Review: Fresco 212 Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 212 region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 40g ~ 1.4oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (plum, raisin), roast (smoke, malt), sour, nut, wood snap medium hard taste roast (tea), sweet, fruit (berry, plum), earth, sour, tangy melt smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin, slightly sour

212 is one of two single origin prototype chocolate recipes still being made by Fresco with cacao from the Dominican Republic. Chocolate maker Rob Anderson used a light roast and subtle conche in making 212 (you can read more about his process on their website). In contrast, he used a dark roast and no conche to make 213 (here's our review from January).

His formulation for 212 contained 72% cocoa solids from cacao beans and added cocoa butter and 28% cane sugar. The chocolate was made in a nut-free facility.

The small 40 gram bar was scored into 10 pieces, each lined either vertically or horizontally. It came wrapped gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. The bar reviewed here was created on November 22, 2011 (one of 437 bars in batch #11-024). The best before date was December 2013.

212 had a medium-light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The bar had small bubbles in the corners of about half the pieces, but otherwise looked great. It had a medium-hard snap.

The chocolate had an aroma containing earth, fruit, roast, nut, and wood. The fruit included plum and raisin scents. The roast had scents of smoke and malt. 212 also smelled somewhat sour.

The taste began with a tea roast and then sweetness and fruit flavors were revealed in the form of berry and plum. An underlying earthiness was present. I experienced the taste as sour and interestingly tangy as well.

The melt was smooth. The length made it into medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat tannin and slightly sour.

In comparing the result of this recipe to that of 213 that we liked so much, I found I slightly preferred the brighter and more tangy flavors of 212 to the heavier roast of 213. 212 won a silver in the Americas semi-finals of the 2012 International Chocolate Awards.

You can purchase Fresco 212 online for $7.00 in the U.S. from Chocolopolis or Cocova.

Review: Fresco 222 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 222 region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 45g ~ 1.6oz cocoa solids 69% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (hint of olive), wood, vinegar, dairy snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (citrus, lime, blackberry, cranberry), sweet, sour melt smooth length medium finish acidic, somewhat astringent

Based on maker Rob Anderson's suggestion, we reviewed a new bar of recipe 222 this week. Because it was made less than three weeks ago, we have the opportunity to review this chocolate while it is still extremely fresh. In about three months, we'll update this review with a second perspective after the chocolate has aged.

This is the first bar we've reviewed with Fresco's new packaging that better highlights roast and conching strategy used in making the chocolate. They also increased the bar size from 40 to 45 grams. Fresco continues to make all of their chocolate in a nut-free facility.

Fresco made four recipes using single origin cacao from Papua New Guinea: 219, 220, 221, and 222. They only varied in roast and conche.

222 was a single origin bar made with 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. There was no added cocoa butter. This formulation used a light roast and no conching. It was the only recipe that had no conching.

This chocolate came in the new 45 gram size. The bar still had a nearly identical shape: scored into 10 pieces, each lined either vertically or horizontally. It came wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box that was wider than the previous ones. The production date was September 14, 2012 (bar 152 in batch #222-12-039). The best before date was October 2014.

222 had a medium-light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. As typical for Fresco, the bar looked great other than having bubbles in the corners of some pieces. The snap was medium-hard.

The aroma was earthy, with additional scents of fruit, wood, vinegar and some dairy. I also smelled just a hint of olive.

The chocolate tasted earthy and strongly of fruit. I experienced the citrus and berry fruit flavors primarily as lime, blackberry, and cranberry. The taste was both sweet and somewhat sour.

The melt was smooth, but on the less smooth side. The flavor lasted 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length, nearly making it to long. The finish was acidic and somewhat astringent.

Overall, this is the best Papua New Guinea bar I've tasted since Michel Cluizel Maralumi 64% two years ago. Unfortunately, I can't compare them head to head at present, so I'm not sure which I like better. I look forward to tasting the other three Papua New Guinea bars that Fresco recently released.

Fresco 222 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Northwest Chocolate Festival Notes

I spent nearly the entire weekend at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, visited with chocolate makers and people in the field that I already knew, met some others for the first time, attended half a dozen classes, and picked up several bars that we've not yet reviewed.

The new bars to review over the next several months include some from Dandelion, Dick Taylor, Fresco, Kallari, Lillie Belle Farms, Nova Monda, Raaka, and the two recent award-winning bars from Pacari.

One of the people I met this year was a new bean to bar chocolate maker from Los Angeles, Nicole Trutanich. She anticipates launching her first four single origin bars next year under the name Bar Au Chocolat. Watch for them on her website.

Lindy joined me Saturday morning and took a few pictures to share with you.

maker Rob Anderson of Fresco
teaching a class
Dandelion chocolate bars
as displayed at their booth

some of the confections for sale
from Chocolopolis
maker Mott Green of Grenada
staffing their booth

Northwest Chocolate Festival Awards

This evening I attended the opening event for the Northwest Chocolate Festival, which officially begins tomorrow. I met with several of the chocolate makers and chocolatiers, mingled with others of the chocolate world, saw a preview of some of the classes, and tasted a few samples.

Prior to NWCF, six judges did a blind tasting of many bars that were sent in advance for judging. Judged awards were given in two categories: Single Origin and Inclusions.

In the judged Single Origin category, the winners were:

• GOLD: Fresco 214 Madagascar
• GOLD: Fresco 219 Papua New Guinea
• SILVER: Pacari Manabi (Ecuador)
• BRONZE: Dandelion Rio Caribe (Venezuela)

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

• GOLD: Lillie Belle Farms The Most Awesome Chocolate Bar Ever
• SILVER: Madre Triple Cacao
• BRONZE: Madécasse Arabica Coffee

They also gave out non-judged Founder's Choice awards, including:

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Fran Bigelow of Fran's Chocolates
• Most Outstanding Fine Chocolate Retailer: Lauren Adler's Chocolopolis
• Best Flavor Innovation: Aaron Barthel of Intrigue Chocolates
• Best New Dessert Shop: Autumn Martin's Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery

You can still buy tickets at the door for this weekend ($30 per day) on the third floor of the Conference Center at the Washington State Convention Center.

Review: Fresco 211 Ghana

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 211 region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 40g ~ 1.4oz cocoa solids 73% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma roast (tobacco), earth, fruit (prune), sweet (molasses), spice snap medium hard taste earth, roast (cocoa), wood, fruit, sweet, hint of sour, hint of nut melt smooth length medium finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour

United States chocolate maker Fresco numbers each of their chocolate bar formulations sequentially, and are presently making 209 through 218. The packaging for each of these single origin bars reveals not only ingredients and cocoa solids percentage, but also the general roasting and conching strategy that was used. All chocolate is made in a nut-free facility.

Recipe 211 contained 73% cocoa solids (cacao beans from Ghana and added cocoa butter) plus 27% cane sugar. The chocolate was made using a medium roast and a medium conche.

Fresco's bar are small, only 40 grams. They are scored into 10 pieces, with each alternating piece lined either horizontally or vertically. 211 came wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. The production date was December 19, 2011 (one of the 570 bars of batch #11-028). The best before date was January 2014.

The color of 211 was a medium-dark brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317). The bar had small bubbles in one or two corners of most pieces, but otherwise looked great. It had a medium-hard snap.

211's aroma contained roast, earth, fruit, sweetness, and some spice. The roast was that of tobacco. The fruit scent seemed to be mostly prune. The sweetness smelled of molasses.

The chocolate initially tasted earthy, with a cocoa roast. As it melted, I experienced wood, fruit, and a hint of nut. Sweetness and a hint of sour were also present.

The melt was smooth. The length made it just into medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat bitter, with a slight sourness.

You can purchase Fresco 211 online for $7.00 in the U.S. from Chocolopolis or Cocova.

International Chocolate Awards 2012 Semi-Finalists

The International Chocolate Awards have national and regional semi-final competitions throughout the year, followed by a grand final this year in London in October. The results of the last of those competitions have been published, and here are all of the winners in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category (along with cacao origin).

Americas (full results)
GOLD: Pacari 70% Piura-Quemazon (Peru)
SILVER: Amano Cuyaga 70% (Venezuela)
SILVER: Franceschi Canoabo (Venezuela)
SILVER: Fresco 212 (Dominican Republic)
SILVER: Pacari 70% Nube (Ecuador)
SILVER: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
ECUADOR NATIONAL GOLD: Pacari 70% Nube (Ecuador)
UNITED STATES NATIONAL GOLD: Amano Cuyaga 70% (Venezuela)
WORLD FINALIST: Amano Chuao 70% (Venezuela)
WORLD FINALIST: Amano Ocumare 70% (Venezuela)
WORLD FINALIST: Amma 60% (Brazil)
WORLD FINALIST: Franceschi Sur Del Lago (Venezuela)

Europe (full results)
GOLD: Michel Cluizel Los Anconès (Santo Domingo)
SILVER: Bonnat Porcelana (Venezuela)
SILVER: Domori Guasare (Venezuela)
SILVER: Original Beans Beni Wild Harvest 66% (Bolivia)
FRANCE GOLD: Michel Cluizel Los Anconès (Santo Domingo)
ITALY GOLD: Domori Guasare (Venezuela)
SWITZERLAND GOLD: Idilio No. 2 Selección Amiari Merideña (Venezuela)
WORLD FINALIST: Domori Apurimac (Peru)
WORLD FINALIST: Menakao 72% (Madagascar)

Giveaway: FREE tickets to Northwest Chocolate Festival

The Northwest Chocolate Festival generously provided us with two tickets to give away to this year's event. The two free passes are for Sunday, September 30th, and allow you to experience a full day of the 2012 Northwest Chocolate Festival being held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. For more information about the event, please see my posting about it or the event website.

To enter this giveaway, just send us an email at onegoldenticket@outlook.com with "NWCF Tickets" as the subject line and in the text of the message include your full name.

Entry email must be received by midnight PT, Tuesday, September 25, 2012. One entry per person. Winner will be selected at random. Tickets are valid for admission to the 2012 Northwest Chocolate Festival on Sunday, September 30th. The winner will be able to pick up their tickets at Will Call with photo identification.

Good luck!