Coco Chocolatier - Cold Brew Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 23, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Coco Chocolatier
Cold Brew Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Phoenix Shop, Big Sur, California

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Coffee Week(s).

Today's Cold Brew Coffee (61% cocoa) Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Coco Chocolatier/Coco EU (Belfast and Edinburgh). The outer wrapper was, quite literally, a work of art.*

Aroma: relatively sweet dark chocolate, roasted coffee and appealing, mysterious and hard to pin-down notes that might have been: fleeting herb, spice and savory notes (mild green pepper; roasted olive tapenade on freshly toasted bread); mild earth/clay; and slightly smoky vanilla.

The cacao origin for this bar was Colombia. 

Texture: relatively smooth, even texture and melt.

Flavor notes: well-balanced dark chocolate and coffee; not too acidic; not too bitter; naturally sweet, but not too sweet; and a polite lingering coffee finish. 

I loved the intriguing aroma and felt grateful for the relatively mellow, smooth, almost coffee flavor--likely due to the cold brew method, and added cocoa butter.

While I don't drink coffee anymore, I've featured a Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week almost every year on Chocolate Banquet. I loved drinking coffee; and the toughest part about giving it up was the lovely, seductive aromas. I'm looking forward to being intoxicated by coffee scents this week.

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Coffee (<1%), Emulsifier: Non-GMO Soya Lecithin, Natural Coffee Flavour, Natural Vanilla Flavour. (Cocoa Solids: 61% Minimum)

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Peanuts, Nuts, Milk and Gluten."

*Chocolate can be blended with thousands of flavors; it's very versatile. It also can be enjoyed with--and found swaddled in--many art styles. Packaging/labels for craft chocolate, beer, and wine have been great sources of fresh and inspired designs and entertaining surprises over time. I would have saved all of the thousands of the physical wrappers I've seen, but that would've required renting a large storage facility.

 

Spinnaker Chocolate - 58% Colombia Oat Milk (bar) - Sept. 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker
58% Colombia Oat Milk (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's 58% Colombia Oat Milk (bar) was from Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, faint oatmeal raisin cookie, warm spice (cinnamon) and milk/cream.

Texture: smooth, slightly soft break, with almost fully incorporated oat flour texture. There was a slight thick creaminess, and very little graininess (thank you!).

Flavor notes included: chocolate (slightly muted, semi-sweet ganache); faint diffuse fruit (sweet red grape, raisin); faint warm spice; the best dark chocolate oat milkshake ever; and faint oat-ness in a clean, short finish.

I appreciated this well-executed, elegant take on oat milk chocolate--that started with great single origin cacao. Even though the full magic of these cacao beans from Colombia were muffled a bit by the oat flour, some of the lovely complex aroma and flavor shone through. 

To those looking for the best oat milk chocolate available--or putting together a flight of oat milk chocolates--I would definitely place today's bar high on the short list.

Maker's tasting notes: "The amazing Tumaco Colombia beans in a vegan, oat milk bar. Creamy, delicious, and milk-less..."

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Oat Flour, Cocoa Butter

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

Spinnaker Chocolate - 85% Colombia (bar) - Sept. 21, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
85% Colombia (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 85% Colombia (bar) was from Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes included: creamy dark chocolate/milk chocolate with chocolate-y; diffuse stone fruit and berry notes; and very faint clean, green, borderline floral.

Texture: smooth, even texture and thick, luxe melt.

Flavor notes included: fudge-y dark chocolate (bittersweet torte/ultra-dark ganache), diffuse dark fruit, and bitter caramel; and a light, fleeting nuttiness and fruit in the long finish. 

I enjoyed this chocolate ride! The balanced, broad variety of interesting complex cacao notes. Sweet tooth fans may not appreciate the slight bitter quality that arrives in the taste (after the promise of sweet milk, caramel and fruit in the aroma); but I love a well-executed flavor fest that honors all the wonderful aspects of cacao.

Maker's tasting notes: "Even with 85% cacao, the Colombia beans are mild, delicious, and wonderfully fudgey..."

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter

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

Fjak - Colombia Tumaco Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa (bar) - Sept. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fjak
Colombia Tumaco Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 168 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Bienvenidos a (welcome to) Day #8 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week. And, like other bars featured this week, cacao has traveled across at least three continents, from cacao tree to farmer to chocolate maker to consumer.

Today's Colombia Tumaco Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa (bar) was from Fjak Chocolate (Hardangerfjord, Eidfjord, Norway). The company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates, some with skillfully integrated, local (Nordic) flavor inclusions. Today's Colombia bar was part of their Cocoa Explorers Limited Edition Origins series.

Aroma and flavor notes in this three-ingredient chocolate included: dark chocolate (dark ganache, torte), herb (very faint savory herb and barely salted/pickled green pepper/peppercorn), spice (very faint (barely detectable) anise, black licorice) and diffuse fruit (apple). 

All these subtle notes were balanced, complementary and tasty. I enjoyed the subtle complexity; and I appreciated the short list of ingredients. The sweetness level was pleasant, and not too much (thank you!).

Maker's tasting notes: Ganache, Almond, Apple

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

Allergen-related information: Vegan, dairy and gluten free

Domori - 70% Trinitario Dark Chocolate Colombia (bar) - Sept. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
70% Trinitario Fondente - Dark Chocolate Colombia (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 141 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's 70% Trinitario Colombia (bar) was from Domori S.p.A (None (TO) Italy).

Aroma notes included: strong dark chocolate with slight loam/soil/peat notes.

This dark chocolate had an even, smooth texture and melt; and it was surprisingly low astringency given the strong aroma and initial flavor.

Flavor notes included: strong--but balanced, well-managed and executed dark chocolate. It had peat (and almost but not quite smoky/umami)--notes; however, it was quite good. It was much better than expected, given the initial aroma after the sealed, inner packaging was opened.

I liked the short list of (two) ingredients, and the natural sweetness that emerged from what tasted more like an 80%+ dark chocolate than a 70% cacao dark bar.

Maker's tasting notes: "Notes of cashew nuts and honey. Extraordinary sweetness and persistence."

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar

Allergen-related information: May contain nuts, milk and soy. Gluten free.

Zotter Chocolates - Labooko Colombia Dark Chocolate 80% (bars) - Sept. 18, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter Chocolates US LLC
Labooko Colombia Dark Chocolate 80% (bars)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in package of two bars
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: zotterusa.com, online order

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

Today's 80% Colombia Dark Chocolate 80% (bar), from Zotter USA (Fort Myers, FL) was made in Austria. 

Zotter offers a wide range of filled (hand-scooped) chocolate bars as well as a Labooko line of single origin chocolate bars--made with fair trade and organic cacao.

Both feature the colorful illustrations of art director Andreas H. Gratze. Images for the Labooko line are often inspired by real people in cacao growing countries; whereas the images on the filled bar line are more whimsical.

Aroma notes for this two-ingredient bar included: robust dark chocolate (strong cocoa, and faint tart citric green (oxalis)).

Texture: smooth with an even, pleasant melt. 

Flavor notes included: bold dark chocolate (earth, roasted cacao) with medium, balanced acidity. The bitterness level was not too high, despite the relatively bold, earth and roasted notes. 

Zotter uses a roasting method that employs a fine mist of water (to cool the temperature). This helps make the roast "softer" and "brings out the aroma."

I enjoyed tasting more cacao (80%) and less sugar (20%), and the fact that they used brown sugar as well.

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass**, Dark Brown Cane Sugar**, Cane Sugar**, Cocoa Butter** (** = Organic, Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes Tree Nuts, Milk, Soy, Peanuts and Sesame."

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Colombia Belize Blend (bar) - Sept. 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

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

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

Today's 70% Colombia and Belize Blend (Batch 318.2) (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes for this two-ingredient bar included: sweet dark chocolate (tart, ganache); tart, sweet fruit  and spice (apple and berry cider); and faint coffee.

Texture: rich and chocolate-y with a very slight fruit (granular) astringency. (This could have also been a result of shorter conch time(s) to maximize/preserve the inherent fruit/berry flavors in the cacao.)

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (torte, ganache, fudge cake) and tart sweet berries (ripe blackberry, olallieberry*, black raspberry and ripe blueberry cobbler).

I appreciated the range of rich, sweet, fruit-forward, berry dessert and faint, crisp apple cider flavors that the makers were able to showcase with just two ingredients. It was the perfect chocolate for late summer/early fall. 

Maker's tasting notes: "...fudgy and fruity combo of chocolate covered berries..."

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar

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

* The following definition for olallieberry (a cross between a blackberry and a European red raspberry) perfectly described today's multi-berry taste. "Olallie" is a word for berry that was used by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. So you're actually saying "berry berry."