Review: Dick Taylor Dominican Finca Elvesia

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Dominican Finca Elvesia region Dominican Republic plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 74% 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 appearance imprint, smooth, uneven sheen aroma earth (must), roast (tobacco), dried fruit (prune) snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), fruit (plum, grapefruit, lime, raisin), sour, tannin melt more smooth length medium finish tannin, acidic, somewhat sour

U.S. bean to bar chocolate makers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor craft chocolate in their factory in Arcata, California. Dick Taylor makes all of their unflavored chocolate from only two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar.

The 74% cocoa solids were entirely cacao beans. Although Dominican Finca Elvesia was not certified, both ingredients were organic.

The unscored two ounce bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper envelope. The best before date was August 2014 and the batch number was 13246.

Even with its extremely detailed imprint, this chocolate had a smooth surface and was remarkably nearly free of bubbles. The sheen was uneven in a few spots. The chocolate had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The snap was hard.

The aroma of Dominican Finca Elvesia contained scents of musty earth, tobacco roast, and dried fruit. The dried fruit scent smelled primarily of prune.

This chocolate tasted of earth, roast, and fruit. It began primarily as earth, but the flavor of tea with strong tannin came forth fairly quickly. The fruit flavors developed more slowly, and revealed themselves as plum, raisin, and a sour citrus that seemed to be a combination of grapefruit and lime.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length that was nearly long. The final aftertaste was tannin, acidic, and somewhat sour.

You can purchase Dominican Finca Elvesia online for $8.00 directly from Dick Taylor or for $7.49 from Caputo's.