Chapter Thirty-Five: Leonidas 70% Dark

The bar we are reviewing this week went missing! It was mailed to us from a dear friend of ours and did not arrive for weeks. As time passed we grew a little concerned. Did the postman steal this for his own enjoyment? Did someone commit a felony and break into our mailbox to deliver this bar to their beloved? Finally, it arrived (three weeks late) and we, as always, were more than glad to tuck in. Please pardon the appearance of this bar and packaging because it was dropped a few times and did sustain some damage; but that's not why we are here! It's the taste that we are after.

Leonidas is a Belgian chocolate company with a long history that began in 1913 with Leonidas Kestekides. In 1910, he competed in the Brussels World Exhibition, submitting his chocolate and winning the bronze medal for Greece. He continued to make chocolate and formally founded Leonidas in 1913 with his nephew.  Today, they have locations worldwide that still receive their stock from the original location in Brussels.  Leonidas' fine chocolates have a large celebrity following and also boast to have a "wicked" hot chocolate that we hope to one day get our hands on!  

Tasting No. :33
Leonidas 70% Dark

Initial Impressions:

In terms of color, the Leonidas bar is lighter than the base bar, almost chalky is some areas. We found the snap to be satisfying and without much struggle; it can best be described as firm yet pliable.  The aroma is rather spicy, evoking notes of cinnamon. The bite is extremely firm, more firm than the base bar.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – chili

Middle – vanilla, caramel
After – spicy, earthy

Texture:
We did not quite care for the texture of this bar. It is dry and crumbly. Even after we worked on it for a while, it was apparent that the chocolate stays dry.

Overall:
What was most noticeable to us when tasting this bar is that we found it difficult to draw the flavors out. It felt like we needed to suck on it for quite a while before the flavor emerged. A hot drink such as tea or coffee might be a good pairing for this chocolate to help bring out the flavor notes.

Rating: 5 /10

*Notes:

Available on the Leonidas website

Price range: 12 bars for $38

Next week we will be sampling another bar from Taza. Be still, my beating heart!

For now savor: “Chocolate is medicinal. I just did another study that confirms it.” ― Michelle M. Pillow

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price. By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Amedei Porcelana

This week's chocolate selection, Amedei, hails from Tuscany. This brand has extensive recognition worldwide, having even been named the world's greatest chocolate. We enjoyed researching this brand and were so inspired to learn that it was founded by a woman who has only recently begun her journey with chocolate, establishing Amedei in 1990. Through her continued diligence and dedication to excellence, Amedei has gone on to earn numerous awards from the Academy of Chocolate. The Porcelana bar alone is a six time winner of the Golden Bean award in the "Bean to Bar" category. Amedei's impressive reputation has cultivated a legion of admirers and is a favorite amongst food professionals.

This bar is quite unique in that only 20,000 bars are produced annually. Each bar's packaging even includes a serial number. Its cacao comes from a rare, translucent Venezuelan bean, lending to the name of the bar, Porcelana. We highly encourage you to look into translucent cacao. It's fascinating to see how something so pale and milky can produce such a dark chocolate color. Now, could it really be the world's best chocolate?

Tasting No. :31

Amedei Porcelana, Cioccolato Fondente Extra 70%

Initial Impressions:
The snap of this bar was very firm, rather difficult to break, which is quite similar to the base bar's snap. The base bar was a tad bit darker in color when compared and the Amedei is a little more red, which is interesting considering that the Amedei bar has a lower cacao content. The aroma was mildly spicy and earthy, almost musty.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – chili, spicy, cinnamon

Middle – caramel, truffle, soil

After – chili, tobbaco

Texture:

This bar was velvety smooth but not thick. It melted very easily but didn't linger with a coating in our mouths.

Overall:
Flavors jumped out at us as we tasted this bar. It was exceedingly complex and the many flavors were surprisingly prevalent in the tasting.  Although this bar was only 70%, the intensity of the chocolate hooked us. We found that this bar was so rich that it clearly made the base bar taste low grade in comparison. Naturally, we've both added this delectable bar to Gaby's favorites and Laura's favorites.

Rating: 10 /10

*Notes:

Purchased at Central Market

Price range under $19
Drink pairing suggestions: We chose to enjoy this with a glass of water to clear our palate and have all of the flavor notes come through but imagine that a full-bodied red wine would pair marvelously.

Next week, we'll be tasting a bar from Equal Exchange, a company that caught our eye with their distinct eco-friendly packaging and fair trade practices. 

For now savor: “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don't need an appointment.” - Catherine Aitken

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Taza Cacao Puro

We are taking a break from our normal chocolate bar tasting (Don't worry! We are still consuming chocolate bars often) 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 trying Taza's 70% dark Cacao Puro, a Mexican style chocolate bar. Mexican style hot chocolate is distinct in that it is coarser in texture and creates a foamier drink, and is typically already sweetened.  It also has ingredients such as cinnamon or chilies added.  Mexican chocolate is also used in savory dishes, such as Mexican mole sauce, even though it is sweetened.


We've had mixed reactions to Taza's offerings in the past, but we love what this brand represents by being certified organic, direct trade, non-GMO, as well as being vegan, kosher, gluten, dairy, and soy free.  This bar can be eaten as a chocolate bar or melted down into hot chocolate.

Tasting No. :26

Taza Cacao Puro 70%

Left: Guittard Base Cocoa Right: Taza Cacao Puro

Guittard Base Cocoa

Taza Cacao Puro

Initial Impressions:
The Cacao Puro was coarse due to it being stone ground; the sugar crystals and cacao nibs were easily visible.  Our base cocoa is a uniform texture.  The color was a rich, dark brown when in bar form.  Initially, it was overpoweringly sweet, we almost couldn't taste the chocolate because it was so sugary.  However, we made this hot chocolate with the same proportions that we have used for previous hot chocolate tastings when this bar already comes sweetened.  In retrospect, it may have been wise to follow Taza's suggested proportions which called for the entire chocolate disk (we used only about 1/2 of it) in less milk and no added sugar.  Once prepared, the Cacao Puro was very light in color while the Guittard was a dark reddish brown.

Texture:

In comparison to the base cocoa which was thick and smooth, the Cacao Puro was thinner and silkier in texture and had a bit of bite from the stone ground chocolate, which we really enjoyed.

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)

This addition helped take away some of the cloying sweetness of the chocolate and we actually enjoyed it a lot more.

Overall:

We both concluded that as prepared, this was more of a liquid dessert to have on its own. We agreed that the quality is palpable in the cup even though we most likely prepared it improperly.  We would still like the bar to have less sugar because at 70% cacao, the Cacao Puro was still quite sweet.  

Because we added sugar when it was already sweetened, we did not taste the Cacao Puro in true form (other than nibbling the solids), so chose not to rate it.  We may revisit this hot chocolate in the future with the correct proportions, but unfortunately did not have enough on hand to redo the tasting.

No Rating

*Notes:

We purchased this cacao as a part of the Chocolate Mexicano Oaxacan Sampler which came with four Mexican chocolate flavors.  We can't wait to try the other flavors! Taza Cacao Puro is also available as a single flavor purchase. 

Purchased at: Melissa Guerra: Latin Kitchen Market
Price: $9.95

Next week, we'll be trying a Mexican sweet chocolate bar from a company connected with Gaby.  Join us!

For now savor: "A loud snap made them all jump.  Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. 'Here,' he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. 'Eat it. It'll help.' " - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Marou Tien Giang 70% Single Origin Bar

This week's bar comes by way of a charming gent who made it his mission to gift us chocolate brands that we had yet to review. The Marou Tien Giang Dark Chocolate bar is our first tasting from Vietnam. The highlights of this bar are the high cacao content of 70% as well as the single origin. By what we could glean from the packaging and website, it is a fair trade and organic bar, although not certified. We were impressed to learn that the cacao is grown in a co-op and we hope that the company goes on to take the next steps to certify their product as fair trade.

Tasting No. :22

Marou Tien Giang 70% Single Origin Dark Chocolate

Initial Impressions:

This bar is a rich brown in comparison to the base bar which is more reddish brown. The aroma was spicy and earthy while the comprehensive flavor of the bar was light and fresh. The bite and snap of this bar were both firm. While we were tasting this bar, we were reminded of the TCHO bar we reviewed which was deep and fudgy in the backs of our mouths and throats. The tasting experience of this bar was completely different with its flavor explosion happening in the front of our mouths and upper taste regions. Yes, we laughed too when we re-read that last part, but remember chocolate tasting can be a sensual experience.
 

Flavor Profile:

Initial – floral

Middle – earthy, smoky, anise, cinnamon 

After – nutty, earthy, fudgy

Texture:

This bar was slightly gritty and then smooth, melting easily over our tongues.

Overall:
We both enjoyed this bar and think that it would make a lovely gift. The price point is affordable while the packaging and quality of the bar remain uncompromised. It is an impressive and unusual brand, which we believe would resonate as a thoughtful and indulgent treat.  We chose different drinks for our tasting; Gaby had a mug of hot English tea with milk and honey while Laura had a full-bodied red wine - both paired deliciously.

Rating: 8 /10

(Our utmost apologies for the not-so-perfect chocolate bar in this photo, we simply couldn't resist a nibble before the photo!)

*Notes:

Available at Central Market

Price range under $10

Next week we'll be trying another gift; this one brought to us all the way from France! Join us.


For now savor: “When we don't have the words chocolate can speak volumes." - Joan Bauer

Chapter Twenty-One: Cacao Market Mayan

Welcome back!  We took a much needed break to work on our other projects and are excited to share with you our most recent tasting adventure.  Laura recently found herself at Mayan History exhibit and decided to purchase a bar of chocolate from the museum gift shop.  It is actually a bar from the US, made in the Mayan style.  Cacao Market NYC’s Maya Honduran chocolate bar is sourced from a single origin, Honduras, and is 70% cacao.  It does not include any additional sugar.

Tasting No. :19
Cacao Market NYC Maya Honduran Chocolate

Initial Impressions:

This bar is much darker than our base bar, with a similar smell but slightly sweeter.  It is more red than the base bar, with an acidic, earthy smell.  The snap we considered more of a tear because it was so soft in comparison to the base bar and all the other bars we’ve reviewed thus far. The soft firmness was reminiscent of a warm cookie.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – overwhelming earthiness

Middle – nut, banana

After – soil

Texture:

The texture of this bar was unlike any bar before it.  It most closely resembled clay.

Overall:

It was apparent to us that there is no additional sweetener in this bar.  It tasted rustic and unrefined, like it did come from the Old World.  It is a chocolate we think would be better appreciated and highlighted if it were included in a recipe as opposed to eating it on its own.  The cacao used in this bar comes from an ancient species of cacao tree: the Honduran Cacao Trinitario which is known for its mild and distinct taste.  Ultimately, we both appreciated the opportunity to try such a unique bar with a rich history.  As always, we like that it’s fair trade, environmentally sourced, and are impressed that the company works directly with Honduran farmers to ensure a fair living wage.

                                                     Rating: 2/10

*Notes:

Price range under $7

Next week, it’s back to another Trader Joe’s bar.  Join us! 

For now savor: “I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process...it may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?” – Unknown

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.