Northwest Chocolate Festival Awards

The awards were announced Friday night for the 2014 Northwest Chocolate Festival. There were three judged categories (Single Origin, Milk Chocolate and Inclusions) and three non-judged awards.

In the judged Single Origin category, the winners were:

• BEST OVERALL: Marou Lam Dong 74% (Vietnam)
• BEST OVERALL: Marou Treasure Island 3/4 Cacao (Vietnam)
• GOLD: French Broad Nicaragua 68%
• SILVER: Dandelion Butuo, Liberia 70%
• BRONZE: Lillie Belle Farms Perfect Illusion 65% (Peru)

In the judged Milk Chocolate category, the winner was:

• GOLD: Fruition Marañón 68%

In the judged Inclusions (flavored chocolate) category, the winners were:

• GOLD: Madre Coconut Milk and Carmelized Ginger 55%
• SILVER: Manoa Breakfast Bar 60%
• BRONZE: Chocolate Naive Tahini and Sesame

They also gave out non-judged awards:

• Lifetime Achievement: Chloe Doutre-Roussel of Chloe Chocolat
• Mott Green Sustainability: Gillian Goddard of Sun Eaters Organics
• Innovation in Flavor: Chocolate Naive for their Dark Chocolate with Forest Honey

You can still buy tickets at the door for this weekend ($30 for a day pass) at Pier 66 (the Bell Harbor Center) in Seattle.

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.

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.

Review: Lillie Belle Farms Dark Star 80%

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Lillie Belle Farms bar Dark Star 80% region Dominican Republic, Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 77g ~ 2.7oz cocoa solids 80% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, relief, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma earth (musty), fruit (plum, berry), roast, sweet snap hard taste sour, roast (cocoa), fruit (prune, berry), nut, sweet (honey), tannin melt smooth length medium finish acidic, slightly bitter, slightly sour

Jeff Shephard is the amazingly creative and passionate chocolate maker (and painter, sculptor, musician, and all-around artist) behind Lillie Belle Farms. The name comes from his daughter Lillie and wife Belle.

Jeff started the company more than a decade ago, selling truffles locally in Oregon. Although known for their other chocolates, Lillie Belle began making bean to bar chocolate for sale in 2010. In addition to flavored bars such as his intense chili-infused Do Not Eat This Chocolate bar, Jeff makes unflavored chocolate as well. Other bars we've reviewed include Perfect Illusion 65% and Purple Haze 75%

Dark Star 80% was inspired by the Grateful Dead song. It was crafted with a mix of cacao from the Dominican Republic (sourced via La Red) and Peru (sourced via CEPICAFE).

The ingredients were 80% organic cacao beans with added sugar and organic vanilla beans. The 2.7 ounce bar came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside a paper wrapper. There was no production or best before date on the bar I purchased at the Northwest Chocolate Festival.

Dark Star had a medium brown Dark Brown color (PANTONE 19-1012). The surface had a matte finish on top and smooth underside, with a relief of "Lillie Belle Farms" and two flowers. The sheen was somewhat uneven and there were some bubbles. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma contained earth, fruit, and roast scents. The earth was musty, and the fruit scent included plum and berry. It also smelled sweet to me.

The chocolate had a heavy roast and tasted sour. I noticed fruit flavors of prune and berry. There was nuttiness as well as a sweetness in the form of honey. Tannin was also present.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat acidic, slightly bitter and slightly sour.

You can purchase Dark Star 80% online directly from Lillie Belle Farms for $8.00.

2012 Good Food Awards for Chocolate

This weekend the Good Food Awards announced their winners for 2012. The following won awards in the chocolate category:

Amano Guayas
Dandelion Costa Rica
Escazu Costa Rica
Fresco 214
Lillie Belle Farms Perfect Illusion
Patric Signature 70%
Rogue Sambirano
Theo Theo and Jane Goodall 70%

The links above go directly to our associated detailed chocolate bar review.