Zotter Labooko Belize Special 72%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Zotter bar Labooko Belize Special region Belize plantation blend cacao trees unknown year unknown size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price €3,50

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, textured, imprints, adhered bits aroma spice (fennel), earth, roast (malt) snap hard taste licorice, roast (cocoa), earth, spice (pepper, fennel), fruit (cherry) melt more smooth length medium finish slightly bitter

Best Prices Online
€3,50 directly from Zotter
$5.95 from Zotter USA
$7.49 from NewLeaf

Review: Zotter Labooko Raw Chocolate 80%

Lindy's Rating: 8.5

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Zotter bar Raw 80% region Peru? plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 80% added fat cocoa butter sweetener coconut blossom sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown appearance relief, imprints, textured top aroma floral, spice (anise), sweet, earth snap hard taste nut, roast, floral, earth, acidic, dried fruit (date), spice (anise), tannin melt more smooth length medium finish tannin, acidic, slightly bitter

Labooko Raw Chocolate 80% is Zotter's only unflavored raw dark chocolate bar. Although I haven't yet received confirmation, I believe they sourced the organic and fair trade cacao for this chocolate from Peru.

The chocolate was sweetened with organic coconut blossom sugar rather than cane sugar. The 80% cocoa solids included added organic and fair trade cocoa butter. A tiny amount of salt was among the ingredients.

I don't have information about the maximum temperature used in processing this chocolate, but a Zotter representative told me that their current flavored raw chocolate is kept below 69°C (156°F), which is well above the temperature limit of most raw food. Raw Chocolate 80% was crafted with a 12 hour conching time.

The two 35 gram bars came in Zotter's standard packaging for the Labooko line: separately wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper that was glued into the folds of the heavy outer paper. The outer paper is printed with one of Andreas h. Gratze's dramatic drawings of a person.

Based on Zotter's recommended 14-month shelf life, the best before date of October 10, 2014, indicates these bars were produced in August 2013.

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). Each bar had a "zotter" relief and imprints of "Labooko" and cacao pods. The snap was hard.

Raw Chocolate 80% had a wonderful aroma, with scents of floral, anise spice, and sweetness. To me, it also smelled a bit earthy and the floral scent seemed to include just a hint of jasmine.

The taste began with nut, roast, floral, and earth flavors. Dried fruit, and date in particular, developed, along with the anise from the aroma. The chocolate tasted acidic and tannin.

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

Lindy likes raw chocolate, and rates Raw Chocolate 80% as her current favorite. I was somewhat less impressed, but still ranked it among raw chocolates as second only to Pacari Raw 70% (and the best raw chocolate without cane sugar). You can see our raw chocolate rankings on the bottom of our Chocolate Rankings page and our unranked list of (cane) sugar-free chocolates on the bottom of our Chocolate Lists page.

It appears that Labooko Raw Chocolate 80% is no longer on Zotter's website. However, you can still purchase it online for $7.49 from NewLeaf Chocolates or from Chocolate Voyages.

Review: Zotter Labooko High-End 96%

Lindy's Rating: 5.5

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Zotter bar High End 96% region Peru plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 65g ~ 2.3oz cocoa solids 96% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance relief, imprints, textured top aroma earth, roast (smoke), fruit (citrus, cherry), astringent snap hard taste earth, sour, roast, nut, bitter melt smooth length medium finish bitter, somewhat acidic, slightly sour

Austrian bean to bar chocolate maker Zotter crafts several lines of chocolate, including the Labooko line with several single origin bars. High-End 96% was made from organic cacao from Peru and 4% organic raw cane sugar. The complete ingredients included a tiny amount of salt.

High-End 96% was certified organic and fair trade. Zotter revealed on the packaging and on their website that the formulation for this particular chocolate included 34 hours of conching.

Labooko products each contain two 32.5 gram bars wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper. Those wrapped bars are glued into the folds of a heavy outer paper. Because the glue must be strong enough to hold the bars in place, it is also so adhesive that it is often difficult to remove the bars from the packaging without tearing the foil and sometimes breaking the bars. The glue also complicates rewrapping a bar if you do not finish it. The packaging is far from ideal.

The best before date on the bars reviewed here was October 8, 2014. Zotter indicated that the bars have a 14-month shelf life, so they were produced in August, 2013.

Each bar had a "zotter" relief and imprints of "Labooko" and cacao pods. Their color was a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The bars had a hard snap.

Scents of earth, roast, and fruit were present, along with an unusual astringency. The roast contained some smoke, and the fruit included citrus and a berry scent that Lindy identified as cherry.

High-End 96% tasted of earth, roast, nut, and bitterness. I also found it sour, but Lindy didn't experience that. For her, the roast and nut flavors were noticeably stronger than the earthiness.

The melt was nicely smooth (almost more smooth). The chocolate flavor lasted 30 to 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. The final after-taste was bitter, somewhat acidic, and slightly sour.

Overall, other than the astringent aroma, this was a good chocolate. However, I found their Labooko Peru 100% much better than this High-End 96% from the same origin.

You can purchase Labooko High-End 96% online for 3,35€ directly from Zotter or for $7.49 from NewLeaf.

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: Zotter Labooko Papua Neuguinea 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Zotter bar Labooko Papua Neuguinea 75% region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price 3,35€

color medium brown PANTONE 18-1312 Deep Taupe appearance relief, imprints, textured top, bloom, adhered bits, scuffing aroma earth (must), roast (smoke), spice, vanilla snap hard taste roast (coffee, smoke), fruit (blackberry), earth, spice, sweet (molasses), tannin melt smooth length long finish tannin, somewhat bitter

Austrian chocolate maker Zotter makes several fair trade and organic bean to bar chocolates. They produce several unflavored single origin chocolates under their Labooko line as well as a huge variety of flavored chocolates.

Zotter sourced the cacao for Labooko Papua Neuguinea 75% from an organic and fair trade cooperative in Papua New Guinea. The ingredients of this chocolate were cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, and salt. All of the ingredients other than salt were certified organic and fair trade. The salt content was 1% and cocoa solids (mass and butter) were 75%.

Papua Neuguinea 75% was sold in the standard Labooko packaging containing two 35 gram bars. Each bar was individually wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper that was glued into the folds of a heavy outer paper wrapper (which was taped closed).

The bar itself had a relief of "zotter" on a small smooth upper portion of the bar and imprints of "Labooko" and stylized cacao pods (one of which was covered in writing) on a textured lower portion of the bar. The best before date was November 27, 2013.

Unfortunately, the chocolate appeared to have bloomed slightly and had a medium brown Deep Taupe (PANTONE 18-1312) color. There were some bits of adhered chocolate and the surface was scuffed.

The snap was hard, almost very hard. Papua Neuguinea's aroma included scents of musty earth, roast, smoke, spice, and vanilla.

The taste contained flavors of roast, fruit, earth, and spice. The strong roast was mostly coffee and smoke. The only distinctive fruit flavor I identified was blackberry. The taste was also sweet with a molasses flavor and tannin.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted more than 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a long length. The finish was tannin and somewhat bitter.

You can purchase Labooko Papua Neuguinea 75% online for €3,35 directly from Zotter.

Review: Zotter Labooko Peru 100%

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Zotter bar Labooko Peru 100% region Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2013 size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 100% added fat (none) sweetener (none) emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price 3,35€

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, relief, imprints, textured top, adhered bits aroma earth, roast (smoke), floral, spice snap hard taste roast (smoke, cocoa), earth, fruit, sour melt smooth length long finish tannin, slightly sour

Josef Zotter is the vision behind Austrian chocolate maker Zotter. They opened their own chocolate factory in 2006, and craft fair trade and organic chocolate from bean to bar. Zotter produces several single origin chocolates as well as a huge variety of flavored chocolates. Labooko is their line of chocolate bars that includes single origin and pure dark chocolates.

Labooko Peru 100% is their only chocolate made from 100% cocoa mass (with no added cocoa butter). As with all of the Labooko line, this chocolate was sold as a package of two 35 gram bars. Each bar was wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper that was glued into the folds of a heavy outer paper wrapper (which was taped closed).

The bar itself had a relief of "zotter" on a small smooth upper portion of the bar and imprints of "Labooko" and stylized cacao pods (one of which was covered in writing) on a textured lower portion of the bar. The best before date was April 19, 2014. Based on the described shelf life of 14 months, the bar was likely produced in February.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The overall appearance was great, with some tiny bits of adhered chocolate on the surface.

A hard snap revealed its nice aroma of earth, roast, floral, and spice. The roast scent was somewhat smoky.

The taste of Peru 100% contained roast, earth, and fruit flavors. The roast included smoke and cocoa. I also tasted some sourness.

The chocolate had a smooth melt, not far from more smooth. The length was long, with the chocolate flavor lasting 40 to 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and slightly sour, without any bitterness.

Overall, this was a wonderfully pleasant surprise and a great 100% bar. Even though the taste was not especially interesting, it was good, and the appearance, length, and finish were all excellent.

You can purchase Labooko Peru 100% online for €3,35 directly from Zotter or for $7.99 from Chocolopolis.