L.A. Burdick - Bolivia 68% Drinking Chocolate - Oct. 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

L.A. Burdick 
Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% drinking chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 12 oz. (?? g.) in total package
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving + water
Cost: $32.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Bolivia Week.

Today's Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% drinking chocolate was from L.A. Burdick (Walpole, NH). The company offers a variety of chocolates, including chocolate mice, and single origin (bars and drinking) chocolates.

Aroma notes for today's Bolivia drinking chocolate included: dark chocolate with very faint grain, pickled/fermented sweet pepper and black pepper; and (I must have been imagining this) barely detectable grilled cheese on a corn tortilla.

After adding water, microwaving for 30 seconds, and using the whisk that was included, the mix quickly dissolved into a smooth, rich, velvety, warm drinking chocolate. The texture was very pleasing. (I added less water for a thicker drinking chocolate with less diluted flavor.)

Flavor notes included: rich, nuanced drinking chocolate with very faint pepper. It was sweet without being too sweet, and balanced (not too acidic).

I really appreciated the small metal whisk that was included; it created a smoother texture and enhanced the tasting experience. And I enjoyed the relatively smooth, but lightly complex chocolate-y flavor.

Maker's notes: "Grapefruit and floral notes mingle with roasted nuts and give way to a smooth finish."

Ingredients: "Dark chocolate (Cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, sunflower lecithin, soy lecithin, vanilla bean)"

Allergen-related information: Contains soy. Gluten free (made in a gluten free kitchen). "Our chocolates are crafted in a kitchen where milk, eggs, tree nuts, soy, and sesame are present."

L.A. Burdick - Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% (bar) - Oct. 23, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

L.A. Burdick 
Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 238 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Bolivia Week.

Today's Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% bar was from L.A. Burdick (Walpole, NH). The first store opened was in New York, and the company now has locations in multiple U.S. cities.

Aroma notes for today's Bolivia bar included: roasted (nuts, cacao), dark chocolate, earth (peat, wood), fruit (cherry, citrus) and dark chocolate tart/cake.

Texture: smooth, cocoa buttery

Flavor notes included: pleasing dark chocolate with some complexity (dark brownie; mellow, roasted;  subtle earth spectrum; and fruit (citrus)).

I liked that this dark chocolate was well-balanced and tasted at least 4 percentage points darker and richer than a 68% cacao chocolate. (It wasn't too sweet.) Also, the fruit/citrus added some brightness without making it too acidic.

Maker's tasting notes: "Grapefruit and floral notes mingle with hints of roasted nuts and give way to a smooth finish."

Ingredients: "cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter. may contain soy lecithin, may contain vanilla."

Allergen-related information: "Our chocolates are produced in a kitchen where nuts are used and where nut traces may be present. Allergens: dairy, soy, eggs, tree nuts"

Cacao Space - Bolivia Alto Beni 75% with salted pistachios (bar) - Oct. 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Space

Bolivia Alto Beni 75% with salted pistachios (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 2.54 oz. (72 g.) in total bar
Calories: 197 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao Space, online order + local pickup (Los Altos, CA)

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

Today's Bolivia Alto Beni 75% with salted pistachios (bar) was from Cacao Space (Los Altos, CA). The cacao used to make this bar was grown in the Beni River Valley in the Andean foothills, in northern Bolivia.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (smooth, not too sweet, drinking chocolate); faint nut; and very faint, fleeting freshly toasted bread. At the very end of the finish there was a tiny blip of pleasing floral green tea (that I also tasted in the two other Bolivia bars from this same maker (featured earlier this week).

Texture: well-tempered, uniformly smooth dark chocolate with slight, soft crunch from pistachio nuts.

What I liked about this bar: bold but smooth 75% Bolivia dark chocolate, subtle pistachio accent flavor and texture; a judicious amount of both sugar and salt (thank you!); and that little bit of floral green tea in the finish.*

Ingredients: cacao nibs, organic coconut sugar, salted pistachios

Allergen-related information: (None listed)

*I'm particularly fond of naturally occurring floral and tea notes in chocolates. Floral notes are relatively volatile--easily lost in chocolates that have been heated or processed beyond a certain point. So when I can taste them I really enjoy them.

 

Cacao Space - Bolivia Alto Beni 75% with Mission figs - Oct. 21, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Space

Bolivia Alto Beni 75% with Mission figs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao Space, online order + local pickup (Los Altos, CA)

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

Today's Bolivia Alto Beni 75% dark chocolate with Mission figs (bar) was from Cacao Space (Los Altos, CA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, dried fruit (fig), and very faint (barely detectable) fresh bread/soda cracker.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with chewy pieces of dark fig.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, faint molasses, dried figs, and very faint fleeting floral green tea.

I enjoyed that this 75% dark chocolate was well-balanced, relatively complex (with hearty flavors that were heavenly and not harsh), and this was not too sweet (thank you).

Ingredients: cacao nibs, organic coconut sugar, Mission figs

Allergen-related information: (None listed)

Cacao Space - Bolivia Alto Beni 75% (bar) - Oct. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Space

Bolivia Alto Beni 75% (bar)
Good + -  Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao Space, online order + local pickup (Los Altos, CA)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Bolivia Alto Beni 75% (bar) was from Cacao Space (Los Altos, CA).

Aroma notes included: subtle dark chocolate, and faint floral and green tea.

Texture: smooth, with a faint astringency toward the finish.

Flavor notes included: true chocolate (fudge brownies with light earth/loam, yogurt and fruit (acidity)), very subtle warm brown/coconut sugar, and a return of the pleasing floral, green tea note in the finish.

I liked that this 75% single origin dark chocolate wasn't too sweet; the floral, green tea note(s); and the short list of (just two) ingredients. 

Note: This small-batch chocolate maker seems to have chosen not to add (additional) cocoa butter, which I appreciated. Alto Beni Bolivia beans typically contain a bit more fat (as much as 5% to 10% more cocoa butter). Being able to use the naturally occurring cocoa butter yields more single origin cacao flavor.

Added cocoa butter adds some pleasant "buttery" smooth texture, but it can also mute or dilute (both strong and desirable, mild) flavors--as the cacao butter may be from a different origin or more highly processed.

Ingredients: cacao nibs, organic coconut sugar

Allergen-related information: (None listed)

* As a general rule, cacao beans contain about half cocoa solids and half cocoa butter (fat). Cacao beans with 55% cocoa butter (fat), may require less added fat. Cacao growing in cooler regions, or further away from the Equator (e.g. in Hawaii) may have more fat. Leaner beans grown at the Equator may contain as low as 40% fat.

Cacao & Cardamom - Citrus Almond Mendiants - Oct. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao & Cardamom 
Citrus Almond Mendiants
Good ++
Weight: 3.71 oz. (100 g.) / 6.67 oz. (189 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 575 calories (estimate) for 5 pieces
Cost: $15.00 for 1 container + shipping
Purchased from: Cacao & Cardamom, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week; Day #1 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Citrus Almond Mendiants were from Cacao & Cardamom (Houston, TX).  

The cacao in the 68% dark chocolate used to make these attractive, hexagon-shaped and fruit and nut-topped tiles (mendiants) was from Bolivia. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: bittersweet dark chocolate, flavorful and tasty, tart-sweet, candied Iyokan orange citrus peels, and impossibly thin, softly crunchy slivered Marcona almonds.

The Iyokan orange (similar in appearance to a mandarin orange) is a popular variety in Japan. Its appealing, fresh-tasting, sweet tartness made this my favorite item in this classy, three-ingredient confection.

Ingredients: 68% Bolivia Chocolate, Iyokan Citrus, Marcona Almonds

Allergen-related information: Contained nuts (almonds). (No other information was listed on this small container.) 

Bonajuto - Bittersweet Chocolate with Orange Zest (bar) - Oct. 18, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto S.r.l.
Bittersweet Chocolate with Orange Zest 01 (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

Today's Bittersweet Chocolate with Orange Zest 01 (bar) was from Antica Dolceria Bonajuto S.r.l. (Modica, Italy).

Aroma and flavor notes for this Italian chocolate included: bittersweet dark chocolate; faint herbal spice (licorice); subtle citrus (orange); and honeycomb.

The texture in this relatively smooth chocolate with a stoneground-like texture actually seemed to come more from the sugar. 

The very subtle orange zest was very finely ground--perhaps into glistening, visible sugar crystals and incorporated into the bittersweet dark chocolate.

I liked the flavor blend, the interesting complexity, that it didn't seem too sweet, and that there were just three ingredients (thank you).

Ingredients: "cocoa mass, cane sugar, orange zest"

Allergen-related information: "May contain almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and milk"