Darker than Black, Week 37: Chocolate and Love Panama 80% Single Origin Dark Chocolate
It's been a while, but we're back! This is a bar I've been wanting to try for a while as well, since part of the reason I wanted to write about dark chocolate was to see if there was anything to the single-origin trend. Does chocolate, like wine, have terroir? The advertising certainly makes a bit deal of it, and I'm exactly the kind of person those claims are targeted toward--as I've told softlykarou, the way to get me to eat pizza is to call it "flatbread" and charge twice as much for it. So when my parents gave me this bar, we put it aside and waited for the right time. That time is now.
Inside, the wrapper makes a bit deal over all moral advantages this bar has. It literally says "Has eating chocolate ever felt this virtuous?" They don't use child labor, they plant trees in Ethiopia using some of the proceeds of the chocolate through WeForest, they get their beans through a chocolate cooperative called COCABO, and there's even a picture of the farmers on the inside. I'd say that it's overdoing it, but looking doing a cursory search around the internet, their claims seems to hold up. But does the chocolate?
The swirling leaves are a bit much. Too busy for my taste.
This was very good! It had some of the sourness of the French Broad chocolate that I really liked, along with the smoothness of 90% cacao Lindt chocolate, combined together in an extremely tasty package. I wouldn't have thought that something without too much cacao--I know, I know, 80%--would have that sourness, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was the first taste I found. It helped to tamp down the sweetness, which grew as I ate more and more but never overwhelmed the sourness. Who knew that you could achieve sweet and sour in a single bar without any other ingredients?
It was good enough that at first I wasn't sure I would be able to eat all of my portion. The bar was about the size of my hand, and usually I can't eat that much dark chocolate in a sitting, but we don't like to leave any chocolate behind--at least, I don't--so I always take half. The benefit of artisanal chocolate bars is that usually half is relatively small, so I don't have trouble eating it, but this was larger than most of the chocolate bars we eat. Still, I devoured it. Not too fast that I wasn't able to savor the taste, and not too slow that too much melted while I was holding it. It's great.
The inside is nicely organized, though. And look at those awards!
softlykarou's OpinionI at first was not sure I would be able to eat my portion, but the bar talked me into it. This bar was smooth and just on the proper side of sweet. It has the slight bitter aftertaste of nice dark chocolate but it's not so strong that I feel like it's coated everything. I feel very satisfied after eating it and in fact, even feel a chocolate nap coming on!
She's not lying. Immediately after writing this, she left the office and wandered out into the living room to lie down on the couch while I sit here writing. And now that I'm done, I think I'll go join her and finish digesting this delicious chocolate.
Inside, the wrapper makes a bit deal over all moral advantages this bar has. It literally says "Has eating chocolate ever felt this virtuous?" They don't use child labor, they plant trees in Ethiopia using some of the proceeds of the chocolate through WeForest, they get their beans through a chocolate cooperative called COCABO, and there's even a picture of the farmers on the inside. I'd say that it's overdoing it, but looking doing a cursory search around the internet, their claims seems to hold up. But does the chocolate?
The swirling leaves are a bit much. Too busy for my taste.
This was very good! It had some of the sourness of the French Broad chocolate that I really liked, along with the smoothness of 90% cacao Lindt chocolate, combined together in an extremely tasty package. I wouldn't have thought that something without too much cacao--I know, I know, 80%--would have that sourness, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was the first taste I found. It helped to tamp down the sweetness, which grew as I ate more and more but never overwhelmed the sourness. Who knew that you could achieve sweet and sour in a single bar without any other ingredients?
It was good enough that at first I wasn't sure I would be able to eat all of my portion. The bar was about the size of my hand, and usually I can't eat that much dark chocolate in a sitting, but we don't like to leave any chocolate behind--at least, I don't--so I always take half. The benefit of artisanal chocolate bars is that usually half is relatively small, so I don't have trouble eating it, but this was larger than most of the chocolate bars we eat. Still, I devoured it. Not too fast that I wasn't able to savor the taste, and not too slow that too much melted while I was holding it. It's great.
The inside is nicely organized, though. And look at those awards!
softlykarou's OpinionI at first was not sure I would be able to eat my portion, but the bar talked me into it. This bar was smooth and just on the proper side of sweet. It has the slight bitter aftertaste of nice dark chocolate but it's not so strong that I feel like it's coated everything. I feel very satisfied after eating it and in fact, even feel a chocolate nap coming on!
She's not lying. Immediately after writing this, she left the office and wandered out into the living room to lie down on the couch while I sit here writing. And now that I'm done, I think I'll go join her and finish digesting this delicious chocolate.