Review: Dandelion Mantuano, Venezuela 70%

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Mantuano region Venezuela plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% 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 smooth, scoring, imprints aroma roast (smoke), earth (mold), dairy snap hard taste roast (malt, smoke, coffee), earth, spice (cinnamon), fruit melt more smooth length medium finish tannin, somewhat acidic, slightly sour

Dandelion sourced the cacao beans for Mantuano "from a female-run co-op nestled in the tropical hills of the Caribbean coast of Venezuela." This particular bar was made from batch 1 of the beans from the 2012 harvest.

The ingredients of this chocolate were only 70% cacao beans and 30% organic cane sugar. The bar was not certified organic.

This particular batch was roasted using higher temperature for a shorter time. Mantuano was made in their nut-free facility.

Inside the outer lovely craft paper wrapper, the two ounce bar was enclosed in heavy gold-sided foil. The best before date was August, 2014.

The bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with imprints of 5 parallel squiggles. Its appearance was excellent, with a clean, smooth surface.

Mantuano had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The snap was hard. The aroma contained smoky roast, moldy earth, and dairy scents.

The taste contained roast, earth, cinnamon spice, and fruit flavors. After the initial earth, spice, and fruit flavors, the roast quickly developed. I tasted smoke and coffee before malt completely dominated the remaining time.

I found the malt flavor overwhelming and not enjoyable. However, if you love that flavor, you might find this bar especially appealing.

On the label, the taste of this chocolate was described as "notes of fudge brownie and espresso with a lovely cinnamon finish."

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

You can purchase Dandelion Mantuano, Venezuela online in the U.S. for $8.95 from The Meadow or for $8.99 from Chocolopolis, and in the U.K. for £5.50 from Bean to Bar Chocolate. It is not currently available directly for $8.00 from Dandelion.

Northwest Chocolate Festival Groupon

Even though it's still two months away, you can score a one-day pass to my favorite event of the year, the Northwest Chocolate Festival (NWCF), at a 40% discount. This year the festival runs October 3rd through 5th and has moved to the Bell Harbor conference center on the Seattle waterfront (Pier 66, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121).

As a result of the larger venue, ticket prices have dropped from last year. Advance one day passes are regularly $25, but you can get them with this groupon deal for only $15. Regular price advance ($5 off "day of" price) full weekend and VIP passes are available on NWCF's site.

I haven't yet written about this year's event, but here's info about last year and you can read about this year on the Northwest Chocolate Festival website.

You can purchase a $15 one-day pass for either Saturday or Sunday. Saturday tends to be more crowded. Unfortunately, the schedule of talks and workshops has not yet been posted to help you choose the day that most interests you.

Here's a direct link to the Groupon.

UPDATE: Use coupon code LOCAL10 through August 12th for an additional 10% off.

Review: Dick Taylor Madagascar Sambirano

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Madagascar Sambirano region Madagascar plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 72% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1526 Dark Red Brown appearance imprint, smooth, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma earth (grass), dairy (cheese), fruit, roast, spice snap hard taste earth, fruit (berry, citrus, lemon), roast (cocoa), molasses, acidic, sour melt more smooth length medium finish acidic, somewhat tart, somewhat sour

Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor are among the chocolate-making purists, crafting their unflavored chocolate from only cacao beans and cane sugar (with no added cocoa butter, lecithin, or vanilla).

They sourced the cacao for this Madagascar Sambirano bar from Åkesson. Both the cacao beans and cane sugar were organic, though the bar was not certified.

The two ounce bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper envelope. It was a single unscored bar with Dick Taylor's intricate imprint. The best before date was August 2014 and the batch number was 13232.

The chocolate had a smooth surface, but the sheen was uneven in a couple of places and there were several bubbles from the finely detailed mold. The color was a medium-light brown Dark Red Brown (PANTONE 19-1526). The snap was hard.

Madagascar Samibrano had an aroma of earth, dairy, fruit, roast, and spice. The earth and dairy were strongest, with more distinct scents of grass and cheese, respectively.

The taste started with some earthiness before the fruit flavors of berry, citrus and lemon came forth. Cocoa roast and molasses were also present. The taste was acidic and slightly sour.

The melt was more smooth, with a slight fudginess. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was acidic, somewhat tart, and somewhat sour.

Compared with the previous version of this bar we reviewed, the melt has improved. I slightly preferred the taste of that prior incarnation, but overall, this was another great chocolate from Dick Taylor.

You can purchase Madagascar Sambirano online for $8.00 directly from Dick Taylor or for $7.49 from Caputo's.

Review: Dandelion Patanemo, Venezuela

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Patanemo region Venezuela plantation blend cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken appearance smooth, scoring, imprints aroma roast (malt), earth, spice (nutmeg), dairy snap medium hard taste roast (malt), spice (cinnamon), fruit (cherry), nut, earth, sweet melt smooth length short finish tannin, slightly tart

Patanemo is a less well-known cacao growing region of Venezuela. This bar came from the fourth batch of chocolate made by Dandelion from cacao beans of the 2012 harvest.

As with all of their chocolate, Dandelion crafted Patanemo in their nut-free facility with only two ingredients: 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar.

The bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with an imprint of five parallel squiggles. Inside thick cream-colored craft paper, the two ounce bar came wrapped in heavy gold foil. The best before date was August 2014.

Patanemo had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color and a great overall appearance. The snap on the scoring was medium hard, but nicely hard in breaking an individual piece.

The aroma contained scents of malt roast, earth, and nutmeg spice. I also noticed a hint of dairy.

The taste began with malt roast and some underlying earthiness. A cinnamon spice quickly developed, along with flavors of cherry, nuttiness, and sweetness.

Dandelion described the taste on the wrapper: "This rich chocolate bar has a roasty flavor reminiscent of peanuts."

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The final aftertaste was tannin and slightly tart.

I've only reviewed one other chocolate made from Patanemo cacao, Mast Brothers Grand Cru. I'd like to compare the two, but unfortunately, that review was biased as the chocolate had partially bloomed.

Dandelion Patanemo, Venezuela, is not currently available for purchase online directly from Dandelion or from The Meadow.

Review: Lindt Excellence 90% Supreme Dark

Richard's Rating: 4.5

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 90% region unknown plantation blend cacao trees unknown year unknown size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 90% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients cocoa powder list price $3.95

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown appearance smooth, imprints, scoring aroma roast (smoke, cocoa), vanilla, earth snap hard taste earth, roast (smoke), bitter melt smooth length short finish bitter, somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Lindt changed the formulations of their Excellence line of chocolate bars since our reviews of them in 2010. For the high content bars, they added cocoa powder processed with alkali.

Lindt 90% Supreme Dark had additional ingredients of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and bourbon vanilla beans. There was no added emulsifier (none of the soy lecithin that was added in the 70% bar).

Inside a paper box, the 100 gram bar came enclosed in foil. The bar was scored into 10 pieces, each with imprints of the cursive Lindt name above six diagonal lines. The best before date was May 31, 2014.

The color of 90% was a dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The bar had a smooth surface and overall nice appearance. The snap was hard.

This chocolate had an aroma of roast, vanilla, and earth. The roast contained both smoke and cocoa scents.

An initial earthy taste transitioned to a smoky roast flavor. I also tasted vanilla and a strong bitterness.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was that strong bitterness, along with some sourness and a little acidity.

You can purchase Excellence 90% online for $3.95 directly from Lindt or for only $1.96 currently on sale at World Wide Chocolate.

Review: Lindt Excellence 70% Smooth Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 70% region unknown plantation blend cacao trees unknown year unknown size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.95

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, imprints, scoring aroma roast (smoke, tobacco), sweet, vanilla, earth, nut snap hard taste sweet (butterscotch), roast (cocoa), vanilla, nut, tannin, acidic, bitter melt smooth length short finish tannin, somewhat bitter, somewhat acidic

It's been several years since we reviewed Lindt's Excellence line, and since that time Lindt has changed the ingredients of these chocolates.

Lindt added soy lecithin to the 70% bar. Other ingredients of this 70% cocoa solids chocolate are sugar, cocoa butter, and bourbon vanilla beans.

The 100 gram bar came enclosed in foil inside a paper box. The best before date was April 30, 2014. The bar was scored into 10 pieces, each with imprints of the cursive Lindt name above six diagonal lines.

The chocolate had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The bar looked great, with a smooth surface and only a few adhered bits. The snap was hard.

The aroma was mostly roast, with smokiness and tobacco scents, and vanilla. It smelled sweet, and I noticed some earth and nuttiness as well.

Excellence 70% tasted sweet, with a dominant flavor of butterscotch. Flavors of cocoa roast, vanilla, and nut were also present. The taste was tannin, acidic, and bitter.

The melt was smooth. The length was at the far end of short, with the flavor lasting almost 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin, somewhat bitter, and somewhat acidic.

Overall, this iteration of their 70% bar is an improvement over the one we reviewed in 2010. The taste changed substantially and the formerly strong bitter finish was substantially reduced. This chocolate remains a great value, and can frequently be found on sale for as little as $2.00 at groceries and pharmacies.

You can purchase Excellence 70% online for $3.95 directly from Lindt or for $3.50 from World Wide Chocolate.

Review: Madre Kona, Hawai'i, Likao Kula Farm

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Madre bar Kona region Hawaii plantation Likao Kula cacao trees unknown year 2013 size 43g ~ 1.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $11.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, raised shapes, image imprints, uneven sheen aroma fruit (berry, orange), roast (cocoa, tea, tobacco), spice (vanilla), sweet (honey) snap medium hard taste fruit (mango, orange), sweet (butterscotch), earth melt more smooth length long finish acidic, slightly tart

Kona is another limited edition bar from Madre. It is a plantation bar, with the cacao coming from the Likao Kula farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. The cacao trees at Likao Kula are primarily Trinitario, but there are a few Forastero and Criollo as well.

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.