Review: Dandelion Elvesia, Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Elvesia region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 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 brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, glossy, scoring, imprints, adhered bits aroma earth, roast (smoke, tobacco), fruit (prune) snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), fruit (plum, cherry), sweet, tannin, hint of sour melt more smooth length medium finish tannin

Elvesia is Dandelion's single origin bean to bar chocolate made with cacao from Jo Locandro's "Swiss Farm" in the Dominican Republic. Dandelion crafts all of their chocolate using 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar in a nut-free facility.

This chocolate was formed into the standard Dandelion shape: a bar scored into 18 pieces, each with an imprint of five parallel squiggles. It came wrapped in nice, heavy gold-sided foil inside craft paper. A sticker on the back indicated that the batch (the first of Elvesia) was made by CR (Cam Ring). There was no production or best before date, but the beans were from 2011 harvest and the bar was made in 2012.

Elvesia had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The top surface was smooth and glossy, with a few adhered bits. The snap was hard.

The chocolate had an aroma of earth, roast and fruit. The roast contained both smoke and tobacco scents. The fruit scent seemed closest to prune.

The taste began with earthy and roast flavors. The roast came in the form of black tea. Fruit soon developed, a powerful plum flavor with some cherry in the background. Sweetness grew, with tannin and a hint of sourness.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. Afterwards, I was left with a tannin finish.

You can usually purchase Dandelion Elvesia, Dominican Republic online for $8.00 directly from Dandelion, but they are currently sold out. You can also buy it for $8.99 from Chocolopolis.