Review: Meadowlands Wild Harvest Bolivia

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Meadowlands bar Wild Harvest Bolivia region Bolivia 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-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken appearance smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma roast, floral (lavender, jasmine), fruit, earth snap hard taste earth, spice (anise), fruit (date), sesame, roast (smoke, tea), nut, tannin, sweet melt smooth length medium finish tannin, somewhat acidic

This is the fourth Meadowlands unflavored single origin chocolate bar we've reviewed. You can read reviews of their other three bars here: Dominican Republic, Peru, and Venezuela.

As with the others, the only ingredients in Wild Harvest Bolivia were 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar.

Inside a pink paper sleeve, the 2.5 ounce Bolivia bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided waxed paper. It was scored into 24 pieces.

The surface of the chocolate was smooth, with an uneven sheen and tiny bubbles in some corners. Its color was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma was strongly floral, with scents of both lavender and jasmine. I also smelled roast, fruit, and earth.

After an initial earthy and tannin start to the taste, spices came forth, with a particularly strong anise flavor. Several other flavors developed as well: fruit, primarily date, sesame, roast with smoke and tea, and some nuttiness. It also tasted sweet and the tannin was evident throughout.

Meadowlands described Venezuela as "hints of lavender, toasted sesame & dates".

Wild Harvest Bolivia had a smooth melt, with a bit of fudginess. The chocolate flavor lasted 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a length on the far end of medium. The finish was tannin and somewhat acidic.

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

Ranking: best Bolivia single origin chocolate

Here are my personal ranking results from three rounds of tasting four single origin bars made from Bolivia cacao. You can see all of our current ranking results on the Chocolate Rankings page.

El Ceibo Heritage and Rogue Silvestre were both excellent chocolates, and I found it difficult to decide between them. Ultimately, I felt Heritage slightly edged out Silvestre with a greater variety of flavors. Note that the qualities of each chocolate differ, and you might prefer the flavor, aroma, or texture of a lower ranked chocolate to that of one ranked higher. Click on a name to see a detailed review of that chocolate bar.

El Ceibo Heritage Rogue Silvestre Dick Taylor Bolivia Taza Stone Ground 87%

Review: Dick Taylor Bolivia

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Bolivia region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture imprint, smooth aroma earth (soil), roast (malt, smoke), sweet snap hard taste earth, roast (malt), sweet, nut, fruit, bitter melt smooth length medium finish bitter, slightly sour

Dick Taylor has been crafting bean to bar chocolate in small batches since 2010. They currently make chocolate from four origins: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar. In addition, they sell a few flavored bars, such as Black Fig, Fleur de Sel, and Maple Coconut.

Bolivia was made from 75% organic cacao beans and 25% organic cane sugar. The bar was not certified organic. The cacao beans were from a small lot of Rio Bene Wild Harvest (cacao beniano) sourced from John Nanci of Chocolate Alchemy.

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

The color of Bolivia was a dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The top surface was smooth, with just a few bits of adhered chocolate. The snap was hard.

Bolivia smelled primarily of earth and roast. The earthiness seemed to be a rich soil scent. The roast was mostly malt, with a little smokiness. The aroma also revealed sweetness.

The chocolate tasted of earth, roast, and sweetness as well. The roast contained malt. Along with those flavors were nut, fruit, and bitter.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was bitter and slightly sour.

The Bolivia bar is not currently for sale from Dick Taylor, but you can purchase it for $8.95 from The Meadow.

Review: El Ceibo Heritage 75%

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker El Ceibo bar Heritage 75% region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 80g ~ 2.8oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, scoring, text imprint, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma spice, earth, roast (coffee, smoke), sweet (molasses), fruit snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (plum, apricot, pear), spice, sweet (honey, molasses), nut (almond), wine, roast melt more smooth length medium finish slightly tannin, slightly bitter

El Ceibo is a local cooperative of 1200 cacao farmers that both grows and makes chocolate in Bolivia. Their tree to bar Heritage chocolate comes from wild cacao growing in the Covendo region of Alto Beni and is crafted into bars in their factory in La Paz.

Heritage 75% was made in collaboration with Chloé Chocolat. The ingredients were organic cocoa mass, sugar, organic cocoa butter, and soy lecithin.

The 80 gram bar was scored into one large central piece imprinted with "EL CEIBO" and twelve smaller pieces. It came sealed in silver plastic inside a paper box. The best before date was 26 July 2013.

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The bar had a smooth surface, but had an uneven sheet and some bubbles. The snap was medium hard.

Heritage had an aroma of spice, earth, roast, sweetness, and fruit. The roast was coffee and smoke. The sweetness smelled of molasses. I had trouble identifying the fruit scent, which I thought might contain olive.

I tasted many flavors in this chocolate: earth, fruit, spice, sweetness, nut, wine, and roast. The fruit included plum, apricot, and pear. The sweetness tasted of both honey and molasses. The nutty flavor seemed to be primarily almond.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The final aftertaste was slightly tannin and slightly bitter.

El Ceibo Heritage 75% is currently sold out at El Ceibo Chocolate. However, you can purchase this chocolate online for $4.99 in the U.S. from Caputo's Deli. This price is a bargain, as Heritage 75% typically sells for $8 or more elsewhere. In France, you can purchase it for €5.5 from Chloé Chocolat.

Review: Rogue Silvestre

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Rogue bar Silvestre region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $13.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, uneven sheen aroma earth, roast, floral (jasmine), fruit, nut snap hard taste earth, fruit (plum, citrus), nut, roast (cocoa) melt smooth length medium finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour

U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker Rogue Chocolatier regularly makes three single origin bars: Hispaniola from the Dominican Republic cacao, Rio Caribe from Venezuelan cacao, and Sambirano from Madagascar cacao. Founder and chocolate maker Colin Gasko also crafts two limited edition bars: Piura from Peruvian cacao and Silvestre. The cacao beans used in Silvestre came from wild cacao trees that grow along the Rio Beni in Bolivia.

All of Colin's chocolates use only two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar, with no added cocoa butter, emulsifier, or flavoring. Silvestre contained 75% cacao beans and 25% cane sugar. The 60 gram bar came enclosed in plastic inside a heavy white paper envelope. The production date was 23 April 2012 and identified as batch 5. The best before date was April 2013.

Silvestre had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth and glossy. There was some unevenness in the sheen where the chocolate was poured. The bar was a single unscored slab and had a hard snap.

The strongest scent was that of earth, but the aroma included roast, floral, fruit and nut as well. The floral scent seemed to be that of jasmine.

After an initial earthy taste, fruit flavors of plum and citrus revealed themselves. I also tasted nuttiness and roast in the form of cocoa.

The wrapper described Silvestre as plum, jasmine, and banana, but I didn't experience any banana in the aroma or the taste.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat bitter and slightly sour.

You can purchase Silvestre online for $13.00 directly from Rogue or for $11.99 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Taza Stone Ground 87%

Lindy's Rating: 5.5

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Taza bar Stone Ground 87% region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo, Forastero year 2011 size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 87% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $6.50

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring and lines, surface bubbles aroma roast (cocoa), earth, spice, sweet, hint of floral snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa), sour, bitter, nut, hint of butter, hint of sweet melt grainy length short finish slightly sour

Taza introduced their Stone Ground 87% chocolate bar this year. It is a single origin bar with a combination of Criollo and Forastero cacao from Bolivia. The chocolate was made with 87% cacao beans, cane sugar from Sertãozinho, Brazil, and vanilla beans from Villa Vanilla Spice Plantation in Villanueva, Costa Rica. No cocoa butter was added. Taza ground the beans using granite stone mills and did not conch the chocolate.

As they have done with all of their suppliers, Taza established a direct trade relationship with Central Integral Agroecologica de Alto Beni cooperative in Bolivia, from whom they sourced the cacao beans for this chocolate. The bar was USDA certified organic.

The three ounce bar was scored into 16 pieces, each topped with three imprinted parallel lines. Stone Ground 87% came wrapped in silver foil-sided paper inside a textured paper sleeve. The wrapper was stamped with batch code 473 and a best before date of 22 August 2012.

By entering the batch number on their home page, you can see information about how that particular chocolate was made. For example, the beans for the bar we reviewed were roasted within two months after they were received, for 45 minutes at 276°F. The bars of this batch of chocolate were wrapped on 23 August 2011 (revealing that Taza recommends eating their chocolate within one year after production).

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was mostly smooth, but had several bubbles, including a few substantial ones. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Stone Ground 87% had an aroma that included a rich cocoa roast, with earth, spice and sweetness. I also smelled a suggestion of something floral.

The taste of this chocolate was primarily that of a sour roast. Both of us found it slightly bitter. I tasted additional flavors of nut as well as a hints of butter and sweetness.

As desired for a stone ground chocolate, Stone Ground 87% had a grainy melt. The length was short, with the flavor lasting 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was slightly to somewhat sour.

You can purchase Taza Stone Ground 87% online for $6.50 directly from Taza.

Review: Alter Eco Dark Blackout

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

chocolate maker Alter Eco™ bar Dark Blackout region (blend) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $4.39

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, with lines and scoring aroma earthy (musty), dried fruit (prune), hints of roast and spice snap medium hard taste roast, burnt, hint of sweet, bitter melt smooth length minimal finish somewhat bitter, dry

Alter Eco™ sells several fair trade products, including tea, rice, quinoa, coffee, and sugar, as well as chocolate. Their Dark Blackout chocolate bar has 85% cocoa solids. Although the wrapper front is boldly labeled Bolivia, the cocoa solids come from not only El Ceibo cooperative of Bolivia, but also from Costa Rica. The origin of the other ingredients is also identified in fine print on the back of the wrapper: cocoa butter from Bolivia and the Dominican Republic and cane sugar from Paraguay. This bar contained no emulsifier or flavoring, and was certified as both organic and fair trade.

The color of this 100 gram Dark Blackout was a medium dark brown and the bar was scored into 24 pieces with a lined top as shown in the picture. The snap was a bit softer than typical.

Aromas from this chocolate were primarily earthy and dried fruit. The earthy scent was musty and the dried fruit seemed closest to prune. Lindy found the prune smell noticeably unpleasant. There were also fleeting smells of roast and spice, but we weren't able to further identify them.

The taste was dominated by burnt, which Lindy thought was that of a "cajun" nut. She also found it bitter. I noticed some roast and an underlying sweetness that mostly hid the bitterness from me. We both kept waiting for other flavors to show up, but we ended up disappointed. Ultimately, there wasn't much flavor to this chocolate.

It took a while for the pieces of chocolate to begin to melt, though they did quickly begin to release their flavor. The melt was nicely smooth, and Lindy found it to be nearly in the more smooth category.

The length of flavor after the chocolate was gone was only a few seconds, and we were left with a dry and somewhat bitter aftertaste.

Neither of us liked this bar, and it was definitely overpriced. I paid $4.99 for this bar at our local Safeway grocery (above its list price of $4.39).