers or "natural flavors"). Theo Chocolate was one of the earliest to seek out and offer organic and fair trade chocolates that I can recall in the wave of craft, bean-to-bar chocolate makers that began over two decades ago.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate* (Cocoa Beans *+, Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Ground Vanilla Bean*), Cashews*, Sea Salt. (* Organic, + Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: Contains Tree Nuts (Cashews). "Made on equipment that also processes milk, peanuts, and other tree nuts." 

Cacao Sampaka - Chocolate Negro Pipa De Calabaza (bar) - Sept. 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Sampaka 
Chocolate Negro Pipa De Calabaza
(Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seeds)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Seeds* Theme Week. This week includes chocolates with seeds--as well as seeds that we call beans or nuts.

Today's Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seeds (bar) from Cacao Sampaka S.L. (Barcelona, Spain), and was imported into the U.S. by Forever Cheese.

The attractive outer packaging was adorned with a close-up image of colorful tiles from Barcelona.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, sweet seeds and vanilla.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and satisfying crunchy whole pumpkin seeds--with authentic, fresh and relatively mild seed flavor.

I appreciated that the 43% dark chocolate used to make this bar was balanced and not too sweet. It was smooth and dark; and it tasted more like a higher percentage 55%* dark chocolate. It wasn't too bland or sugary. 

I found myself wanting to add a tiny pinch of salt; as I often do with a la carte seeds and nuts. (But, I resisted.) I taste chocolates first without any additions or pairings, to honor the choices of chocolate makers, and to prevent adding something I'll regret or that may obfuscate flavors.

Ingredients: "Sugar, cocoa mass, pumpkin seeds (14.6%), cocoa butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural vanilla flavor. Cocoa 43% minimum"

Allergen-related information: "Our products may contain traces of nuts, peanuts, lactose, milk and sesame."

*Percentages can serve as guidelines when buying chocolates. But, it's not my top metric when it comes to flavor and preference. If you taste a lineup of 70% dark chocolates from different makers and origins, and made with different cacao varieties, some will taste lighter, and others darker, than their advertised percentages.

Antidote - "Queen T" Anise Seeds + Tomato 70 Dark (bar) - Sept. 8, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Antidote
Queen T - Anise Seeds + Tomato 70 Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Antidote Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's Antidote Queen T - Anise Seeds + Tomato 70 Dark (bar) was made in Ecuador. Antidote Creative Director, CEO, Ms. Red Thalhammer, is Austrian and is based in the U.S. 

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate, faint sweet fruit (tomato), and subtle spice (anise, star anise).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate texture with tiny anise seed bits.

Flavor notes included: smooth, rich dark chocolate with anise notes. (The pleasant albeit faint ripe sweet tomato note was more apparent in the aroma than the flavor.)

I always enjoy trying chocolates with umami-leaning, and botanical flavor inclusions. And today's chocolate provided a little of both.

Maker's description: "...brings...all the flavor--without all the sugar."..."In just one bite you'll encounter what we like to call "an experiential escape."

Ingredients: "cacao beans, cacao butter, milk powder, whole cane sugar, black sesame seeds, nori seaweed, sunflower lecithin."

Allergen-related information: Contains milk, sesame. "Made in a facility that handles soy and nuts." 

Scharffen Berger - Breaks - Oat Milk Chocolate with Coconut Sugar Salted Sunflower Seed Bark - Sept. 7, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Scharffen Berger 
Breaks - Oat Milk Chocolate with Coconut Sugar Salted Sunflower Seed Bark
Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 4.5 oz. (128 g.) in total package
Calories: 294.5 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: Missing information
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's "Breaks" Oat Milk Chocolate with Coconut Sugar Salted Sunflower Seed Bark was created by Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (Ashland, OR). 

This 43% cacao craft chocolate snack was part of the company's plant-based, oat milk chocolate ("Breaks") series.

Aroma notes included: sweet dark chocolate, oats, oat grass, maple toffee, oatmeal and seed vanilla cookie, and very faint nut. 

The relatively hearty dark chocolate bark pieces were satisfying with a pleasant soft crunchy, seedy texture.

This was a well-balanced treat. The 43% cacao bark was sweet (the coconut sugar gave it a nice toffee-like flavor) without being overly and unnaturally so. The sunflower seeds, salt, oats and vanilla mellowed the sweetness and chocolate flavor without eclipsing the latter. And, while the oat flavors were certainly present, they didn't make this bark taste like a cereal/granola bar.

I also appreciated the thoughtful and relatively short list of authentic ingredients (and the gluten free oats).

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Oat Powder (Oat Flour), Coconut Sugar, Roasted Sunflower Seeds (Sunflower Kernels, Canola Oil, Salt), Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Vanilla Bean. 

Allergen-related information: Contains Coconut. Processed in a Facility That Processes Tree Nuts and Dairy. (Plant Based; Vegan; Gluten Free Certified; Non GMO Project Verified; Kosher (no dairy ingredients; but dairy equipment (DE)).