Review: Coppeneur Hacienda Iara 100%

Lindy's Rating: 4.5 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Coppeneur bar Hacienda Iara 100% region Ecuador plantation Iara cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 100% added fat (none) sweetener (none) emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price CA$5.95

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture smooth with picture relief and text imprint aroma roast (cocoa), floral (jasmine) snap medium hard taste bitter, roast, earth, nut melt creamy length medium finish somewhat bitter

German chocolate maker Coppeneur has a relationship with the Iara plantation in Ecuador run by Gonzalo Martinetti. There, they grow organic Nacional Arriba cacao (which is biologically Forastero), which was the source of the cacao beans for this bar.

Hacienda Iara 100% was made from 100% cocoa solids, without even added cocoa butter. The 50 gram bar was certified organic in Germany. It was wrapped in plastic and packaged along with a 40-page Coppeneur booklet in a black hard paper box that was sealed with fake silver wax stamped with the Coppeneur logo. Coppeneur bars unscored, with a large relief of half a cacao pod surrounded by a circular design and the imprint of "Coppeneur" and its logo in the upper left. The best before date was August 2012.

The color of this chocolate was a medium-dark brown Puce (PANTONE 19-1518). The bar had a medium hard snap. Hacienda Iara 100% had two primary aromas: a cocoa roast and floral scent that Lindy identified as jasmine.

The chocolate had a bitter taste. The other dominant flavor was roast. I also tasted some earth and nut flavors. The melt was creamy, and the flavor lasted 30 to 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The final aftertaste seemed somewhat bitter to me. Lindy found it more so.

Overall, Lindy described Hacienda Iara 100% as "a bitter experience all around", and rated it *. I felt it deserved **, although this plantation bar was not as good as either Pralus Le 100% or Bonnat 100% Cacao.

You can purchase Coppeneur Hacienda Iara 100% online for CA$5.95 in Canada and the U.S. directly from Coppeneur.