Chapter Thirty-Six: Taza 87% Dark

Our first encounter with Taza back in June left us with wary impressions. This bar's competing flavors and jagged, gritty texture overwhelmed the entire sensory experience. However, we were forever converted when we tried a different bar in July. We even decided to sample their drinking chocolate during our November series.

This week we bring you a new Taza selection. One of our favorite aspects of Taza is their stone grinding process. Now that we are accustomed to the texture, eating their chocolate gives us a sense of chocolate in its truest form; the texture is always enticing. As always, we are pleased with the product's purity was well as the company's ethical standards. Taza's 87% Dark is from Bolivia, is direct trade, organic, gluten, soy, and dairy free.

Tasting No. :34

Taza 87% Dark

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.

Initial Impressions:

Although the Taza bar is the same shade of brown, it is slightly redder than our base bar. Its fragrance is deeply earthy and musty, strongly reminding us of wet soil, almost in a nostalgic way. This bar has a firm snap, much firmer than the base bar. One of our favorite aspects of Taza is that they keep their texture less refined, so it is visible to the naked eye. The stone ground texture brings to mind the similarity between Taza and the Dominican drinking chocolate. The scent and texture combined call forth a genuine bean to bar, minimally processed chocolate experience that really is supremely satisfying. 

Flavor Profile:

Initial – earthy

Middle – caramel, spicy

After – jasmine

Texture:
This bar's texture could only be described as odd. It was almost distracting. Because it was so dry, it crumbled very easily and did not melt in our mouth.  This was the least favorable aspect of this bar.

Overall:
The most unexpected discovery about this Taza bar is that it makes the base bar's bouquet far more interesting. After tasting it and going back to the base bar, there was definitely a more layered and complex flavor profile. It makes us curious to try other bars in conjunction with this Taza bar, hopefully ringing true for other bars as well. The stellar taste of this bar made up for the unusual crumbly texture, thus landing this bar a solid 8/10 stars.

Rating: 8 /10

*Notes:

Purchased at Central Market

Price range under $6

Next up is a bar made from raw ashaninka cacao (and also from a brand that's new to us). Check back next Monday to read our thoughts!

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?" - Anonymous

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 Ten: The Return of Taza

We decided to try another Taza bar this week to rate some of their other offerings.  Because of the company’s commitment to sustainability and fair trade practices, we felt compelled to give their products another chance.  This week, we picked up their Cacao Nib Crunch.  It is an 80%, organic stone ground chocolate bar.  You can read our first post about Taza's Sea Salt & Almond bar here.

Tasting No.: 8

Taza Organic 80% Cacao Nib Crunch

Initial Impressions:

The bar is much more red than our base bar, surprising because it has a higher cacao content.  There are visible nibs throughout the bar, although they seem to only be sprinkled.  The stone ground process leaves the end product with a lot visible texture and crystallization.  This bar has an earthy smell similar to soil after rain and reminiscent of cocoa powder for baking.  This is far earthier than the base bar’s scent profile.  The snap of this bar is firm and satisfying.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – extremely nutty

Middle – sweet, coffee, acid

After – smoky vanilla

Texture:

The only way to describe this bar is hearty and substantial.  The grittiness and nibs were something we really enjoyed and a totally different tasting experience from the base bar. 

Overall:

The deep earthy smell of this bar evokes a feeling of being in nature.  To us, it is an homage to the roots of chocolate; going back to the source, how chocolate was first eaten.  The base bar is much sweeter and smoother, while this bar’s sweetness builds with every bite.  We thoroughly enjoyed this bar and were pleased that this tasting changed our opinion of this brand's chocolate.

Rating: 8.5/10

*Notes:

Purchased at Central Market

Price range under $5

We imagine this bar pairing well with a steaming cup of black tea.

Next week we’ll be trying another bar from Trader Joe's - be sure to check back!

For now savor: “Chocolate knows no boundaries; speaks all languages; comes in all sizes; is woven through many cultures and disciplines...it impacts mood, health, and economics, and it is a part of our lives from early childhood through the elderly years.” – Herman A. Berliner, Chocolate: Food of the Gods

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.