Review: Divine 70% Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker Divine bar 70% Dark region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, lined, scuffing aroma roast (tobacco), earth, spice, vanilla, coconut snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa, hint of tobacco), sweet (molasses), vanilla, fruit, hint of earth melt smooth length short finish very slightly bitter

Divine Chocolate is part-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative of cacao farmers in Ghana. They make fair trade chocolate and two unflavored dark chocolate bars: 85% Dark and this one: 70% Dark. Both are single origin chocolates made with cacao from Ghana.

This chocolate contained 70% cocoa solids and had ingredients of cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla. The 100 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, each imprinted with horizontal and vertical lines separated in half with a diagonal line. It came enclosed in brass-colored foil inside a black paper wrapper covered with gold Adinkra symbols. The best before date was February 2013.

70% Dark had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth with some scuffing. The snap was medium hard.

The aroma of this chocolate was a tobacco roast with earth. Scents of spice, vanilla, and coconut were also present.

The chocolate tasted of a cocoa roast, with little of the tobacco or earthiness of the aroma. There was a sweet molasses flavor as well as vanilla and some fruit I didn't identify.

70% Dark had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted about 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was very slightly bitter.

Overall, 70% Dark was superior to 85% Dark, lacking the bitter flavor and much of the bitter aftertaste. It's one of the better chocolates at the $1.25 per ounce and under price points, as you can see on our Best Chocolate Values page.

You can purchase 70% Dark for $3.99 in the U.S. directly from Divine USA or for £2.00 in the U.K. directly from Divine.

Review: Divine 85% Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Divine bar 85% Dark region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients cocoa powder list price $3.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture smooth, imprints, scoring aroma roast (coffee), vanilla, earth, spice, coconut snap hard taste roast (coffee, cocoa), earth, nut, somewhat bitter melt smooth length short finish bitter

Kuapa Kokoo is a cooperative of cacao farmers in Ghana that helped establish the Day Chocolate Company in 1998 to make a fair trade chocolate bar from their cacao. In 2007, Day Chocolate became Divine Chocolate. Kuapa Kokoo owns 45% of Divine Chocolate. You can read more about the interesting history of this company on their website.

Divine makes two single origin unflavored dark chocolate bars: 70% Dark and 85% Dark. 85% Dark obviously contained 85% cocoa solids, and was made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, and vanilla. Note the addition of cocoa powder to this chocolate.

The full 100 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, each with either an imprint of the stylized Divine name or an Adinkra symbol. It came enclosed in brass-colored foil inside a black paper wrapper with reflective Adinkra symbols. The best before date was April 2013.

The medium-dark brown color of this chocolate was Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The surface was smooth with some spots of adhered chocolate bits. The snap was hard.

The aroma of 85% Dark contained scents of a coffee roast, vanilla, earth, spice, and coconut.

85% Dark tasted primarily of a coffee and cocoa roast. Flavors of earth and nut were present. I also found it somewhat bitter.

The melt was smooth, though towards less smooth. The length was short, with the flavor lasting 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone and leaving a bitter aftertaste.

You can purchase 85% Dark for $3.99 in the U.S. directly from Divine USA or for £2.00 in the U.K. directly from Divine.

Event: New York Chocolate Show November 10-13

The 14th annual New York Chocolate Show runs Thursday, November 10th, through Sunday, November 13th, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (closing early on Sunday at 6 p.m.) It is the largest chocolate event in the U.S., and already has at least 48 exhibitors (on the list at the time I wrote this), including Michel Cluizel, Divine, Grenada, Guittard, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona.

In addition to the many chocolate companies, the New York Chocolate Show also includes cooking demonstrations in two theaters, book signings, and activites for kids. They have not yet posted the 2011 information, but you can get an idea from the 2010 information, and check those links closer to the event for updated information.

You may want to wait to purchase tickets until the 2011 schedules are published so you can attend on a day that has more events that interest you.

There will also be special events, but only the Broadway theme fashion show (separate $150 admission on Wednesday, November 9th, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.) has been posted at this time.

Tickets (Enter our FREE TICKETS GIVEAWAY)
Advance tickets cost $30 for Thursday, Friday, or Sunday admission; $35 for Saturday. They can be purchased online at Eventbrite. I do not know any discount codes at present, but if you find one, please post a comment to share it with other readers. Thanks!

At the door, tickets cost $35 for Thu, Fri, or Sun; $40 for Sat. Children ages 5 to 12 enter free (up to 2 per adult ticket); additional child tickets cost $8 (not available in advance). Kids 4 and under enter free. Groups of 20 or more can arrange reduced ticket prices ($25 for Thu, Fri, or Sun; $30 for Sat) by emailing boxoffice@chocolateshow.com.

In any case, due to the expected high turnout, I recommend buying tickets in advance rather than waiting in line at the door.

Location
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival October 22-23 in Seattle

The Northwest Chocolate Festival (NWCF) will be held in Seattle next month, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day during the weekend of October 22nd and 23rd. Nearly all of the festival will take place in the Northwest Rooms of Seattle Center (305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109). The theme of the weekend is Taste, Learn, and Celebrate.

Tasting includes not only an amazing selection of chocolate (from at least 17 chocolate makers, including: Amano, Chocolate Conspiracy, Divine, Escazú, Fresco, Indahphoria, Kallari, Lillie Belle Farms, Madécasse, Madre, Mindo, Olive & Sinclair, Rogue, Snake & Butterfly, Stirs the Soul, Taza, and Theo), but also chocolate desserts and even drink pairings.

Learning includes a huge variety of more than 70 classes about farming cacao, trade equity, crafting chocolate from the bean, single origin chocolate, tempering chocolate, pairing chocolate, health benefits, etc. For an additional $8 [$10 at the door] and attending 5 classes, NWCF is offering their Chocolate Academy "Masters in Chocolate Level 1" certificate, which also includes Chocolate Academy membership. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, discounts on tickets to future festivals, and invitations to special chocolate events at partner businesses.

Celebrating is highlighted by Saturday night's Chocolate Masquerade Ball at Sole Repair (1001 E. Pike St., Seattle WA 98122). This special event has separate admission. It starts at 8 p.m. with a Chocolate Dessert Showcase and Competition, with awards for the best desserts. At 10 p.m., there will be a Best Costume contest. Attire is black tie and/or masquerade.

You can read more about the entire weekend on their website: http://www.nwchocolate.com/.

In addition to these activities open to everyone, 100 VIP tickets are being sold that include full weekend passes, an exclusive "Meet the Maker" opening night reception of wine and chocolate, a VIP-only chocolate and pairing event, a complimentary drink flight in the Beer, Cider, Spirit and Wine Garden during the festival, the Chocolate Academy certificate described above, and a chance to win two tickets on Alaska Airlines.

You can purchase any of the following tickets in advance and pick up your non-transferable ticket at Will Call with photo identification:

• $37.50 full weekend pass [$40 at the door]
• $22.00 one day pass (age 13+) [$25 at the door]
• $6.50 one day youth pass (age 5 to 12)
• $89.00 VIP full weekend pass and more
• $42.50 chocolate masquerade ball [$50 at the door]

With so many bean-to-bar chocolate makers and great classes, the third annual Northwest Chocolate Festival might be the best chocolate event in the U.S. this year. If you will be in the Seattle area, you do not want to miss it. Lindy and I are attending, and we hope you'll be able to get there, too!

Review: Divine 70% Dark

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Divine bar 70% Dark region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.60

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture lined with scoring aroma vanilla, floral snap medium-hard taste vanilla, molasses or brown sugar melt smooth length short finish very slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Divine 70% Dark

Divine Chocolate is 45% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative of Ghana cacao farmers. All of their chocolate products are fair trade certified. You can read more about Divine Chocolate, its interesting history, and their fair trade chocolate on their website. Divine makes several chocolate bars and other chocolate products, but the 70% Dark is their only unflavored dark chocolate.

The Divine 70% Dark bar gave off an immediate aroma of vanilla, with an added floral scent. Lindy also noticed some sort of spice, perhaps clove. This chocolate also tasted strongly of vanilla and sweetness. Lindy experienced the sweetness as molasses; I did as brown sugar.

The melt was smooth, though for me it was a bit less smooth. The flavor of the chocolate disappeared quickly, lasting just long enough to give it a length of short rather than minimal. The finish was minimal, with just a very slight bitter aftertaste.

Divine 70% Dark is available online directly from Divine at the price of 3 bars for $10.79, as well as at over 1100 retail stores in the U.S. and hundreds in the U.K., Canada, Europe and Japan. You can use Divine's StoreFinder application to find a retail outlet in the U.S.