Sale: Chocolopolis Free Shipping on Small Business Saturday

On Small Business Saturday (November 24th), Chocolopolis will provide free ground shipping on all orders (purchased online or in-store) to anywhere in the United States. Consider taking this opportunity to buy extraordinary chocolate bars as gifts and send them to the chocolate lovers in your life.

Ground shipping should automatically be priced as $0 this Saturday at their online store. If you'd like to delay shipment until sometime in December (e.g., for Christmas gifts), you can phone the store at 206.282.0776 to place your order and still get free ground shipping.

Review: Pacari Nube / Cloud

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Pacari bar Cloud / Nube region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier sunflower lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, uneven bottom surface, uneven sheen, scuffing, adhered bits aroma floral (rose), fruit, earth, spice snap medium soft taste fruit, sour, sweet, intense rose floral, earth, spice, vanilla melt smooth length medium finish sour, somewhat astringent, slightly acidic

Nube is one of two new award-winning bars that Pacari recently added to their collection. We reviewed the other, Piura Quemazón, earlier this month. During the International Chocolate Awards 2012 Semi-Finals, Nube won both the Ecuador gold and an Americas overall silver in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category.

Nube, which means Cloud in English, was made with cacao from a specific location in Ecuador. Owners Santiago Peralta and Carla Barboto would not reveal the region when I spoke with them at the Northwest Chocolate Festival.

The chocolate had 70% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter). Sunflower lecithin was used as an emulsifier. All of the ingredients other than the sunflower lecithin were certified organic by both the USDA and EC.

The 50 gram bar came enclosed in a black plastic pouch inside a silver paper box. The bar was scored into 15 pieces. There was no production or best before date.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The appearance and temper of this bar were disappointing. The surface of the bar was smooth except for the bottom, which was uneven with swirls you could see and feel from cooling too quickly. The sheen was uneven. There were some other minor imperfections as well: some scuffing, adhered bits of chocolate, and two tiny bubbles. The snap was medium soft and the break suggested this bar was not tempered correctly.

Nube had a powerful rose floral scent. The aroma also included some fruit, earth, and spice, but the scent of roses was dominant.

After initial fruit, sour, and sweet flavors, the chocolate quickly revealed the taste of an intense floral rose flavor like that of the aroma. Earth and spice were also present, but subdued in comparison to the rose flavor. I also tasted vanilla, even though there was none added.

The melt was smooth, with a slightly chalky texture. The flavor lasted about 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was sour, somewhat astringent, and slightly acidic.

In spite of the production flaws, which Pacari will surely resolve, the unique aroma and taste of Nube make it a chocolate that should be experienced.

Pacari Nube is not yet available for purchase online.

Review: Pacari Piura Quemazón

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Pacari bar Piura Quemazón region Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier sunflower lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, adhered bits, scuffing aroma floral, spice (cinnamon), sweet (caramel), fruit (citrus, orange, berry), earth snap medium hard taste floral, spice (cinnamon), fruit (citrus, grapefruit, mango), sour, sweet (caramel) melt smooth length long finish tannin, somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Pacari recently won several categories at the 2012 World Final of the International Chocolate Awards. Their Piura Quemazón won an overall silver in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category.

Piura Quemazón was made with cacao from Peru. This is the first chocolate bar Pacari has made with cacao sourced outside Ecuador. It contained 70% cocoa solids (cacao beans plus added cocoa butter), cane sugar, and sunflower lecithin. As with all of their chocolates, Piura Quemazón was USDA and EC certified organic.

The 50 gram bar came enclosed in a plastic pouch inside a paper box. The bar was scored into 15 pieces. There was no production or best before date.

The chocolate had an unusually light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The surface of the bar was smooth, with an uneven sheen and adhered bits. There was some minimal scuffing. The snap was medium hard.

Piura had an interesting and strong aroma, with floral, cinnamon spice, sweet caramel, fruit and earth scents. The fruit contained a general citrus scent along with orange and a little berry.

The taste of this chocolate began with flavors from the aroma: floral and cinnamon spice. Fruit flavors were soon revealed, including citrus, grapefruit and mango. A sweetness of caramel from the aroma was also present along with some sourness.

The melt was smooth. The length was remarkably long, with the flavor lasting about 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin, somewhat sour, and slightly acidic.

Unfortunately, Pacari Piura Quemazón is not currently available for purchase online, but you should definitely try it once you can.

Review: Fresco 221 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 221 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 brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, earth, roast, wood, dairy snap medium hard taste earth, roast (coffee), fruit (lime, blackberry), sweet (brown sugar), nut melt smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly bitter

221 is one of the four recipes that Rob Anderson used to craft Fresco chocolate using cacao from Papua New Guinea. We've already reviewed the other three: 219, 220, and 222. Fresco makes all of their chocolate in a nut-free environment.

All four recipes contained only two ingredients: 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. 219 and 222 were made with a light roast, 220 with a medium roast, and 221 with a heavy roast. 219, 220, and 221 went through a medium conche; 222 was made with no conching.

221 came in Fresco's new 45 gram size, wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. It was formed into their standard shape: scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. This particular bar was missing its production and best before information, but it was likely produced in September 2012 with a best before date of two years later.

This heavy roast chocolate had a slightly different color from Fresco's other Papua New Guinea bars: a medium brown Puce (PANTONE 19-1518) color rather than the Fudgesickle of the other three. Like the others, this bar looked great other than having small bubbles in the corners of some pieces. The snap was medium-hard.

Similar scents were present in the aroma of 221, but again in a different mix, with fruit, earth, roast, wood and dairy. Among the four, 221 had the strongest roast scent, and I couldn't smell any vinegar at all in this aroma.

Initially earthy, the taste of this chocolate quickly revealed a strong coffee roast. The coffee flavor grew sweet with the taste of brown sugar. Fruit flavors of lime and blackberry then came forward, along with nuttiness.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was acidic, but slightly bitter.

Although I liked this heavy roast 221 the least of the four recipes, it was still a good chocolate, and interesting to taste side-by-side with the others. 221 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Review: Fresco 220 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Fresco bar 220 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 brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, wood, dairy, earth, roast, hint of vinegar snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (blackberry, lime), nut, roast, sweet, acidic melt smooth length medium finish acidic, slightly sour

This year Rob Anderson experimented with dozens of variations and settled on four recipes for crafting his newest chocolate from Papua New Guinea cacao. Each of them (219, 220, 221, and 222) varies based on roast and conche. Fresco makes their chocolate in a nut-free environment.

All four recipes used 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar, with no other ingredients. 219 and 222 were made with a light roast, 220 with a medium roast, and 221 with a heavy roast. The first three went through a medium conche; 222 was made with no conching.

The 220 bar came in Fresco's new 45 gram size, wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. It was scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. The production date was September 10, 2012 (bar 192 in batch #220-12-038). The best before date was October 2014.

220 had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color nearly identical to 219. The bar had small bubbles in the corners of some pieces, but otherwise looked great. The snap was medium-hard.

The aroma contained scents similar to 219, with fruit, wood, dairy, earth, and vinegar. However, not only was a roast scent clearly present, but the overall aroma smelled more strongly woody and the vinegar was merely a hint.

After an initial earthiness, the chocolate tasted of blackberry, strong lime, nut, and roast. 220 tasted substantially sweeter than 219 even though the sugar content was identical. I also experienced acidity.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor didn't last quite as long after the chocolate was gone, roughly 20 to 25 seconds, though it remained in the medium range. The final aftertaste was acidic and again slightly sour.

Although I prefer the lighter roast of 219 to 220, this bar was yet another great chocolate from Fresco. You cannot yet purchase Fresco 220 online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Review: Fresco 219 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 219 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 brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, wood, dairy, vinegar snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (citrus, lime, blackberry), roast (cocoa), nut, sweet, sour, acidic, wood melt smooth length medium finish acidic, slightly sour

Fresco created four different chocolate recipes using Papua New Guinea cacao: 219, 220, 221, and 222. All four were made from 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. They vary based on how they were roasted and conched.

219 had the same light roast as 222. It differed from 222 in that it was given a medium level of conching.

The chocolate came in a small 45 gram bar scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. The bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. The production date was September 1, 2012 (bar 278 in batch #219-12-037). The best before date was October 2014.

The color of 219 was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431), slightly darker than 222. The bar had tiny bubbles in the corners of some pieces, but otherwise looked great. The snap was medium-hard.

219 had an aroma containing fruit, wood, dairy, earth, and vinegar. It differed from 222 in that it was much less earthy and I didn't smell any olive.

The flavors in the taste included earth, fruit, roast, nut and wood. The fruit flavors I tasted were citrus, lime, and blackberry. The roast was a mild cocoa. It was also sweet, sour, and acidic.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting between 30 and 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was acidic and slightly sour.

Overall, while both are terrific, I slightly prefer 219 to 222. The melt of 219 is smoother and while it lacks just a little of the strong fruit taste of 222, I like the added cocoa and nut flavors. Fresco 219 won a gold award in the single origin category at the Northwest Chocolate Festival.

Fresco 219 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

International Chocolate Awards 2012 Winners

The World Final of the 2012 International Chocolate Awards took place last week in London and the results have now been published. Here are the winners in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category (with cacao origin).

Overall Winners
GOLD: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
SILVER: Pacari 70% Piura-Quemazon (Peru)
SILVER: Amano Cuyaga 70% (Venezuela)
SILVER: Amano Chuao 70% (Venezuela)
SILVER: Michel Cluizel Los Anconès (Santo Domingo)
SILVER: Domori Guasare (Venezuela)

Special Awards
GOLD Chocolate Maker: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Growing Country Chocolate: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Directly Traded Cacao: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Organic: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Best Cacao Source: Pacari 70% Piura-Quemazon (Peru)

You can see the full results here on the International Chocolate Awards website.