Last night the International Chocolate Awards published the 2014 winners of the Americas semi-finals. Here are the unflavored dark chocolate bar winners. There were many winners "due to the exceptionally high number of entries and overall standard". National awards were given "where there were a significant number of entries from one country within the category".
Americas
GOLD: Pacari Tangara 70%
SILVER: Pacari Piura 70%
SILVER: Pacari Raw 70%
SILVER: SOMA Peru Nacional
SILVER: Franceschi Rio Caribe 60% 2014 crop
SILVER: Cacaosuyo Lakuna
SILVER: It's Chocolate Venezuelan Chuao 70%
SILVER: Franceschi Ocumare 70% 2014 crop
SILVER: Pacari Lacumbia 70%
SILVER: Pacari Montubia 70%
SILVER: Madre Healani Orchards, Hawi, Hawaii, Criollo
SILVER: Pacari Nube 70%
BRONZE: Franceschi Sur Del Lago 60% 2014 crop
BRONZE: Amano Chuao
BRONZE: Hummingbird Hispaniola
BRONZE: Pacari Garua 70%
BRONZE: Chocolat Madagascar Fine Dark 65%
BRONZE: Amano Montanya
BRONZE: Potomac Upala, Costa Rica 70%
High Percentage
GOLD: Marou Tan Phu Dong 85% La Grande Epicerie de Paris
SILVER: Pacari Raw 85%
SILVER: Chocolat Madagascar Fine Dark 85%
BRONZE: Pacari Raw 100%
BRONZE: Cicada 99% Madagascan
Rough Ground
GOLD: Taza Cacao Puro
SILVER: SOMA Old School
National
CANADA GOLD: SOMA Peru Nacional
UNITED STATES GOLD: It's Chocolate Venezuelan Chuao 70%
VENEZUELA GOLD: Franceschi Rio Caribe 60% 2014 crop
UNITED STATES SILVER: Madre Healani Orchards, Hawi, Hawaii, Criollo
UNITED STATES SILVER: Amano Chuao
UNITED STATES SILVER: Amano Montanya
UNITED STATES SILVER: Potomac Upala, Costa Rica 70%
UNITED STATES SILVER: Dandelion Ambanja, Madagascar 70%
National Rough Ground
UNITED STATES GOLD: Taza Cacao Puro
Showing posts with label Madre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madre. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Northwest Chocolate Festival 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.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Review: Madre Kona, Hawai'i, Likao Kula Farm
Richard's Rating: 7.0
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The ingredients of this chocolate were cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, and Hawaiian whole vanilla. Cocoa solids were 70%.
The bar was formed in Madre's standard mold: an unscored 1.5 ounces of chocolate, with raised shapes and Mayan glyph imprints.
It came wrapped in silver foil inside a paper sleeve. The best before date was September 17, 2014.
The color of Kona was medium-dark Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The surface of the bar had an uneven sheen, but the appearance was much better than the photo suggests. The snap was medium hard.
The chocolate had an aroma containing fruit, roast, a vanilla spice, and sweetness. The fruit scents included both berry and orange. The roast seemed to be a mix of cocoa, tea, and tobacco. The sweetness smelled of honey.
A brief initial taste of earth quickly transitioned into mixed fruit flavors and a butterscotch sweetness. Mango and orange were the strongest of the fruit flavors I noticed.
Kona had a more smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted 60 to 70 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a long length. The final aftertaste was acidic and slightly tart.
Limited edition Kona, Hawai'i, Likao Kula Farm was another great chocolate from Madre. You can purchase it online for $11.00 directly from Madre's Square shopping site.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Review: Madre Hawi, Hawai'i criollo
Richard's Rating: 8.0
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Hawi contained 70% cocoa solids (organic cacao beans and added organic cocoa butter). The other ingredients were organic sugar and Mexican whole vanilla.
The 1.5 ounce bar was unscored, with raised shapes and imprints of Mayan glyphs interpreted as "ka-ka-u-wa" for cacao. You can read more about these glyphs in The History of Chocolate in Our Logo section of Madre's About Us page.
The bar came wrapped in foil inside a paper sleeve. The best before date on the bar was September 14, 2014.
This chocolate had a remarkably light brown Tortoise Shell (PANTONE 19-1241) color. This is the first time I've seen this particular color of chocolate. The snap was slightly less crisp than most other bars, just into the medium hard range.
Hawi's aroma had both familiar scents of marshmallow sweetness and cocoa roast and uncommon ones of tropical fruit and dates. I also smelled nut and some spice that included clove.
The taste was much sweeter than I expected from 70% cocoa solids. The flavor categories I noticed were roast, fruit, and spice. The roast tasted primarily of cocoa. The fruit was a mix of dried fruits: mostly fig, with some raisin and date. The spices included mint, vanilla, and anise.
The melt was on the boundary between more smooth and creamy. The chocolate had incredible length, with the chocolate flavor consistently lasting more than 60 seconds after the chocolate was gone. Only five of the chocolates in my chocolate review database (of nearly 300 bars) have a length of 60 seconds or longer. The finish was somewhat acidic and slightly tannin.
Overall, this was a great chocolate, with interesting secondary flavors, excellent mouthfeel, and superb length, earning a place on our Best Chocolates Overall. UPDATE: You can again purchase Hawi online for $11.00 directly from Madre's Square shopping site.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Review: Madre Hamakua pod-to-bar
Richard's Rating: 7.0
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Most chocolate makers begin with cacao beans shipped to them from far away, often several months after the cacao has been fermented and dried near where it was grown. Madre is actively involved in the fermentation of the cacao they purchase from local Hawaiian farmers.
The cacao for Hamakua pod-to-bar chocolate was grown on the northeast side of the Big Island. The other ingredients were organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, and Hawaiian whole vanilla.
The unscored bar weighed 1.5 ounces. I tasted this chocolate in early January. The best before date on the bar was August 19, 2014.
Hamakua had a medium brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314) color. The bar was smooth with raised shapes and image imprints. Some fine bubbles were present. The bar had a hard snap.
The aroma was a sweet marshmallow and cocoa roast. I smelled vanilla, coconut, and apricot scents.
The chocolate tasted sweet, fruity, and roasted. The fruit flavors were tropical, with a non-citrus pineapple being the strongest one. The sweetness seemed to be marshmallow, and the roast was primarily cocoa. More subtle flavors included floral, nut, wood, and a surprising hint of mint.
The melt of Hamakua was more smooth, almost creamy. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 30 to 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and somewhat acidic.
Unfortunately, this limited edition chocolate is not currently available for purchase.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Review: Madre Hawaiian Dark 70%
Lindy's Rating: 7.0
Richard's Rating: 7.0
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Hawaii is the only area of the United States capable of growing cacao, and Madre's Hawaiian chocolate was made from Trinitario cacao beans grown at the Alai Estate near Papaikou on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaiian had 70% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter) plus added sugar and Mexican vanilla. Although their chocolate was not certified, their cacao beans, sugar, and cocoa butter were organic and Madre paid fair trade prices.
The small 1.5 ounce bar was not scored, but had raised shapes and image imprints that visually split the bar into roughly 5 pieces. It came wrapped in silver foil inside a paper sleeve. The wrapper was stamped with cacao of Hawaiian Crown and a batch of October 17, 2012 (the best before date).
Hawaiian had a medium-dark brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The surface was smooth and looked great other than a barely noticeable uneven sheen. The bar had a hard snap.
The lovely aroma contained tropical fruits, including pineapple and coconut, roast with just a hint of smoke, a marshmallow sweetness, and some vanilla. The combination of scents was compelling.
The chocolate tasted of tropical fruit as well, with pineapple clearly present. Other flavors included roast, sweet, tannin, and acidic. The taste was good, but somewhat disappointing after that aroma.
Hawaiian had a melt that was more smooth. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted 20 to 25 seconds, giving a medium length. The finish was somewhat tannin.
You can purchase Hawaiian online for $8.00 directly from Madre, and they ship to over 20 countries.
In addition, if you live near Seattle, you can taste this chocolate on Thursday March 1st between 5 and 9 p.m. at Chocolopolis, where their free weekly Thursday happy hour chocolate tasting will be of Hawaiian chocolates this week.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival October 22-23 in Seattle
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!
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