Review: Madécasse 70%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker Madécasse bar 70% region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 75g ~ 2.6oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with stylized cacao bean imprints, scoring, bubble aroma floral, roast (burnt, smoky), spice, fruit, acidic snap medium hard taste fruit (berry, citrus, cherry), roast (burnt), sweet, earth melt smooth length short finish roast (burnt), slightly bitter

Madécasse makes single origin Madagascar chocolate in Madagascar! Working locally, they are frequently able to start production within a month of the cacao beans being dried. Madécasse works closely with the local Ezaka Cooperative of cacao farmers from whom they purchase beans at well above fair trade prices.

Madécasse 70% was made from cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla. The 75 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, each with a stylized cacao imprint. It was wrapped in gold-sided foil and put inside a paper envelope. The best before date on the wrapper of the bar was December 2011, so this chocolate was not at its best for this review.

The chocolate had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface of the bar was smooth, with only a single bubble and some discoloration in the scoring. The snap was medium hard.

The aroma began with floral and roast, the latter of which smelled burnt and smoky. I detected scents of spice, fruit and acidity.

70% tasted of fruit, including berry, citrus, and cherry. The burnt roast from the aroma was clearly present. I also tasted sweetness and an earth flavor.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted only about 10 seconds, given a short length. The aftertaste was a burnt roast with a slight bitterness that lingered.

Madécasse 70% won Best in Show at the 2009 New York Chocolate Show. My experience of this chocolate was good, but not great. The roast seemed too strong, impacting the other aromas and flavors, and the length and finish weren't great. However, note that this review is for a chocolate past its best before date.

You can purchase 70% online for $5.99 directly from Madécasse. Better yet, Chocosphere is currently running a sale on 70% bars with a best before date of June 2012 for only $4.15 (30% off).

Review: E. Guittard Tsaratana

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Guittard bar Tsaratana region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 61% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $2.89

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with signature imprints, scoring, bubbles, scuffing aroma roast (cocoa), vanilla, fruit (coconut), sweet (hint of caramel), nut snap hard taste floral, roast (cocoa), sweet, vanilla melt more smooth length medium finish slightly acidic, very slightly bitter

E. Guittard makes three dark chocolate bars with blends of cacao beans: Nocturne with 91% cocoa solids, Quetzalcoatl with 72% cocoa solids, and this bar: Tsaratana with 61% cocoa solids.

The ingredients of Tsaratana were cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans. The two ounce bar was scored into 12 pieces, each with the E. Guittard signature imprint. It came enclosed in brass foil inside a paper outer wrapper. The best before date on the bar I reviewed was July 2013.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth, but there was a bit of scuffing and a few bubbles. The bar had a hard snap.

Tsaratana had an aroma that reminded me of an Almond Joy® bar from my childhood: a cocoa roast with sweet coconut, vanilla and nut. I also smelled a hint of caramel in the sweetness.

The taste was floral with cocoa roast and vanilla flavors. It wasn't especially sweet at the beginning, but grew to be very sweet by the end.

The chocolate had a more smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor after the chocolate was gone lasting 25 to 30 seconds. The finish was slightly acidic and very slightly bitter.

Tsaratana surprised me with a nice aroma, a pleasant simple flavor, great melt and solid length. If you like chocolate this sweet, this is one you should try, and it's a bargain for the price.

You can purchase Tsaratana online for $2.89 directly from Guittard, or for $2.50 from Chocosphere.

Lindy taking a break

Lindy recently started a new job and no longer has time to meet regularly to review chocolate, so she'll be taking a break from One Golden Ticket for a while. I will miss her perspective and company, as well as her photography skills, and I'm confident readers will miss her as well. In the meantime, I'll be doing solo reviews, and including Lindy when she has time.

Review: Madre Hawaiian Dark 70%

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Madre bar Hawaiian region Hawaii plantation Alae Estate cacao trees Hawaiian Crown Trinitario year 2011 size 43g ~ 1.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with raised shapes, image imprints aroma tropical fruit (pineapple, coconut), roast (hint of smoke), sweet (marshmallow), vanilla snap hard taste tropical fruit (pineapple), roast, sweet, tannin, acidic melt more smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin

United States chocolate maker Madre Chocolate hand-crafts their bean to bar chocolate in Honolulu. Many of their chocolates are flavored, but they also make some unflavored chocolate, including this one. They began selling chocolate bars in February 2011.

Hawaii is the only area of the United States capable of growing cacao, and Madre's Hawaiian chocolate was made from Trinitario cacao beans grown at the Alai Estate near Papaikou on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaiian had 70% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter) plus added sugar and Mexican vanilla. Although their chocolate was not certified, their cacao beans, sugar, and cocoa butter were organic and Madre paid fair trade prices.

The small 1.5 ounce bar was not scored, but had raised shapes and image imprints that visually split the bar into roughly 5 pieces. It came wrapped in silver foil inside a paper sleeve. The wrapper was stamped with cacao of Hawaiian Crown and a batch of October 17, 2012 (the best before date).

Hawaiian had a medium-dark brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The surface was smooth and looked great other than a barely noticeable uneven sheen. The bar had a hard snap.

The lovely aroma contained tropical fruits, including pineapple and coconut, roast with just a hint of smoke, a marshmallow sweetness, and some vanilla. The combination of scents was compelling.

The chocolate tasted of tropical fruit as well, with pineapple clearly present. Other flavors included roast, sweet, tannin, and acidic. The taste was good, but somewhat disappointing after that aroma.

Hawaiian had a melt that was more smooth. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted 20 to 25 seconds, giving a medium length. The finish was somewhat tannin.

You can purchase Hawaiian online for $8.00 directly from Madre, and they ship to over 20 countries.

In addition, if you live near Seattle, you can taste this chocolate on Thursday March 1st between 5 and 9 p.m. at Chocolopolis, where their free weekly Thursday happy hour chocolate tasting will be of Hawaiian chocolates this week.

Store: Seattle chocolate store updates

Chocolopolis now carries Ritual Costa Rica, and I've updated their detailed original store posting accordingly.

kakáo is now open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, but no longer open on Sundays. They've added a few bars by Michel Cluizel. I've similarly updated the kakáo store posting.

Review: Snake & Butterfly Benjamin's 62% Blend

Lindy's Rating: 7.5

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Snake & Butterfly bar Benjamin's 62% Blend region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.75oz cocoa solids 62% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane juice emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth with text and image imprints, scoring, bubbles, uneven sheen aroma earth, roast (smoke), fruit snap medium hard taste fruit (dried fruit, raisin, berry, yellow), sweet (butterscotch), roast, tannin melt smooth length medium finish slightly tannin, very slightly acidic

Snake & Butterfly makes primarily flavored chocolate now, but they still make unflavored two bars, Benjamin's 76% Blend reviewed earlier and this one, Benjamin's 62% Blend. Although their bars are not certified, they use fair trade cacao beans and organic ingredients.

Just like 76%, Benjamin's 62% was made from cacao beans, evaporated cane juice, and cocoa butter, with no added emulsifier or flavoring. The 1.75 ounce bar was scored into four large pieces, with alternating imprints of the company name and a stylized branch with a cacao pod.

The bar came wrapped in black-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. There was neither a production date nor a best before date for the chocolate we reviewed.

The color of this chocolate was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431). The surface was smooth with some bubbles, and the sheen was uneven. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Benjamin's 62% had a strong earth aroma. Secondary scents included a smoky roast and fruit. Lindy found the strong earthiness unusually pleasant.

At the start, the chocolate tasted of a dried fruit that was clearly raisin. Then we tasted sweetness and roast as other fruit flavors developed, including berry and a yellow fruit. The sweetness reminded me of butterscotch. Lindy also tasted a slight tannin flavor.

This chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting about 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was slightly tannin and very slightly acidic.

Although sweeter than most chocolate I like, we both slightly preferred 62% to 76% due primarily to the interesting fruit flavors and the reduced tannin aftertaste.

You can purchase Benjamin's 62% Blend online for $5.00 directly from Snake & Butterfly for delivery to the continental U.S. or Canada.

Review: Snake & Butterfly Benjamin's 76% Blend

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Snake & Butterfly bar Benjamin's 76% Blend region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.75oz cocoa solids 76% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane juice emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth with text and image imprints, scoring, bubbles, uneven sheen aroma roast (smoke), fruit (red berry), sweet (molasses), wine snap medium hard taste roast (smoke), wood, tannin, fruit (berry, citrus), sweet melt smooth length medium finish tannin

California chocolate maker Snake & Butterfly began making bean to bar chocolate in 2007. Although their bars are not certified, they use fair trade cacao beans and organic ingredients. Due to customer demand, they currently focus on flavored chocolate and no longer make single origin chocolate. However, they still hand craft two blend bars, one of which is Benjamin's 76% Blend.

Benjamin's 76% Blend was made from cacao beans, evaporated cane juice, and cocoa butter, with no added emulsifier or flavoring. The 1.75 ounce bar was scored into four large pieces, with alternating imprints of the company name and a stylized branch with a cacao pod.

Inside a paper sleeve, the bar came wrapped in black-sided foil. There was neither a production date nor a best before date for the chocolate we reviewed.

The chocolate had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The surface was smooth with some bubbles, and the sheen was uneven. The bar had a medium hard snap.

The aroma included a smoky roast, a red berry fruit, and a molasses sweetness. Lindy also described one scent as that of a fruity red wine.

The taste of Benjamin's 76% Blend contained the smoky roast from the aroma. Other flavors we tasted were wood, fruit in the form of berry and a hint of citrus, and sweetness. A tannin flavor also grew from slight to strong.

This chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was strongly tannin.

You can purchase Benjamin's 76% Blend online for $5.00 directly from Snake & Butterfly for delivery to the continental U.S. or Canada.