Review: Rogue Silvestre

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Rogue bar Silvestre region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $13.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, uneven sheen aroma earth, roast, floral (jasmine), fruit, nut snap hard taste earth, fruit (plum, citrus), nut, roast (cocoa) melt smooth length medium finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour

U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker Rogue Chocolatier regularly makes three single origin bars: Hispaniola from the Dominican Republic cacao, Rio Caribe from Venezuelan cacao, and Sambirano from Madagascar cacao. Founder and chocolate maker Colin Gasko also crafts two limited edition bars: Piura from Peruvian cacao and Silvestre. The cacao beans used in Silvestre came from wild cacao trees that grow along the Rio Beni in Bolivia.

All of Colin's chocolates use only two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar, with no added cocoa butter, emulsifier, or flavoring. Silvestre contained 75% cacao beans and 25% cane sugar. The 60 gram bar came enclosed in plastic inside a heavy white paper envelope. The production date was 23 April 2012 and identified as batch 5. The best before date was April 2013.

Silvestre had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth and glossy. There was some unevenness in the sheen where the chocolate was poured. The bar was a single unscored slab and had a hard snap.

The strongest scent was that of earth, but the aroma included roast, floral, fruit and nut as well. The floral scent seemed to be that of jasmine.

After an initial earthy taste, fruit flavors of plum and citrus revealed themselves. I also tasted nuttiness and roast in the form of cocoa.

The wrapper described Silvestre as plum, jasmine, and banana, but I didn't experience any banana in the aroma or the taste.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat bitter and slightly sour.

You can purchase Silvestre online for $13.00 directly from Rogue or for $11.99 from Chocolopolis.

Help Rogue improve its chocolate

One of our favorite chocolate makers, Colin Gasko of Rogue Chocolatier, is raising money to purchase some equipment. With it, they will begin producing chocolate using a new technique that solves two major issues with crafting dark chocolate: milling evenly and conching consistently. The process should improve the flavor, aroma, and texture of his already excellent chocolate, as well as increase their capacity by about 50%.

Colin crafts his bean to bar chocolate bars from only single origin cacao and cane sugar. He currently makes four bars: Hispaniola (Dominican Republic; Lindy rated it 10.0!), Sambirano (Madagascar), Rio Caribe (Venezuela), and Silvestre (Bolivia). The limited edition Piura (Peru) is not currently available, but you will receive four of them (along with four other bars from the first batch using the new method) with a pledge of $100 or more.

Rogue is collecting donations on Kickstarter, and giving chocolate bars and other perks in return. For $125 or more, you will also receive invitations to one of the six release parties (I've pledged and will be attending the one at Chocolopolis in Seattle). However, he has to raise $20,000 by August 12th for it to happen, so be sure to pledge soon if you're interested.

Review: Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic 72% Belgian

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Fair Trade Organic 72% Belgian region (blend) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $1.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, slight scuffing, slight adhered bits aroma roast, earth, sweet (molasses), nut snap hard taste roast (cocoa), ashy, nut, fruit (berry), sweet (brown sugar) melt smooth length short finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour, slightly acidic

Trader Joe's doesn't reveal which chocolate maker crafts this chocolate bar for them. Fair Trade Organic 72% Belgian was socially responsible and fair trade certified by IMO and USDA certified organic by QAI.

The chocolate was made from cocoa mass, cane sugar, and cocoa butter. Cocoa solids made up 72% of the bar. The 100 gram bar came wrapped in foil inside a paper box. The best before date was August 2013.

The color was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth, with minimal scuffing and a few adhered bits of chocolate. The bar was scored into eight large pieces. The snap was hard.

The aroma contained scents of roast, earth, sweetness, and nut. The sweetness smelled similar to molasses.

The chocolate tasted of a cocoa roast, along with flavors of nut and a berry fruit. The taste was ashy with a sweetness that reminded me of brown sugar.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was somewhat bitter, with slight sourness and acidity.

Trader Joe's sells this bar in their stores for only $1.99. It's another good inexpensive chocolate, and worth checking out along with their Swiss 72% and Dark Chocolate Lover's.

Review: Chocolove Extra Strong Dark 77%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Extra Strong Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 90g ~ 3.2oz cocoa solids 77% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.09

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, scuffing, adhered bits aroma earth, roast (coffee, tobacco), floral snap hard taste roast (cocoa, coffee), earth, sour, fruit, bitter, hint of ash melt smooth length medium finish bitter, slightly sour

U.S. chocolatier Timothy Moley started Chocolove ten years ago and now produces more than 20 different Belgian chocolate bars. Most bars are flavored, and they vary in cocoa content from 33% to 77%. This review is for their unflavored chocolate bar with 77% cocoa solids: Extra Strong Dark.

The chocolate was made from cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. The liquor came from a blend of African and Caribbean cacao beans.

Each Chocolove wrapper is intended to represent a love letter, and inside each is a love poem. The poem of Extra Strong Dark was the beginning of Elegy 19: To His Mistress Going To Bed by John Donne. The substantial 90 gram bar itself was wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper. The best before date was October 2013.

The color of Extra Strong Dark was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth, with a little scuffing and some adhered bits of chocolate. The bar was scored, but not deeply enough for the chocolate to break cleanly on the scoring lines. The snap was hard.

Extra Strong Dark had a strong aroma of earth and roast, with some floral scent as well. The roast included both coffee and tobacco scents.

The chocolate tasted of roast and earth as well, but with cocoa and coffee flavors, and without the tobacco in the aroma. There was a fruit flavor I was unable to more specifically identify. I found the taste sour and bitter as well, and noticed a hint of ashiness.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. Extra Strong Dark had a bitter and slightly sour finish.

I was surprised by how much I liked this chocolate: it's one of the better bars priced under $1 per ounce, as you can see on our Best Chocolate Values page.

You can purchase Chocolove Extra Strong Dark online for $2.95 from Chocosphere.

Review: Daniel Les Origines Trinidad 65%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Les Origines Trinidad 65% region Trinidad plantation Oropucce cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 9g ~ 0.3oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, lined, imprint, bubbles aroma floral, fruit, earth, roast snap hard taste fruit (berry), sweet, earth, nut melt smooth length short finish somewhat tannin

This is the other chocolate I received from my friend Edward (thank you!) from Les Origines line of bars of Vancouver chocolatier Daniel le Chocolat Belge. Yesterday, we reviewed Sao Tome 70%; today, we'll review Trinidad 65%.

As you can see on their website, Daniel makes a large variety of chocolate confections (truffles, etc.). I do not know what chocolate maker they use for these bars.

Trinidad was made from Trinitario cacao beans from the Oropucce Plantation near the river of the same name in Trinidad. The ingredients of this chocolate were cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla. It contained 65% cocoa solids.

Each 9.4 gram bar was lined and imprinted with the word "Chocolette" (the spelling of which still strikes me as odd). It came wrapped in gold foil-sided waxed paper inside a paper sleeve, and six tiny separately wrapped bars were sold per single box. There was no production or best before date.

The chocolate had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface was smooth, though the sheen was slightly uneven on the outer rim. There were bubbles in the raised lettering, as well as on the bottom border. There was also a bit of extra chocolate hardened on the bar on the right edge. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma of Trinidad was floral, with additional scents of fruit, earth and roast.

The chocolate tasted of fruit that took me a while to identify as berry. A strong sweetness was present, along with more subtle earth and nut flavors.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was somewhat tannin.

After reviewing Trinidad, I compared it to another chocolate with the same origin, Bonnat Trinité, and although they were not similar, I had given them the same final rating. Overall, I slightly prefer Trinité, even with it bitterness.

There is no list price for individual chocolate bars, but the box of six tiny bars was priced at CA$5.45.

Review: Daniel Les Origines Sao Tome 70%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Les Origines Sao Tome 70% region São Tomé plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 9g ~ 0.3oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture smooth, lined, imprint, bubbles aroma roast (coffee, cocoa), spice (anise, clove), hint of sweet snap hard taste roast (coffee, cocoa), sweet, spice (anise), tannin melt smooth length short finish slightly bitter, slightly tannin

My friend Edward supplied me with two boxes of chocolate of Les Origines line of bars from Vancouver chocolatier Daniel le Chocolat Belge: Sao Tome 70% and Trinidad 65% (Thank you Edward!). Each box contained six tiny separately wrapped bars.

Daniel makes a large variety of chocolate confections (truffles, etc.), as you can see on their website. I do not know what chocolate maker they use for these bars.

Sao Tome was made from Forastero cacao beans from São Tomé. The ingredients were cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla, and the chocolate contained 70% cocoa solids.

Each 9.4 gram bar was lined and imprinted with the word "Chocolette" (which seems an odd spelling both for a Belgian chocolate maker and for residing in Canada). It came wrapped in gold foil-sided waxed paper inside a paper sleeve. There was no production or best before date.

The chocolate had a medium-dark Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314) color. The surface was smooth and looked good other than several bubbles in the raised lettering. The bar had a hard snap.

Sao Tome had a coffee roast aroma combined with a strong anise scent. The roast also contained some cocoa, and there was a subtler clove scent as well. In addition, it smelled slightly sweet to me.

The taste very much like the aroma: a coffee and cocoa roast along with sweetness and an anise spice flavor. I also experienced some tannin.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was very short, with the chocolate flavor lasting only 5 to 10 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was slightly bitter and slightly tannin.

There is no list price for individual chocolate bars, but the box of six tiny bars was priced at CA$5.55.

Review: Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85%

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Le Noir Extra Amer region Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown texture smooth, imprint, lines, scoring, scuffing aroma roast, earth, vanilla, nut, spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, roast (tobacco, coffee), bitter, fruit (citrus) melt smooth length short finish bitter, somewhat tannin

Le Noir Extra Amer is one of Valrhona's lower priced quality chocolate bars. It contains a blend of cacao, like that of Le Noir Amer we reviewed earlier, but has higher cacao content.

Le Noir Extra Amer contained 85% cocoa solids (beans plus added cocoa butter) and was made with cacao beans from Africa. The ingredients of this chocolate were cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla extract.

The large 100 gram bar was scored into eight big pieces, each imprinted with diagonal parallel lines. There was also a Valrhona imprint shared among four of the pieces. The bar came wrapped in brass-colored foil inside a paper wrapper. The lot number of the chocolate reviewed here was 11138 and the best before date was October 2012.

The color of the chocolate was a medium dark brown that was nearly dark brown and noticeably darker than Le Noir Amer. The bar looked good: the surface was smooth, with some minimal scuffing. The bar had a hard snap.

The chocolate had a roast and earthy aroma, with additional scents of vanilla, nut, spice, and fruit.

It tasted of earth and roast as well, with the roast consisting of both tobacco and coffee flavors. Bitterness was clearly present, along with a fruit flavor that included some citrus.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted about 15 to 20 seconds, giving it a short length. The final aftertaste was bitter and somewhat tannin.

There is no list price for this chocolate, but I purchased Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer at Trader Joe's for $2.99. As you can see on our Best Chocolate Values page, $0.85 per ounce is a bargain for this 85% chocolate bar.