Maker Profile: Indahphoria Chocolatier

company name	Indahphoria Chocolatier
website	http://www.indahphoria.com
email	indahphoria@gmai​l.com
chocolate maker	Aaron Koch
factory location	Bend, OR, USA
factory tours	no
direct online purchase	Indahphoria
direct stores	N/A
retail store purchase	several stores in western U.S.
selling bars since	2010
plantation bars	none
single origin bars	Dominican Republic Papua New Guinea
blend bars	none
production cycle	bean to bar
added fat	cocoa butter
sweetener	coconut sugar
flavoring	none
emulsifier	none
organic	yes (not certified)
sustainable	no
economics	fair trade (not certified)
last updated	February 16, 2012

The name Indahphoria means Carry the Beauty. U.S. chocolate maker Aaron Koch founded Indahphoria Chocolatier in 2010 to hand-craft bean to bar organic chocolate infused with medicinal herbs. He also makes unflavored single origin chocolate from the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea. During a recent trip to Bali, he investigated sourcing cacao from Indonesia as well.

Indahphoria purchases cacao beans from a broker. The beans for its Dominican Republic bar originate from La Red cooperative.

Sharing a roaster in Eugene, OR, with John Nancy of Chocolate Alchemy, Aaron roasts his cacao beans at low temperatures to release flavors with minimal loss to the flavonoids and antioxidants.

He sweetens his unflavored chocolate using coconut sugar rather than cane sugar. The lower glycemic level of coconut sugar makes his chocolate accessible for diabetic consumers. The other ingredients he uses are cacao beans and cocoa butter made from those same beans. There are no added emulsifiers or flavorings. Although Indahphoria's chocolate is not certified, all of the ingredients are organic, and the cacao is purchased at fair trade prices.

You can buy Indahphoria chocolate online directly from Indahphoria.

Review: Indahphoria Dominican Republic

Lindy's Rating: 6.5

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker Indahphoria bar Dominican Republic region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 35g ~ 1.2oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener coconut sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with imprints, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth (hay), roast (smoke), spice snap medium hard taste bitter, nut, fruit (citrus, grapefruit), roast, sweet melt less smooth length short finish tannin, slightly bitter

Aaron Koch founded Indahphoria Chocolatier in 2010 to hand-craft bean to bar organic chocolate infused with medicinal herbs. He made up the name Indahphoria as a cross between Indonesian and Latin to mean Carry the Beauty. Among his products are two unflavored single origin organic chocolate bars, one of which is Dominican Republic.

Indahphoria sourced the Trinitario cacao beans from La Red cooperative in the Dominican Republic. The chocolate was made with 70% cocoa solids (included added cocoa butter from the same cacao beans) and 30% coconut sugar. Although not certified, the Dominican Republic chocolate bar was made with all organic ingredients. Coconut sugar was used as a sweetener for a low glycemic level to be diabetic friendly.

The bar was quite small, coming in at only 35 grams (1.2 ounces), but it was scored into 3 substantial pieces. The bar was imprinted with a cacao pod design and came wrapped in blue foil-sided wax paper enclosed in a paper envelope. There was no production or best before date.

The chocolate had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth, and looked good other than an uneven sheen. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Dominican Republic had three prominent aromas: an earthy scent like that of hay, a smoky roast, and spice. Lindy was surprised by how much she enjoyed the aroma, given the substantial smokiness.

The taste gave an initial bitterness, and then revealed strong nutty flavor combined with a fruit quickly clarified as citrus, and more specifically, grapefruit. I also tasted roast and sweetness.

The melt of this chocolate was less smooth. The flavor lasted about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The finish was tannin and slightly bitter.

You can purchase Dominican Republic online for $3.99 directly from Indahphoria.

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!