Were you hoping, after my boasting yesterday that my surroundings in Hawaii were perfect, that a storm would sweep through? No, no luck there. I’m still enjoying Oahu, and will still be able to get my hands on more delicious Hawaiian Chocolate. I have several chocolate-based visits lined up for later in my trip, which I got more and more excited about as I worked my way through Madre Chocolate’s samples. I was able to sample another pure dark chocolate bar, this time, one with beans from the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Dark Chocolate bar, which is 70% cocoa, is made solely from fair-trade beans. These are the kind of things that bean-to-bar chocolate makers can tell you. And this is one of the reasons I like bean-to-bar chocolate. I also enjoy the artisan approaches to roasting and conching, which can produce wonderful, complex flavors and aromas. In this case, the aroma is cherry-based, with a bit of smoke as well. The clean snap also indicates well-treated beans.
As with the Hawaiian Dark Chocolate bar, the chocolate is not at all bitter while offering a variety of pleasing flavors. There is a subtle woody flavor and a soft cherry note throughout, as well as a hint of citrus – specifically lemon. These flavors are complimented by a perfectly smooth, creamy melt, and just a hint of sugar to enhance the flavor and texture. The one drawback of this bar is that the wonderful flavor dissipates a bit quickly; I would prefer that it linger a bit longer so that I could enjoy it more.
Do you prefer chocolate with a long-lasting flavor, or do you eat it quickly enough that you’d never notice?
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