Review: Dandelion Rio Caribe Venezuela

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Rio Caribe region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 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, glossy, scoring, imprints, adhered bits aroma roast (cocoa), floral, earth, spice snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa, malt), sweet, nut, fruit (orange) melt more smooth length medium finish tannin, slightly sour

Dandelion typically has three single origin chocolate bars available at a time. Their current Venezuelan bar is a 2012 harvest of cacao from Rio Caribe. The prior two were Mantuano and Ocumare.

The two ounce bar came wrapped in heavy gold-sided foil inside a craft paper wrapper. The bar was scored into 18 pieces, each imprinted with five parallel squiggles. As with all of their chocolate, Rio Caribe had only two ingredients: 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar. The chocolate was made in their nut-free facility.

The wrapper was sealed closed with an initialed sticker on the back, indicating that the batch was made by CL and the bar was packaged by MG. This bar of Rio Caribe was identified as coming from batch 1. There was no production date or best before date.

The color of Rio Caribe was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth and glossy, as is the norm for Dandelion bars. There were a few adhered chocolate bits, but the top of the bar looked great. It had a medium snap.

Rio Caribe had a mild aroma, with primarily cocoa roast and floral scents, along more subdued earth and spice scents.

The taste of this chocolate was mostly a roast that included both cocoa and malt (less malty than their Ocumare bar). I also experienced sweetness, nut, and an non-citrus orange fruit flavor.

The melt was smoother than average. The length made it to medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and slightly sour.

You can purchase Dandelion Rio Caribe, Venezuela online for $8.00 directly from Dandelion, or to combine it with other brands, for $8.99 from Chocolopolis.