Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet (bar), and Christopher Elbow - Lemon Chocolates - Nov. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker
62% Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 9.7 oz. (275 g.) in total package
Calories: 165 calories in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Christopher Elbow
Fresh Lemon Chocolates (white chocolate) confections
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32 g.) / 2.3 oz. (64 g.) in total box of 6 pieces
Calories: 240 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $12.95 (estimate) for 1 box of 6 pieces + shipping
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week. Today the weather turned cooler and I spent time indoors enjoying a chocolate, lemon and honey banquet day. 

First I sampled (and conjured chocolate treats using) a block of 62% Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate from Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, with "hints of citrus and honey overtones." (This chocolate is marketed as good for baking or eating. I agree.)

Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet Dark Chocolate

The company's website suggested pairing items with their different chocolates, including wines and other beverages. The pairing suggested for this 62% dark chocolate was a fresh cup of Guatemalan coffee. Yes, I could imagine that...perhaps with a twist of lemon peel on the saucer. 

The "citrus" notes in this dark chocolate were light, balanced sweet lemon. The "honey" note was subtle and very nicely balanced. The chocolate was rich, and uniform in flavor and not too sweet (thank you!).

Instead of pairing this dark chocolate with something strong and wild, I went the other way. I paired it with two other lighter, but flavorful lemon items: hot, homemade lemon (3 different kinds, from the garden) and honey tea; and some delectable, pie-like, Fresh Lemon white chocolate filled confections.

Ingredients: cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter. 

Christopher Elbow 

Each bright, sunny yellow Fresh Lemon confection from Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, MO) conjured up images of lemon cream pie and freshly made lemon curd. Sweet? Yes, one or two of these white chocolate beauties will satisfy any dessert craving you might have. They had a creamy white chocolate melt and texture balanced with a tart lemon "marmalade" layer and lemon-infused white ganache.

Ingredients: "White chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, dry whole and skim milk, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), natural vanilla); heavy cream, lemon juice, sugar, butter, glucose, invert sugar, apple pectin, citric acid, FDA approved colors."

Cemoi - Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar) - Nov. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cemoi 
Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar)
Good +
Weight: 4 squares - 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 serving (4 squares) of bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the final day of (Day #18 of) Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks, and Day #2 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week.

Single origin chocolates featured this week with honey and citrus aroma and flavor notes usually don't contain actual honey or citrus fruit ingredients. Rather, like wine, coffee and spirits, chocolates contain complex elements that influence how we smell and taste food and beverages.

Today's Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar) was produced in France and distributed by Cemoi Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA).

The chocolate had fruit (sweet citrus, light lemon and honey), woodsy and faint nut notes with one (fleeting) earth note.

Cemoi tasting notes read: Honey, Prunes, Dried Wood

Ingredients: Dominican Republic unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract.

Honeymoon Chocolates - 85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 188 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's 85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO). The company specializes in bean-to-bar craft chocolate sweetened with raw honey.

The bar had a faint dark chocolate aroma and a surprisingly mild and smooth dark chocolate flavor for an ultra-dark chocolate (85%) bar. Missouri raw wildflower and clover honey added a subtle and soft sweetness.

This bar was made using organic cacao from Produits Des Iles SA (PISA), a cacao exporter that works with more than 1,000 cacao farmers in northern Haiti to create high-quality, specialty cacao.

The cacao beans were stone-ground with Madagascan vanilla for 48 hours and the overall bar was "Crafted by Cam." Thank you Cam. (Honeymoon Chocolates founders Cam Loyet and Haley Loyet started the company in 2016, and make their bars in small batches.)

The maker's tasting notes read: "Molasses, Pie Crust, Smoked Wood, Dried Cherry"

Ingredients: Organic cacao, raw honey, cacao butter, and vanilla bean.

 

Christopher Elbow - Haiti 72% Dark (bar) - Nov. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Christopher Elbow
Haiti 72% Dark (bar) 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Haiti 72% Dark (bar) was from Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate (Kansas City, MO).

This chocolate had balanced fresh green tea (bamboo, lemongrass), goji berries and faint apple aroma and flavor notes, and was relatively "sweet" (not too bitter) for a 72% cacao bar.

Today's bar had similar aroma and flavor notes to yesterday's (Ranger Chocolate, 75% cacao Haiti Nord) bar. Cacao for both came from the same geographic region in Haiti. (Both seemed to benefit from boosting the cacao percent from 70% to a bit higher (and, by definition, reducing the sugar %), given the relatively well-mannered, sweet flavor of this cacao.)

The cacao used to make this Christopher Elbow bar was from Products Des Iles SA (PISA), in the Nord Department in northern Haiti (2017 Harvest). PISA works with cacao farmers and has helped improve cacao fermentation and overall cacao quality in Haiti, which in turn allows us to enjoy better craft, single origin chocolate(s) in the long-run (and, one hopes, enables farmers to be rewarded for higher-quality cacao). Organizations like PISA in cacao-growing countries have accomplished much in recent decades.

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "...notes of dried fruit and roasted nuts."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter

Ranger Chocolate Company - 75% Haiti Nord (bar) - Nov. 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Ranger Chocolate Company
75% Haiti Nord (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 169 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ranger Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks. 

Today's 75% Haiti Nord dark chocolate bar was crafted by Ranger Chocolate (Portland, OR). 

This well-balanced and even dark bar was made with cacao grown in northern Haiti. It had a gentle, light roast profile with herbal notes (green bamboo forest, lemongrass, green apple), very faint malt and buttery, warm spiced fruit (pear); relatively low bitterness and acidity; and a very slight astringency in the finish (fleeting back of the throat tickle that disappeared when the chocolate and my throat warmed up). 

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "butterscotch, cream and a hint of apple."* 

If I'd been tasting this in a blind tasting, I might have guessed the cacao origin to be somewhere in the Americas, but would likely not have guessed Haiti. As commented before, there seems to be improvements in cacao beans coming from Hispaniola (Haiti, D.R.) in recent years. 

This trend likely speaks to improvements in farming techniques, fermentation and an increase in the number of thoughtful chocolate makers continuing to cultivate good relationships with suppliers "in country" where cacao is grown. Vive la difference.

*Ingredients: organic cacao, organic cane sugar 

Cru Chocolate - Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (bar) - Nov. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate

Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.55 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 233 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Farm Fresh (CSA box), online order

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks. 

Today's Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (bar) was from Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA).

This bar had a delightfully rich chocolate aroma and flavor with dried fruits (dates, prunes, pineapple), fresh sugar cane and faint floral notes. 

The Republic of Haiti occupies the western half of the West Indies island of Hispaniola. The  Dominican Republic occupies the the eastern half. I've been featuring chocolates from these neighboring nations for the past few weeks. The quality of single origin bars from both of these locations has improved since Chocolate Banquet started in 2006.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar

Georgia Ramon (GR) - Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 70% Dunkle Schokolade (bar) - Oct. 31, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Georgia Ramon (GR)
Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 80% Dunkle Schokolade (bar)
Good  ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Week. And Happy Halloween to all. 

Not as many children go trick-or-treating through neighborhoods for candy and chocolate treats as I experienced during the hey-day of this holiday tradition. But, the artwork on the packaging (with a festive looking skull) for today's bar celebrated not only Haitian traditions but it captured the spirit of Halloween as well.

Today's Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 80% Dunkle Schokolade (Dark Chocolate) (bar) was from Georgia Roman GmbH and Co. KG (Oberkassel, Germany). 

This chocolate had brown sugar, honey, nut butter and concentrated fruit (raisin, cherry, plum) and true chocolate notes. It had the rich flavors of an ultra-dark bar, and did have a lingering finish with a touch of very balanced bitterness. But this chocolate was relatively sweet and not that bitter for an 80% cacao bar. This would be a good choice for those who are a bit intimidated by a higher cacao percentage bar.

The chocolate maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Ripe figs, sour cherries and roasted nuts with floral notes" 

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter