Review: Kallari SACHA Sinchi Supreme 85%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Kallari bar SACHA Sinchi Supreme region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2013 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa, smoke), sweet (marshmallow), earth, floral snap medium taste earth, roast (tea), sour, tannin, licorice, fruit (passion fruit) melt smooth length medium finish acidic, tannin, sour

In addition to their original three unflavored chocolate bars (85% Cacao, 75% Cacao, and 70% Cacao), Kallari produces three unflavored bars in their artisan hand-tempered SACHA line of (typically flavored) chocolate.

Sinchi means "strong" in Kichwa (the native language of the Ecuador families that make up the Kallari cooperative). Sinchi Supreme was originally released as Diego's Decadence (which was named after coordinator Diego Grega). The other two unflavored SACHA bars we'll review are Roberto's Recipe 75% and Sisa's Secret 70%.

As with all of their bars, Kallari made this chocolate from tree to bar beginning with local organic Ecuador cacao. Sinchi Supreme contained 85% cocoa solids (organic cacao beans plus added cocoa butter), raw cane sugar, and vanilla.

Inside a paper box, Sinchi Supreme came enclosed in a silver plastic wrapper. The 50 gram bar was scored into 15 pieces. The production and best before dates stamped on the box were difficult to read, but I believe they were January 18, 2013, and January 18, 2014, respectively.

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth with an uneven sheen (though not as dramatic as it appears in the photo above, which over-emphasizes the sheen differences). There were bubbles in a few of the corners.

The bar had a softer than typical medium snap. Opening the wrapper was a treat in itself, with the revelation of a wonderful rich, deep cocoa aroma. That aroma also included a smoke roast, marshmallow sweetness, earth, and floral scents. In addition, I thought I smelled just a hint of alcohol.

The taste began with an earthy and floral flavor that transitioned into a sour and tannin tea roast. I tasted licorice and a fruit flavor that reminded me of passion fruit.

Sinchi Supreme had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted about 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was acidic, tannin, and sour.

Overall, I liked this chocolate much more than Kallari's original 85% Cacao bar, especially its enticing aroma.

You can purchase SACHA Sinchi Supreme 85% online for $5.25 from Chocosphere .

Review: Lillie Belle Farms Perfect Illusion 65%

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Lillie Belle Farms bar Perfect Illusion 65% region Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 77g ~ 2.7oz cocoa solids 65% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth, relief, bubbles aroma floral, earth, spice snap hard taste floral, sweet (caramel), nut (cashew), fruit (blueberry), earth, roast (cocoa) melt smooth length short finish tannin, somewhat acidic, somewhat sour

Lillie Belle Farms crafts a delicious collection of chocolate products and a few years ago began making bean to bar chocolate. In addition to Dark Star 80% and Purple Haze 75%, maker Jeff Shephard created Perfect Illusion 65%.

Perfect Illusion was made with certified fair trade and organic cacao from Peru. Although Jeff won't reveal the exact source of these cacao beans, he described them as "white beans", so presumably they are the Porcelana-like variety that has been found in Peru. The only other ingredient in this pure chocolate was sugar.

Inside a paper wrapper, the unscored 2.7 ounce bar came wrapped in gold-sided-foil. There was no production or best before date on the wrapper. Note that this bar was purchased at the Northwest Chocolate Festival.

Perfect Illusion had a light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The top surface had the "Lillie Belle Farms" and two flower relief on a matte finish. The relief had several small bubbles. The bar had a hard snap. The aroma of the chocolate contained scents of flowers, earth, and spice.

The initial taste was floral, followed quickly by a caramel sweetness. I tasted flavors of nut in the form of cashew and of fruit in the form of blueberry. Also present were earthiness and a cocoa roast flavor.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was tannin, somewhat acidic, and somewhat sour.

Although it was sweeter than I prefer, with it's interesting caramel, blueberry, and cashew flavor, I liked Perfect Illusion most among the chocolate bars from Lillie Belle Farms. You can now find it on our Best Chocolates Overall page.

In 2012, this chocolate won a Good Foods Award. You can purchase Perfect Illusion 65% online directly from Lillie Belle Farms for $8.00 or from Chocolopolis for $7.99.

Sale: Ghirardelli chocolate bars for $1.50 at Fred Meyer

Fred Meyer has a coupon in this week's weekly ad to buy Ghirardelli chocolate bars for $1.50 each (for up to 4). The sale runs June 23 through June 29, and weekly ads are almost always available at store entrances to get a coupon (not available online).

Review: Lillie Belle Farms Purple Haze 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Lillie Belle Farms bar Purple Haze 75% region Dominican Republic, Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 77g ~ 2.7oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, relief, bubbles aroma roast (smoke), wood, earth (yeast), dairy, spice snap hard taste earth, sour, roast (cocoa, malt), sweet, fruit (apple, cantaloupe), spice, astringent, tannin melt smooth length medium finish acidic, somewhat sour, somewhat tannin

Purple Haze 75%, named for the Jimi Hendrix song, is another unflavored bean to bar chocolate made by Jeff Shephard of Lillie Belle Farms. You can also read our reviews of other bars: Perfect Illusion 65% and Dark Star 80%.

This chocolate was crafted with a blend of cacao from different origins, in this case the Dominican Republic and the Sur del Lago region of Venezuela. It was made from only two ingredients: cacao beans and sugar.

The 2.7 ounce bar came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside a paper wrapper. As with the Dark Star bar, I purchased this Purple Haze bar at the Northwest Chocolate Festival. There was no production or best before date on the wrapper.

The color of Purple Haze was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The top surface had a relief of "Lillie Belle Farms" and two flowers on a matte finish; the bottom was generally smooth. The relief had several small bubbles, particularly in the "FARMS" text. The bar had a hard snap.

The chocolate gave off a roast, woody and earthy aroma. The roast was smoky and the earth was yeasty. I also smelled scents of dairy and spice, but was unable to further clarify them.

Purple Haze started off tasting of earth and roast as well: a sour earthiness along with cocoa and malt roast flavors. Along with a building sweetness, I tasted a subtle fruit flavor that seemed to be mostly apple with a touch of cantaloupe. A spice flavor was also present, along with some astringency and tannin.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. The finish was acidic, somewhat sour, and somewhat tannin.

You can purchase Purple Haze 75% online directly from Lillie Belle Farms for $8.00.

News: Mott Green Died

Mott Green, the remarkable man behind The Grenada Chocolate Company, died earlier this month from electrocution while working on his solar-powered chocolate cooling equipment. You can read his obituary at the New York Times.

I'm going to honor his passing by eating one of each of his chocolate bars. If you'd like to have a bar in his honor as well, you can purchase them online for $4.75 each from Chocosphere.