2013 Good Food Awards for Chocolate

The Good Food Awards published their winners for 2013. The following unflavored bars won awards in the chocolate category:

Amano Chuao
Dandelion Sambirano, Madagascar
Fresco Papua New Guinea 220
Patric Madagascar 67%
Patric Madagascar 75%
Ritual Costa Rica
Ritual Madagascar
Rogue Hispaniola
Rogue Rio Caribe
Rogue Sambirano

The links above go directly to our associated detailed chocolate bar review.

Chocolate Consumption Statistics By Country

The ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) released their bi-annual World Cocoa Economy report for 2012 and included in it are some great statistics about chocolate consumption in various countries around the world.

For a little historical perspective, here is our posting about consumption statistics from the 2010 report.

This first table lists per-capita consumption of chocolate confections by country, and includes products made with white chocolate. It is based on data from CAOBISCO (European Union Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries) and the ICA (International Confectionery Association).

Per-capita Chocolate Confection Consumption
country	kg/year	lb/year
Germany	11.6	25.4
Switzerland	10.5	23.1
United Kingdom	9.7	21.4
Norway	9.4	20.8
Denmark	8.5	18.7
Austria	8.2	18.0
Finland	7.3	16.0
Sweden	6.4	14.0
France	6.3	13.9
Estonia	6.2	13.7
Belgium	6.1	13.4
Lithuania	5.4	11.9
United States	5.3	11.6
Australia	4.5	9.9
Italy	3.7	8.2
Poland	3.6	7.9
Spain	3.6	7.9
Greece	3.5	7.7
Hungary	3.3	7.3
Brazil	2.9	6.4
Portugal	2.7	6.0
Japan	2.1	4.6
Bulgaria	1.3	2.8

The following tables are potentially more interesting. The next table contains estimates of per-capita consumption of cocoa by country. Unfortunately, I didn't find a clear definition by ICCO to identify the line between cocoa and chocolate confection, but here's the data they provided. If you find their definition, please email us or add it in a comment!

Per-capita Cocoa Consumption
country	kg/year	lb/year
Switzerland	5.88	12.94
Belgium	5.69	12.51
Ireland	4.02	8.84
Norway	4.02	8.83
Germany	3.96	8.72
Austria	3.80	8.36
United Kingdom	3.64	8.00
France	3.62	7.97
Denmark	3.29	7.23
Slovenia	3.07	6.75
Finland	3.02	6.65
Israel	2.96	6.52
Australia	2.87	6.33
Greece	2.60	5.72
Canada	2.55	5.61
United States	2.46	5.40
Czech Republic	2.44	5.37
Sweden	2.29	5.03
Netherlands	2.28	5.02
Spain	2.28	5.01
Hungary	1.79	3.94
Portugal	1.71	3.77
Poland	1.69	3.71
Italy	1.46	3.21
Russian Federation	1.39	3.06
Kazakhstan	1.23	2.70
Japan	1.22	2.67
Colombia	0.99	2.18
Romania	0.98	2.15
Chile	0.97	2.13
Saudi Arabia	0.97	2.12
Brazil	0.92	2.01
Argentina	0.79	1.73
Malaysia	0.60	1.31
Algeria	0.58	1.27
Mexico	0.55	1.21
Ghana	0.55	1.20
Republic of Korea	0.50	1.10
Ukraine	0.48	1.06
Cote d'Ivoire	0.44	0.98
Venezuela	0.41	0.90
South Africa	0.39	0.85
Turkey	0.34	0.74
Philippines	0.32	0.71
Ecuador	0.30	0.65
Nigeria	0.11	0.25
Indonesia	0.10	0.21
China	0.04	0.08
India	0.03	0.06

This last table averages per-capita consumption of cocoa by region. Of particular note is the World excluding China, India, and Indonesia. Because of the large populations of those countries with limited access to cocoa products, they otherwise skew the overall World average.

Per-capita Cocoa Consumption
region	kg/year	lb/year
World	0.61	1.35
World excluding China, India, Indonesia	1.09	2.40
Europe	2.18	4.80
Americas	1.37	3.01
Africa	0.20	0.44
Asia & Oceania	0.15	0.34

Review: Dick Taylor Bolivia

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Bolivia region Bolivia plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture imprint, smooth aroma earth (soil), roast (malt, smoke), sweet snap hard taste earth, roast (malt), sweet, nut, fruit, bitter melt smooth length medium finish bitter, slightly sour

Dick Taylor has been crafting bean to bar chocolate in small batches since 2010. They currently make chocolate from four origins: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar. In addition, they sell a few flavored bars, such as Black Fig, Fleur de Sel, and Maple Coconut.

Bolivia was made from 75% organic cacao beans and 25% organic cane sugar. The bar was not certified organic. The cacao beans were from a small lot of Rio Bene Wild Harvest (cacao beniano) sourced from John Nanci of Chocolate Alchemy.

Dick Taylor has an extremely detailed chocolate mold, as you can see in the photo of the bar above. The bar came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside an outer paper wrapper that was sealed on the back with a large product sticker. The best before date was September 2013.

The color of Bolivia was a dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The top surface was smooth, with just a few bits of adhered chocolate. The snap was hard.

Bolivia smelled primarily of earth and roast. The earthiness seemed to be a rich soil scent. The roast was mostly malt, with a little smokiness. The aroma also revealed sweetness.

The chocolate tasted of earth, roast, and sweetness as well. The roast contained malt. Along with those flavors were nut, fruit, and bitter.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was bitter and slightly sour.

The Bolivia bar is not currently for sale from Dick Taylor, but you can purchase it for $8.95 from The Meadow.

Review: Dick Taylor Madagascar

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Madagascar region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 72% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture imprint, smooth, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma earth, roast, fruit, spice, dairy (cheese), acidic snap hard taste earth, fruit (citrus, lemon, berry, watermelon), roast (cocoa), acidic melt smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly sour

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Dick Taylor Madagascar Sambirano

U.S. chocolate makers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor craft their bean to bar chocolate from only cacao beans and cane sugar. Dick Taylor currently makes four unflavored single origin chocolate bars: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar, as well as some flavored ones.

Madagascar contained 72% cacao beans and 28% cane sugar. Both ingredients were organic, though their bars are not certified. The cacao beans were sourced from Bertil Åkesson.

The bar came came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside an outer paper wrapper sealed on the back with a large product sticker. The best before date was September 2013.

Madagascar had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. As you can see in the bar photo above, Dick Taylor has a beautifully detailed chocolate mold. The top surface was smooth, with an uneven sheen and several tiny bubbles. The snap was hard.

The aroma contained earth, roast, fruit, spice, and dairy scents. The dairy scent was suggestive of cheese. I also found the aroma acidic.

The chocolate started out tasting earthy, and then revealed a wonderful collection of fruit flavors: citrus, lemon, berry, and watermelon. A cocoa roast and acidity were present along with the bonanza of fruit.

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

You can purchase Madagascar for $7.50 directly from Dick Taylor, or for $7.95 from The Meadow.

Review: Dick Taylor Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Dick Taylor bar Dominican Rep. region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 74% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.50

color medium-dark brown between PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate and PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture imprint, smooth, bubbles aroma earth (musty), roast (smoke, tobacco), spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), fruit (lime, berry, plum), sweet, tannin melt smooth length short finish tannin, somewhat bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Dick Taylor Dominican Finca Elvesia

U.S. bean to bar chocolate makers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor released their first chocolate bars in November 2010 from their small factory in Arcata, California. These former wood craftsmen (of furniture and boats) now apply their passion for quality to the production of small batch single origin chocolate. Dick Taylor currently produces a few flavored chocolate bars and four single origin ones: Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Madagascar.

Their Dominican Republic bar was made from 74% cacao beans and 26% cane sugar. Although the bar was not certified, both ingredients were organic. The cacao beans were sourced from La Red cooperative (through Alex Whitmore at Taza).

Dick Taylor has an incredibly detailed chocolate mold, as you can see in the photo of the bar above. Dominican Republic came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside an outer paper wrapper sealed on the back with a large product sticker. The best before date was September 2013.

The chocolate was a medium-dark brown, slightly browner than Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) and slightly redder than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The intricate top surface was smooth, with several tiny bubbles. The snap was hard.

The aroma contained earth, roast, spice and fruit. The earthy scent was musty; the roast scent was a smoky tobacco.

Dominican Republic initially tasted of earth and a tea roast. Fruit flavors came quickly, in the form of strong lime along with some berry and plum. Sweetness and tannin were also present.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and somewhat bitter.

You can purchase Dominican Republic for $7.50 directly from Dick Taylor, or for $7.95 from The Meadow.

Review: Dandelion Elvesia, Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Dandelion bar Elvesia region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 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 texture smooth, glossy, scoring, imprints, adhered bits aroma earth, roast (smoke, tobacco), fruit (prune) snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), fruit (plum, cherry), sweet, tannin, hint of sour melt more smooth length medium finish tannin

Elvesia is Dandelion's single origin bean to bar chocolate made with cacao from Jo Locandro's "Swiss Farm" in the Dominican Republic. Dandelion crafts all of their chocolate using 70% cacao beans and 30% cane sugar in a nut-free facility.

This chocolate was formed into the standard Dandelion shape: a bar scored into 18 pieces, each with an imprint of five parallel squiggles. It came wrapped in nice, heavy gold-sided foil inside craft paper. A sticker on the back indicated that the batch (the first of Elvesia) was made by CR (Cam Ring). There was no production or best before date, but the beans were from 2011 harvest and the bar was made in 2012.

Elvesia had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The top surface was smooth and glossy, with a few adhered bits. The snap was hard.

The chocolate had an aroma of earth, roast and fruit. The roast contained both smoke and tobacco scents. The fruit scent seemed closest to prune.

The taste began with earthy and roast flavors. The roast came in the form of black tea. Fruit soon developed, a powerful plum flavor with some cherry in the background. Sweetness grew, with tannin and a hint of sourness.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a medium length. Afterwards, I was left with a tannin finish.

You can usually purchase Dandelion Elvesia, Dominican Republic online for $8.00 directly from Dandelion, but they are currently sold out. You can also buy it for $8.99 from Chocolopolis.

Sale: 15% off Raaka Chocolate

Raaka is having a sale for 15% off their chocolate. There is no minimum purchase required, but you must spend $50 or more for free shipping.

Use discount code savorslowly during checkout.

Be sure to select the 2.5 ounce standard bars rather than the default 1.25 ounce nibbler size. Order by Monday night for U.S. delivery in time for Christmas.