Added country map images

Thanks to the Central Intelligence Agency permitting free reproduction and reuse of information from its World Factbook, I've added country map images to postings about country-specific single origin postings, as well as to the overall Chocolate Rankings page. Note that the copied hosted images are captioned with "image source: Central Intelligence Agency" to give credit

Ranking: best Ecuador single-origin chocolate

In order to do a direct comparison and ranking, I retasted the 11 single origin chocolate bars made from Ecuador cacao we had reviewed for which the best before dates had not yet passed. After 3 iterations over the past two days, here are the results:

Askinosie San Jose Del Tambo Kallari 75% Cacao Amano Guayas Kallari 70% Cacao E. Guittard Quevedo Mindo 77% TCHO Nutty 2.0 Mindo 67% Republica del Cacao Manabi Kallari 85% Cacao Republica del Cacao Los Rios

Notes
Clicking on a name above will take you to the detailed review of that chocolate bar.
To see updated information and other rankings, go to our Chocolate Rankings page.

Review: Amano Dos Rios

Lindy's Rating: 9.5

Richard's Rating: 9.5

chocolate maker Amano bar Dos Rios region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $6.95

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma earl grey, fruit (bergamot, orange), floral (jasmine), dairy (cream), roast, spice (clove), astringent snap hard taste earl grey, sweet, fruit (orange, tangerine, clementine), floral (jasmine), tannin, dairy, spice, nutty melt smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin, very slight orange

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Amano Dos Rios

The cacao beans for this chocolate were discovered in the Dominican Republic. They had such unusual flavors that Art Pollard arranged to purchase them all for Amano.

As with his other chocolates, Art added cane sugar, cocoa butter from the same cacao beans, and whole vanilla beans to make Dos Rios. It has 70% cocoa solids. The two ounce bar was scored into 15 pieces, each with an imprint of the company name and emblem. The bar was wrapped in gold-sided foil and came packaged in a glossy paper box. A sticker indicated lot 3/4/88F and a best before date of June 2013.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was great other than some minor scuffing (appears worse in full size photo). The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma of Dos Rios was powerful, unique, and compelling. Lindy and I both immediately thought of earl grey tea (and she exclaimed "Oh, my god!") Fruit scents of bergamot and orange as well as a jasmine floral scent were strongest, but we also smelled dairy in the form of cream, roast, and a spice I identified as clove. Lindy described the combination of orange and cream scents as that of a 50-50 bar. I also noticed some astringency in the aroma.

Dos Rios tasted much as is smelled, with the immediate flavor of earl grey. Sweetness followed, with a range of orange flavors, including tangerine and clementine. The jasmine floral was also present in the taste, as was tannin. In addition, I tasted the dairy and spice from the aroma, as well as unexpected nutty flavor.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat tannin, with just a hint of orange.

Overall, Dos Rios was a spectacular chocolate, with a remarkable and complex aroma and flavor. Lindy and I both put this chocolate on our lists of favorites. This chocolate also won one of the Silver awards from the Academy of Chocolate in 2011.

You can purchase Dos Rios online for $6.50 directly from Amano for delivery to the U.S. or Canada. If you want to combine it with the purchase of another brand of chocolate, you can buy it in the U.S. for $6.99 from Chocolopolis or World Wide Chocolate.

Review: Amano Guayas

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Amano bar Guayas region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $6.95

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprints and scoring, tiny bubbles aroma roast (smoke), floral, earth snap medium hard taste floral, sweet, woody, fruit (apricot, berry), vanilla, tannin, roast (smoke) melt smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin, very slight fruit

Art Pollard, the founder of U.S. chocolate maker Amano, has built direct relationships with the farmers from whom he buys the highest quality cacao. In several cacao growing regions, including Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, finding great cacao has become more difficult due to substantial plantings of a more productive but lower quality hybrid cacao called CCN-51. I'll write more about hybrids, and some of the insights Art Pollard shared about them at the most recent Northwest Chocolate Festival keynote.

For his Guayas bar, Art found farms in the Guayas river basin of Ecuador with only Nacional cacao and paid premiums well above fair trade prices to compensate the farmers for the higher quality cacao. Before selling this chocolate, he returned to Ecuador with the first bars and shared them with the farmers who grew the cacao.

As with all Amano chocolate, Guayas was made from cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter from the same cacao beans, and whole vanilla beans, at least 70% of which were cocoa solids. The two ounce bar was scored into 15 pieces, each with an imprint of the company name and emblem. The bar was wrapped in gold-sided foil and came packaged in a glossy paper box with a slip of paper listing Amano's other chocolates and a list of awards. A sticker indicated lot 3/4/72F and a best before date of August 2013.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface had a few small bubbles in some of the top corners of the pieces and was slightly scuffed in places (looks much worse in the full size picture than in person), but was otherwise excellent. The bar had a medium-hard snap.

Guayas gave off a mild aroma of a smoky roast, floral, and earth. I thought at one point I smelled a scent of berry, but couldn't confirm it.

The taste was much more interesting, with floral, sweet, woody, fruit, and vanilla flavors. We both identified the fruit flavor as apricot, and I tasted some berry as well. The smoky roast we smelled was still there, but less obvious behind the other flavors. Lindy clearly tasted tannin, which I had completely overlooked until she pointed it out.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted about 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, just enough to qualify for a medium length. The final aftertaste was somewhat tannin, with just a slight suggestion of fruit.

Every Amano chocolate we've reviewed so far has rated 7.0 or higher, and thus made it onto our Best Chocolates Overall page, and Guayas is no exception. However, we both felt it wasn't as good as some of their other bars, such as Chuao, Montanya, Ocumare, and Dos Rios. Guayas won one of the 2012 Good Food Awards.

You can purchase Guayas online for $6.50 directly from Amano for delivery to the U.S. or Canada. If you want to combine it with the purchase of another brand of chocolate, you can buy it in the U.S. for $6.99 from Chocolopolis or World Wide Chocolate.

Review: Fresco 213 Dominican Republic

Lindy's Rating: 8.5

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 213 region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 40g ~ 1.4oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined with scoring, bubbles aroma earth, roast (smoke, cocoa, malt), fruit (raisin, hint of plum), sweet, hint of floral snap medium hard taste roast (tea), fruit (plum, dried fruit, berry), sweet, tangy, earth melt smooth length short finish slightly tannin, slightly acidic

U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker Rob Anderson began Fresco in 2008. He is an advocate of transparency in the chocolate making industry and reveals information about roasting and conching for each of his chocolate bars. Fresco makes all of their chocolate from effectively two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar. They make the cocoa butter they use from the same cacao beans.

Fresco tries many variations and decides upon a batch recipe based on cacao origin, roasting temperatures and time, ingredient percentages, and conching temperatures and time. You can read more about this process on their website.

213 was a single origin chocolate made with cacao beans from the Dominican Republic. Cocoa solids (cacao beans and cocoa butter) were 72%, and thus cane sugar made up the remaining 28%. The recipe for this chocolate included a dark roast and no conche.

The small 40 gram bar was scored into 10 square pieces, each alternating with either vertical or horizontal lines. The surface looked great other than bubbles in some of the top corners of the pieces. The bar came wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper and packaged in a paper container. The production date was August 16, 2011, and the batch number was 11-018 (with a production run of 298). The best before date was September 2013.

The chocolate had a medium-light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color, and the bar had a medium-hard snap.

213 had an aroma of earth, roast, and fruit. The roast contained smoke, cocoa, and malt. There was a dried fruit that we both identified as raisin, and Lindy also noticed a hint of plum. In addition, I experienced a sweet scent and Lindy smelled a hint of floral.

Lindy described the flavors as sweet, tangy, a plum fruit, and a roast in the form of tea. For me, 213 tasted strongly of the tea roast, along with earth, fruit that included plum, dried fruit, and berry, as well as some sweetness.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the flavor lasting about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was slightly tannin and slightly acidic.

Lindy liked this chocolate more than I did (I found the roast to be too heavy). However, we both rated 213 highly enough for it to make it onto our list of Best Chocolates Overall.

You can purchase Fresco 213 online for $7.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Escazú bar Guapiles, Costa Rica region Costa Rica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 80g ~ 2.8oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring, bubbles aroma earth (must), roast, floral snap hard taste earth, sweet (brown sugar, caramel), coconut, vanilla melt smooth length medium finish slightly sweet, very slightly sour

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica

Escazú is a small U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker in Raleigh, NC, started by Hallot Parson in 2005. They make pure chocolate, flavored chocolate, hot chocolate, and truffles. Guapiles is one of their two pure single origin chocolates, and is made with cacao beans from Costa Rica.

Guapiles, Costa Rica was made with 65% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter made from the same cacao beans). Other ingredients were sugar and vanilla bean. The generous 80 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, wrapped in gold colored foil, and enclosed in a paper sleeve. There was no production date or best before date on the bar we reviewed, and the Batch # space on the sleeve was blank.

The color of this chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth, but there were small bubbles in several of the top corners of the pieces. The bar had a hard snap.

There was musty earth, roast, and floral in the aroma. Initially, the earth was dominant, but the floral scent grew to become nearly as strong.

The taste of Guapiles, Costa Rica started off earthy, but soon revealed sweet flavors of brown sugar and caramel. We also tasted coconut and vanilla.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. The sweet flavor remained into the finish, along with a very slight sourness.

Last weekend, this bar won one of the 2012 Good Food Awards.

You can purchase Guapiles, Costa Rica online directly from Escazú for $5.00, or, to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $5.99.

Sale: 20% off Patric and Guittard chocolate

World Wide Chocolate's sales this week include 20% off Artisan du Chocolat, Côte D'Or, Guittard and Patric chocolate using coupon code SPECIAL20 during checkout (through January 23).

They are also continuing their 15% off sales by nationality:

• Amano, Blommer, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Lake Champlain, Patric, Scharffer Berger, and Vermont Nut Free chocolate using coupon code AMERICAN15
• Becolade, Cafe-Tasse, Callebaut, Cavalier, Chocolove, Côte D'Or, Dolfin, Galer, Godiva, and Nirvana chocolate using coupon code BELGIAN15
• Cacao Barry, Bonnat, Bernard Castelain, Michel Cluizel, Yves Thuries, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona chocolate using coupon code FRENCH15
• Amedei, Domori, L'Artigiano, Maglio, Slitti, and Venchi chocolate using coupon code ITALIAN15

You can view the full list of promotions here.

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

In addition, the first 30 buyers to add "Free Michel Cluizel Squares" in the Comments field during checkout will receive 5 free bite-size 5 gram chocolate squares of Michel Cluizel chocolate.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.

2012 Good Food Awards for Chocolate

This weekend the Good Food Awards announced their winners for 2012. The following won awards in the chocolate category:

Amano Guayas
Dandelion Costa Rica
Escazu Costa Rica
Fresco 214
Lillie Belle Farms Perfect Illusion
Patric Signature 70%
Rogue Sambirano
Theo Theo and Jane Goodall 70%

The links above go directly to our associated detailed chocolate bar review.

Review: Dandelion Sambirano Madagascar

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Sambirano Madagascar region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1526 Dark Red Brown texture smooth with scoring aroma earth, spice, woody, fruit (berry), floral, butter snap hard taste fruit (berry, citrus, raspberry, plum), sweet, roast, earth melt smooth length short finish slightly tangy, slightly tannin

Dandelion was on batch number 3 for their single origin Madagascar chocolate made with organic cacao beans from Åkesson's in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. The sticker on the wrapper was titled Sambirano, Venezuela and indicated that the beans were from the June 2011 harvest. The back sticker was initialed twice by Alice Nystrom, indicating that she was primarily responsible for both the batch and the packaging.

Sambirano, Madagascar was made with 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar. There was no any added cocoa butter, emulsifier, or flavoring, and no contamination with dairy, gluten, nuts, or soy. The two ounce bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with 5 parallel squiggles, and came wrapped with heavy gold-sided foil and packaged inside a pretty paper cover. There was no production date or best before date on the wrapper, but the bar was made in 2011.

The chocolate had a medium brown Dark Red Brown (PANTONE 19-1526) color. The top surface looked nicely smooth like Dandelion's other bars whose temper Lindy liked so much. It had a hard snap.

Madagascar gave off an aroma that included earth, spice, wood, and a berry fruit. Lindy also smelled some floral, and I noticed the scent of butter.

The taste of Madagascar was fruity -- berry, citrus, raspberry, plum, and likely some other fruits we didn't identify. Berry was the strongest of the fruit flavors, but the others were clearly present. Non-fruit flavors included sweetness and roast. I also experienced some earthiness.

The melt was smooth. The flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was slightly tangy, and, for me, slightly tannin as well.

Overall, we both liked this chocolate quite a lot, about as much as Dandelion's Costa Rica bar. Lindy found the more interesting fruit flavors compensated for the melt and length. I concluded that they didn't quite make up for Costa Rica's better melt and length. You can find both of them on our list of Best Chocolates Overall.

You can purchase Dandelion Madagascar online directly from Dandelion for $8.00, or, if you would like to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $8.99.

Review: Dandelion Mantuano Venezuela

Lindy's Rating: 6.0

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Mantuano Venezuela region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring aroma roast (smoke), earth (must), hint of spice snap hard taste roast (smoke, cocoa), nut, sweet (marshmallow) melt more smooth length short finish slightly smoky

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Dandelion Mantuano, Venezuela

Dandelion was also on batch number 2 for their single origin Venezuela chocolate made with cacao beans from the Barlovento coast of Venezuela. The sticker on the wrapper was titled Mantuano, Venezuela and indicated that the beans were from the 2010 harvest. The back sticker was initialed that Todd Masonis was primarily responsible for the batch and Chiann Tsui for the packaging.

As with all Dandelion chocolate, Venezuela was made with 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar. There was no any added cocoa butter, emulsifier, or flavoring, and no contamination with dairy, gluten, nuts, or soy. The two ounce bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with 5 parallel squiggles, and came wrapped with heavy gold-sided foil and packaged inside a pretty paper cover. There was no production date or best before date on the wrapper, but the bar was made in 2011.

Mantuano, Venezuela had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The top surface looked nicely smooth, nearly as great as their Costa Rica bar. It had a hard snap.

A strong smoky roast dominated the aroma of this chocolate. There was a dry musty earth scent, but it was secondary to the roast. I also smelled a hint of spice.

Venezuela had a roast flavor, too -- smoky and cocoa. We also tasted nutty, and a sweetness that included marshmallow. The label described the flavor of Venezuela as "almost hot cocoa in bar form" and that was how it tasted, though the roast was too strong for me. Lindy was surprised by the lack of any fruit flavors in the taste.

The chocolate had a more smooth melt. The flavor lasted about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. We were left with a slightly smoky finish.

You can purchase Dandelion Venezuela online directly from Dandelion for $8.00, or, if you would like to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $8.99.

Review: Dandelion Upala Costa Rica

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Upala Costa Rica region Costa Rica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring aroma earth, roast, floral (rose), spice, sweet, hint of fruit snap hard taste floral, roast (cocoa, coffee), sweet, vanilla, nut, tannin, hint of fruit melt more smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin

Dandelion is a tiny independent chocolate maker in San Francisco. You can read more about them in our maker profile. The single origin Costa Rica chocolate bar we reviewed was labeled batch number 2 and was made using their second bag of cacao beans from the Upala region of Costa Rica. There was no production date or best before date on the wrapper, but the bar was made in 2011.

All of Dandelion's chocolate bars are presently made with 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar. Costa Rica was no exception, and was made without any added cocoa butter, emulsifier, or flavoring. The two ounce bar was scored into 18 pieces and came wrapped with heavy gold-sided foil and packaged inside a pretty paper cover. A large sticker on the outer paper wrapper indicated the cacao beans were from the 2010 harvest and that this was the second batch of Costa Rica chocolate. A smaller sticker holding the cover closed indicated who was primarily responsible for making that batch and packaging the chocolate, and was initialed by Cam Ring and Todd Masonis, respectively.

The color of Costa Rica was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The top surface of the bar had an incredibly smooth temper that Lindy described as "almost lacquered". The snap was hard.

Costa Rica gave off an aroma that included earth, roast, flowers, spice, sweetness. We agreed that the floral scent was rose. Lindy also detected a hint of fruit.

The taste of this chocolate was somewhat similar to its aroma, giving flavors of floral, roast, sweetness, and vanilla (note that there were no vanilla ingredients). The roast tasted like coffee to me and like cocoa to Lindy. I also experienced a nut flavor and Lindy noticed tannin and the faint fruit flavor she found in the aroma.

Costa Rica had a more smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat tannin.

Overall, we were both impressed with this bar. It was much better than the previously opened sample I tried in July (that may have suffered during its lifetime).

You can purchase Dandelion Costa Rica online directly from Dandelion for $8.00, or if you would like to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $8.99.