Review: TCHO Nutty 2.0

Lindy's Rating: 6.5

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker TCHO bar Nutty 2.0 region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 58g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.48

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, curving lines aroma roast (smoke, malt), earth, fruit (berry) snap hard taste roast (coffee), sweet, fruit (coconut), nut melt smooth length medium finish somewhat sweet

San Francisco bean to bar chocolate maker TCHO prides themselves on innovation and leveraging technology to make their chocolate better, and works closely with their cacao farmers to improve fermentation and drying practices. Their dark chocolate bars are all single origin, yet TCHO is focused on making chocolate with specific flavors rather than from specific origins. Nutty 2.0 is a major revision of this chocolate. The original Nutty was made with cacao from Peru. Nutty 2.0 was made with cacao from Ecuador.

The chocolate was made from cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans. It contained 65% cocoa solids, and was certified organic and fair trade. The two ounce bar was scored in 9 pieces and came wrapped in gold-sided wax paper and packaged inside a paper box. There was no production or best before date for the bar we reviewed, but the box did have a sticker with the number 2691.

Nutty 2.0 had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color and a generally smooth surface that was imprinted with TCHO's intricate wavy lines. There was just a trivial bit of surface scuffing. The bottom surface revealed an apparently typical pattern from filling the mold and some indentations. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma of Nutty 2.0 was a strong smoky roast with malt, and also had scents of earth and a berry fruit. Lindy remarked on her surprise at the lack of any of the typical floral scent of an Ecuador chocolate.

The roast, while present in the taste, lacked the smoke and malt of the aroma. Instead, it tasted more like a coffee roast to me. Nutty 2.0 was quite sweet, and had fruit in the form of coconut and some nut. It didn't taste as nutty as I expected, certainly nothing like the wonderful nutty flavor of Valrhona Gran Couva.

Nutty 2.0 had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was somewhat sweet without any of the bitterness sweetness is often used to hide.

Overall, we both concluded this was a good chocolate, but we found it too sweet and the flavor didn't live up to its nutty name.

You can purchase TCHO Nutty 2.0 online directly from TCHO for $10.95 for two bars.

Review: TCHO Citrus

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker TCHO bar Citrus region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 58g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 67% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.48

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, curving lines, superficial ring aroma roast (cocoa, smoke), fruit (citrus, berry, hint of banana), sweet snap hard taste roast, fruit (citrus, lime, berry, orange, cherry, hint of banana), sweet melt smooth to more smooth length medium finish slightly acidic

TCHO makes chocolate with the goal of producing a flavor from their wheel of six primary chocolate flavors. TCHO is a U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker in San Francisco. They pride themselves on innovation and leveraging technology to make their chocolate better, and work closely with their cacao farmers to improve fermentation and drying practices.

Citrus was made with cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans. It was made with cacao from the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. The chocolate contained 67% cocoa solids, and was certified organic by the USDA. The two ounce bar was scored in 9 pieces and came wrapped in gold-sided wax paper and packaged inside a bright yellow paper box. There was no production or best before date for the bar we reviewed, but the box did have a sticker with the number 2561.

The chocolate had a medium brown color close to Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) and a generally smooth surface that was imprinted with TCHO's intricate wavy lines. There was a superficial ring visible on the top surface, but that came off with gentle rubbing. The bottom surface revealed an apparently typical pattern from filling the mold. The bar had a hard snap.

Citrus had a nice fruity and roast aroma. The fruit was primarily citrus, with some berry and a hint of banana. The roast was cocoa and smoke. I also smelled sweetness.

After an initial roast taste, Citrus revealed many fruit flavors, including general citrus, lime, berry, orange, cherry, and just a suggestion of banana. It also tasted sweet. Lindy liked the fruit flavors, but found the taste of this chocolate "not as citrusy as [she] expected."

We didn't quite agree about the melt. Lindy found it just shy of more smooth and rated it smooth. To me, it was just beyond that threshold and felt more smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was slightly acidic.

You can purchase TCHO Citrus online directly from TCHO for $10.95 for two bars.

Review: TCHO Fruity 2.0

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker TCHO bar Fruity 2.0 region Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 58g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 68% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.48

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, curving lines aroma earth, roast (cocoa), fruit (berry, citrus) snap hard taste sweet (caramel), roast (cocoa), fruit (berry, raspberry, cherry, citrus, lime, nectarine) melt smooth length medium finish slightly tannin

San Francisco bean to bar chocolate maker TCHO has a flavor wheel of six primary chocolate flavors. They currently make chocolate bars for four of those flavors, one of which is the Fruity reviewed here. TCHO prides themselves on innovation and leveraging technology to make their chocolate better. They work closely with their cacao farmers to improve fermentation and drying practices.

After improved fermentation from the use of solar-powered sensory arrays at the cacao cooperative in Peru, TCHO released Fruity 2.0 as a major reformulation of their fruity flavor. It was a single origin chocolate from Peru made with cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans. The chocolate contained 68% cocoa solids, and was certified organic and fair trade.

The two ounce bar was scored in 9 pieces and came wrapped in gold-sided wax paper and packaged inside a paper box. There was not a production or best before date for the bar we reviewed, but the box did have a sticker with the number 0321.

Fruity 2.0 had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The top surface had a smooth finish and was imprinted with an intricate pattern. The bottom surface revealed a pattern from filling the mold. The bar had a nice temper and a hard snap.

This chocolate gave off a strong earthy and cocoa roast aroma. We also smelled fruit flavors of berry and citrus.

Beyond the initial sweet caramel and cocoa roast came an abundance of fruit flavors. We tasted berry in general, as well as raspberry and cherry in particular, citrus that Lindy identified as lime, and even nectarine. Lindy described the taste as "caramel fruity," and we agreed that this chocolate was definitely deserving of its Fruity name.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was slightly tannin.

You can purchase TCHO Fruity online directly from TCHO for $10.95 for two bars.

Review: TCHO Chocolatey

Lindy's Rating: 6.0

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker TCHO bar Chocolatey region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 58g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.48

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, curving lines aroma roast (cocoa, hint of smoke), earth (soil), fruit, hint of spice snap hard taste initial sour, roast (cocoa, malt), sweet (caramel), hint of vanilla melt more smooth length short finish slightly acidic, slightly tannin

TCHO is a U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker based in San Francisco that crafts chocolate based on flavors rather than origins. The TCHO flavor wheel has six flavors: Chocolatey, Citrus, Earthy, Floral, Fruity, and Nutty. At present, they do not make Earthy or Floral chocolate. TCHO prides themselves on innovation and leveraging technology to make their chocolate better. They work closely with their cacao farmers to improve fermentation and drying practices.

Chocolatey is a single origin chocolate from Ghana that was made with cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans. The chocolate contained 70% cocoa solids. The two ounce bar was scored in 9 pieces and came wrapped in gold-sided wax paper inside a paper box. There was not a production or best before date for the bar we reviewed, but the box did have a sticker with the number 2021.

The color of Chocolatey was a medium-dark brown close to Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface had a smooth finish and was imprinted with an intricate pattern. Depending on the lighting angle, we observed many small lighter squiggles (that appear darker in the photo -- more easily seen if you enlarge the photo and look near the center of the top), as well as a pattern on the back from filling the mold. These are minor, though, and overall the bar had a nice temper.

This chocolate gave off a cocoa roast aroma, with a bit of smoke. A hard snap revealed a strong earth that Lindy identified as damp soil. We also smelled a little fruit, and I detected a hint of spice.

Chocolatey had a brief initial sour flavor that quickly faded below a cocoa roast and caramel sweetness. The roast also included some malt, and I tasted a hint of vanilla.

This bar had a nice more smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, not quite reaching a medium length. Chocolately had a slightly acidic and slightly tannin finish.

Overall, we found this to be a good basic chocolate bar. As Lindy described it, "nothing detracts, but nothing exceptional."

You can purchase TCHO Chocolately online directly from TCHO for $10.95 for two bars.