Good Food Awards for Chocolate 2016

The Good Food Awards published their winners for 2015. The following unflavored bars won awards in the chocolate category:

Brasstown Ecuador 75%
Dick Taylor Bolivia Alto Beni 70%
Escazú Piura Blanco, Peru 70%
Fruition Bolivian Wild Harvest 74%
Just Good Madagascar 70%
Lonohana Estate Kanahiku 70%
Ritual Mid-Mountain Blend
Ritual Belize 75%
Rogue Jamaica
Rogue Tranquilidad

Review: Meadowlands Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Meadowlands bar Dominican Republic region Dominican Republic plantation blend cacao trees unknown year unknown size 71g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $9.50

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, scuffing, adhered bits, bubbles aroma roast, fruit (berry), earth (must) snap medium hard taste earth (soil), fruit (blueberry, citrus, date), roast (burnt), nut, spice, sweet (molasses), tannin, bitter melt smooth (fudgy) length long finish tannin, somewhat acidic

Clyo Howard and Beryl Wells Hamilton having been crafting bean to bar chocolate as Meadowlands in the city of the same name in Minnesota since 2013. All of their chocolate is made with organic, fair trade cacao beans that are grown sustainably and harvested ethically.

Along with all of their other unflavored 70% single origin chocolates, the Dominican Republic bar was made from nothing other than 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar. The bar was not certified organic or fair trade.

The 2.5 ounce bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided waxed paper inside a paper sleeve. It was scored into 24 pieces.

The surface of the chocolate was smooth, but had an uneven sheen, scuffing, a few adhered bits, and some very tiny bubbles in the corners of the pieces.

Dominican Republic had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Scents of roast, fruit, and earth were present. The fruit scent included berry and the earthiness smelled musty.

The taste began with a earthy soil flavor until the fruit, roast, nut, and spice came forth. I tasted fruit flavors of blueberry, citrus, and date. The roast seemed slightly burnt. A molasses sweetness was evident. The taste was also tannin and bitter.

The melt was smooth, but quite fudgy. The length was long, with the chocolate flavor lasting 50-55 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and somewhat acidic.

I liked the interesting combination of flavors, but found the fudgy melt undesirable. Overall, it was a solid chocolate among single origin Dominican Republic bars.

Best Prices Online
$9.50 directly from Meadowlands
$45.00 for five-pack from Chocolate.org