Store: Kakao

Last month I ran across kakáo (pronounced kuh-key-oh) while on a walk in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. I saw the sign in the window and felt compelled to check it out. I'm glad I did.

kakáo is a combination chocolate and coffee shop, with lots of bright, open space in which to hang out. In this converted warehouse, under 15' high wooden ceilings, they have ten tables with chairs, two loveseats, two lounge chairs, free Wi-Fi for internet access (wireless network 415: just ask them for the password), and lots of outlets around the walls and windows (to power your laptop, etc).

chocolate store	kakáo
website	http://www.kakaoseattle.com/
address	415 Westlake Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 United States
phone	(206) 388-5467
hours	Mon-Fri	7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
	Sat	8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
online shopping	no
shipping area	N/A
warm weather shipping	N/A
chocolate makers	Amedei Michel Cluizel Claudio Corallo Dagoba Fran's Green and Black's Guittard Kallari Komforte Lindt Madécasse Moonstruck François Pralus Republica del Cacao Scharffen Berger Taza Theo Valrhona Vosges
special deals & events	free Wi-Fi
last updated	February 24, 2012

With more than 50 different chocolate bars of more than a dozen different brands, kakáo has the second largest collection of quality chocolate in Seattle (including some not available at Chocolopolis).

At the espresso bar, they serve Valrhona Celaya drinking chocolate in addition to more traditional drip coffee and espresso. Their coffee is from local Seattle green coffee maker Herkimer. A small collection of pastries is also available.

The shop is officially open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a barista let me know that they are usually open by 7:15 a.m. Their website is only a placeholder at present, but the owner, J.B., intends to add content and perhaps eventually sell chocolate online (I'll let you know if he does!)

kakáo has a side room that holds up to twenty people that is available for free, and can even be reserved. They also have a huge venue space for rent in back that has a capacity of 300 people (200 for a seated event). Call and talk to Jim if you're interested in more information about their venue space.

Review: Chapon Venezuela

Lindy's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Venezuela region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 75g ~ 2.6oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €5,00

color medium dark-brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with scoring aroma heavy roast (coffee), sweet, hints of nut and fruit snap hard taste coffee, roast, berry, hint of sweet melt smooth length short finish slightly bitter

Patrice Chapon is a French chocolatier who has won awards for his truffles and pralines. Chapon Chocolatier also has a line of single origin chocolate bars.

The bar was packaged inside a resealable plastic bag, along with hard paper stock coated on one side, presumably for stability. However, it still arrived broken in two pieces. The chocolate was not separately wrapped and the surface of the bar was scuffed, giving the chocolate a less appealing appearance.

Chapon Venezuela is a single origin bar made of 75% cocoa solids, along with sugar, extra cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. The 75 gram bar was scored into 10 pieces. The best before date was April 2012.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color and a hard snap. The aroma was a heavy roast of coffee, some sweetness, and a hint of nut. I also smelled an occasional hint of fruit.

The primary taste was a coffee that mostly overwhelmed flavors other than roast. However, we noticed berry and a suggestion of sweetness underneath the roast coffee flavor.

Venezuela had a good smooth melt. The length was short, around 10 to 15 seconds. After all the chocolate flavor was gone, the final aftertaste was slightly bitter, with a hint of coffee.

Overall, Lindy rated it a low **; I thought it was a middle **.

You can purchase Chapon Venezuela online directly from Chapon for €5,00.

Review: Bonnat Puerto Cabello Venezuela

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Puerto Cabello region Venezuela 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 brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma roast (cocoa), berry (strawberry), earth (soil), sweet snap hard taste fruit (berry), roast (coffee), nut melt more smooth length short finish slightly acidic

Bonnat Puerto Cabello is a single origin bar from Venezuela. The chocolate was made from 75% cocoa solids, with added cocoa butter and sugar. The 100 gram bar was formed, wrapped, and packaged as normal for Bonnat. It had a best before date of June 2012.

This bar had a hard snap. In addition to an initial cocoa roast aroma, Cabello gave off scents of berries that we identified as strawberry, an earthiness reminiscent of soil, and some sweetness.

The chocolate had a slow start, but then released flavors of fruit as berries, a roast that I experienced as coffee, and some nuttiness. Lindy also noticed a brief initial bitterness that went away.

The melt was smoother than normal, which we rated as more smooth. The length of Cabello was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting only about 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was slightly to somewhat acidic.

Overall, we both rated this chocolate as a low ***.

You can purchase Bonnat Puerto Cabello online for $7.85 from Chocosphere.

Sale: Amano Chocolate 20% off, EVERYTHING 10% off

World Wide Chocolate is having a few sales through April 11th, including 20% off Amano, Dolfin, and Green and Black's. For this discount, use coupon code TRY20 during checkout.

The 20% discount is not worthwhile for Green and Black's or Dolfin (as their regular prices are high), but it is a good price for Amano. Here's a direct link to Amano chocolates on World Wide Chocolate.

They also have Zotter on sale for 25% off (coupon code ZOTTER25). Here is the complete list of their special offers.

If you are interested in multiple chocolate brands, World Wide Chocolate is currently offering 10% off all orders (coupon code 1day10-0) -- typically this is only 5%, as well as their more or less normal offers:

• 15% off orders over $40: 1day15-40
• 20% off orders over $225: 1day20-225
• 25% off orders over $550: 1day25-550

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Shipping is free on orders over $150. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.

Review: Francois Pralus Madagascar

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

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

chocolate maker Pralus bar Madagascar region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €4,00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1526 Dark Red Brown texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma fruit (red berry, hint of citrus), roast (cocoa), earth, spice (pepper) snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa, coffee), fruit (red berry, citrus), sweet, nut melt smooth length short finish slightly acidic

Pralus Madagascar is a single origin bar made from Criollo cacao beans. It was made of 75% cocoa solids, with sugar, added cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. The chocolate was certified organic by the French Agence Bio.

As usual for Pralus, the bar was packaged in a paper wrapper over gold foil-covered chocolate. The 100 gram bar we reviewed had a best before date of 27 January 2012.

The bar was scored into 24 small pieces and one large piece (that is the same size as 8 small ones) with the "Pralus" imprint. The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Dark Red Brown (PANTONE 19-1526). It had a medium hard snap.

Madagascar had a wonderful collection of aromas: fruit consisting mostly of red berry, but also a bit of citrus, roast in the form of cocoa, a spice that was primarily pepper, and some earthiness.

As Lindy put it, Madagascar "tastes like it smells", with fruit and roast flavors nearly identical to their aroma. The fruit flavor was a combination of red berry and citrus (the citrus was relatively stronger in the flavor than the aroma) and the roast flavor was predominantly cocoa (but I also noticed some coffee). The chocolate tasted sweet to both of us and we also noticed a nutty flavor.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was short, with the flavor lasting 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone. There was no bitterness in the aftertaste, giving only a slight acidity for the finish.

Both of us liked Madagascar and rated it a solid ***.

You can purchase Pralus Madagascar online directly from Pralus for €4,00, or from Chocolopolis for $7.99.

Review: Francois Pralus Djakarta

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Pralus bar Djakarta region Ghana, Indonesia plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo, Forastero?, Trinitario? year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €4,00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma earthy, roast (cocoa), sweet snap hard taste hint of bitter, roast (cocoa), fruit (apple, citrus), hint of dairy melt smooth length short finish slightly bitter

Despite its name, Pralus Djakarta is a mixed-origin bar from Ghana and Indonesia. The wrapper indicated the beans were a mixture of Trinitario and Criollo, but Pralus wrote on their website that Djakarta was made from a combination of Forastero and Criollo beans. The latter seems more likely, given Ghana as the origin of the non-Criollo beans.

Djakarta was made of 75% cocoa solids, with sugar, added cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. This bar was packaged as usual for Pralus chocolate bars: paper wrapper over gold foil-covered chocolate. The 100 gram bar we reviewed had a best before date of 3 February 2012.

The bar was scored into 24 small pieces and one large piece (that is the same size as 8 small ones) with the "Pralus" imprint. The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317). It had a hard snap.

Djakarta had aromas of roast in form of cocoa, an earthiness, and some sweetness. The initial taste gave a slight bitterness, and then revealed the cocoa roast we smelled, along with some fruit flavors. Lindy identified apple and I found some citrus. I also noticed a hint of dairy.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor only lasted 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The aftertaste was slightly bitter.

Overall, Lindy described Djakarta as enjoyable to eat, and rated it a low ***. I found it somewhat less desirable and rated it a high **.

You can purchase Pralus Djakarta online directly from Pralus for €4,00, or from Chocolopolis for $7.99.

Sale: Domori 15% off, and many other brands, too

World Wide Chocolate is having a few sales through April 4th, including 15% off Domori and some other Italian chocolates, including L'Artigiano, Cuorenero, Maglio, Slitti and Venchi. For this discount, use coupon code ITALIAN15 during checkout.

They have several other chocolate brands on sale, including Côte d'Or, Lindt, Valor, and Zotter. Some of these sale prices are good; others are not particularly interesting. Here is the complete list of their special offers.

They also have two weekend specials:

• $10 off $40 order: WEEKEND10
• $20 off $100 order: WEEKEND20

as well as their more or less normal offers:

• 5% off all orders: 1day5-0
• 10% off orders over $25: 1day10-25
• 15% off orders over $40: 1day15-40
• 20% off orders over $275: 1day20-275
• 25% off orders over $750: 1day25-750

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Shipping is free on orders over $150. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.