Review: Moho Plain Dark 72%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Moho bar Plain Dark 72% region Belize plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, adhered bits, scuffing, dimples aroma roast (smoke, tobacco), earth (must), fruit, spice snap very hard taste roast (coffee, cocoa), earth, sweet, nut, fruit (citrus, lime), ashy melt less smooth length medium finish tannin, somewhat sour, slightly bitter

New York chocolate maker Moho crafts bean to bar chocolate with single origin cacao beans from the Moho river valley of Belize. They source their cacao beans from Moho River Cacao, which ferments and dries the beans of small local farmers.

The current Moho Chocolate Company was previously Moho Cocoa. The Dark 67% we reviewed previously had the old Moho Cocoa label. The Plain Dark 72% reviewed here had the new label.

Plain Dark 72% had only three ingredients: cocoa liquor made from organic Belize cacao beans, sugar, and cocoa butter made from those same beans. The full 100 gram bar was scored into 28 pieces. It came wrapped in foil-sided wax paper inside a paper sleeve. There was no production or best before date.

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015), slightly darker with less red than Dark 67%. The surface was smooth, but scuffed, and there were many bits of chocolate adhered to it. In addition, there were small dimples at the scoring intersections. Except for the wear (presumably during transit), this bar looked much more professional than the earlier Dark 67%.

The snap was very hard, but not brittle. Plain Dark 72% had an aroma similar to Dark 67%, with scents of smoky tobacco roast and musty earth. The difference was the addition of an interesting combination of fruit and spice scents.

The taste of this chocolate was more complex, with flavors of roast, earth, sweetness, nuts, and fruit. The roast was a combination of coffee and cocoa, and the fruit a citrus that I experienced mostly as lime. The taste was also ashy. On a subsequent tasting, Plain Dark 72% reminded me of an oreo cookie.

The melt was less smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin, somewhat sour, and slightly bitter.

Overall, a good chocolate and an improvement over Dark 67%. The link to purchase Moho Plain Dark 72% online for $7.00 is no longer available. I'll update this posting when it is working again.