393884 Fri Apr 20 16:12:33 -0700 2007 37 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2500908 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/category/exotic_candy_bars Fri Apr 20 16:12:33 -0700 2007 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 2500913 Thanks for the report...I LOVE Vosges. You've got to try their truffles! Fri Apr 20 16:15:08 -0700 2007 2500908 85865 christineb 2 2501055 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. Fri Apr 20 17:15:53 -0700 2007 2500913 63311 puppymomma 1 2501069 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! Fri Apr 20 17:24:28 -0700 2007 2500908 52028 DarkRose 2 2501927 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. Sat Apr 21 07:52:45 -0700 2007 2501069 63311 puppymomma 3 2505013 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/368537#2346736 Ruth, Nob Hill carries these bars. Sun Apr 22 19:08:53 -0700 2007 2501927 10264 rworange 4 2505407 Yeah, Alameda Natural Grocery carries those. I have a vague feeling that I tried one and wasn't impressed. Maybe I should try again. Sun Apr 22 22:35:56 -0700 2007 2505013 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 2517858 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. Thu Apr 26 11:55:04 -0700 2007 2505407 10159 Ruth Lafler 6 2518020 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. Thu Apr 26 12:26:43 -0700 2007 2517858 10264 rworange 7 2518223 I think you "prepaid" any chocolate debt with the Chuao you gave me! Thu Apr 26 13:11:29 -0700 2007 2518020 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 2508227 Boy oh boy that Vosges Barcelona bar with the smoked almonds and sea salt sounds fantastic! Thanks for the report, Ruth. Mon Apr 23 17:21:06 -0700 2007 2501069 18222 maria lorraine 2 2516251 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. Wed Apr 25 21:55:19 -0700 2007 2501069 85878 stolenchange 1 2507607 Ruth, you have to try Vosges Oaxaca and Red Fire bars. The spicy dark chocolate combinations are so addictive! Mon Apr 23 14:26:40 -0700 2007 2500908 12124 TorontoJo 2 2521389 Did you buy these in Toronto and if so, where? Fri Apr 27 12:56:13 -0700 2007 2507607 12120 julesrules 3 2521598 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. Fri Apr 27 13:55:16 -0700 2007 2521389 12124 TorontoJo 1 2515318 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. Wed Apr 25 15:56:03 -0700 2007 2500908 46671 notmartha 2 2517901 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. Thu Apr 26 12:02:36 -0700 2007 2515318 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2520907 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... Fri Apr 27 10:37:07 -0700 2007 2517901 46671 notmartha 4 2521203 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/plantations_chocolate.asp Fri Apr 27 12:06:14 -0700 2007 2520907 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 2521212 Thanks much for the info. There are Cost Plus here (LA) so I'll check out the 65 and 75%. Fri Apr 27 12:09:39 -0700 2007 2521203 46671 notmartha 1 2520372 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. Fri Apr 27 08:12:21 -0700 2007 2500908 15142 MIKELOCK34 2 2520445 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. Fri Apr 27 08:34:40 -0700 2007 2520372 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2520475 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. Fri Apr 27 08:41:45 -0700 2007 2520445 15142 MIKELOCK34 4 2521252 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. Fri Apr 27 12:19:25 -0700 2007 2520475 46671 notmartha 5 2521291 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. Fri Apr 27 12:31:20 -0700 2007 2521252 10159 Ruth Lafler 6 2521409 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. Fri Apr 27 13:01:21 -0700 2007 2521291 46671 notmartha 5 2522888 Yes, we designated all of the leftover chocolate to making hot chocolate. Sat Apr 28 04:15:42 -0700 2007 2521252 15142 MIKELOCK34 2 2520731 Did you go out and get these individually? Or were they sold as some sort of kit to you? Fri Apr 27 09:53:08 -0700 2007 2520372 63311 puppymomma 3 2521150 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. Fri Apr 27 11:48:45 -0700 2007 2520731 15142 MIKELOCK34 2 2520910 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? Fri Apr 27 10:37:46 -0700 2007 2520372 46671 notmartha 3 2521159 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. Fri Apr 27 11:50:45 -0700 2007 2520910 15142 MIKELOCK34 4 2521254 Thanks! Sounds like quite a bit of a sensory overload. Fri Apr 27 12:20:23 -0700 2007 2521159 46671 notmartha 4 2523044 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. Sat Apr 28 07:09:43 -0700 2007 2521159 11819 Low Country Jon 5 2523799 We meant black, hot tea of some kind; not hot, black tea. Thanks for the suggestion. We will try the Hershey's too. Thanks. Sat Apr 28 13:49:44 -0700 2007 2523044 15142 MIKELOCK34 6 2543412 FWIW, check this link on tastings: http://www.seventypercent.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=428 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. Fri May 04 20:21:19 -0700 2007 2523799 12831 fqalzai 7 2551792 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. Tue May 08 10:44:11 -0700 2007 2543412 15142 MIKELOCK34 2 2577510 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 Thu May 17 08:23:12 -0700 2007 2520372 15142 MIKELOCK34 3 2580457 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/ Fri May 18 05:35:37 -0700 2007 2577510 63311 puppymomma