Sunday, July 3, 2011

Salazon Chocolate: Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt

One very nice thing about being a devoted chocolate lover living in DC is that there are more and more locally-made chocolates available to us all the time. Just look at those divine Fleur de Sel Caramels that I got from Artisan Confections. Zoe’s up in Frederick is putting together some truly divine flavor combinations in their bars. And of course, Potomac Chocolate provides us all with the chance to try locally-made goods from bean-to-bar artisan chocolate maker.

Now, to add to the offerings, Salazon started pumping out bars in nearby Eldersberg, MD about a year ago. I found this bar of dark chocolate with natural sea salt at the Friendship Heights Whole Foods on a trip to pick up running shoes, perfume, and cocoa powder.

It was an efficient trip. Really.

The aroma of this 54% cocoa bar is herby, and reminded me of basil and mint. The bar also offered some nicely executed artwork.

I take the fact that I noticed this as progress. It means that I looked at this bar long enough before eating it to notice. I also noticed, before I bit in, that there was salt visible on the back of the bar. Would this be like a shot of saltwater? Tough to say without eating.

Off I go.

The salt is evident, but is sufficiently ground such that it isn’t overwhelming; however, it’s a little concentrated towards the back of the bar, and the experience would be more complete if it were uniformly distributed. That said, the salt does bring out a nutty flavor from the chocolate, as well as a bit of mint, and the bar also features vanilla and perhaps a hint of licorice. The melt of the chocolate is smooth, until the end when there’s a hint of dryness. Overall, it’s a nice bar, and I enjoy finding locally-made products, but it’s not the best salted chocolate out there.

Even after this bar, I have yet to find that perfect salted chocolate. The quest continues.

Have you seen Salazon Chocolate around? Where did you see it?

No comments:

Post a Comment