Dandelion Chocolate is a new U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker in East Palo Alto, California. Starting last year, Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring began hand-crafting single origin chocolates made with only two ingredients: 70% cacao beans and 30% sugar. At present, they make three chocolate bars:
Madagascar, Costa Rica, and
Venezuela.
Last week, I had the opportunity to try all three of these chocolates thanks to
Lauren Adler of
Chocolopolis bringing them back from the
Fine Chocolate Industry Association meeting in Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I do not have any pictures to post. Also, I tasted each chocolate only once, so I apologize in advance for the brevity of a table summary for each. I've put all three mini-reviews together here in a single posting.
More recent complete reviews of each of these chocolates can be found here:
| chocolate maker | Dandelion |
| bar | Madagascar |
| region | Madagascar |
| plantation | (unknown) |
| cacao trees | (unknown) |
| year | 2011 |
| size | 56g ~ 2.0oz |
| cocoa solids | 70% |
| added fat | (none) |
| sweetener | sugar |
| emulsifier | (none) |
| flavoring | (none) |
| other ingredients | (none) |
| list price | $8.00 |
|
| color | medium brown |
| texture | smooth with scoring |
| aroma | earth, spice |
| snap | hard |
| taste | fruit (citrus, berry) |
| melt | smooth |
| length | short |
| finish | very slightly acidic |
|
| chocolate maker | Dandelion |
| bar | Costa Rica |
| region | Costa Rica |
| plantation | (unknown) |
| cacao trees | (unknown) |
| year | 2011 |
| size | 56g ~ 2.0oz |
| cocoa solids | 70% |
| added fat | (none) |
| sweetener | sugar |
| emulsifier | (none) |
| flavoring | (none) |
| other ingredients | (none) |
| list price | $8.00 |
|
| color | medium-dark brown |
| texture | smooth with scoring |
| aroma | roast, earth (mold) |
| snap | hard |
| taste | sweet, roast (cocoa) |
| melt | smooth |
| length | minimal |
| finish | very slightly bitter |
|
| chocolate maker | Dandelion |
| bar | Venezuela |
| region | Venezuela |
| plantation | (unknown) |
| cacao trees | (unknown) |
| year | 2011 |
| size | 56g ~ 2.0oz |
| cocoa solids | 70% |
| added fat | (none) |
| sweetener | sugar |
| emulsifier | (none) |
| flavoring | (none) |
| other ingredients | (none) |
| list price | $8.00 |
|
| color | medium-dark brown |
| texture | smooth with scoring |
| aroma | roast, fruit |
| snap | hard |
| taste | sweet, berry, roast, fruit |
| melt | smooth |
| length | short |
| finish | very slightly bitter |
|
Overall, I would rate the Madagascar 7.0, the Costa Rica 5.0, and the Venezuela 6.0. These chocolates were great for a first year production, and I look forward to tasting more chocolate from this promising new chocolate maker.
You can purchase Dandelion chocolate bars online for $8.00 each (or $20.00 for a set of all three bars) directly from
Dandelion Chocolate.
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