Review: Zotter Labooko Brasilien 70%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Zotter bar Labooko Brasilien 70% region Brazil plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price 3,35€

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance relief, imprints, textured top aroma earth (hay), spice (anise), sweet (molasses) snap hard taste roast (cocoa), earth, fruit (raisin, blackberry, pear), sweet (molasses, honey) melt more smooth length medium finish somewhat sour, somewhat salty

The Labooko line of Austrian chocolate maker Zotter includes more than a dozen unflavored single origin chocolates. Labooko products come as a package of two individually wrapped 35 gram bars.

The ingredients of Brasilien were 70% cocoa solids (cocoa mass plus added cocoa butter), raw cane sugar, and salt. All of the ingredients other than salt were certified organic and fair trade. The cacao for this chocolate was sourced from Brazil and fermented and dried there by the Vronski and Monta families.

The two bars were wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper and each glued into a fold of the the heavy outer paper wrapper. The best before date was February 1, 2014. Unfortunately, I did not photograph the bars for this review.

The bars had a relief of "zotter" on a small smooth upper portion and imprints of "Labooko" and stylized cacao pods (one of which was covered in writing) on a textured lower portion. The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color.

Brasilien had a hard snap. The aroma contained earth, spice, and sweetness. The earth scent was primarily hay. The spice included anise. The sweetness reminded me of molasses.

The taste began with a cocoa roast and some earthiness. Fruit flavors developed, including raisin, blackberry, and pear. The chocolate tasted sweet, with a mixture of molasses and honey flavors.

The melt was more smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat sour and somewhat salty.

You can purchase Labooko Brasilien 70% online for 3,35€ directly from Zotter.

Review: Åkesson's Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Brazil region Brazil plantation Sempre Firme cacao trees Forastero 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 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture relief, scoring, smooth, uneven sheen, scuffing aroma earth (hay), roast (tobacco) snap hard taste earth (hay), roast (tobacco), bitter, fruit (berry, raisin), sweet melt smooth length short finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour, slightly acidic

Åkesson's sells three single origin plantation bars: Madagascar Ambolikapiky and Bali Sukrama Farms that we've previously reviewed, and this one: Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme. Åkesson purchased this plantation in Bahia in 2009.

The cacao grown at Fazenda Sempre Firme is a Forestero variety called Parazinho. Åkesson's Brazil chocolate was made with 75% cocoa solids (cacao beans from this plantation and added cocoa butter). The other 25% were cane sugar and soy lecithin.

Åkesson's chocolate is made by an unnamed French company (presumed to be Pralus). Even though they did not make the chocolate themselves, Åkesson's was actively involved in production decisions.

The bar came sealed in a clear cellophane inside a black paper box. It weighed 60 grams and had a large "Å" relief in the center. The bar was scored into symmetrically, but unevenly, into 9 pieces. The best before date for this particular bar was December 16, 2013.

Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme had a medium dark brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The chocolate was not in perfect condition (probably from improper transportation or storage at some point), yet the surface was smooth with an uneven sheen and a little scuffing. The picture above over-emphasized the contrast -- the bar looked better in person.

The aroma was primarily a strong earthy scent that reminded me of wet hay. There was also a tobacco roast. The combination smelled slightly unpleasant to me. The snap was hard.

The initial taste of this chocolate was similar its aroma: a powerful earthy hay with tobacco roast undertones. Bitterness and sweetness were present as fruit flavors developed. I tasted berry and raisin in particular.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was somewhat bitter, slightly sour, and slightly acidic.

Åkesson's previous Brazil bar, made with cacao from a neighboring farm (Fazenda Monte Alegre), won a gold in 2011 from the Academy of Chocolate.

You can purchase Åkesson's Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme 75% online from The Meadow for $7.95.

Review: Fearless Dark as Midnight

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Fearless bar Dark as Midnight region Brazil plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, not glossy, uneven sheen, raised images, scoring aroma fruit (berry, tropical, raisin, cherry, plum, prune), dairy, earth, floral snap medium hard taste sweet, fruit (berry, raisin, coconut), sour, spice, earth melt smooth, but gritty bits length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Fearless is the largest maker of raw organic chocolate bars. They make bean to bar chocolate with single origin cacao from Brazil. Fearless purchases the cacao through direct trade relationships with family cacao farmers in the Mata-Atlantic rainforest in Bahia, Brazil. During processing, the chocolate is kept below 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48°C). At present, Fearless makes one unflavored chocolate bar and four flavored bars, and plans to add new bars this year.

Dark as Midnight was made from only two ingredients: organic raw cacao and organic unrefined whole-cane sugar (also called rapadura). The chocolate bar was USDA certified organic.

The bar was scored into 17 pieces due to it being shaped as if a bite had been taken from it (which represents the 1% of their profit given to those suggested by their Fearless Champions). One piece of the bar had the raised image of the Fearless elephant and the others had varying raised images of stars reminiscent of Le Petit Prince. The bar came enclosed in a silver plastic wrapper (covered with different colored Fearless elephants) inside a recycled paper box. The best before date printed on the wrapper was 1 November 2013.

The color was a medium-dark brown that was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth, but not glossy. It had an uneven sheen. The bar had a medium-hard snap.

Dark as Midnight gave off a strong, complex fruity and earthy aroma. The fruit aroma included berry, tropical fruit, raisin, cherry, plum and prune. We also smelled dairy and floral scents.

The taste was sweet, with berry and raisin fruit flavors. Lindy also detected some coconut. The sweet was juxtaposed with sourness, and my attention kept switching between the two. I tasted spice and earth as well.

The chocolate had a generally smooth melt, though on the less smooth side. In addition, there were occasional gritty bits. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 10-20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The aftertaste was initially sweet, and the finish was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

Overall, Lindy described Dark as Midnight as "the everything chocolate" due to its many fruit scents and flavors, its contrasting sweet and sour taste, and its smooth yet occasionally gritty melt. It was certainly the boldest raw chocolate we've tasted.

You can purchase Dark as Midnight online for $5.99 directly from Fearless or for $5.95 from Chocosphere.

Review: Bonnat Libânio Brésil

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Libânio region Brazil plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma earthy snap hard taste earthy (moss), sweet, fruit, hint of mold melt smooth length medium finish very slightly acidic

Bonnat Libânio is a single origin bar from Brazil. As with other Bonnat bars, this chocolate was made from 75% cocoa solids, with added cocoa butter and sugar. The 100 gram bar was in Bonnat's typical form, with their imprint on the larger middle piece and scored into 32 small pieces around it. The bar arrived broken into three pieces (which you can see in the picture above, if you look carefully on the right side of the full-size image).

Libânio was the third colorfully wrapped new Bonnat bar that Lauren, Emily, and I tasted together. This chocolate had a light medium-dark brown Puce (PANTONE 19-1518) color. The bar had a hard snap that was a little brittle (spreading tiny chocolate shards when broken).

The only blatant aroma from this bar was an earthiness. The chocolate had a similar earthy flavor that Lauren quickly identified as mossy. We also tasted sweetness and some fruit. A subsequent piece revealed a hint of mold in the earthiness in addition to the mossy flavor.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted longer for Libânio than either Cusco or Cuba, remaining for 20 to 30 seconds, and thus a medium length. The finish was not bitter, only very slightly acidic.

Even lacking a complex aroma, Libânio seemed the best among these three bars and I rated it ***.

You can purchase Bonnat Libânio online for $12.25 from Chocosphere.