SOMA Chocolatemaker - Arcana 100% bar - May 22, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA
Arcana 100% bar
Good ++
Weight: .76 oz. (21.6 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $13.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the dark side, and Day #1 of Dark Chocolate Blends Theme Week.

Today's Arcana 100% bar from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada) was made with cocoa beans from three different origins (Madagascar, Ecuador and Venezuela).

The name "Arcana" conjures up images of mysteries that can't be readily explained, and the secrets in nature that alchemists pursued. Blending is probably a bit like this—acquainting oneself with the deep mysteries of each batch of cocoa beans, and finding just the right mix of complementary flavors.

The aroma of this ultra-dark bar had floral, marshmallow and green banana notes (reminiscent of Ecuador); and it was (as is often the case with 100% bars) almost deceptively light. Ah, the brain thought, I am about to bite into a sweet rich chocolate. Then after the first bite, the brain had to hit the re-set button. It had trouble understanding that there was no sugar in this bar.

The melt and texture were smooth (and seemed to grow creamier toward the end.) The taste was almost dull for a few seconds but incredibly deep and dark. There was no sugar or fruit (Madagascar, where are you?) to balance and brighten things up. Then there was a bitter then sour (tart berry-fig balsamic?) taste, which was interesting even if it was a bit somber. (It certainly had the depth and a complex flavor arc associated with Venezuela.)

The aftertaste, was much calmer and more subdued. It lingered for quite awhile, with the same floral notes that were present in the initial aroma. And then the brain thought, hmmm. I think I'd like to take another bite.

Baron Chocolatier - Premium Dark Chocolate 70% bar - May 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Baron Chocolatier, Inc.
Premium Dark Chocolate 70% bar
Good ++
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/5 bar (2 squares)
Cost: $missing information for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information, CA

Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks.

Today's 70% Premium Dark Chocolate bar from Baron Chocolatier* had smooth, deep dark chocolate flavor with very subtle hints of fudge brownie with walnuts, flourless dark chocolate cake, earth, nuts, and slight acidity in aftertaste.

The country of origin was not explicitly identified on the packaging for this bar; however, the company has indicated they use cacao grown in West Africa (Ivory Coast) for their chocolate in the past.

Chances are if you've eaten a dark chocolate bar, and there was no origin listed, you probably were sampling a bar made at least in part with African cacao.

Ivory Coast and Ghana (each with a coast that borders on the Atlantic Ocean) together supply almost half the world's cacao. And so we end our virtual chocolate tour we've made in the past few weeks, moving from east to west across this vast continent, in this high production zone.

Starting tomorrow, we'll explore the world of dark chocolate bars made with blends of cacao.

*Baron Chocolatier, a division of the Milano Group, was founded in Poland in 1982. This bar was a "Product of Poland."

Neuhaus - Milk Chocolate West Africa 32% Cacao bar - May 20, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Neuhaus sa
Milk Chocolate from West Africa 32% Cacao bar
Good ++
Weight: 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 540 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks.

Today's 32% Milk Chocolate bar was made by Neuhaus (in Vlezenbeek, Belgium) using cacao grown in West Africa. Neuhaus invented a form of praline many years ago and has been making confections and chocolate since 1857.

I was very hungry when I ate this bar, and managed to eat the whole thing. Haven't done that, i.e. eaten a whole bar that was a thirty-something percent cacao for awhile. The bar was a smooth and creamy and very edible, with hints of fruit and caramel.

Tony's Chocolonely - Dark Chocolate 51% Pecan Coconut bar - May 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tony's Chocolonely
Dark Chocolate 51% Pecan Coconut bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $4.89 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks. We've been sampling chocolates made from cacao grown in several African nations this month. Our last stop this week is in West Africa.

"West Africa" is made up of 18 countries, most of which were former European colonies that gained independence in 1960.

Many years ago, the French and other Europeans brought cacao from the New World, and other crops, to grow in West Africa. And today, two countries, Ivory Coast and Ghana, together supply about half of the world's cacao. However, over the years there have been concerns about the use of slave labor in this region.

Today's Dark Chocolate 51% Pecan Coconut bar was produced by Tony's Chocolonely (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), and made in Belgium. The company's mission is targeted at increasing awareness about and helping to prevent slavery and human trafficking in Ivory Coast and Ghana. And, oh yes, to produce good-tasting chocolate.

It may be my imagination, but I believe this large bar actually tasted better, "happier," than other chocolates made from West African cacao. The bar had a bright, true chocolate flavor (brownies with pecans), and was quite good. The coconut was subtle and added an upbeat, sweet note. 

TCHO - Origins Dark Chocolate 62% West Africa bar - May 18, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

TCHO
TCHO Origins Dark Chocolate 62% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate 62% Cacao West Africa bar was from TCHO (Berkeley, CA). It had a classic, sweet dark chocolate* aroma with light spice notes.

The bar tasted quite sweet and smooth (and relatively low in fruit notes and/or acidity), but offered a uniform, predictable chocolate tasting experience.

Most of the world's high-volume, commercially produced chocolate in the U.S. and Europe is made from cacao from West Africa. Most people's chocolate tasting experience and expectations have been formed around this chocolate.

For many years, most large-scale operations have chosen to maintain a predictable flavor profile in their chocolates from year to year, across different regions and sources. Beans are carefully blended and roast profiles and other operations help to control variations in batches and different harvests.

So a West Africa bar like today's bar from a relatively large maker* may not have the nuances of flavor that a small batch bar would have, that would vary from season to season. Nonetheless, it's interesting to learn more about West African chocolate, as transparency about origins increases, and more chocolates become available for side-by-side tasting.

*TCHO was a relatively early entrant into the new American chocolate maker movement (2005) and was instrumental in helping to educate the public about the different flavors that were possible to develop in chocolate. TCHO bars have focused on cacao (single and blended origins) that highlighted nutty, fruity, chocolatey and other "flavors" of cacao—sometimes mentioning the country of origin, and sometimes not.

Blanxart - Organic Dark Chocolate 42% Congo bar - May 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Organic Dark Chocolate 42% Grand cru single origin Congo (bar)
(Chocolat Noir Bio 42% Grand cru)
Good+
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.25 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 182 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks.

We're sampling cacao (in chocolate bar form) from the Republic of Congo today—and larger Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, aka Eastern Congo) yesterday—as we move through Africa from east to west.

Cacao grows up to 20 degrees north or south of the Equator). Africa contains several countries that are located within this large possible growing area (including Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, the Republic of Congo, Eastern Congo (DRC), Ghana, and Ivory Coast).

Both yesterday's Original Beans 55% cacao bar and today's Blanxart 42% cacao bar were organic, milk chocolate bars made with fair trade/fairly traded cacao from the Congo region. Both Congos border the Congo River Basin area.

The origin for the cacao in today's bar was from the Mountains of the Moon. Blanxart explains: "Between the East African savannahs and the vast rainforests of the Congo Basin lie the ice-covered Lunae Montes" (Mountains of the Moon)." Here approximately 100 farmers grow the organic Mountains of the Moon cacao used to make today's bar.

Today's 42% milk chocolate bar, made in Spain with certified organic cacao, was quite a bit sweeter* than yesterday's 55% "dark" milk chocolate bar. It had hints of fruit and sweet caramel and vanilla.

*The Blanxart Organic 42% Congo bar wrapper listed the following ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa, vanilla

Original Beans - Femmes de Virunga 55% bar - May 16, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Original Beans
Femmes de Virunga 55% bar
Good ++
Weight: .82 oz. (23.3 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 123 calories (guesstimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $missing information
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks. We've been taking a virtual trip, from east to west, across this large continent. Yesterday we were in Uganda, and today, we are in the Congo.

Today we move to Eastern Congo (D.R.), with this Femmes del Virunga 55% organic milk chocolate bar from Original Beans (Amsterdam).*

This organic milk chocolate bar was—in contrast to yesterday's ultra-dark 80% Uganda bar—fruity, light, sweet, and almost "fluffy." It was a very tasty, creamy milk chocolate bar.

The mission of the makers at Original Beans was not only to produce a fine, organic milk chocolate bar, but also to support women cacao farmers and to preserve "Africa's oldest nature park, Eastern Congo (D.R.)."

*Original Beans is based in Amsterdam, and this bar was made in Switzerland.