Review: Madre Hamakua pod-to-bar

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Madre bar Hamakua pod-to-bar region Hawaii plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2013 size 43g ~ 1.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $10.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown appearance smooth, raised shapes, image imprints, bubbles aroma sweet (marshmallow), roast (cocoa), vanilla, fruit (coconut, apricot) snap hard taste sweet (marshmallow), roast (cocoa), tropical fruit (pineapple), floral, nut, wood, mint melt more smooth length medium finish tannin, somewhat acidic

U.S. chocolate maker Madre crafts bean to bar chocolate from the island of Oahu in Hawaii. They make both unflavored and flavored chocolate bars and some other chocolate products with cacao from Hawaii and from the Dominican Republic.

Most chocolate makers begin with cacao beans shipped to them from far away, often several months after the cacao has been fermented and dried near where it was grown. Madre is actively involved in the fermentation of the cacao they purchase from local Hawaiian farmers.

The cacao for Hamakua pod-to-bar chocolate was grown on the northeast side of the Big Island. The other ingredients were organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, and Hawaiian whole vanilla.

The unscored bar weighed 1.5 ounces. I tasted this chocolate in early January. The best before date on the bar was August 19, 2014.

Hamakua had a medium brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314) color. The bar was smooth with raised shapes and image imprints. Some fine bubbles were present. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma was a sweet marshmallow and cocoa roast. I smelled vanilla, coconut, and apricot scents.

The chocolate tasted sweet, fruity, and roasted. The fruit flavors were tropical, with a non-citrus pineapple being the strongest one. The sweetness seemed to be marshmallow, and the roast was primarily cocoa. More subtle flavors included floral, nut, wood, and a surprising hint of mint.

The melt of Hamakua was more smooth, almost creamy. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 30 to 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and somewhat acidic.

Unfortunately, this limited edition chocolate is not currently available for purchase.

Event: Chocolopolis Sixth Anniversary

Every July Chocolopolis celebrates their anniversary with a month of wonderful chocolate events. Of particular note is the chance to win a free bar of chocolate every week for one year by finding one of three golden tickets placed in bars during the month. That experience initially inspired this blog.

If you're new to the Seattle area, visiting during the month, or just haven't made it there yet, attending an event that interests you is another reason to go. Chocolopolis also has free Thursday evening (happy hour, 5 to 9 p.m.) themed chocolate tastings nearly every week throughout the year.

Here are some of the special events this year:

• Wednesday, July 2nd, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: truffle-making demonstration from Sebastian and Dominica Falcon of Chocolopolis.
• Tuesday, July 8th, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: meet Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate and taste chocolate made from cacao grown in Hawaii.
• Thursday, July 10th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet Jacques Dahan of Michel Cluizel and taste some French chocolate.
• Saturday, July 12th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: taste iced drinking chocolate, and check out Queen Anne Days Sidewalk Sale until 5 p.m. There will also be two guided chocolate tasting sessions for children: one at 11 a.m. and one at 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, July 15th, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: get advice from Lauren Adler of Chocolopolis about how to host a great chocolate tasting party.
• Thursday, July 17th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: be one of the first to taste three new single-origin Chocolopolis chocolate bars at this launch happy hour.
• Tuesday, July 22nd, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: learn about cacao in Belize as Lauren Adler of Chocolopolis shares photos and stories about traditional Mayan cacao farming and the local Fair Trade cooperative.
• Thursday, July 24th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: compare U.S. crafted chocolate, with a East vs. West (of the Mississippi) tasting.
• Tuesday, July 29th, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers give suggestions about how to avoid chocolate baking and cooking mistakes. Some bulk chocolate will be on sale.
• Thursday, July 31st, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: taste some favorite chocolate bars of the Chocolopolis team.

You can read more about their anniversary and other events at Chocolopolis (including chocolate tasting classes and their frequent bar club) on their website.

International Chocolate Awards 2014 European Semi-Final Winners

The International Chocolate Awards announced the 2014 winners of the European semi-finals. Here are the unflavored dark chocolate bar winners. National awards were given when at least 10 entries from a country were submitted in the category.

Europe
GOLD: Bonnat Kaori
GOLD: Friis-Holm Johe 70%
SILVER: Friis-Holm Nicaliso 70%
SILVER: Friis-Holm Chuno Triple Turned 70%
SILVER: Bonnat Libanio
BRONZE: Åkesson's Bali Sukrama Farms
BRONZE: Red Star Duffy's Honduras Indio Rojo 72%

High Percentage
GOLD: Åkesson's Madagascar Ambolikapiky 100%
BRONZE: Francois Pralus Le 100% Madagascar

National
BRITAIN GOLD: Red Star Duffy's Honduras Indio Rojo 72%
FRANCE GOLD: Bonnat Kaori

Note that Åkesson's chocolate is made by Pralus and Friis-Holm chocolate is made by Bonnat.

Sale: 10% off at Chocolate Trading Co.

Chocolate Trading Co. is having a Father's Day sale with 10% off all regularly priced items. There is no minimum purchase requirement. The sale lasts through Friday, June 13th, at 4 p.m. local time (they are located in England).

Chocolate Trading Co. is a good online retailer for those in the U.K., and has a broad selection of bars from Amedei, Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, Domori, Duffy's, Grenada, Lindt, Chocolat Madagascar, Marou, Menakao, Pralus, and Valrhona.

Use discount code FATHER14 during checkout.

Sale: 20% off at Madécasse

Madécasse is having an Earth Day sale with 20% off with no minimum purchase. The sale lasts through Wednesday, April 30th.

Use coupon code EARTH20 during checkout.

Sale: Free Shipping at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate is running another one week promotion with free UPS Ground shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase requirement. They have a large selection with prices only slightly above lowest online retail. Free shipping is an excellent deal for small orders, and prices are already great on Amano, Amedei, Madécasse, and Potomac bars.

Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout. This offer is valid through Monday, April 7th. It has been two months since they last ran this free shipping offer.

Sale: Free Shipping at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate has free UPS Ground shipping available on all orders with no minimum purchase requirement. They have a big selection and even though their prices are typically a little higher than the least expensive online chocolate retailers, free shipping is a great deal for small orders.

In particular, this is an excellent opportunity to pick up some chocolate bars from Amedei, Madécasse, and Potomac. World Wide Chocolate has competitive prices for these makers even without a sale, so free shipping makes them a bargain. Amano would usually be on that list as well, but they are currently sold out.

Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout. This offer is valid through Monday, February 10th. It has been roughly a month since they last ran this free shipping offer.