Review: Dick Taylor Bolivia

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Bolivia region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture imprint, smooth aroma earth (soil), roast (malt, smoke), sweet snap hard taste earth, roast (malt), sweet, nut, fruit, bitter melt smooth length medium finish bitter, slightly sour

Dick Taylor has been crafting bean to bar chocolate in small batches since 2010. They currently make chocolate from four origins: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar. In addition, they sell a few flavored bars, such as Black Fig, Fleur de Sel, and Maple Coconut.

Bolivia was made from 75% organic cacao beans and 25% organic cane sugar. The bar was not certified organic. The cacao beans were from a small lot of Rio Bene Wild Harvest (cacao beniano) sourced from John Nanci of Chocolate Alchemy.

Dick Taylor has an extremely detailed chocolate mold, as you can see in the photo of the bar above. The bar came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside an outer paper wrapper that was sealed on the back with a large product sticker. The best before date was September 2013.

The color of Bolivia was a dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The top surface was smooth, with just a few bits of adhered chocolate. The snap was hard.

Bolivia smelled primarily of earth and roast. The earthiness seemed to be a rich soil scent. The roast was mostly malt, with a little smokiness. The aroma also revealed sweetness.

The chocolate tasted of earth, roast, and sweetness as well. The roast contained malt. Along with those flavors were nut, fruit, and bitter.

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

The Bolivia bar is not currently for sale from Dick Taylor, but you can purchase it for $8.95 from The Meadow.