Akesson's - Madagascar Bejofo Estate 100% Criollo bar - May 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Akesson's Organic, Ltd.
Madagascar Bejofo Estate 100% Criollo Cocoa bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 182.7 (per label) calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

This bar had a rather heavenly aroma for an ultra-dark bar, with sweet cream, ripe mild fruit and caramel notes. It also had an ultra-creamy texture and melt.

This chocolate had pleasing complex Criollo cacao flavor infused with a slightly bitter edge and a mild creamy aftertaste—that faded quickly and politely for a 100 percent bar.

If you want to sample a rare 100% cacao bar that is more light and fragrant flower than sledgehammer, try this one.

Middlebury Chocolates - 100% Dark Chocolate bar - May 7, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Middlebury Chocolates 

100 - one hundred percent dark chocolate bar

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #6 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's smooth 100% one hundred percent dark chocolate bar from Middlebury Chocolates (Middlebury, VT) was very approachable for an ultra-dark bar.

It had slight green and deep cocoa notes in the aroma, and was well executed and even—with no "off" flavors. The maker's Tasting Notes read: "Creamy, Bold and Intense."

This 100% bar contained a "thoughtful blend of Dominican Republic, Tanzania and Guatemala" Direct Trade cacao beans; and all three of the major cacao varieties were represented: Trinitario, Criollo and Forestaro.

Like most successful chocolatemakers, the folks behind Middlebury Chocolates are dedicated to the details of their craft. Information supplied on the bar packaging, contained a wealth of information about some of the steps taken to create a great bar:

• Fermentation: 4-7 days; Mostly sun dried
• Roast Level: Medium
• Refined: 72 hours at 100 degrees F
• Conched: 24 hours at 145 degrees F

Bisou Chocolate - Noir Coco Brus 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar - May 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Bisou Chocolate
Noir Coto Brus 100% Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (15 g.) / 1 oz. (30g.) (per label) in total bar
Calories: 76 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.25 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bisou Chocolate online order

Welcome to Day #5 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's attractively designed and packaged Noir Coto Brus 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar from Bisou Chocolate (Oakland/Berkeley, CA) had compelling, smooth dark chocolate flavor with well-balanced bitter notes, and relatively creamy texture.

The ultra-dark bar bar lacked sharp or sour fruit notes contained in some 100% bars; and approachability is important when it comes to 100 percent bars. The chocolate did have a relatively smooth and mild, ultra-dark finish with a very faint wax note.

The cacao beans for this bar came from Coto Brus, located the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Ritual Chocolate - 100% Cacao bar + Mexico Soconusco 75% bar - May 5, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Ritual Chocolate 

One Hundred Percent Pure Cacao 100% Cacao (bar)

Good++

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 161 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $13.00 in 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Mexican Soconusco 75% (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 161 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of 100% Cacao Theme Week. And, Happy Cinco de Mayo.*

Today we've featured two, attractively packaged, dark bars from Ritual Chocolate (Park City, UT): one 100% cacao blend ultra dark bar and a second single origin, Mexico, Soconusco 75% cacao dark bar. 

One Hundred Percent 100% bar

Ritual Chocolate's100% bar was made with a blend of cacaos from "around the world."

Tasting notes: fruity, earthy, cacao.

The aroma: chocolate (baked brownie) with fleeting, faint green note. This bar had a smooth melt and flavor with a sour fruit spike about 2/3 in, and a smoother aftertaste than most 100%ers.

Mexico 75% bar

Since it is El Cinco de Mayo,* this Mexico Soconusco 75% Cacao bar from Ritual Chocolate is also featured today.

This second bar was made with cacao from the Rayen Cooperative, located in the Soconusco region of the state of Chiapas, that shares a border with Guatemala. This region has a long cacao history, likely beginning with the Olmec and Mokaya peoples. Later the Aztecs cultivated and consumed cacao in this area.

The aroma of this bar had hints of spice and drinking chocolate. The unique flavor had savory spice (light cumin, saffron) and nutty notes. The maker's tasting notes: nutty, woody, chocolate flavor with a bit of citrus. All these flavors came from just three ingredients: cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.

*Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May, celebrates a victory of the Mexican people/army over Napoleon's army in the mid 1800s. Celebrations around this date have grown over time to encompass a broader celebration of Mexican food and drink in the U.S.

Arete Fine Chocolate - 100% Guatemala Lachua Microlot Dark Chocolate bar - May 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Arete Fine Chocolate

100% Guatemala Lachua Microlot Dark Chocolate bar

Good +++

Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar

Calories: 184 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.00 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #3 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's 100% Guatemala Lachua Microlot Dark Chocolate bar from Arete Fine Chocolate* was one of the most approachable 100% bars you'll find.

The bar had a pleasant aroma with dried fruit and faint molasses notes and a creamy melt and texture. The ultra dark chocolate flavor was smooth with very light and well balanced bitter notes and aftertaste with a flicker of high-end green tea.

*Arete Fine Chocolate owners David and Leslie Senk, are moving their company from Milpitas, CA to Tennessee and will re-open mid-2018 in their new location, with a freshly minted chocolate for sale, at that time.

Slitti Cacao Pregiati - GranCacao 100% bar - May 3, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Slitti Cacao Pregiati

GranCacao 100% bar

Good - Good +

Weight: .583 oz. (16.6 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 99 calories (per label) calories in 1/6 of bar

Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's GranCacao 100% bar was made in Italy by Slitti Cacao Pregiati (Tuscany, Italy) using a "blend of fine cocoas originating from Central America."

This soy and gluten free, ultra-dark bar had an aroma and flavor, with slight bitter, sour and earth notes, characteristic of many 100% cacao bars. However, it was a bit smoother than some other 100%ers.

I thought this relative smoothness (by 100% standards) might be due to a nicer blend of beans and some extra cocoa butter, but it was difficult to tell; the ingredient information listed only "100% cocoa mass").

This 100% cacao bar had a lingering aftertaste (100% cacao that can "stun" our taste buds for a minute or two) and a slight green note at the tail end, after about 30+ seconds.

Bisou Chocolate - Noir Chuao 100% dark bar - May 2, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bisou Chocolate
Noir Chuao 100% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (15 g.) / 1 oz. (30 g.) (per label) in total bar
Calories: 72 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift (Thank you Michelle!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Farmers Market)

Welcome to Day #1 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's Noir Chuao 100% Dark Chocolate bar was from Bisou Chocolate (Berkeley/Oakland, CA). Bisou offers small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate that can be purchased online or at Farmers' Markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their primary focus has been single origin bars.

This 100% cacao bar had one ingredient: cacao beans, grown in the Chuao region of Venezuela, known for its fine cacao. Fortunately for chocolate lovers, despite current challenges in Venezuela, cacao is still finding its way to the U.S.

The chocolate had a deep, dark aroma, and bitter and sour flavor notes (fruit acidity) interspersed with interesting, fleeting cacao notes. A very long and faint finish eventually led to a small uptick in sweeter cacao after-taste (about five minutes after eating a bite).

One hundred percent cacao bars are not for the faint of heart, but it's always interesting to taste cacao in unadulterated form. Bean quality and ideal fermentation are key, as there is no sugar, lecithin, vanilla or flavor additions to hide behind or to mellow out harsher notes in the chocolate.

Bisou's attractively packaged bars were imprinted with a botanically-shaped cacao pod and leaf segment design. And they were wrapped in attractive colored inner foils, surrounded by black outer wrappers with Art Nouveau-inspired design and lettering.