Review: Stirs the Soul Honey Dark Chocolate

Lindy's Rating: 7.5

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Honey Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 84% added fat cocoa butter sweetener honey emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring aroma earth, floral, fruit (tropical), honey, spice snap medium hard taste sour, floral, fruit (pear), earth, roast, spice, dairy, hint of sweet melt less smooth to smooth length short finish slightly sour, slightly acidic, slightly tannin

Daren Hayes hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate as Stirs the Soul in Portland. His raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. He makes two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar), and three unflavored bars (Blissful Dark, Dark, and Honey Dark), each with a different low glycemic sweetener.

Honey Dark contained 84% cocoa solids (cacao beans and cocoa butter). The remaining 16% was local unfiltered honey from the Willamette Valley. All of the ingredients were raw and the cacao was organic and fair trade. The bar was not certified. As with his other unflavored blend chocolates, this tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in an orange-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 116, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Honey Dark is second from the left).

The color of the chocolate was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with a glossy top. The snap was medium hard.

Honey Dark's aroma included the now familiar earth, floral, fruit, and spice scents. There was an earthy honey scent as well. The fruit smelled to Lindy as a dried tropical fruit, and she described the earthy scent as wet.

To Lindy, the chocolate tasted sour at the start, followed by floral with a slight sweetness, roast, and dairy. I experienced the same sourness at the start, but it was combined with a pear fruit and earth flavors for me. After that, I tasted the floral with spice, earth, dairy, and a hint of sweetness.

The melt seemed less smooth to Lindy, though I felt it was smooth enough to qualify as smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was slightly sour and slightly acidic to me, and slightly tannin to Lindy.

Overall, Lindy enjoyed this raw chocolate more than roasted chocolates of similar percentage cocoa solids. This was another good raw chocolate from Stirs the Soul.

You can purchase Honey Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Blissful Dark Chocolate with dates

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Blissful Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 83% added fat cocoa butter sweetener dates emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring aroma earth, floral, spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, spice, fruit (date, raisin), tangy, acidic melt smooth length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Stirs the Soul hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate. Their raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. Rather than including cane sugar, chocolate maker Daren Hayes uses alternative low glycemic sweeteners (agave, date, honey, and coconut palm). He makes two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar), and three unflavored bars (Blissful Dark, Dark, and Honey Dark), each made with a different sweetener.

Blissful Dark was sweetened with dried dates. The remaining 83% consisted of cocoa solids: cacao beans and cocoa butter. All ingredients were organic and raw, though the chocolate was not certified. The tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in a teal-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 125, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Blissful Dark is on the left).

The chocolate had a color slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with a glossy top. It had a hard snap.

The aroma of Blissful Dark was close to that of Dark, with scents of earth, floral, spice, and fruit. The spice scent seemed slightly stronger.

Blissful Dark tasted similar to Dark, too, with earth, spice, and fruit flavors combined with a nice tanginess. The fruit flavor differed, though, and tasted like date and raisin (rather than the pear experienced with Dark). There some acidity as well.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The aftertaste was initially somewhat sour, but that dissipated, and then the finish was slightly acidic.

Overall, I may slightly prefer Dark's pear fruit flavor notes to that of Blissful Dark, but they are both good raw chocolates.

You can purchase Blissful Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Dark Chocolate with agave

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Dark Chocolate region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 84% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth, floral, fruit, spice snap hard taste fruit (pear), earth, spice, tangy, sweet, sour melt smooth length short finish slightly sour

Stirs the Soul hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate. Their raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. Rather than including cane sugar, chocolate maker Daren Hayes uses alternative low glycemic sweeteners (agave, date, honey, and coconut palm). We've previously reviewed his two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar).

Dark Chocolate was made with only cacao beans, cocoa butter, and agave. It contained 84% cocoa solids. All ingredients were organic and raw, though the chocolate was not certified. The tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in a bright yellow-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 133, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Dark Chocolate is 2nd from the right).

The color of the chocolate was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth and had a glossy top, with an oval of uneven sheen. It had a hard snap.

Dark Chocolate had an earthy aroma, with floral and fruit scents, and some spice. The taste consisted of fruit, earth and spice. The fruit included pear and the spice tasted tangy. The flavor was also both sweet and sour.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The finish was slightly sour.

Overall, another good raw chocolate. I liked the unusual tangy flavor.

You can purchase Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Origins Madagascar

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Origins Madagascar region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year 2011 size 47g ~ 1.65oz cocoa solids 88% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price $6.25

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth, image imprint, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (berry), wood, sweet (caramel) snap medium hard taste fruit (pear, berry, papaya), sour, earth, wood, acidic, sweet melt smooth length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Stirs the Soul has been making bean to bar raw chocolate bars by hand since 2006. Their motto is "conscious raw chocolate", and chocolate maker Daren Hayes ensures the temperature during processing never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C).

Using only only organic or wild ingredients combined with organic and fair trade cacao, Stirs the Soul also avoids cane sugar by using low glycemic sweeteners, such as agave, date, honey, and coconut palm. Their chocolate is produced in a nut, gluten, soy, and dairy free environment. Stirs the Soul makes two single origin chocolates: Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar.

Origins Madagascar contained 88% cocoa solids and was made from Trinitario cacao beans, cocoa butter, agave, and salt. The cacao beans came from Madagascar and the cocoa butter was made from the same cacao beans. All of the ingredients were raw other than the salt. Although the bar was not certified, the ingredients were all organic and the cacao was fair trade. The 1.65 ounce bar was unscored, had raised areas, and was imprinted with a design of cacao pods. It came wrapped in two layers, wax paper under orange-sided foil, inside a paper sleeve. The bar was made on 20 October 2011 and had a best before date of 20 April 2012.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431). The surface of the bar was smooth, but had several bubbles. The snap was medium hard.

Origins Madagascar had an aroma with earth, fruit, and wood scents, along with a caramel sweetness. I thought the fruit scent included some berry.

The chocolate tasted of fruit, earth, and wood. Sourness, acidity, and some sweetness were also present. The fruit flavor was a mix of pear and berry, with papaya near the end.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The finish was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

I found myself surprised by the slight sweetness of this 88% chocolate. Overall, another good raw chocolate. I liked Origins Madagascar a little more than Origins Ecuador due to the complex fruit flavor.

You can purchase Origins Madagascar bars in packs of two for $12.50 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Origins Ecuador

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Origins Ecuador region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo year 2011 size 47g ~ 1.65oz cocoa solids 88% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price $6.25

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, image imprint, bubbles aroma floral, earth (must), spice, cocoa, fruit (berry) snap medium hard taste earth, floral, citrus, coffee, acidic, hint of sour melt smooth length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Oregon chocolate maker Daren Hayes has been hand-crafting stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate as Stirs the Soul since 2006. With a motto of "conscious raw chocolate", Stirs the Soul ensures the temperature during processing never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C).

Daren uses only organic or wild ingredients in his chocolate, and buys his cacao beans at fair trade or higher prices from those using sustainable practices. He avoids cane sugar, uses alternative low glycemic sweeteners (agave, date, honey, and coconut palm), and produces his chocolate in a nut, gluten, soy, and dairy free environment, which he finds helpful for those with food sensitivities. Stirs the Soul makes two single origin chocolates, three unflavored chocolates, many flavored chocolates, as well as chocolate confections and other cacao products. Origins Ecuador is one of the two single origin bars.

Origins Ecuador contained 88% cocoa solids and was made from Criollo cacao beans, cocoa butter, agave, and salt. The cacao beans were purchased from an individual farmer in Ecuador and the cocoa butter was made from those same beans. All of the ingredients were raw other than the salt. Although the bar was not certified, the ingredients were all organic. The 1.65 ounce bar was unscored, had raised areas, and was imprinted with a design of cacao pods. It came wrapped in two layers, wax paper under purple foil, inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was made on 20 October 2011, and had a best before date of 20 April 2012.

The chocolate had color similar to that of the other raw Ecuador chocolate we've reviewed: a medium-dark brown close to Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015), but with some added red. The surface of the bar was smooth, but had several bubbles. The snap was medium hard.

Origins Ecuador smelled of the familiar floral, musty earth, spice, and cocoa scents, but I also noticed a berry fruit in the aroma.

The taste, though, was somewhat different. The same earth and floral flavors were present, but I also tasted citrus and coffee. It was acidic, but had only a hint of sourness (much less than in Pacari's raw chocolates).

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The sourness grew a little in the aftertaste, giving a finish that was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

This was another raw chocolate that breaks the stereotype of raw chocolate having poor taste. Origins Ecuador was as good as many roasted chocolates. Even compared against other single origin Ecuador chocolate we've reviewed, it ranked only a little below the median.

You can purchase Origins Ecuador bars in packs of two for $12.50 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Raw Chocolate

One of the steps in making traditional chocolate is roasting cacao beans, which subjects them to high temperatures that reduce antioxidants and other beneficial health properties of the cacao. Raw chocolate typically minimizes processing and maintains the cacao and other ingredients at low temperatures throughout.

At present, there is neither an accepted temperature limit for raw chocolate nor third-party certification for it. The raw food community seems to generally use a threshold of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), though some go as high as 49°C (120°F).

Raw chocolate has a reputation for being healthier than, but not tasting as good as, chocolate made from roasted cacao beans. The taste of raw chocolate, however, has been improving and a few makers seem to be crafting chocolate just as delicious as that made from roasted beans.

Over the next month, we will be reviewing raw chocolate bars from the Chocolate Conspiracy, Fearless, Fine & Raw, Gnosis, Pacari, and Stirs the Soul.

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!