Monday, December 29, 2014

Review: Dandelion Camino Verde, Ecuador 100%

Richard's Rating: 7.0
chocolate makerDandelion
barCamino Verde 100%
regionEcuador
plantationCamino Verde
cacao treesunknown
year2014
size56g ~ 2oz
cocoa solids100%
added fat(none)
sweetener(none)
emulsifier(none)
flavoring(none)
other ingredients(none)
list price$12.00
colormedium-dark brown
PANTONE 19-1012
Dark Brown
appearancesmooth, imprints, scoring
aromaroast (cocoa, coffee), earth (must), nut, dried fruit (raisin)
snapmedium hard
tasteearth, roast (cocoa, tea, malt), nut, dairy, tannin, sour, chalky
meltmore smooth, fudgy
lengthmedium
finishtannin, somewhat acidic, slight sour
In 2014, Dandelion released two chocolates made with cacao from a 2014 harvest at Vicente Norero's Camino Verde farm in Balao, Ecuador. In addition to a bar with 85% cocoa solids, they released this bar as their first 100% chocolate.

That Camino Verde cacao was the one and only ingredient in this chocolate. There was no added cocoa butter. This chocolate was made at Dandelion's nut-free facility in San Francisco.

Enclosed inside thick craft paper sealed with a sticker, the two ounce bar came wrapped in heavy gold-sided foil. The bar reviewed here was from batch 1, with a best before date of September 2015.

The bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with imprints of 5 parallel squiggles. The surface looked superb. The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color.

Camino Verde 100% had a medium hard snap. The aroma was primarily a cocoa and coffee roast combined with a musty earth scent. I also smelled nut and dried fruit close to raisin.

The taste began with earth and roast. The roast included cocoa, tea, and a hint of malt. Nuttiness and some dairy joined the roast flavors. The taste was also tannin, sour, and chalky.

This chocolate had a melt that was more smooth and fudgy. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting about 30-35 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was tannin, somewhat acidic, and slightly sour.

Overall, Camino Verde 100% was a great addition to the growing number of artisan 100% chocolates.

You can purchase Camino Verde 100% online for $12.00 directly from Dandelion.

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