Review: Rogue Balao 75%

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Rogue bar Balao region Ecuador plantation Camino Verde cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $13.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, spot of uneven sheen, adhered bits aroma earth (must), wood (cedar), spice, floral snap hard taste earth, spice, fruit (papaya), sweet, wood, floral melt more smooth length long finish tannin, slightly sour

U.S. chocolate maker Colin Gasko hand-crafts single origin bean to bar chocolate as Rogue Chocolatier. As you've probably read in our enthusiastic reviews of his other bars (Hispaniola, Piura, Rio Caribe, Sambirano, and Silvestre), Colin seeks out excellent cacao, works with farmers to help improve fermentation and drying, pays 2-4 times fair-trade prices, and maintains his focus on quality during every step as he produces each chocolate bar.

All of Rogue's chocolate is absolutely pure: made from only cacao beans and cane sugar. The factory in Three Rivers, Massachusetts, is soy-free, nut-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free. The ingredients of Balao were 75% cacao beans from Ecuador and 25% cane sugar.

Rogue provided an insert with extensive information about the cacao of this bar:

Vicente Norero of Camino Verde in Balao, Ecuador, is obsessive about quality. He has painstakingly renovated 500 hectares of traditional Ecuadorian varieties of cacao on his farm and in the process is raising the bar for Ecuadorian beans. He carefully controls fermentation and drying following the latest science and then tastes the liquor to determine profile. Vicente even goes so far as to sort cacao pods by phenotype (shape) and process them differently! For the Balao bar, we worked with Vicente to process two special lots. We blended two phenotype-optimized fermentations to create the world's first single-farm blend. One fermentation is more floral, green, and herbal and the other more spicy, woody, and fruity. The combination produces a remarkable chocolate that highlights Vicente's passion.

The 60 gram bar came sealed in a plastic pouch inside a heavy white paper envelope. It arrived with the top corner broken. The bar reviewed here was from batch 1 of Balao chocolate and was produced in December 2012.

Balao had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The bar was a single unscored slab. It was smooth and had a lovely glossy sheen. There was a spot of unevenness in the sheen, and some adhered bits of chocolate. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma contained earth, wood, spice, and floral scents. The earthiness was musty, and the woody aspect smelled distinctly of cedar.

The chocolate tasted much like it smelled, but without the cedar. An initial earthiness was soon joined by spice and fruit. As the taste became sweet, it seemed to me that the fruit included papaya. Woodiness and floral flavors were also present.

I categorized the melt as more smooth, though it was nearly creamy. The length was also remarkably long, with the chocolate flavor lasting 45 to 50 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was tannin and slightly sour.

The superb sheen, wonderful melt (with no added cocoa butter), and enduring length were evidence of the production quality of this chocolate. Overall, this was the best Ecuador bar I've tasted in a long time.

You can purchase Balao 75% online for $13.00 directly from Rogue or for $11.99 from Chocolopolis. I've never purchased chocolate from them before, but I also found it available from Bar & Bean for only $8.00!

Review: Askinosie Davao Philippines

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Askinosie bar Davao, Philippines region Philippines plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year 2012 size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 77% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane juice emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, character reliefs, tiny bubbles, adhered bits aroma earth, roast (malt, tobacco), fruit, sweet snap medium hard taste earth, acidic, bitter, fruit, wood, roast (smoke, cocoa), sour, caramel melt more smooth length medium finish bitter, somewhat acidic, slightly sour

In 2011 we reviewed three of Askinosie's four unflavored bean to bar dark chocolates: Cortés Honduras, San Jose Del Tambo Ecuador, and Tenende Tanzania. Today, we're finally posting a review of the fourth: Davao Philippines.

As you might recall from those prior reviews, Shawn Askinosie has developed personal relationships with the farmers who grow his cacao. He also shares the profits from his chocolate with them. The Trinitario cacao for this chocolate comes from the Davao region in the southeast Philippines. Peter Cruz is the lead farmer there, and is pictured on the wrapper.

Davao is the first single origin chocolate made by anyone from Philippine cacao. The 77% cocoa solids in this chocolate consisted of 75% cacao and 2% added cocoa butter. The remaining ingredient was organic cane juice (the other 23%). Note that the cocoa butter was actually pressed from the same Davao cacao, rather than a cheaper, lower quality cocoa butter used by most chocolate makers.

The 85 gram bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with a single letter of "Askinosie chocolate". It came wrapped in NatureFlex™ inside a waxed brown paper bag.

Askinosie uses a best before date of 1 year after the bar was produced as a "Choc-o-lot #" to identify the production run of the chocolate bar. The Choc-o-lot # is stamped on each wrapper and you can view a brief production history by entering it on their homepage. The Choc-o-lot # of the bar reviewed here was 060613, indicating it was finished on June 6, 2012.

The color of Davao was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth and the bar looked great other than some small imperfections: a few tiny bubbles in the raised lettering, some adhered bits, and a couple of places where the sheen was uneven. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Davao had an earthy aroma, with scents of roast, fruit, and sweetness. The roast contained both malt and tobacco.

The earthiness of the aroma was just as prominent in the taste. The earthy flavor was acidic and bitter, but not unpleasantly so. I tasted additional flavors of fruit, wood, roast in the form of smoke and cocoa, caramel, and some sourness.

The chocolate had a melt that was more smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was bitter, somewhat acidic, and slightly sour.

You can purchase Askinosie Davao Philippines online directly from Askinosie for $8.00. To combine it with the purchase of other chocolate, you can buy Davao for $7.99 from Chocolopolis or Caputo's.

Half off Northwest Chocolate Festival

Groupon has some terrific deals for a one day or weekend pass to the 2013 Northwest Chocolate Festival on September 21 and 22. I haven't yet written a posting about this year's event, but here's info about the 2012 event and you can read about this year on the Northwest Chocolate Festival website.

You can purchase a one-day pass for either Saturday or Sunday for only $18 (vs. $35) or a full weekend pass for only $30 (vs. $65). They also have some additional options for multi-person passes. This is my favorite chocolate event of the year, and this offer is likely to be the best price you'll find to the event. I'm going to try to get some free tickets to give away again this year, but no guarantees.

UPDATE: This Groupon is no longer available, but they have a replacement Groupon with with the same deals for one-day passes.

Chocolopolis kickstarter campaign

Chocolopolis is the local Seattle store that introduced me to the world of artisan chocolate. In addition to selling a huge collection of extraordinary chocolate bars from around the world, they also craft some of their own flavored chocolate bars, truffles, and other chocolate confections.

They recently launched a kickstarter project to raise money for new chocolate molds and improved labeling and packaging.

Owner Lauren Adler and all her staff at Chocolopolis are passionate about chocolate, helpful with information and suggestions, and genuinely friendly people. I learned a lot about tempering chocolate from their chocolatiers, Nica and Sebastian Falcon. I hope you've had the opportunity to meet them yourself, but if not, you should know that they're a good group of people worthy of supporting.

If you'd like to join me in helping Chocolopolis and receive some nice rewards for doing so, or just get more information about the project and perks, check out their kickstarter page.

Also, don't miss the last few events of their fifth anniversary celebration this month. In particular, all day tomorrow (Monday, July 22nd) they will be selling their house-crafted chocolate bars for half price!

Review: Åkesson's Bali Sukrama Farms 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Bali region Bali plantation Sukrama Farms cacao trees Trinitario year 2011 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, relief, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth, roast, spice, wood snap hard taste spice, roast (coffee), sweet, fruit (mango), acidic melt smooth length short finish somewhat bitter, slightly acidic

Bertil Åkesson has cacao plantations in Madagascar and Brazil (the sources of cacao for his Madagascar Ambolikapiky and Brazil Fazenda Sempre Firme bars). He also works with Big Tree Farms in Bali (where they support "social, ecological, and economically sustainable supply chains").

Åkesson's supplied Trinitario cacao beans from two Sukrama brothers's farms for this Bali two plantation bar. Although they are involved in production decisions, Åkesson's does not make their own chocolate. Instead, they use an unnamed French company to make it for them.

Bali Sukrama Farms contained 75% cocoa solids, and had ingredients of cane sugar, cocoa butter, and soy lecithin in addition to the cacao beans.

The bar came enclosed in clear cellophane inside a textured black paper box. It weighed 60 grams and had a large "Å" in the center. The bar was scored unevenly into 9 pieces. The best before date was June 6, 2013.

The color of Bali Sukrama Farms was a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The surface was smooth, with an uneven grayish sheen (likely transported or stored in non-ideal conditions at some point). The snap was hard.

The chocolate's aroma contained earth, roast, spice, and wood scents.

The taste included spice, roast, and fruit flavors. The roast tasted of coffee and the fruit included mango. I also noticed sweetness and some acidity.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the flavor lasting about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat bitter and slightly acidic.

You can purchase Åkesson's Bali Sukrama Farms 75% online from The Meadow for $7.95.

Review: Åkesson's Madagascar Ambolikapiky 75%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Madagascar region Madagascar plantation Ambolikapiky cacao trees Criollo year 2011 size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, relief, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth (grass, hay), roast (cocoa, smoke), fruit snap hard taste roast (smoke, cocoa), fruit (berry, citrus, raisin), sweet melt smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly sour

The Åkesson family has been growing cacao and spices since the 1970s. For decades, they have been supplying fine cacao beans to chocolate makers. Recently Bertil Åkesson launched the Åkesson's line of chocolate and other exotic foods. The first bars were produced in 2009 and Åkesson's currently makes three unflavored plantation chocolate bars: Bali, Brazil, and Madagascar.

One of their plantations is Ambolikapiky in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. It currently produces about 300 tons per year of Trinitario cacao beans and 2 tons per year of separately harvested Criollo cacao beans. The beans used in making Åkesson's Madagascar bar come from the Criollo cacao of that plantation.

The ingredients of this chocolate were organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. Cocoa solids made up 75% of the chocolate. It was certified organic by bio.inspecta. Åkesson's chocolate is made by a company in France, but I have not confirmed who they are.

Inside a black paper box, the bar came sealed in a clear cellophane wrapper. The 60 gram bar had the relief of a large "Å" in the center and was scored into 9 pieces of three difference sizes. The best before date was June 6, 2013. Based on its appearance and two years since production, it's likely that this chocolate experienced a period outside of ideal storage conditions.

Madagascar Ambolikapiky had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface was smooth, with an uneven grayish sheen. The bar had a hard (almost very hard) snap.

The aroma had a strong earthy scent of mostly grass with a touch of hay. Roast and fruit were also present. The roast contained cocoa and smoke scents. During one review pass, I thought the fruit included peach.

The chocolate tasted of roast and fruit. The roast was smoke and cocoa, like the aroma, but with the smoke stronger than the cocoa. The fruit flavors I tasted were berry, citrus, and raisin. It was also sweet.

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

This chocolate won a silver in the category of "involved in the bean to bar process yet don’t own their own factory" at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

You can purchase Åkesson's Madagascar Ambolikapiky 75% online for $7.95 from The Meadow.

Review: Kallari SACHA Roberto's Recipe 75%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Kallari bar SACHA Roberto's Recipe region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa), floral, sweet (marshmallow), fruit, vanilla, sour snap medium hard taste floral, fruit (blueberry), sweet, vanilla melt smooth length medium finish tannin, acidic, slightly sour

There are currently six tree to bar unflavored chocolates made by Kallari. Three of them are from their original line: 85% Cacao, 75% Cacao, and 70% Cacao). Their new SACHA line has the other three: Sinchi Supreme 85%, Roberto's Recipe 75%, and Sisa's Secret.

Roberto's Recipe was named for chocolate maker Robert Steinberg of Scharffen Berger, who recommended the recipe used for this chocolate bar. The chocolate contained 75% cocoa solids (organic Ecuador cacao beans and added cocoa butter) plus raw cane sugar and vanilla.

As with all of their chocolate bars, Roberto's Recipe came sealed in a silver plastic wrapper inside a dark brown paper box. The 50 gram bar was scored into 15 pieces. I could barely read the blurry dates lightly stamped on the box, but I think the production date was August 2012 and the best before date was August 2013.

The bar was a medium-dark (although close to medium) brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). Unfortunately, it arrived broken in half. The surface was smooth with an uneven sheen and bubbles, as well as some other imperfections. The bar had a medium hard snap.

Similar to the other two SACHA bars we reviewed, Roberto's Recipe had a great aroma. In addition to the cocoa roast and marshmallow sweetness, the aroma included a powerful floral scent, some fruit, and vanilla. This aroma had the strongest floral scent of the three.

The taste of this chocolate began with a floral flavor that lasted throughout. I tasted additional flavors of fruit, blueberry, sweetness, sourness, and vanilla.

Roberto's Recipe had a smooth melt. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was tannin, acidic, and slightly sour.

Overall, I'm impressed with the new SACHA line. Hopefully, they will soon improve bar appearance, but in the interim Kallari has done a great job with the aromas and flavors.

You can purchase SACHA Roberto's Recipe 75% online for $5.25 from Chocosphere .