Cacao Trees

Cacao trees (Theobroma cacao L.) are divided into three morphological types: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario.

Criollo trees produce the most valuable beans, with better flavor and less bitterness than other types. Unfortunately, they are are vulnerable to disease and have lower bean yields. The lower yields mean that even with substantially higher Criollo bean prices, they generate less revenue for farmers than planting with Forastero or Trinitario. Criollo trees are grown primarily in Venezuela, Columbia, Comoros, Grenada, Jamaica, Java, Madagascar and Trinidad. Between 1% and 5% of the annual world production is Criollo.

Forastero trees are often subdivided into lower Amazon Forastero and upper Amazon Forastero in terms of genetics, but since the chocolate created from both Forastero varieties is generally considered inferior, they are simply called Forastero from a consumer perspective. Both types of Forastero produce higher bean yields and are much more resistant to disease than Criollo, and as a result, are used in most cacao plantations. They are grown in the Ivory Coast, Brazil, Cameroon, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Peru, São Tomé, Venezuela, and other countries of West Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. Between 80% and 90% of the world production is Forastero.

Trinitario trees are a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero trees, originally from Trinidad, and are now grown in many countries, including Cameroon, Ecuador, Java, Lesser Antilles, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. Acquiring much of the quality of Criollo and the increased yield and disease-resistance of Forastero, Trinitario has become a popular cacao tree among plantations selling to artisan chocolate makers. Between 10% and 20% of the world production is Trinitario.

A recent study published in 2008 suggests that the traditional division into three types of cacao trees does not accurately reflect their genetic diversity. Instead, they propose a new classification of 10 types: Amelonado, Contamana, Criollo, Curaray, Guiana, Iquitos, Marañon, Nanay, Nacional and Purús. Until such a change is widely accepted, I'll continue to use the traditional classification into Criollo, Forastero, or Trinitario.

Note: the ranges of values for world production are because I did not find reliable data, and instead combined data from multiple unconfirmed sources.

Review: Valrhona Grand Cru Manjari

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Manjari year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region Madagascar size 70g ~ 2.5oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 64% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price $6.99

color medium brown texture matte, smooth flower, cut pattern of lines aroma strong aroma: berry, orange liqueur, floral snap medium hard taste mild, currant, woody, slightly acidic melt extraordinarily creamy length short to medium finish acidic

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Valrhona Grand Cru Manjari

Until I started this process of reviewing chocolates in general and tasted the Amedei Chuao in particular, the Valrhona Manjari had been my favorite chocolate bar. It's time to see how it holds up in my ranking of artisan chocolates.

Opening the wrapper unleased the Manjari's aroma, which was strongest of the bars we've tasted so far: mostly berry and a non-citrus orange, with some sort of floral scent in the background. The taste was mild, with a light currant flavor, and to me somewhat woody. Lindy found it slightly acidic.

What was remarkable about the Manjari bar was its exceptional melt. As this chocolate melted in our mouths, we both recognized it as the smoothest and creamiest texture of all the bars we had tasted.

For me the length was short, but Lindy could still taste the flavor 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone and rated it medium. Afterwards, both of us felt the post-chocolate finish was acidic. To me, it was quite mild, but to Lindy the acidic finish was unpleasant.

You can purchase Grand Cru Manjari directly from Valrhona for $6.99.

UPDATE: As of 17 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $5.65 from Chocosphere. In the U.K., you can purchase Manjari online for £3.39 from Chocolate Trading Co. We also have a more thorough and recent review of Valrhona Grand Cru Manjari.

Review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Dark Chocolate year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region (unknown) size 500g ~ 17.6oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 54% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $4.99

color dark brown texture ridged top, smooth sides aroma earthy, leather, muted floral snap hard taste sweet, toffee, brown sugar, hint of vanilla melt smooth, but not creamy length short finish minimal, slightly bitter

Trader Joe's Pound Plus Belgian chocolate bars are so big that they probably shouldn't be considered bars. At 500 grams, they weigh more than a pound, and are 5 to 10 times bigger than a typical artisan bar. For the price of only $4.99, these Pound Plus bars are a fantastic bargain.

We tasted the Dark Chocolate bar. The cocoa content of the this bar is merely 54%, quite a bit lower than the other bars we've reviewed. The additional sugar gave the taste an overwhelming sweetness that hid much of the flavor of the chocolate. Lindy found the finish slightly bitter, but to me the finish was almost nonexistent.

Overall, Lindy liked this chocolate, but only gave it one star due to the significantly reduced chocolate taste from so much sugar.

By the way, this chocolate is excellent for baking. I use the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate bar to make my favorite icing. Here's the recipe.

Trader Joe's also has a 72% Dark Chocolate bar that we'll review in the future.

Review: Amedei Chuao

Lindy's Rating: 10.0 (previously ****)

Richard's Rating: 10.0 (previously ****)

chocolate maker Amedei bar Chuao year 2010 cacao trees (unknown) region Venezuela size 50g ~ 1.8oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 70% fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown texture smooth aroma raspberry snap hard taste initial honey, then strong cherry melt creamy length medium finish mildly acidic

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Amedei Chuao

I decided to taste the Amedei Chuao as soon as possible, because it is reputed to be one of the best chocolate bars. It currently has the highest rating on the UK chocolate enthusiast site SeventyPercent.com.

Approaching our tasting with both hopeful anticipation and some skepticism, we were delighted to discover that the reputation of Amedei's Chuao bar is well-deserved. With a lovely aroma of raspberries, a creamy melt, multiple rich flavors of honey and later cherry, and a taste that lingered longer than any other bar we have tasted, this chocolate was superb. The wonderful flavor slowly and subtly faded away, leaving a mildly acidic finish.

Lindy raved about the surprising initial burst of honey transitioning to the strong cherry flavor, and I must agree: it was luscious. We each felt this bar deserved our first four star rating.

Note that the Amedei Chuao does not have a list price. This 50 gram bar is currently available at Chocolopolis for $13.00, and thus is the most expensive bar we've yet tasted. It is also the best.

UPDATE: As of 16 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $14.50 from three places: Caputo's, Chocosphere, and World Wide Chocolate. We also have a more thorough and recent review of Amedei Chuao.

Review: Coppeneur Chuao

Lindy's Rating: 8.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Coppeneur bar Chuao year (unknown) cacao trees Criollo & Trinitario region Venezuela size 50g ~ 1.8oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.95

color medium brown texture smooth surface, pleasant crunch aroma fruit (plum, berry), sweet, earth snap medium hard taste plum, hint of ginger, tart melt creamy length short finish tart

Yesterday we tasted two bars with cocoa from Venezuela: the Coppeneur Chuao and the Amedei Chuao. Chuao is a village in Venezuela renown for its quality cacao plantations, including many Criollo trees.

The Coppeneur Chuao comes in a black package sealed with a bit of gray wax stamped with the Coppeneur icon. Inside the package is a small 40-page informative booklet about cacao trees, planting regions, the plantations used by Coppeneur, and their chocolates. The bar is wrapped in plastic and has a pretty design with an opened cacao pod in relief on the surface.

Lindy and I both liked this simplest of chocolate bars, made only of cocoa solids and cane sugar. The flavors within this creamy cocoa were somewhat elusive, and we had trouble finding good descriptions, even with a reference list of potential flavors. Plum seemed closest, but not quite right. The pleasant finish was not at all bitter, but was still somewhat sharp, so tart seemed the best word to describe it.

I'll post about the Amedei bar next.

UPDATE: As of 17 April 2013, Coppeneur is not selling the Chuao bar.

Review: Lindt Excellence 85%

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 85% year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 85% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.50

color medium-dark brown texture stripes of smooth & matte aroma cherry, roast snap very hard taste earthy, roast (coffee), grapefruit melt slow start length short finish bitter

Lindy and I tasted four bars today, including the Lindt Excellence 70%, which has been updated to merge Lindy's tasting notes and add her rating, and the Lindt Excellence 85% reviewed here.

The color and texture were nearly identical to that of the 70%. The snap was a bit harder. The aroma of cherries was much stronger than in the 70%, and overwhelmed any subtler scents other than some roast. Surprisingly, that cherry aroma did not come out in the flavor, and instead this bar tasted earthy and of roast coffee. Lindy also noticed a grapefruit flavor. The length was longer than the 70%, but still short. The finish was more bitter. Overall, we both liked this bar slightly more than the 70%. Another solid bar in the inexpensive category.

UPDATE: As of 20 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $3.50 from World Wide Chocolate. However, you can frequently find Lindt Excellence bars on sale for $2.00 or less at local groceries and pharmacies.

Help wanted

I find that I'm having some difficulty fully describing the aroma and flavor of the chocolates I'm tasting and think that a second opinion and overall rating would be helpful.

If you live in the Seattle area and are interested in getting together once a week to taste chocolates, I would enjoy sharing this experience and appreciate your help in describing them. Please email me, and we can work out the details.

Review: Lindt Excellence 70%

Lindy's Rating: 4.5 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 4.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 70% year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 70% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.50

color medium-dark brown texture stripes of smooth & matte aroma coffee, sweet tobacco, hint of cherry snap hard taste cherry, tobacco melt slow start length minimal, almost none finish bitter, dry, ashy

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Lindt Excellence 70% Smooth Dark

As my friend Michael and I were discussing, it's helpful to have some baseline reviews of more common dark chocolate as reference points, so yesterday afternoon I went to a local pharmacy and purchased two bars from Lindt. I'll pick up a couple of bars from Green & Black's the next time I see them.

In my experience, Lindt Excellence 70% has been a reliably good chocolate bar. It has solid chocolate flavor, though lacks the depth and length of better bars. Surprisingly smooth given the lack of an emulsifier. Although not the quality of the best artisan chocolates, it compares well with some of them, and it's a bargain for the price.

I realized that it might be useful to actually see the chocolate, so I'll be taking pictures to include in the reviews.

UPDATE: As of 20 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $3.50 from World Wide Chocolate. However, you can frequently find Lindt Excellence bars on sale for $2.00 or less at local groceries and pharmacies.

First review: Valrhona Gran Couva

Lindy's Rating: 9.5 (previously ****)

Richard's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Gran Couva year 2009 cacao trees Trinitario region Trinidad size 75g ~ 2.6oz plantation Gran Couva cocoa solids 64% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price $7.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy surface aroma nutty, floral, bark snap hard taste rich, roasted nuts, toffee, caramel hint of tobacco melt less creamy length medium finish slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Valrhona Gran Couva

Note: updated 28 October 2010, so Lindy could taste and add her perspective. Also added PANTONE color.

This Valrhona Gran Couva was my golden ticket bar. I picked it out as my favorite among a tasting of about half a dozen Valrhona chocolate bars. The rich nutty chocolate flavor is wonderful. It's too bad that it doesn't last forever, and that the finish isn't as pleasant as the taste.

The melt of this bar is creamy, definitely beyond smooth, but not quite as creamy as the Amedei or Coppeneur Chuao chocolates. Lindy tasted multiple sweet flavors, including toffee and caramel.

Note that this review may be slightly distorted, as I opened the bar three days ago and tasted for the review from the half remaining this morning.

Please send any suggestions for improvements to content or format. Thanks!

UPDATE: As of 17 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $6.99 from Caputo's. We also have a more thorough and recent review of Valrhona Gran Couva.

Criteria

What should I include in a review of chocolate?

I assumed that chocolate tasting would be rather straightforward, and I'd want to evaluate the appearance, aroma, and taste of the chocolate. However, after doing research on the web, I found that chocolate tasting is as complex as wine tasting. Some reviews include seemingly unusual criteria, such as the sound of the snap as you break off a piece or the feel of the surface of the chocolate. Reviews often break down taste into factors such as the flavor of the chocolate, how it melts in your mouth, the length of time that the flavor lasts, and the final aftertaste (called finish).

At this point, I'm not all that interested in the appearance or snap of the chocolate. I'll still try to observe those things, but please have patience that my appreciation and reviews will improve with practice and experience.

Here's the best guide I've found on how to review chocolate, on SeventyPercent.com.

First review coming soon...

Not just the percentage

Up until a little over a year ago, I used to believe that good chocolate was measured simply by the proportion of cocoa in the chocolate. My favorite chocolate bars were the 85% and 70% bars from Green & Black's and Lindt that you could buy in some grocery stores.

I didn't consider that the type and quality of cocoa beans varies like that of coffee beans for coffee or grapes for wine, but of course it does.

Just as important to a chocolate bar are the other ingredients. In addition to cocoa solids, chocolate requires fat (best as cocoa butter) and a sweetener (typically sugar). Nearly all chocolates also use an emulsifier (to make the chocolate smoother, often in the form of lecithin) and flavoring (usually vanilla). Some chocolates also include other ingredients and flavorings (though the better chocolates seem not to).

I'm going to try to review and rate the chocolates I taste over the next 10 months. Admittedly, the rating part will be completely biased by my own preferences. Please note that the chocolates I taste here will be almost exclusively "dark" chocolates, with at least 50% cocoa solids, as those are the varieties I like best.

By the way, it turns out that Chocolopolis has its own blog.

First bar mistake

Today, I walked to Chocolopolis to turn in my golden ticket and choose my first free bar of chocolate.

I meant to try Amedei's Chuao bar, but mistakenly picked up Coppeneur's Chuao instead.

Perhaps it will be a fortuitous choice; perhaps not. Fortunately, I have more than 40 weeks left in which to pick the right one :)

On the walk home, I decided that I should blog about this experience, as I learn about artisan chocolates through tasting a wide variety of them. Maybe only a few people will read it, but it can also be a personal record of tasting notes for my own reference.

Surprise and delight!

About two months ago, Seattle's best artisan chocolate store, Chocolopolis, had their second anniversary. They celebrated with a week of daily free chocolate tastings of some of the great chocolate makers: Amano, Cluizel, Corallo, Pralus, and Valrhona.

I purchased several chocolate bars that week, and only yesterday opened the last of them, a 2009 Valrhona Gran Couva. To my astonishment and great delight, there was a golden ticket inside...

During their anniversary week of tastings, Chocolopolis placed three golden tickets in bars of chocolates they were selling. The winners are gifted each week for the year with their choice of any one bar of chocolate!

I'm so excited about going to their store today and picking out my first bar!

Artisan chocolates are quite expensive, typically $6 to $12 for a bar of only a few ounces of chocolate. As a result, I've been reluctant to purchase bars that I haven't already tasted, so this is a spectacular opportunity to try many different chocolates.