Half off Northwest Chocolate Festival

Groupon has some terrific deals for a one day or weekend pass to the 2013 Northwest Chocolate Festival on September 21 and 22. I haven't yet written a posting about this year's event, but here's info about the 2012 event and you can read about this year on the Northwest Chocolate Festival website.

You can purchase a one-day pass for either Saturday or Sunday for only $18 (vs. $35) or a full weekend pass for only $30 (vs. $65). They also have some additional options for multi-person passes. This is my favorite chocolate event of the year, and this offer is likely to be the best price you'll find to the event. I'm going to try to get some free tickets to give away again this year, but no guarantees.

UPDATE: This Groupon is no longer available, but they have a replacement Groupon with with the same deals for one-day passes.

Chocolopolis kickstarter campaign

Chocolopolis is the local Seattle store that introduced me to the world of artisan chocolate. In addition to selling a huge collection of extraordinary chocolate bars from around the world, they also craft some of their own flavored chocolate bars, truffles, and other chocolate confections.

They recently launched a kickstarter project to raise money for new chocolate molds and improved labeling and packaging.

Owner Lauren Adler and all her staff at Chocolopolis are passionate about chocolate, helpful with information and suggestions, and genuinely friendly people. I learned a lot about tempering chocolate from their chocolatiers, Nica and Sebastian Falcon. I hope you've had the opportunity to meet them yourself, but if not, you should know that they're a good group of people worthy of supporting.

If you'd like to join me in helping Chocolopolis and receive some nice rewards for doing so, or just get more information about the project and perks, check out their kickstarter page.

Also, don't miss the last few events of their fifth anniversary celebration this month. In particular, all day tomorrow (Monday, July 22nd) they will be selling their house-crafted chocolate bars for half price!

Review: Åkesson's Bali Sukrama Farms 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Bali region Bali plantation Sukrama Farms cacao trees Trinitario year 2011 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, relief, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth, roast, spice, wood snap hard taste spice, roast (coffee), sweet, fruit (mango), acidic melt smooth length short finish somewhat bitter, slightly acidic

Bertil Åkesson has cacao plantations in Madagascar and Brazil (the sources of cacao for his Madagascar Ambolikapiky and Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme bars). He also works with Big Tree Farms in Bali (where they support "social, ecological, and economically sustainable supply chains").

Åkesson's supplied Trinitario cacao beans from two Sukrama brothers's farms for this Bali two plantation bar. Although they are involved in production decisions, Åkesson's does not make their own chocolate. Instead, they use an unnamed French company to make it for them.

Bali Sukrama Farms contained 75% cocoa solids, and had ingredients of cane sugar, cocoa butter, and soy lecithin in addition to the cacao beans.

The bar came enclosed in clear cellophane inside a textured black paper box. It weighed 60 grams and had a large "Å" in the center. The bar was scored unevenly into 9 pieces. The best before date was June 6, 2013.

The color of Bali Sukrama Farms was a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The surface was smooth, with an uneven grayish sheen (likely transported or stored in non-ideal conditions at some point). The snap was hard.

The chocolate's aroma contained earth, roast, spice, and wood scents.

The taste included spice, roast, and fruit flavors. The roast tasted of coffee and the fruit included mango. I also noticed sweetness and some acidity.

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

You can purchase Åkesson's Bali Sukrama Farms 75% online from The Meadow for $7.95.

Review: Åkesson's Madagascar Ambolikapiky 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Madagascar region Madagascar plantation Ambolikapiky cacao trees Criollo year 2011 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, relief, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth (grass, hay), roast (cocoa, smoke), fruit snap hard taste roast (smoke, cocoa), fruit (berry, citrus, raisin), sweet melt smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly sour

The Åkesson family has been growing cacao and spices since the 1970s. For decades, they have been supplying fine cacao beans to chocolate makers. Recently Bertil Åkesson launched the Åkesson's line of chocolate and other exotic foods. The first bars were produced in 2009 and Åkesson's currently makes three unflavored plantation chocolate bars: Bali, Brazil, and Madagascar.

One of their plantations is Ambolikapiky in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. It currently produces about 300 tons per year of Trinitario cacao beans and 2 tons per year of separately harvested Criollo cacao beans. The beans used in making Åkesson's Madagascar bar come from the Criollo cacao of that plantation.

The ingredients of this chocolate were organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. Cocoa solids made up 75% of the chocolate. It was certified organic by bio.inspecta. Åkesson's chocolate is made by a company in France, but I have not confirmed who they are.

Inside a black paper box, the bar came sealed in a clear cellophane wrapper. The 60 gram bar had the relief of a large "Å" in the center and was scored into 9 pieces of three difference sizes. The best before date was June 6, 2013. Based on its appearance and two years since production, it's likely that this chocolate experienced a period outside of ideal storage conditions.

Madagascar Ambolikapiky had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface was smooth, with an uneven grayish sheen. The bar had a hard (almost very hard) snap.

The aroma had a strong earthy scent of mostly grass with a touch of hay. Roast and fruit were also present. The roast contained cocoa and smoke scents. During one review pass, I thought the fruit included peach.

The chocolate tasted of roast and fruit. The roast was smoke and cocoa, like the aroma, but with the smoke stronger than the cocoa. The fruit flavors I tasted were berry, citrus, and raisin. It was also sweet.

The melt was smooth. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. The finish was somewhat acidic and slightly sour.

This chocolate won a silver in the category of "involved in the bean to bar process yet don’t own their own factory" at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

You can purchase Åkesson's Madagascar Ambolikapiky 75% online for $7.95 from The Meadow.

Review: Kallari SACHA Roberto's Recipe 75%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Kallari bar SACHA Roberto's Recipe region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa), floral, sweet (marshmallow), fruit, vanilla, sour snap medium hard taste floral, fruit (blueberry), sweet, vanilla melt smooth length medium finish tannin, acidic, slightly sour

There are currently six tree to bar unflavored chocolates made by Kallari. Three of them are from their original line: 85% Cacao, 75% Cacao, and 70% Cacao). Their new SACHA line has the other three: Sinchi Supreme 85%, Roberto's Recipe 75%, and Sisa's Secret.

Roberto's Recipe was named for chocolate maker Robert Steinberg of Scharffen Berger, who recommended the recipe used for this chocolate bar. The chocolate contained 75% cocoa solids (organic Ecuador cacao beans and added cocoa butter) plus raw cane sugar and vanilla.

As with all of their chocolate bars, Roberto's Recipe came sealed in a silver plastic wrapper inside a dark brown paper box. The 50 gram bar was scored into 15 pieces. I could barely read the blurry dates lightly stamped on the box, but I think the production date was August 2012 and the best before date was August 2013.

The bar was a medium-dark (although close to medium) brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). Unfortunately, it arrived broken in half. The surface was smooth with an uneven sheen and bubbles, as well as some other imperfections. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Similar to the other two SACHA bars we reviewed, Roberto's Recipe had a great aroma. In addition to the cocoa roast and marshmallow sweetness, the aroma included a powerful floral scent, some fruit, and vanilla. This aroma had the strongest floral scent of the three.

The taste of this chocolate began with a floral flavor that lasted throughout. I tasted additional flavors of fruit, blueberry, sweetness, sourness, and vanilla.

Roberto's Recipe had a smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was tannin, acidic, and slightly sour.

Overall, I'm impressed with the new SACHA line. Hopefully, they will soon improve bar appearance, but in the interim Kallari has done a great job with the aromas and flavors.

You can purchase SACHA Roberto's Recipe 75% online for $5.25 from Chocosphere .

Review: Kallari SACHA Sisa's Secret 70%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Kallari bar SACHA Sisa's Secret region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2013 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa), sweet (marshmallow), vanilla, floral snap medium hard taste floral, fruit (watermelon, passion fruit), sweet, roast (tea), tannin melt smooth length medium finish acidic, somewhat tannin, slightly sour

Kallari now makes six unflavored chocolates from tree to bar. We reviewed their three original bars in 2011: (85% Cacao, 75% Cacao, and 70% Cacao). They now have an artisan line with many flavored chocolates and three unflavored ones: Sinchi Supreme 85%, Roberto's Recipe 75%, and Sisa's Secret 70%.

Kallari is organized as a cooperative in Ecuador of indigenous Kichwa families. The name for this chocolate bar came from the Kichwa word for "flower" (sisa). As with all of Kallari's chocolate, Sisa's Secret was made locally with organic Ecuador cacao. The ingredients of Sisa's Secret were cacao beans, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. Total cocoa solids were 70%.

Sisa's Secret came in a sealed silver plastic wrapper inside a brown paper box. The 50 gram bar was scored into 15 pieces. The production date of the bar reviewed here was January 10, 2013, and the best before date was January 10, 2014.

This chocolate had a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The surface was smooth, but had an uneven sheen and bubbles. The appearance of this bar was not attractive. The bar had a medium hard snap.

With a wonderful aroma much like that of Sinchi Supreme, Sisa's Secret had rich cocoa roast and marshmallow scents. The aroma was sweeter than Sinchi Supreme and the cocoa scent was even clearer without Sinchi Supreme's smoky undertones. I also smelled vanilla and floral scents.

Sisa's Secret tasted intensely floral. Other flavors I experienced were fruit, watermelon, passion fruit, and a tea roast, but floral flavors were always dominant. The taste was tannin and very sweet.

The melt was smooth. The flavor lasted 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was acidic, somewhat tannin, and slightly sour.

In spite of its disappointing appearance, Sisa's Secret had a lovely aroma and a floral flavor exemplifying Ecuador chocolate.

You can purchase Kallari SACHA Sisa's Secret 70% online for $5.25 from Chocosphere .

Event: Chocolopolis Fifth Anniversary and Golden Tickets

During their anniversary celebration in July, Chocolopolis places golden tickets in three bars of chocolate in their store. Buying one of the bars with a golden ticket inside wins the buyer one free chocolate bar of their choice each week during the subsequent year! As you know if you're a regular reader, winning one of those golden tickets is what inspired me to begin my exploration of artisan chocolate and this blog. They'll be staggering the release of the three bars containing golden tickets over the month, with the first one being put out on shelves on July 6th, the second on July 13th, and the third on July 20th.

So, if you live in the Seattle area and haven't yet been to Chocolopolis, then this is the month to go and buy some great chocolate (and maybe find a golden ticket). If you can't make it this month, remember that Chocolopolis has weekly Thursday evening (5 to 9 p.m.) free themed happy hour chocolate tastings that occur year-round.

During this fifth anniversary celebration, they also have many special events:

• Tuesday, July 2nd, all day: 50% off drinking chocolate.
• Saturday, July 6th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: meet chocolate maker Rob Anderson of Fresco and taste his chocolate for free, including some prototypes in development. First golden ticket bar is on the shelves today!
• Wednesday, July 10th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: truffle-making demonstration, Kickstarter campaign kickoff, and free samples.
• Thursday, July 11th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet Alex Espiritu of Valrhona and taste free samples of their single origin chocolate.
• Saturday, July 13th, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: try free samples of iced drinking chocolate at Chocolopolis table during Queen Anne Days festival. Second golden ticket bar is out!
• Sunday, July 14th, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bastille Day, so free samples of French chocolate bars from Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona, plus videos about their chocolate making techniques.
• Wednesday, July 17th, all day: 50% off truffles made by Chocolopolis.
• Thurday, July 18th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: drinking chocolate demonstration, meet Chocolopolis chocolatiers, and free samples of Chocolopolis products.
• Friday, July 19th: By invitation and reservation only, a tasting of fresh cacao pulp and selected bars. I hope you're an active Chocolopolis Frequent Bar Club member so you're invited to attend this.
• Saturday, July 20th: Third golden ticket bar is on the shelves.
• Monday, July 22nd, all day: 50% off chocolate bars made by Chocolopolis.
• Tuesday, July 23rd: Another by invitation and reservation only event: a guided tasting by Alex Espiritu of Valrhona nibs, cocoa mass, and chocolates.
• Thursday, July 25th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet chocolatier Christopher Elbow and try free samples of his creations.
• Saturday, July 27th, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.: guided chocolate tastings for children.

You can read more about their anniversary and other events at Chocolopolis (and their Frequent Bar Club) on their website.