Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Taste of the Dominican Republic

We are taking a break from our normal chocolate bar tasting (Don't worry! We are still consuming chocolate bars) and tasting hot chocolate for the month of November. If you missed our first post about hot chocolate, we suggest reading it to understand our tasting methods, ingredients, and tools. You can find Chapter 26 here.

This week, we are excited to taste a single origin bar from the Dominican Republic which was a gift from Laura's sister Christine and her husband Thomas. This cacao came in a large brick from which we had to chop a chunk off and then chop into small pieces.  We love that this bar was purchased directly from the farmer that grew the cacao trees. We also were excited to discover the cacao nibs which provided a bit of "crunch" to our tasting.

Tasting No. :25

100% Whole Cacao from the Dominican Republic

Left: Guittard Base Cocoa Right: Dominican Republic Cocoa

Guittard Base Cocoa

Initial Impressions:

The base cocoa powder was a dark red while the Dominican cocoa was a deep rich brown with golden bits. It smelled of earth and truffles, almost mold while the base cocoa was spicy and earthy with notes of cinnamon. This cocoa was nutty, and earthy with deep, rich tastes to which the crunch of the nibs served to provide us with a complex chocolate experience.  

Texture:

In comparison to the base cocoa which was thick and smooth, the Dominican cocoa was even thicker and each sip was flecked with crunchy cacao nibs.

For a bit of fun, we made ourselves a second cup and added whipped cream made with:

Whipping cream (hand whipped!)

Vanilla bean paste (we used Neilsen-Massey)

After a few sips, we added a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top for an added depth. Both cocoas responded very well to this addition, but the Dominican cacao almost seemed completed by it.

Overall:

We were happy to have the molinillo to mix this cocoa as this is the sort of solid cocoa that it is meant to mix.  This cocoa was so deeply earthy and seemed to speak to our souls with every sip; this must be similar to the chocolate that the ancient Aztecs used to drink in ceremonies of old.

Rating: 10 /10

*Notes:

Gift from Christine and Thomas, we don't know the price or where to find a product such as this.

Next week, we'll be trying a cocoa from Taza.  This brand has been a bit of a mixed bag for us, but we both loved their 70% dark chocolate bar, so we are anxiously anticipating tasting their cocoa.  Join us!

For now savor: "My goal in life is to skid breathlessly up to my grave, with a large chocolate bar, half eaten, in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, yelling 'Damn, but it was a good life!'" - Anonymous