A. Morin - Jamaique Marvia Noir 63% (bar) - March 1, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin (SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin)

Jamaique Marvia Noir 63% (bar)

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 284 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's single origin Jamaique Marvia* Noir 63% (bar) was from the French artisan chocolatier A. Morin (SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin, Donzere, France). The company's origins stretch back to 1884.

This relatively thick, generously sized French chocolate bar had a deep, dark chocolate flavor. A pleasing true chocolate (smooth, baked fudge brownie) note was accompanied by a slightly woodsy, loamy earth undercurrent and a very faint fruit (lightly spiced peach) note. These notes were consistent from start to finish. 

The chocolate was not too sweet (thank you). In fact, the 63% cacao content tasted darker, more like a 70% cacao chocolate.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin

*I am not sure about the "Marvia" name; but, if I had to guess, it may be a reference to Marvia Borrell, the Jamaican-born founder and CEO of Black River Chocolate in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, and cocoa ambassador. Her company also has a presence in Europe.

Pump Street Chocolate - Jamaica 75% Bachelor's Hall Estate (bar) - March 2, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Pump Street Chocolate 

Jamaica 75% Bachelor's Hall Estate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) in 1 small bar

Calories: 97.6 calories in 1 small bar

Cost: $4.00 for 1 small bar + shipping

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Jamaica 75% Bachelor's Hall Estate (bar) was from Pump Street Chocolate--bakers and chocolate makers based in Suffolk, England.

Single origin chocolate bars have become more available in smaller sizes in the past few years. This conveniently sized (single serving) package is great for sampling/small group tastings. It was also well-sealed, allowing the chocolate's flavors to stay well preserved. And I could tuck this small bar into my pack for a solo hike without worrying about possible meltage issues. (Buy a larger size if you want to share with others.)

The aroma included rich dark chocolate and very faint, well-balanced umami/smoke, licorice, and green notes. 

The flavor had true dark chocolate (cake, brownie) flavor with faint fermented cream, concentrated fruit (cherry and honey fruitcake), and very faint earth notes.

Personal notes: Good choice on Pump Street's part to go with a darker percentage (75% vs. 70% cacao) for this cacao/chocolate. It helped showcase the cacao's abundance of natural flavor(s) and balanced the sugar/sweetness. Flavors were nicely balanced/managed. Can't wait to try the 90% version tomorrow.

Pump Street Chocolate's tasting notes read as follows: "Initially rich, a satisfying melt releases hints of sweet, juicy berries before rounding into a distinctive honeyed rum finish. Serendipitous for a Jamaican bar"..."Chocolate made in Suffolk with beans sourced from a single farm."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, organic cocoa butter. 

Armstrong - Jamaica 70% (bar) - Feb. 28, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Armstrong Chocolate
Jamaica 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (29.7 g.) / 2.1 oz. (59.4 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 167 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Jamaica 70% (bar) was made by Armstrong Chocolate (Chico, CA). Matthew Armstrong produced this bar, and other micro-batch, bean-to-bar, single origin bars as well as chocolates with flavor inclusions.*

This bar was made using cacao grown at Bachelors Hall Estate in Jamaica. The cacao beans used in this bar, and most of the other Jamaica single origin bars featured this week, came from the same estate/farm (and the same farmer)--located in St. Thomas Parish in eastern Jamaica. Armstrong describes the bar's origins this way:

"The beans are ethically sourced from Desmond Jadusingh and his 300 acre cacao estate in Jamaica. With exceptional post-harvest management, Desmond's cacao has gained high praise within the fine chocolate community. These exclusive beans are carefully roasted, refined and tempered for your enjoyment."

There are other examples of sought-after farmers/farms like this in the craft chocolate world. It's nice when makers give them public credit. Makers need great beans to make great chocolates. 

The resulting 70% cacao Armstrong bar offered true chocolate (fudge brownie) and bright, red fruit (red cherry, sweet red banana, lightly fermented cacao fruit/pulp**) aroma and flavor notes. The same balanced, chocolate brownie batter + tart-sweet fruit flavor lingered a bit into the finish.

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

*Unfortunately, it appears that Armstrong paused or ceased production last year (2020). We hope that he decides to return to chocolate-making in the future.

**Cacao fruit (or more accurately pulp) surrounds a core of large cacao seeds (aka the cacao beans) in cacao fruit (pods). Once pods are harvested and split open, the ivory-colored fruit pulp starts to ferment very quickly, making it tough to transport. And so (unless flash frozen on-site) few people will get to taste this lovely fruit with tangy citrus, floral and fruit candy notes. 

I've tasted cacao pulp that was a dead ringer for watermelon Jolly Rancher candy, while other cacao fruit pulp had decidedly milder citrus (tangerine), lighter mango-melon, and/or citrus-floral notes. Flavors vary with cacao variety and origin.

Letterpress Chocolate - Bachelor's Hall Jamaica 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 27, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Letterpress Chocolate LLC

Bachelor's Hall Jamaica 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 330 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

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

This Bachelor's Hall Jamaica 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by LetterPress Chocolate LLC (Los Angeles, CA). 

This 70% chocolate bar had a smooth dark chocolate (brownie) aroma, with an almost creamy melt and texture. It had uniform chocolate brownie flavor with tangy (mildly acidic) red fruit (pomegranate, red berry) notes.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Starfruit, mocha, spice."

Ingredients: Cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate - Jamaica Bachelor's Hall Limited Release 75% (bar) - Feb. 26, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate

Jamaica Bachelor's Hall Limited Release 75% (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 240 calories in 3/4 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from:  Dick Taylor, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

Today's Jamaica Bachelor's Hall Limited Release 75% (bar) was handcrafted by the makers at Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate in Eureka, California. The cacao used to make this bar was grown on an estate (farm) in eastern Jamaica.

This attractively-packaged, Limited Release (Batch No. 70072) dark chocolate bar started with a dark, complex aroma with balanced earthy and dark chocolate notes. After the inner, sealed packaging had been open for a minute, the earthiness receded and concentrated fruit (dried apricot, prune) and very faint spice notes came to the fore. A minute later, traces of green appeared. 

And after tasting the bar, and going back to just smelling the chocolate to revisit the lovely bouquet of aroma notes, a faint, freshly baked rye bread note appeared and disappeared. I gave this bar an A for Aroma.* 

The flavor in this well-executed,** two ingredient bar was more uniform than the aroma, with deep, dark and very satisfying with a slow, creamy melt. Think very high-end, ultra dark brownies with a small side of fresh, cold cream or whole milk. (There was no milk or dairy in this bar.) This deep chocolate flavor lingered into the finish.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "apricot, graham cracker, dates"

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar

*Smell is an essential part of taste; but we perceive the differences and/or separation between these two senses. In some chocolates, the aroma and flavor notes are almost one and the same. And in other cases, the aroma is different from what we can taste. These variations can be understood via many long and technical explanations; but sometimes it's best to just sit back and take the time to notice and enjoy the overall sensory experience and how it unfolds-- especially if you're on a voyage with a great chocolate maker at the helm. Today was one of those days.

**I use the words attractively packaged, well executed, and two-ingredient bar in almost every review I've written about Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate bars. Here are a few more words: Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor have been very consistently producing well crafted, very high-quality chocolate for years now, and we are very grateful.

Soklet - Hibiscus and Pumpkin Seeds 70% (bar) - Feb. 25, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Soklet

Hibiscus and Pumpkin Seeds 70% (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 254 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar + shipping

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and EFGHI Theme Week, where chocolate items with flavor inclusions beginning with the letters E, F, G, H and/or I have been featured. Today's chocolate is infused with floral flavor.

Todays Soklet Hibiscus* and Pumpkin Seeds 70% (bar) was made from tree-to-bar in India, and was manufactured by Regal Foods and Beverages (Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India). The cacao used to make this chocolate was grown in the foothills of the Anamalais (also known as the Elephant mountains) in southern India.

The sweet, complex aroma of this bar included green, spice (saffron), and light floral notes. The chocolate had well-balanced, tangy fruit (sweet, ripe pink grapefruit) and hibiscus acidity (both are rich in Vitamin C). A sprinkle of whole, lightly roasted, pumpkin seeds on one side of the bar added a little crunchiness. The smooth 70% cacao chocolate base had true chocolate flavor, and very faint malt/oxidized cereal notes in the finish.

Next week, we'll be virtually visiting the Caribbean. Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week will feature chocolates made from cacao grown in Jamaica. Hope you'll join Chocolate Banquet on this free, virtual tasting tour. 

Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar, cacao butter, dried hibiscus flowers, roasted pumpkin seeds, spices.

* The Hibiscus is a beautiful showy flower that can be found not only in China, Japan and the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii), but in many other semi-tropical countries/islands as well. The flowers are quite flavorful and rich in Vitamin C, and are often brewed to make a vivid, magenta colored beverage (served cold, as an agua"fresca"). The dried flowers are often called "flor de Jamaica" in Mexico (and in markets in the Americas). These flowers infused in hot water make a great, tangy, brightly fuschia-colored herbal tea; and hibiscus adds vibrant, rosy color to any herbal tea blends.

Hemp Yeah! - Dark Chocolate, Almond, Sea Salt Protein Bar - Feb. 24, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Hemp Yeah!
Dark Chocolate, Almond, Sea Salt Protein Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) / 19.08 oz. (540 g.) in total box of 12 bars
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information/receipt 
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and EFGHI Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with flavor inclusions that begin with the letters E, F, G, H and/or I, for example, hemp seeds.

Today's Hemp Yeah! Dark Chocolate, Almond and Sea Salt Protein Bars with hemp seeds were manufactured for Fresh Hemp Foods Ltd. (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada).*

The aroma of this protein bar was bright, green, sweet, seedy and chocolatey. It had a soft chew, and hemp seed, pea protein, coconut, nut, and mellow dark chocolate flavor notes. (And the hemp seeds did not contain psycho-active ingredients if some of you were wondering.)*

I enjoyed that fact that I was eating a grain-free, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan protein bar with 10 grams of plant protein. (Hemp seeds are quite high in protein, and "pea protein crisps," almonds and pumpkin seeds boosted the protein content even higher.) Protein bars with a smidge of balanced fat (Omega-3 and Omega-6) seem to forestall cravings later in the day if I'm exercising. (Today was a hike day for me.)

Also the flavor of the hemp seeds was nicely off-set with chocolate, nut, seed, coconut and other flavors. (Even hulled hemp seeds can take some getting used to, but their flavor was not at all objectionable in this bar.)

While not gooey sweet, this bar was a little sweet for me. (It contained three different sweeteners.) But, the sweetness level will probably be perfectly fine for most people trying this protein/snack bar.

Ingredients: Shelled hemp seeds, fair trade dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla extract), PEA protein crisps (pea protein, tapioca starch, tapioca syrup, agave syrup, toasted coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sea salt, coconut oil, cocoa powder, almond extract, natural flavor. 

*Note: Hemp plants used to be grown in the U.S. for fiber and seeds before hemp production became illegal in the 1900s. 

Federal laws were targeting the use and sale of marijuana. However, industrial hemp products that did not contain psycho-active ingredients (THC), such as hemp seeds, hemp rope, hemp paper, plastic and cloth, and other products made from hemp plants, also were effectively banned by these anti-drug laws. 

Hemp seeds, such as those contained in today's protein bar, have come primarily from Canada, because it has not been possible to grow hemp plants in the U.S. (It became legal to cultivate industrial hemp in Canada more than 20 years ago.) 

However, the laws concerning hemp seeds and industrial hemp production in the U.S. are starting to change, which may help bring down hemp seed prices, and expand the use of these seeds in future protein powder/flour, snack, cereal, animal feed, chocolate and other offerings.