The Organic House - Banana Foster 65% Cacao, Nicaragua (bar) - May 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House
Banana Foster 65% Cacao, Nicaragua (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 147 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Banana Foster 65% Cacao, Nicaragua O'Payo (bar) was from The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada).

This bar was made with O'Payo Nicaragua cacao from Ingemann, a family-owned cacao producer in Nicaragua.

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate, light tropical fruit (banana) and faint, light sweet green.

Texture: smooth hearty texture and thick, creamy melt. The banana and coconut sugar were fully incorporated into the chocolate.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate accompanied by all aspects of banana: sweet, fruity, smooth, bitter/astringent; faint dark sugars (coconut flower sugar/brown sugar); fleeting caramel; and sweet floral (vanilla).

The freeze-dried bananas maintained a lot of their original concentrated flavor

I enjoyed this naturally sweet, flavorful and complex tropical banana ride, and appreciated the thoughtful sourcing and diligent execution behind all the ingredients, e.g. the use of single origin (Peru) cocoa butter.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Fruity notes accompanied with sweet notes of banana and vanilla."

Ingredients: "Nicaragua O'Payo cacao beans, Coconut flower nectar, Bananas, Peru cacao butter, Vanilla beans"

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that uses tree nuts.  

Cacao Sampaka - Copan Honduras 70% Chocolate Dark (bar) - May 28, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Sampaka
Copan Honduras 70% Chocolate Dark (bar)
Good ++   

Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $13.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Bienvenidos (welcome) to Day #7 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Copan Honduras 70% Chocolate Negro (Dark) (bar) from Cacao Sampaka (Barcelona, Spain) was made in Spain and imported by Forever Cheese LLC (New York, NY).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate with diffuse fruit (fresh cherries, very faint cherry brandy, dark sugar (brown sugar) and faint vanilla.

Texture: well-tempered, smooth texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with natural sweetness/brightness, balanced bitterness, diffuse faint fruit (cherry, sweet orange) and very faint (barely detectable) sweet tobacco and whiskey cocktail.

I enjoyed this relatively hearty, well-balanced chocolate and its authentic and subtly complex fruit notes.

Ingredients: "Honduras Cacao Nibs, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Cocoa: 70% minimum."

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of: Nuts (Almond, Hazelnut, Pistachio, Macadamia Nut, Pecan Nut), Peanuts, Lactose, Milk and Sesame."

Standout Chocolate - Lachua Guatemala Organic 70% (bar) - May 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Standout Chocolate 
Lachua Guatemala Organic 70% (bar)
Good +++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Lachua Guatemala Organic 70% (bar) from Standout Chocolate, was produced and packaged in Sweden. The cacao beans grown in the Lachua region of Guatemala were sourced from Cacao Verapaz.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate with bright, appealing bouquet of tropical fruit (mango, citrus, cacao).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate

Flavor notes included: bright, slightly tangy fruits (citrus, mango, cacao and sweet, juicy and ripe purple grape).

I really enjoyed this well-balanced, naturally sweet and fruity dark chocolate. So much flavor elicited from just two ingredients! This bar was a great example of how special a single origin chocolate can be.

Maker's Taste (Tasting) Notes: Citrus, Tropical Fruits, Dark Sugars

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Sugar

Allergen-related information: May Contain Traces of Milk

A. Morin - Costa Rica - Quetzal Noir 70% cacao (bar) - May 26, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Costa Rica - Quetzal Noir 70% cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 294 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Costa Rica - Quetzel Noir 70% cacao (bar) was made by A. Morin Chocolatiers (Donzere, France) using cacao grown in O'Payo Nicaragua cacao. The company has been in the family since 1884.

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively aromatic and bold (but well-balanced) dark chocolate with complex notes: (from roasted woody earth (peat) to toast and coffee, to diffuse, almost honeyed fruit (concord grape)). 

It tasted much better than the initial sniff/aroma seemed to indicate; or put another way, it finished unexpectedly delightfully. It reminded me of certain red wines that way.

I found this chocolate oddly addictive, and had to stop myself from eating too much. This says something about the cacao beans as well as the chocolate maker.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans from Costa Rica, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin. Cocoa 70% minimim.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk, nuts and sesame 

Zotter - Belize 72% + Panama 72% Dark Chocolate (bars) - May 25, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Zotter 
Belize 72% + Panama 72% Dark Chocolate (bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total pkg. of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 of each two bars x 2 -- adding up to 1/2 pkg.
Cost: $10.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zotter USA, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's 72% dark duo was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter US LLC (Fort Myers, FL) -- using cacao from two different countries: Belize and Panama.

Both Belize and Panama bars had relatively long conch times: 21 hours and 22 hours respectively.  Belize 72% cacao (bar) was joined by a Panama 72% cacao (bar); i.e. these two were individually wrapped, but wrapped up in the same package. 

Both Belize and Panama bars had relatively long conch times: 21 hours and 22 hours respectively and were relatively subtle in aroma and flavor. (No harsh or spiky notes.)

Belize "vs." Panama comparisons were not directly possible. The attractively packaged dual-origin bars concept was appealing; however, the two bars weren't clearly labeled, so they are identified below only as Bar #1 and Bar #2.

Bar #1

Aroma and flavor notes were very subtle... dark chocolate flavor (dark chocolate torte/tart, ganache, very slightly earthy, ultra-dark brownie). Diffuse, sweet fruit (citrus, raisin, dark ganache). 

The texture was smooth and creamy.

Bar #2

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet green (light green fig jam on freshly baked,fluffy bread); nut (faint cashew); almost floral; light, clean/clean mineral taste; and very faint bitter/earth drinking chocolate/ultra-dark cookie/brownie in the finish.

Texture: light, almost whipped/fluffy melt and mouthfeel.

Both of these Organic 72% dark bars has much in common. They both were made using cacaos "cultivated in the jungles of South America by indigenous farmers." And both chocolates were made with just three ingredients: Organic, Fair Traded Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar and Cocoa Butter,

I liked: 1.) the gently complex flavor notes; 2.) the short list of thoughtfully sourced single origin and organic ingredients; 3.) the smooth textured chocolates; 4.) and being able to taste these two single origin chocolates side-by-side.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on Equipment That Processes Tree Nuts., Peanuts, Milk, Sesame and Soy."

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Maker's Choice - Dark Chocolate Pure Passion Fruit, Guatemala 70% Cacao (bar) - May 24, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms
Limited Edition Dark Chocolate Pure Passion Fruit 70% Cacao - Guatemala (bar)
Good ++  
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Dark Chocolate Pure Passion Fruit 70% Cacao - Guatemala (bar) was made from bean to bar by Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA), as part of their "Maker's Choice" series.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (bitter to bittersweet) and balanced, tart-sweet fruit (passion fruit).

Texture: smooth and satisfying texture and melt  

Flavor notes included: a perfect blend (for me) between the dark, balanced-bitter cacao and tart-sweet passion fruit. There was a very faint earth flavor - but it was so well balanced/managed that it would be hard to imagine this bar without it. This chocolate had an almost dynamic, lilting quality to it. Very enjoyable.

I found this 70% bar addictive--in a way that I often do with excellent dark milk chocolate bars. This sweet-tart dark chocolate had an almost dynamic, lilting quality to it. Very enjoyable.

Maker's description: "This passion fruit dark chocolate is a powerful expression of luscious, sweet and tart tropical fruit. Our bright, Guatemalan Asochivite cacao pairs perfectly with the tropical citrus flavors of passion fruit, and our freshly pressed cocoa butter creates a smooth and rich chocolate experience."

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

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. "Soy Free, Vegan, Gluten Free"  

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Dark Chocolate Yasica Especial 70% Cacao (bar) - May 23, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms
Limited Edition Dark Chocolate Yasica Especial 70% Cacao - Guatemala (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $35.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Dark Chocolate Yasica Especial 70% Cacao - Guatemala (bar) was created by Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA), as part of their "Limited Release" series.

Aroma and flavor notes included: appealing dark chocolate with a faint and diffuse fruitiness (soft peach; very faint banana; even fainter sweet strawberry and sweet red bell pepper). 

Texture: smooth, with a satisfying melt and a very slight astringency (dryness/graininess) in the finish.

I really enjoyed the authentic, balanced and gentle bouquet of fruit notes in this cacao -- exactly the kind of subtle complexity, low acidity and bitterness; and gentle honey-ed sweetness you'd hope to taste from a single origin, heritage (Criollo) cacao-based chocolate. The makers enhanced this tasting experience by also using single origin cocoa butter--rather than bulk, deodorized cocoa butter typically added in chocolate making.

Was this worth $35.00 (USD)? Years ago, I was able to see the great work that Giff Laube was doing in Nicaragua; and I'm willing to pay this price, to enjoy great chocolate in the future--chocolates made possible by makers like Goodnow Farms using great single origin cacaos from the forests and farms in Central America.

Will others feel the same? Hard to know. Cacao prices are currently at a 60-year high this year. They'll likely remain high due to several short-term (tariff uncertainties) and long-term challenges (climate change).

Maker's description: "Rich with notes of juicy strawberries, cream, honey and cashews, this rare Nicaraguan Yasica Especial dark chocolate is crafted from ancient Central American Criollo white cacao. Along the Yasica River, farmer Giff Laube tends his small patch of trees yielding only one sack of cacao. In local Matagalpan legend, Yasica embodies adventure and new discovery; enjoy this special chocolate tasting journey!"

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

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. "Soy Free, Vegan, Gluten Free"