Review: Dick Taylor Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Dominican Rep. region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 74% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color medium-dark brown between PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate and PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture imprint, smooth, bubbles aroma earth (musty), roast (smoke, tobacco), spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), fruit (lime, berry, plum), sweet, tannin melt smooth length short finish tannin, somewhat bitter

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U.S. bean to bar chocolate makers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor released their first chocolate bars in November 2010 from their small factory in Arcata, California. These former wood craftsmen (of furniture and boats) now apply their passion for quality to the production of small batch single origin chocolate. Dick Taylor currently produces a few flavored chocolate bars and four single origin ones: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar.

Their Dominican Republic bar was made from 74% cacao beans and 26% cane sugar. Although the bar was not certified, both ingredients were organic. The cacao beans were sourced from La Red cooperative (through Alex Whitmore at Taza).

Dick Taylor has an incredibly detailed chocolate mold, as you can see in the photo of the bar above. Dominican Republic came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside an outer paper wrapper sealed on the back with a large product sticker. The best before date was September 2013.

The chocolate was a medium-dark brown, slightly browner than Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) and slightly redder than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The intricate top surface was smooth, with several tiny bubbles. The snap was hard.

The aroma contained earth, roast, spice and fruit. The earthy scent was musty; the roast scent was a smoky tobacco.

Dominican Republic initially tasted of earth and a tea roast. Fruit flavors came quickly, in the form of strong lime along with some berry and plum. Sweetness and tannin were also present.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and somewhat bitter.

You can purchase Dominican Republic for $7.50 directly from Dick Taylor, or for $7.95 from The Meadow.