Review: Theo Costa Rica

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Theo bar Costa Rica region Costa Rica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 84g ~ 3oz cocoa solids 91% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture smooth with scoring, shiny aroma earthy (soil), berry (cranberry, raspberry), roast (coffee) snap hard taste burnt, citrus (lime), bitter melt smooth length minimal finish bitter

Theo is a small bean to bar chocolate maker in Seattle. It is certified as both organic and fair trade, the latter of which means they follows socially responsible practices in every aspect of their business. Theo is the only organic, fair trade, bean to bar chocolate factory in the United States. In the chocolate making industry, many businesses take advantage of the lower bean prices available by buying from cacao farms using child labor and poor working conditions. Fair trade chocolate businesses pay above-market prices in order to provide additional funds for improving the the lives and sustainability of cacao and sugar farmers.

At their factory in the Fremont district of Seattle, Theo gives daily public tours that include include a good overview of chocolate production, their company philosophy, and lots of chocolate tasting. By the way, the name Theo comes from the Greek name of the tree, Theobroma Cacao, meaning food of the gods.

Theo makes several interesting fantasy infusion bars, such as Bread & Chocolate and Fig, Fennel, & Almond, more traditional infusion bars, plus two "Good For All" bars in partnership with Jane Goodall and three single origin chocolates. One of those single origin bars is the Theo Costa Rica that we tried at our recent blind chocolate tasting. The other two are from the Dominican Republic and Madagascar, and we'll review them in the future.

At the blind tasting, everyone noticed the shiny surface of the Theo Costa Rica bar. The aromas included earthy, clarified as soil by two people, berry, clarified as cranberry by two and raspberry by two others, and roast, clarified as coffee by three people. The taste was burnt with a citrus flavor that both Lindy and I identified as lime. This chocolate had the highest cocoa content of the bars in the blind tasting, and everyone found it bitter.

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

Review: Republica del Cacao Los Rios

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Republica del Cacao bar Los Rios region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma mint, coffee snap hard taste very strong fig, hints of allspice and musty melt smooth length short finish slightly acidic

The Republica del Cacao Los Rios bar drew strong reactions at the recent blind chocolate tasting. Two people loved the intense fig flavor of this chocolate, rating it **** and ranking it as their favorite, and two people hated it, rating it *, ranking it last, and remarking that it was the only bar they disliked.

Los Rios is made from Arriba cacao beans from the Los Rios province of Ecuador. Unfortunately, Arriba and Nacional are not always meaningful when applied to Ecuador cacao beans. Although both names have good reputations as quality cacao beans, there does not appear to be any control on their usage. Also, for its greater productivity, more and more Forastero cacao is being farmed in Ecuador and mixed with the Nacional cacao. Please see my discussion of cacao trees for more information about cacao varieties.

This chocolate had an unusual mint aroma with a suggestion of coffee. Similarly distinctive was its very strong fig taste, the flavor of which dominated this bar. Some people noticed hints of allspice and musty, and one person detected bourbon. However, it was the overwhelming fig flavor that was the focus of discussion about this bar.

All in all, an interesting and perhaps unique chocolate. We'll have to try some other Ecuador chocolates in the future for comparison.

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

Review: Valrhona Palmira

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Palmira region Venezuela plantation Palmira cacao trees Criollo year 2009 size 75g ~ 2.6oz cocoa solids 64% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $7.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma earthy, berry (blackberry), spice (cinnamon, nutmeg) snap hard taste brown sugar, honey, toffee, hint of nut, hint of floral melt smooth length short finish slightly acidic

At the recent blind chocolate tasting, we tasted all three of Valrhona's single plantation bars as part of a comparison of seven cacao growing regions. The Palmira bar was the chocolate from Venezuela. According to a representative, the Palmira plantation has exclusively Criollo trees.

This chocolate had a lovely aroma: earthy, with a berry that I thought was blackberry, and a spice that some detected as cinnamon and others as nutmeg. Unfortunately, the high sugar content of this bar seemed to hide other potentially interesting flavors suggested by its aroma. Brown sugar, honey, and toffee were the most common descriptions. One person noticed something nutty, perhaps almond, and another something floral.

The melt was smooth and the length short. The final aftertaste of the Palmira, though, was surprisingly lacking in bitterness, leaving only a slightly acidic finish. As with all of the Valrhona bars, there was the consistent observation that this chocolate was too sweet.

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

Review: Valrhona Ampamakia

Lindy's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Ampamakia region Madagascar plantation Millot cacao trees Trinitario year 2009 size 75g ~ 2.6oz cocoa solids 64% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $7.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma earthy (musty), spice, sweet, berry, vanilla, hint of citrus snap hard taste sweet, citrus (tangerine), berry (strawberry), buttery, vanilla melt more smooth length short finish slightly bitter

At the recent blind chocolate tasting, we tried Valrhona's Ampamakia as a representative of cacao grown in Madagascar. Ampamakia is one of Valrhona's three single plantation bars (the other two being Gran Couva and Palmira). According to a representative, the Millot plantation where they grow the cacao beans for Ampamakia has exclusively Trinitario trees. The best before date on the bar we reviewed was February 2011.

The aroma of this bar was earthy, perhaps musty, with some spice. We could also smell its sweetness, along with berry, vanilla, and a hint of citrus. Upon tasting, the first thing nearly everyone noticed was its surprising sweetness for a dark chocolate bar, and then citrus, later clarified as tangerine, berry which Lindy concluded was strawberry, a buttery flavor, and some vanilla. Ampamakia had a smoother melt, short length, and slight bitterness of better chocolates.

Ultimately, this chocolate was well liked, placing second overall in the blind tasting. The only complaint was a bit too much sugar.

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

Review: Michel Cluizel Maralumi 64%

Lindy's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Michel Cluizel bar Maralumi 64% region Papua New Guinea plantation Maralumi cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 64% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma earthy, roast (tobacco), red fruit, hint of citrus snap hard taste strong berries, strawberry, almond, coffee melt more smooth length minimal finish somewhat dry

Michel Cluizel's 1er Cru de Plantation Maralumi was the favorite at our recent blind chocolate tasting. All seven tasters rated it either *** or ****, and ranked it first or second among the seven bars tasted that evening.

This 64% bar from the Maralumi plantation is the second bar that we have reviewed from Papua New Guinea. It had a medium dark brown color. Three tasters observed tiny air bubbles in the break of their pieces after testing the snap.

The primary aroma that nearly everyone noticed was earthy, roast, or both. Lindy and I both smelled red fruit, and she detected a hint of citrus as well, while I thought the roast was tobacco. The Maralumi bar had wonderful strong red berry flavors that most people tasted. Lindy identified the berry as strawberry, another person did so as currant, and the rest of us only as fruit or berry. Several of us also experienced almond and/or coffee.

This chocolate had a great melt: smoother than average. Sadly, the length was minimal, but this was partially redeemed by a mild, dry finish, with only a very slight bitterness.

There isn't a list price for Maralumi 64%, but you can find it at Chocolopolis for $6.99.

Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

Blind Chocolate Tasting Results

Yesterday evening's blind chocolate tasting was a success. The group was made up of six first-time chocolate tasters and Lindy and me. Unfortunately, one person had an upset stomach and did not participate, so only seven of us tasted.

We reviewed seven bars from different regions around the world, with no one other than me having any information beyond that of the chocolate maker of some of the bars due to imprints.

The seven bars we tasted (in order of overal average rating):

Chocolate Bar	Region	Cocoa Solids	average rating
Michel Cluizel Maralumi	Papua New Guinea	64%	3.4
Valrhona Ampamakia	Madagascar	64%	2.9
Valrhona Gran Couva	Trinidad	64%	2.8
Valrhona Palmira	Venezuela	64%	2.6
Republica del Cacao Los Rios	Ecuador	75%	2.3
Theo Costa Rica	Costa Rica	91%	2.1
Francois Pralus Ghana	Ghana	75%	1.9

The Republica del Cacao Los Rios bar was particularly notable, generating strong reactions to its intense fig flavor. A few people thought it must be a flavored chocolate, even though it is not. Two people gave it the top rating of **** and two gave it the lowest rating of *.

The winner of the tasting, though, was clearly the Michel Cluizel Maralumi 64%. It was liked consistently by everyone. Every rating was either *** or ****, and everyone ranked it first or second among the bars we tasted.

I will add links in the above table to individual reviews as I post them over the next several days.

All in all, everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoy themselves. One person was amused that he wasn't noticing most of the specific aromas and flavors that others were, and instead focused on comparing differences in intensity of sweetness, bitterness, and richness. Many thanks to Phillip and Chris for organizing and hosting this event!

However, two improvements for any future tastings will be to review fewer chocolates, perhaps 4, and to start earlier. We started around 6:30 p.m., and because no one had eaten since lunch (to have a clean palate for the tasting), by the time we reached the 6th chocolate bar about 2 hours later, most people were ready to eat dinner. The bits of bread and water between chocolates were not substantial enough after so much time since a meal.

Blind Chocolate Tasting

Taking inspiration from Bernt's blog, The Quest for the World's Best Chocolate Bar, I'm facilitating a blind chocolate tasting this evening.

Before everyone arrives, I will break up seven artisan dark chocolate bars, each from a different region of the world: Africa, Central America, Ecuador, Madagascar, South America, Southeast Asia, and Venezuela. The seven participants other than me will have no information about the chocolates (other than perhaps the chocolate maker, from any imprints). The chocolates will simply be numbered 1 through 7.

We'll review each chocolate in turn, using bread and water to cleanse our palates between them. To help identify various aromas and flavors, I put together a tasting reference, which I have added to this blog as a separate page.

I'll post the results of the blind tasting, as well as individual reviews of the various chocolate bars by Lindy and I over the course of the next several days.