MIA Chocolate - Baobab and Salted Nibs bar - Mar. 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

MIA Chocolate
MIA Baobab and Salted Nibs bar
Good +
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

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

Today's MIA Baobab and Salted Nibs bar was from MIA Chocolate (London, UK) and was made in Africa (Madagascar).

This unique, well-tempered 65% dark chocolate bar was a blend of smooth chocolate and slightly chewy and crunchy texture from cacao nibs* pressed into the back of the bar. (Sea salt added to the nibs was very minimal.) The chocolate had a slightly acidic (Vitamin C/citrus) flavor that I'm assuming came from baobab powder.

Madagascar is home to the tall, bulbous-shaped baobab tree, also known as the tree of life. The fruit of this tree, like cacao, is contained in relatively large, tough/fibrous pods. Like cacao, baobab fruit pulp and ground seed powders are edible and have a citrus flavor. Neither fruit can be easily found supermarket outside their country of origin. So, to be able to taste the two in a chocolate bar is a rare opportunity and invites curiosity.

*Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa nibs 4%, baobab powder 2%, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), sea salt (less than 1%).

** Both cacao and baobab are members of the malvaceae (mallows) family--along with okra, cotton, hibiscus, molokhia, marsh mallows and durian. Boabab trees can store water and provide nutrition in dry climates and gave traditionally been used as a medicinal plant as well.

MIA Chocolate - 75% Dark Chocolate bar - Mar. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

MIA Chocolate
75% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

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

Today's 75% Dark Chocolate bar was from MIA Chocolate (London, UK), and was made in Africa.

This bar had a slightly reddish hue, a warm spice aroma, and a smooth, gradual melt. The chocolate flavor had bright, red berry (raspberry), tart fruit notes with balanced citrus (sweet and mild pink grapefruit) acidity and a faint sparkle of sweetened fruit yogurt. These color and flavor characteristics are often associated with fine flavored Madagascan cacao.

The emblem you may see on the MIA* bar packaging (bottom right corner) is that of a Sankofa bird. (Sankofa roughly translated means to "go back and get it." And the "it" in this case may refer to beneficial knowledge that may otherwise be forgotten.)

This African metaphorical symbol, with roots in Ghana, is associated with applying lessons learned from the past to future endeavors, in order to make positive progress. True to the company's tagline "Food with Thought," this bit of wisdom is something we all might benefit from.

*The MIA in MIA Chocolate, a brand name and social concern, stands for Made in Africa. The organization fairly sources premium cacao from the island nation of Madagascar; and the cacao used to make today's bean-to-bar offering came from a single region--presumably near the Sambirano (River) Valley in NW Madagascar, where cacao is known for its reddish color and "fruity" flavor profile. 

MIA Chocolate - Candied Orange Dark Chocolate bar - Mar. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

MIA Chocolate
Candied Orange Dark Chocolate 65% Cocoa bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 400 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ 6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

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

Today's Candied Orange Dark Chocolate 65% Cocoa bar was from MIA Chocolate (London, UK), and was made from bean-to-bar in Africa (Madagascar).

This bar was a blend of pleasing 65% dark chocolate interspersed with authentic-tasting soft pieces of flavorful candied orange. (And both chocolate and fruit were flavorful and sweet, but not too sweet; thank you!)

Madagascan cacao is known for bright fruit with balanced citrus flavor notes. And the cacao in this bar complemented the candied orange bits nicely.

*MIA (Made in Africa) is a brand affiliated with KuanZa Ltd. (London, UK). Founder Brett Beach was also a co-founder of Madecasse (now known as "Beyond Good by Madecasse" in Brooklyn, NY) another bean-to-bar chocolate (and vanilla) company operating in Madagascar.

MIA Chocolate - 100% Cocoa Madagascar Dark bar - Mar. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

MIA Chocolate

100% Cocoa Madagascar Dark (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar

Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Madagascar Theme Week.

Today's 100% Cocoa Madagascar Dark bar was from MIA Chocolate (and made by a contract manufacturer in Madagascar).

This one-ingredient (cocoa mass) bar had an intriguing, balanced green and savory aroma. The melt was even and smooth. with a relatively creamy, thick (almost nut butter-like) mouthfeel. The flavor included a slightly tart and astringent green (think not quite fully ripe banana with a hint of red currant), true chocolate and savory/salty notes, that mellowed into nice bold but quite smooth 100% cacao taste with a very slight astringency and a fleeting buckwheat pancake note in the finish. For a 100% cacao dark chocolate, this was quite smooth, offering balanced complexity without being too bitter.

Like any ultra-dark bar (with no sugar), I enjoyed re-tasting this bar. It continued to evolve over the course of the day, mostly with the same flavor and aroma notes mentioned above. Chocolate flavor will vary depending on time of day, temperature, proximity to a meal/food/beverage choice, a taster's body/mouth chemistry, and other mysterious factors.

The brand name, MIA, stands for Made In Africa, and the organization is a London (UK) based social enterprise that sources Criollo, Amelonado and Trinitario varieties of cacao* from farmers located in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. (These farmers also perform some value-added steps in cacao processing following harvesting (such as fermentation and drying), that benefit the local economy.) MIA also is involved with tree planting efforts in Madagascar.

*These three cacao varieties were wiped out by diseases in other cacao-growing countries in Africa and were largely replaced by the more robust Forastero cacao variety. The fact that these three varieties survive(d) in Madagascar has given this island nation an advantage when it comes to fine flavored cacao with complex and delicate flavor characteristics.

HT Traders - Madagascar 32% Belgian Milk Chocolate (bar) - Mar. 19, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

HT Traders
(Distributed by Harris Teeter, Inc.)
Madagascar 32% Cocoa Belgian Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (38 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 serving of bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #8 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Madagascar Theme Week.

Today's 32% Cocoa "Madagascar Origin" Belgian Milk Chocolate bar was made in Belgium and distributed by Harris Teeter, Inc. (Matthews, NC).

This week features dark (and a few milk) chocolate bars made using cacao grown in Madagascar, a large island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa.

Chocolate made from cacao grown in Madagascar often has a slightly reddish hue, and bright berry/red fruit flavor notes. Yesterday's 58% Dark Milk Madagascar (Sambirano) bar from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate was a delicious example of what dark milk chocolate can be. Less sugar and milk meant more cacao flavor and color traits were able to shine through.

While it's unfair to compare yesterday's 58% cacao Madagascar dark milk bar to today's 32% sweet confection, it was interesting to note the differences.

Today's bar was slightly pale, even a bit translucent. And it was mostly sugar, cocoa butter and milk.* It was very difficult to identify any other flavors beyond that. Just the right amount of sugar can help berry notes sing, but too much sugar (or any other inclusion) can bury a flavor experience. If you love a bar that is mostly sugar and is milky smooth, then this bar will satisfy that craving, but you may miss out on what Madagascar cacao has to offer.

*Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, cocoa liquor, natural vanilla flavouring." (Cocoa solids minimum 32%; milk solids minimum 18%).

Dick Taylor - 58% Dark Milk Chocolate; 68% Espresso Dark (bars) - Mar. 18, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Dick Taylor
58% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Dick Taylor
Espresso - 68% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Dark Milk Chocolate Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Madagascar Theme Week.

Today's highlight was re-tasting a 58% Dark Milk Chocolate Madagascar (Sambirano) bar from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).

This was an outstanding dark milk chocolate bar with creamy texture and great flavor. The aroma and flavor had molasses, dried bright fruit, chocolate and caramel pot de creme notes. (The maker's tasting notes read as follows: prunes, almond butter and caramel.)

One good Dick Taylor bar deserves another.... The Madagascar dark milk bar (above) was paired with a 68% Dark Chocolate Espresso bar (with coffee from Sightglass Coffee (San Francisco, CA)). Loved that the authentic dark roasted coffee flavor was fully incorporated into the dark chocolate that was made from a blend of cacao beans (from Belize, Madagascar and Guatemala). And that there was no coffee grit to chew through, leaving one to enjoy smooth but complex flavor harmony.

Slitti Cacao Pregati - LatteNero 62% (bar) - Mar. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Slitti Cacao Pregati
LatteNero 62% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 3 oz. (100 g) in total bar
Calories: 596 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and welcome to Day #6 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's LatteNero 62% bar was from Slitti Cacao Pregati (Tuscany, Italy).

This thick, ultra-dark milk chocolate bar will appeal to dark chocolate lovers who don't usually like milk chocolate. In fact, except for the rich, creamy (from whole milk powder) texture and mouthfeel, one might not have guessed this chocolate even contained milk.

The bar had the aroma and flavor of dark chocolate chips, chocolate chip cookies (with raisins). It was dark (milk) chocolate with a well balanced flavor blend that included subtle dried fruit (raisin) and mild, pleasant earth notes.