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

Good Food Awards for Chocolate 2015

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

Acalli Chocolate El Platanal, Chulucanas, Peru 70%
Dandelion Butuo, Liberia 70%
Escazú Tumbes, Peru 70%
French Broad Matagalpa, Nicaragua 68%
Nathan Miller Ghana 70%
Patric Madagascar 67%

Review: Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Escazú bar Guapiles, Costa Rica region Costa Rica plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 80g ~ 2.8oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $6.50

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate appearance smooth, glossy, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma earth (hay), roast (smoke), fruit (citrus, berry, dried fruit) snap hard taste earth, roast (cocoa, coffee), coconut, sweet (caramel, butterscotch), spice (cinnamon) melt smooth length medium finish slightly sweet, slightly acidic, slightly sour, slightly tannin

U.S. chocolate maker Hallot Parson crafts his bean to bar chocolate as Escazú in Raleigh, N.C. The cacao beans for his Guapiles chocolate come from the Caribbean region of Costa Rica.

Guapiles, Costa Rica contained 65% cocoa solids (cacao beans plus added cocoa butter). Sugar and vanilla bean made up the other ingredients. The beans were certified organic by Rainforest Alliance. Although all of the other ingredients were organic as well, the bar was not certified.

Escazú continues to make large 80 gram bars. Guapiles, Costa Rica came wrapped in brass-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The batch number for this particular bar was 23080813, indicating a production date of August 8, 2013. There was no best before date.

The chocolate looked smooth and glossy. The sheen was uneven and there were bubbles in the corners of several pieces. The bar was scored into 24 pieces.

Guapiles, Costa Rica had a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The snap was hard.

The aroma contained earth, roast, and fruit. The earthy scent seemed to be hay and the roast was smoky. Lindy identified the fruit scent as a mix of citrus and berry. To me, it smelled more like dried fruit and berry.

Clear flavors quickly came forth in our tastings: earth, a cocoa roast, coconut, a very sweet mix of caramel and butterscotch, and a cinnamon spice. I also tasted a coffee flavor in the roast.

Lindy described the taste as "a complex roller-coaster of flavors" and likened it to Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length that was nearly long. The finish remained slightly sweet, along with just a little acidity, sourness, and tannin.

Overall, this version of Guapiles, Costa Rica was even better than the one we liked in our 2012 review, and now ranks second on our list of Costa Rica chocolate bars. Guapiles, Costa Rica won one of the 2012 Good Food Awards.

You can purchase Guapiles, Costa Rica online for $6.50 directly from Escazú.

Review: Escazú Carenero Venezuela

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Escazú bar Carenero, Venezuela region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 80g ~ 2.8oz cocoa solids 81% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, bubbles aroma earth (soil, must), roast (tobacco), sweet, dairy, fruit, hint of nut snap medium hard taste roast (tobacco), earth, fruit (cherry), dairy, nut, hint of anise melt more smooth length medium finish slightly sour earth

Escazú makes two pure single origin chocolate bars, their award-winning Guapiles, Costa Rica and this one: Carenero, Venezuela.

Carenero, Venezuela had 81% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter made from the same cacao beans) and 19% sugar, with no added emulsifier or flavoring. The substantial 80 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, wrapped in heavy gold-sided foil, and enclosed in a paper sleeve. There was no production date or best before date, and the Batch # space on the sleeve was blank.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth, but there were small bubbles in several of the top corners of the pieces and a couple of minor surface imperfections. Overall, the bar had a good temper. The snap was medium hard.

The aroma of Carenero, Venezuela was primarily a combination of a tobacco roast and an earthiness that was mostly soil with some must, with the earth stronger than the roast. In addition, I smelled sweetness and scents of dairy, fruit and a hint of nut.

The taste had similar attributes, but with the strengths reversed: more tobacco roast than earthiness. Underneath those dominant flavors was a mixed fruit flavor that included cherry. I also found some dairy, nuttiness and a hint of anise.

After a slow start, the chocolate had a more smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was a slightly sour earthiness.

My initial impression of this chocolate when I tried it at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in October was excellent. However, reviewing it more formally over the past two days, I found that while it had some great qualities, the taste and finish did not appeal as much as I remembered, so I rated it overall as 6.0.

You can purchase Carenero, Venezuela for $5.99 online directly from Escazú, or, to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis.

Review: Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Escazú bar Guapiles, Costa Rica region Costa Rica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 80g ~ 2.8oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring, bubbles aroma earth (must), roast, floral snap hard taste earth, sweet (brown sugar, caramel), coconut, vanilla melt smooth length medium finish slightly sweet, very slightly sour

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica

Escazú is a small U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker in Raleigh, NC, started by Hallot Parson in 2005. They make pure chocolate, flavored chocolate, hot chocolate, and truffles. Guapiles is one of their two pure single origin chocolates, and is made with cacao beans from Costa Rica.

Guapiles, Costa Rica was made with 65% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter made from the same cacao beans). Other ingredients were sugar and vanilla bean. The generous 80 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, wrapped in gold colored foil, and enclosed in a paper sleeve. There was no production date or best before date on the bar we reviewed, and the Batch # space on the sleeve was blank.

The color of this chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth, but there were small bubbles in several of the top corners of the pieces. The bar had a hard snap.

There was musty earth, roast, and floral in the aroma. Initially, the earth was dominant, but the floral scent grew to become nearly as strong.

The taste of Guapiles, Costa Rica started off earthy, but soon revealed sweet flavors of brown sugar and caramel. We also tasted coconut and vanilla.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. The sweet flavor remained into the finish, along with a very slight sourness.

Last weekend, this bar won one of the 2012 Good Food Awards.

You can purchase Guapiles, Costa Rica online directly from Escazú for $5.00, or, to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $5.99.

2012 Good Food Awards for Chocolate

This weekend the Good Food Awards announced their winners for 2012. The following won awards in the chocolate category:

Amano Guayas
Dandelion Costa Rica
Escazu Costa Rica
Fresco 214
Lillie Belle Farms Perfect Illusion
Patric Signature 70%
Rogue Sambirano
Theo Theo and Jane Goodall 70%

The links above go directly to our associated detailed chocolate bar review.

Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival October 22-23 in Seattle

The Northwest Chocolate Festival (NWCF) will be held in Seattle next month, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day during the weekend of October 22nd and 23rd. Nearly all of the festival will take place in the Northwest Rooms of Seattle Center (305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109). The theme of the weekend is Taste, Learn, and Celebrate.

Tasting includes not only an amazing selection of chocolate (from at least 17 chocolate makers, including: Amano, Chocolate Conspiracy, Divine, Escazú, Fresco, Indahphoria, Kallari, Lillie Belle Farms, Madécasse, Madre, Mindo, Olive & Sinclair, Rogue, Snake & Butterfly, Stirs the Soul, Taza, and Theo), but also chocolate desserts and even drink pairings.

Learning includes a huge variety of more than 70 classes about farming cacao, trade equity, crafting chocolate from the bean, single origin chocolate, tempering chocolate, pairing chocolate, health benefits, etc. For an additional $8 [$10 at the door] and attending 5 classes, NWCF is offering their Chocolate Academy "Masters in Chocolate Level 1" certificate, which also includes Chocolate Academy membership. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, discounts on tickets to future festivals, and invitations to special chocolate events at partner businesses.

Celebrating is highlighted by Saturday night's Chocolate Masquerade Ball at Sole Repair (1001 E. Pike St., Seattle WA 98122). This special event has separate admission. It starts at 8 p.m. with a Chocolate Dessert Showcase and Competition, with awards for the best desserts. At 10 p.m., there will be a Best Costume contest. Attire is black tie and/or masquerade.

You can read more about the entire weekend on their website: http://www.nwchocolate.com/.

In addition to these activities open to everyone, 100 VIP tickets are being sold that include full weekend passes, an exclusive "Meet the Maker" opening night reception of wine and chocolate, a VIP-only chocolate and pairing event, a complimentary drink flight in the Beer, Cider, Spirit and Wine Garden during the festival, the Chocolate Academy certificate described above, and a chance to win two tickets on Alaska Airlines.

You can purchase any of the following tickets in advance and pick up your non-transferable ticket at Will Call with photo identification:

• $37.50 full weekend pass [$40 at the door]
• $22.00 one day pass (age 13+) [$25 at the door]
• $6.50 one day youth pass (age 5 to 12)
• $89.00 VIP full weekend pass and more
• $42.50 chocolate masquerade ball [$50 at the door]

With so many bean-to-bar chocolate makers and great classes, the third annual Northwest Chocolate Festival might be the best chocolate event in the U.S. this year. If you will be in the Seattle area, you do not want to miss it. Lindy and I are attending, and we hope you'll be able to get there, too!