Review: Dandelion Colombia

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Colombia region Colombia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, imprints, adhered bits aroma dried fruit (apricot), roast (cocoa), earth snap medium hard taste sweet, roast (cocoa, coffee), fruit, spice, acidic, nut melt more smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly sour

As you can see from the label above, I was fortunate enough to get a bar from the first batch that Dandelion released made with single origin cacao beans from the 2011 harvest in the Santander region of Colombia. The back sticker was initialed by Cameron Ring for the batch and Chiann Tsui for the packaging.

As with all chocolate made by this San Francisco chocolate maker, Colombia was made with 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar, and nothing else. The two ounce bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with five parallel squiggles. It came wrapped in heavy gold-sided foil inside patterned outer craft paper sealed closed with the back sticker. There was no production date or best before date, but the bar was made in 2011.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. In spite of the bar arriving broken (along the 2nd from the left vertical scoring line), the surface was smooth and was not noticeably scuffed. There were some chocolate bits adhered to it and a few minuscule bubbles, but overall the bar looked great. The snap was medium hard.

Colombia gave off an aroma of fruit, roast, and earth. The fruit smelled of apricot and a melange of other dried fruit. The roast had a cocoa scent.

The taste was sweet, with a cocoa and coffee roast. Other flavors included fruit, spice, and nut. The taste of this chocolate was noticeably acidic.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted between 20 and 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish remained somewhat acidic, with a slight sourness.

Overall, while not as remarkable as its Upala Costa Rica or Sambirano Madagascar bars, Colombia was another good chocolate from Dandelion.

You can purchase Colombia online directly from Dandelion for $8.00, or if you would like to combine the purchase with other brands, from Chocolopolis for $8.99.