My recent chocolate explorations

[Ruth Lafler]

There are lots of long threads on chocolate on this board, but I thought I'd start a new one anyway!

Based on some recs from other hounds, I recently did a comparison tasting of three single-origin chocolates from Madagascar: Domori Vanilla, E. Guittard Ambanja and Valrhona Manjari. All three are mid-60 percent range cocoa solids chocolates, and all three had vanilla -- the Guittard and the Domori actually specified vanilla bean, rather than vanilla extract. A while back I also tried a single-origin from Madagascar by Theo.

I've been mostly eating South American chocolate, and these were distinctively different, with more of a fruit-acid character. I thought the Guittard had the least varietal character, while the Domori was more heavily influenced by the vanilla taste (which took some getting used to but eventually grew on me). I also thought the Domori was a little softer than the others. All were very fine chocolate, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them again -- I still prefer my Vintage Plantations from Ecuador.

The market near my house carries a wide variety of premium chocolate bars, most of them organic or fair trade (or both). They just added a couple of bars to their Equal Exchange line: a dark chocolate with cacao nibs and a dark mint chocolate (both organic as well as fair trade). They are both excellent. In particular, if you like mint chocolate, this one is outstanding. It's a 67 percent cocoa mass chocolate from the Dominican Republic and Peru with "peppermint crisps" (organic sugar and organic peppermint oil) that give it a slightly gritty texture I really enjoy. It's also made with raw sugar and unrefined whole cane sugar, as well as ground vanilla beans, if you care about eating minimally processed food. I just care that it's delicious!

Finally, I broke down and bought a Vosges bar the other day. Most of their bars seem to precious and over-wrought, but I was in the mood for something different, and fell prey to their Barcelona bar: "deep" milk chocolate with hickory smoked almonds and grey sea salt. It was super delicious, even for someone who usually prefers dark chocolate: the smokey-salty flavors really worked well to balance the mildly sweet milkiness of the chocolate. I may just have to overcome my prejudices and try some of the other Vosges bars.

More about Equal Exchange: http://www.equalexchange.com/chocolate-bars

More about Vosges "exotic candy bars": http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/catego...

[christineb]

Thanks for the report...I LOVE Vosges. You've got to try their truffles!

[puppymomma]

I just tried the Vosges Goji Bar. Gosh, it was heavenly. I have a Barcelona bar that I got at Whole Foods the other day, but I haven't opened it yet. I'm still savoring the Goji Bar. It's got another sweet & salty combination. And another that is salty and delicious is the Scharffenberger (spelling?) milk chocolate.

I like the Equal Exchange dark chocolate. I especially love their little mini bars. But one that is similar tasting and easier to find for me (at Trader Joe's) is the Chocovic bar.

[DarkRose]

Funny you should mention the Barcelona bar, as I'm enjoying one as I type this. I was a little reluctant to put out nearly $8 for something that seemed like such a strange combination, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?You're right, the mix of the smokey almonds and the richness of the grey sea salt are fantastic, and the chocolate isn't nearly as sweet as your typical milk, nor as strong or bitter as a good dark. Paired with a glass of Cline 2004 Late Harvest Mourvèdre, it's a winning combination!

[puppymomma]

I got the Barcelona bar at Whole Foods for only $5.00. I see them elsewhere in the area for up to $8.00. Whole Foods has a good selection of them.

[rworange]

Has anyone tried Seeds of Change organic chocolate?
http://www.seedsofchangefoods.com/our_foods/category.aspx?id=chocolates

Just one brief positive mention on Chowhound
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/36853...

Ruth, Nob Hill carries these bars.

[Ruth Lafler]

Yeah, Alameda Natural Grocery carries those. I have a vague feeling that I tried one and wasn't impressed. Maybe I should try again.

[Ruth Lafler]

So I picked up a Bayano (dark chocolate with cacao nibs and cinnamon oil) and I still wasn't impressed. The cinnamon was harsh, and there was an "off" flavor to part of the bar, as if maybe a couple of the cacao nibs were rancid.

Back to Vintage Plantations/Equal Exchange for my "every day" chocolate.

[rworange]

Thanks for taking the bullet on Seeds of Change. I owe you a good piece of chocolate ... or at least a tip on a good piece of chocolate.

[Ruth Lafler]

I think you "prepaid" any chocolate debt with the Chuao you gave me!

[maria lorraine]

Boy oh boy that Vosges Barcelona bar with the smoked almonds and sea salt sounds fantastic! Thanks for the report, Ruth.

[stolenchange]

Oh my. I think I have my weekend treat picked out now. The chocolate/smoky almond/grey sea salt combo paired with the wine sounds absolutely fabulous.

[TorontoJo]

Ruth, you have to try Vosges Oaxaca and Red Fire bars. The spicy dark chocolate combinations are so addictive!

[julesrules]

Did you buy these in Toronto and if so, where?

[TorontoJo]

Sorry, jules... I get these in Chicago when I'm there on business. You might want to check Soma -- they seem to carry a lot of specialty chocolates in addition to their own yummy chocolates.

[notmartha]

What makes a single varietal better than the non-single one? I haven't exhaustively tried them all, but out of the ones I've tried time after time I consistently liked the Venezuelan Criollo best.

I have to admit though lately I've been more likely than not nibble on the Trader Joe's Swiss 71% (fair trade) dark chocolate bar over another of the other fancy bars of chocolates at home.

Barcelona is good and addictive. I like the Red Fire next (hated the Naga) but haven't tried the newer ones.

[Ruth Lafler]

A single varietal isn't necessarily better than a blend -- just as a single varietal wine isn't necessarily better than one that's been expertly blended by a skilled winemaker. It's interesting and educational to try different single varietals so you can get a sense of the wide varietal variations and characteristics -- once you learn those characteristics and your preferrences, you can use that to guide your buying. It looks like, in fact, that's what you've done.

I think the other thing that may be "better" about a single varietal is that you know some extra care is being put into the sourcing and production of the chocolate, as opposed to buying a "generic" chocolate bar that could (and quite probably does, unless it specifies otherwise) contain beans produced with child slave labor in West Africa. My impression (although I could be wrong) is that in general cacao production practices in the Americas are better than those in Africa.

[notmartha]

Thanks for the response. What's your current favorite bar? The Vintage Plantation (single varietal?)? From past post I think I had the same 'bitter' challenged tastebuds, so whatever you like best is probably worth a try...

[Ruth Lafler]

Vintage Plantation only uses a single varietal -- Arriba, the national bean of Ecuador. They make several different bars, including a plain 65 percent, a 65 percent with cacao nibs (my favorite), a 75 percent, and the 90 and 100 that Mike tasted. They also do a milk chocolate with peanuts and a version of the 65 percent with Aji (chile). None of their chocolate contains vanilla, although they do use some soy lecithin.

Vintage Plantation chocolates are Rainforest Alliance certified (produced under standards that safeguard both the environment and the farming communities) and they produce the finished chocolate themselves in Ecuador, which means that the "value added" of the processing also benefits the people of Ecuador (as opposed to other Fair Trade bars where the beans are purchased but then processed in Europe or the US). You hear about bean to bar -- this is tree to bar! According to the label: "Vintage Plantations guarantees direct traceability from the farmer to you."

I don't remember exactly where you are, but Cost Plus World Market is carrying the Vintage Plantation line. As an added plus, it's very reasonably priced for the quality! http://www.echocolates.com/ec/plantat...

[notmartha]

Thanks much for the info. There are Cost Plus here (LA) so I'll check out the 65 and 75%.

[MIKELOCK34]

We had an at home tasting a couple of weeks ago. Our opinions below. We just picked up another thirty-one different chocolates for our next tasting which we will do in a week or so. Enjoy. We did!

We had an "at home" dark chocolate tasting last night. We sampled eighteen different dark cocolates from various countries. The list of chocolates that we tried and our consensus opinions are listed below. I will not list all of the tasting notes from the chocolate companies, just the name brand and cacao percentage for each. Country of origin of the cacao used where known is listed along with country of manufacture of the chocolate itself.

Listed from lowest to highest percentage of cacao. We tasted them in this order.

DAGOBA: PACUARE
68% CACAO
COSTA RICA
USA

Tastes like nondescript baking chocolate.

DAGOBA: MILAGROS
73% CACAO
PERU
USA

Very smooth. Good chocolate taste. Pleasant bitterness on the finish.

NIRVANA
70% CACAO
TANZANIA
BELGIUM

Citrus notes. Dry on the finish. Slightly unpleasant bitterness on the finish.

DIVINE
70% CACAO
GHANA
ENGLAND

Smooth. Mild dark chocolate taste. Pleasant bitterness on the finish.

SCHOKINAG
72% CACAO
N/A
GERMANY

Very good chocolate taste. Very smooth. Slight bitterness. Good chocolate taste on the finish.

DAGOBA: CONACADO
73% CACAO
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
USA

Okay chocolate taste. Less pleasant bitterness on the finish.

DAGOBA: XOCOLATL
74% CACAO
N/A
USA

Pleasant nutmeg flavor throughout. Pleasant chili taste towards the finish. Would be good shaved over pumpkin pie, spice cake, creme brulee.

CAFE-TASSE
77% CACAO
N/A
BELGIUM

Strong taste of Spanish Peanuts. Good chocolate taste. Spanish Peanuts and chocolate on the finish.

SCHARFFEN BERGER
82% CACAO
N/A
USA

Tastes like aged cheddar cheese.

VENCHI
85% CACAO
VENEZUELA
ITALY

Pleasant dryness. Pleasant cocao powder taste on the finish.

VALRHONA: LE NOIR EXTRA AMBER
85% CACAO
AFRICA BLEND
FRANCE

Sour. Very dry. Very bitter.

VIVANI
85% CACAO
N/A
GERMANY

Begins with sweet cherry flavor turning to roasted chocolate then to roasted coffee then pleasant chocolate taste on the finish.

GALLER
85% CACAO
N/A
BELGIUM

Great chocolate taste. Very smooth. No bitterness. No aftertaste.

LINDT AND SPRUGLI: EXCELLENCE
85% CACAO
N/A
SWITZERLAND

Fruit on the front. Changes to unpleasant dryness. Turns blank on the finish, no taste on the finish.

DAGOBA: ECLIPSE
87% CACAO
N/A
USA

Sour. Unpleasant bitterness.

DOLFIN
88% CACAO
N/A
BELGIUM

Great chocolate taste. Very balanced. Very pleasant dryness. Wonderful chocolate aftertaste.

PLANTATIONS ARRIBA
90% CACAO
ECUADOR
ECUADOR

Good chocolate taste on the front changing to horribly unpleasant metallic taste. Very unpleasant dryness on the finish.

PLANTATIONS ARRIBA
100% CACAO
ECUADOR
ECUADOR

Straight cacao. Extremely sour. Very unpleasant aftertaste. Tastes exactly as cacao beans directly from the tree do. I have tried cacao straight from the tree in several countries and this chocolate is as unpleasant as each of those tastes were.

Our consensus opinions for these chocolates are as follows:

MOST FAVORITE:
DOLFIN BELGIUM

GALLER BELGIUM

CAFE-TASSE BELGIUM

LEAST FAVORITE:

SCHARFFEN BERGER USA

PLANTATIONS ARRIBA 90% ECUADOR

PLANTATIONS ARRIBA 100% ECUADOR

To help perpetuate a stereotype, our three favorites were made in Belgium! The dislike of the two from Ecuador is a bit unfair, as pure cacao does not taste very good regardless of form.

[Ruth Lafler]

Interesting. I've never liked Dagoba and I've always wondered why people rave about the Lindt Excellence. Too bad you didn't try the Plantations bars that were more comparable to the others.

[MIKELOCK34]

We were building towards the 100% cacao with the chocolates that we chose for this tasting. The thirty-one that we purchased for our next tasting are almost all flavored with something. We will post our thoughts on those in a couple of weeks.

[notmartha]

Maybe a fairer test is to shave those 90-100% cacao bars into hot milk and sugar and make hot chocolate out of them. ;)

It's strange because I adore the Dr. Bob's Deep Dark chocolate ice cream but absolutely hated the Scharffenberger dark chocolate bars. Seems like some are good for eating out of hand, and others are good for cooking.

[Ruth Lafler]

Scharffen-berger is definitely a matter of taste. I find it to be overly acidic, and some people object to what they describe as the "cherry" notes in it.

[notmartha]

The acidity hits me first and foremost - tasted kind of winey to me. Anyway, it's really good in an ice cream, so maybe the milk/cream tempers the acidity well.

[MIKELOCK34]

Yes, we designated all of the leftover chocolate to making hot chocolate.

[puppymomma]

Did you go out and get these individually? Or were they sold as some sort of kit to you?

[MIKELOCK34]

We buy from www.worldwidechocolate.com. They ship the same day that you place your order with UPS. They sell chocolate bars, hot chocolate mixes and gift sets from many different chocolate companies.

[notmartha]

That's quite impressive. Not knowing how you taste test chocolates - but what do you do in between tastes to clear out the palate? Drink water? Eat bread?

[MIKELOCK34]

For the first few, we used Breyers vanilla ice cream and water. For the last set, we used Grahams Six Grapes Porto and water. For the next tasting with the flavored chocolates, we will probably use black, hot tea and bottled water throughout.

[notmartha]

Thanks! Sounds like quite a bit of a sensory overload.

[Low Country Jon]

Might I suggest a crisp green tea? I've found those go better with chocolate even than black teas do. Jade Spring is my favorite accompaniment to chocolate or any sweet for that matter.

I'd be interested to know your take on Hershey's new single origin chocolates. I've liked the two I've tried so far, the Sao Tome dark chocolate (70%) and the Java milk chocolate (37%). They really nail the flavor profiles described on the packaging, coffee with spice and caramel respectively, so much so that I did a double take and checked the ingredients to make sure they weren't cheating with additional flavors. Nope, just vanilla, and that was it.

[MIKELOCK34]

We meant black, hot tea of some kind; not hot, black tea. Thanks for the suggestion. We will try the Hershey's too. Thanks.

[fqalzai]

FWIW, check this link on tastings:
http://www.seventypercent.com/forum/t...

Definitely avoid mixing darks with milks and flavored bars for best results, and room temperature water is the best palate cleanser. Ice creams, ports, teas, etc., while fun, will certainly not clarify the picture.

[MIKELOCK34]

We use the ice cream and teas and wine along with bottled water. We use the ice cream or tea or wine, let the taste fade away, then use the water until all tastes fade away, then taste the next chocolate. That system allows time for talking and writing notes. Thanks for the suggestion and the website.

[MIKELOCK34]

CHOCOLATE TASTING II:

1.
DOLFIN
CHOCOLATE BAR
32% COCOA MILK
BELGIUM

Sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, natural vanilla, soy lecithin (an emulsifier). Cocoa: 32% minimum. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Very sweet milk chocolate with a fairly strong vanilla component.

2.
DOLFIN
WITH SENCHA GREEN TEA
32% COCOA MILK
BELGIUM

Sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, Sencha green tea (5%), natural vanilla, soy lecithin (an emulsifier). Cocoa solids 32%, milk solids 20%.

Strong green tea taste. Green tea taste overpowers the chocolate taste.

3.
DOLFIN
WITH CINNAMON
32% COCOA MILK
BELGIUM

Sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, cinnamon (2%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 32% min. Milk Solids: 20%. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Sweet chocolate taste mixed with okay cinnamon taste.

4.
DOLFIN
WITH HOT MASALA
32% COCOA MILK
BELGIUM

Sugar, powdered whole milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, masala (cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, clove, ginger) (0.5%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 32% min. Milk Solids: 22% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Tastes like pumpkin pie. No chocolate taste.

5.
DOLFIN
WITH GROUND COFFEE
32% COCOA MILK
BELGIUM

Sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, coffee (2%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soy lecithin. Cocoa solids: 32% min. Milk Solids: 20% GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Smooth pleasant coffee flavor. Light chocolate taste. Very good.

6.
DOLFIN
WITH EARL GREY TEA
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, tea (2%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Strong Earl Grey Tea flavor on the front. Somewhat unpleasant. No chocolate flavor.

7.
DOLFIN
WITH ALMONDS
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, grilled almonds (17%), cocoa butter, natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Dark chocolate and roasted almond flavor, though the roasted almond flavor is very insignificant.

8.
DOLFIN
WITH GREEN ANISEED
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, aniseed (2%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Pleasant anise flavor throughout. Very good.

9.
DOLFIN
WITH ORANGE PEEL
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, crystallized orange peel (20%)cocoa butter, natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Citrusy orange peel flavor. Tthe orange peel component fades quickly.

10.
DOLFIN
WITH FRESH GINGER
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, ginger (7%), cocoa butter, natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Pleasant mild ginger flavor throughout.

11.
DOLFIN
WITH CINNAMON FROM CEYLAN
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, cinnamon (4%), emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Pleasant cinnamon and dark chocolate taste combination. Dry finish. Pretty good.

12.
DOLFIN
WITH PINK PEPPERCORN
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, pink peppercorn (1%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Overpowering peppercorn flavor. Equivalent to chewing up a mouthful of peppercorns. No chocolate flavor comes through.

13.
DOLFIN
WITH MINT LEAVES
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, coca butter, mint leaves (2%), natural vanilla, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 52% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Strong flavor of fresh mint leaves combined with chocolate. Pretty good.

14.
DOLFIN
WITH CACAO BEANS
70% CACAO
BELGIUM

Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa bean pieces (17%), low fat cocoa powder, emulsifier: soya lecithin. Cocoa solids: 70% min. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Crunchy due to the cacao bean pieces. Unpleasant bitterness from the cacao beans. Very dry finish.

15.
DOLFIN
EXTRA DARK
88% CACAO

Cocoa mass, sugar, low fat cocoa powder, lecithin (emulsifier). Cocoa: 88% minimum. GMO free. May contain traces of nuts and milk protein.

Unpleasant bitterness. Dry, bitter finish.

Dolfin uses real flavoring components instead of oils or artificial flavors. The flavoring components affect the texture of the chocolate.

Our consensus favorites are:

DOLFIN
WITH GREEN ANISEED
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

DOLFIN
WITH GROUND COFFEE
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

DOLFIN
WITH MINT LEAVES
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

DOLFIN
WITH CINNAMON FROM CEYLAN
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

WE WOULD RECOMMEND TRYING THE FOLLOWING TOO:

DOLFIN
WITH HOT MASALA
32% CACAO
BELGIUM

DOLFIN
WITH FRESH GINGER
52% CACAO
BELGIUM

OUR CONSENSUS LEAST FAVORITES:

DOLFIN
WITH SENCHA GREEN TEA

DOLFIN
WITH EARL GREY TEA

DOLFIN
WITH PINK PEPPERCORN

[puppymomma]

I LOVE CHOCOLATE! And it sounds like you are having such a great time tasting so many. That must be so fun.

Recently I've tried a few new things myself. I love the Vosges Goji bar. It's salty and has tiny himalayan berries. Also, the Barcelona bar (salty and sweet).

I've bought the Dolfin mini square selections. They are nice. But I prefer a bar without the cocoa nibs. They dend to put them in a lot. But I appreciate the actual chocolate.

I was at a local grocery store in Nashua, NH about a week ago and I noticed they had Cote d'Ore (is that how you spell it?). It came in a box of mini bars. They are about 2 inches long, 1 wide, and quite thin. I LOVE them! I think it wil be my standby. And compared to other chocolates I've seen at chocosphere, they were also inexpensive.

Meryl
http://theoccasionalcook.blogspot.com/