dark milk chocolate – Eating the Chocolate Alphabet

R is for Rum

One of these bars is NOT like the other. Can you tell what the difference is?!

As I gather bars together for each post, I realize that A) I over-plan and buy too many bars ahead of time (meaning that the “best by” usually elapses well before I have the chance to taste them) and B) I’m a little obsessive 😜
I have too many chocolates!! I know you’re all shocked by that statement!

Anyway, did you guess that four of the five bars photographed above are Rum + Raisin? If so, bonus points for you!

Tasting in alphabetical order (would you expect anything else from me)…

Cultura Craft Chocolate (Denver, Colorado)
Limited Release 72% Rum + Raisin

While the packaging mentions raisin, the list of ingredients does not. Maybe this was a typo/oversight or maybe raisin refers to the flavor profile that they are highlighting?

This one is described as being a Guatemalan dark chocolate infused with Bear Creek Distillery’s Spiced Rum. The surface is lightly frosted since the “enjoy by” date had elapsed by a whole year. YIKES! 😲

There’s a vegetal aroma to the bar that (strangely) reminds me of miso soup. Dry, brittle snap & crumbly when chewed. I encountered a yogurt-like tang and a grainy mouthfeel during the slow/even melt. Finishes with fruity/cherry notes.

Charley’s Chocolate Factory (Queensland, Australia)
70% Dark Chocolate PLUS Rum and Raisin

This bar is truly a melting pot of ingredients! The cocoa beans are from the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea, the cocoa butter is Venezuelan, the soy lecithin is from Germany, the rum is from Queensland (Australia) and the raisins are also Australian.

Speaking of which, just look at the generous amount of plump, chewy drunken raisins dotting the back of this bar!

No aroma straight out the packaging, which is surprising given that my past experience with PNG chocolate has been heavy on the smoke since traditionally those cocoa beans have been smoke dried.

The 3 ounce bar feels hefty/dense in my hands and has a medium snap. It’s slow to melt on the tongue and produces a thick/not completely smooth mouthfeel during the even melt.

It’s what I would consider a good snacking bar with all those rum infused raisins on the back!

Jasper + Myrtle (Canberra, Australia) Spiced Rum Dark Chocolate

OK, now that I look at the packaging again, this doesn’t specifically say raisin, but it DOES say “dried fruit” as part of the ingredients list. Does that count?! Other ingredients listed are: Australian Rum, spices and bourbon vanilla.

Again, this one has a lightly frosted appearance since the “best by” date is also almost a year ago 😢

There’s an immediate spice aroma. Is it cinnamon or nutmeg? I’ll say cinnamon as my final answer!

Sharp snap, slow/even melt releasing primarily caramel notes plus black pepper and other spices, with an oaky/woody taste mid-melt and on the finish. No visible inclusions or mouthfeel texture from the dried fruits, so I wonder if they were ground in with the cocoa beans.

Solkiki (UK) 63% Coconut Dark Milk Rum n Raisin

The outer, cardboard packaging could hardly stay closed due to all the lumpy inclusion goodness encased in Gran Nativo Blanco (Peru) dark non-dairy (vegan) milk chocolate. There are small, chewy, boozy Diplomatico Reserva rum infused raisins studding the bar as a textural treat.

Medium to sharp snap, vibrant tropical fruit flavor with a creamy, slow/event melt. It’s rich and satisfying and could easily stand in as an after dinner dessert!

Last, but not least…

Wm. Chocolate (Madison, Wisconsin) Honduras Wampusirpi 72% dark + Roaring Dan’s Rum

Another lightly frosted outer surface (it’s about 6 months out of date), with a high pitched snap. This one has an intense molasses/prune-y aroma and flavor. I wonder if these notes come from the rum or the whole cane sugar used as sweetener. Silky smooth, creamy, slow/even melt with a malty and light leather finish.

The Wampusirpi, Honduras cacao was soaked in Great Lakes Distillery’s Roaring Dan’s Rum, named after Dan Seavey, a pirate who sailed in the Great Lakes at the turn of the 20^th Century.

Lately I’ve been pairing chocolates with a matching cocktail.

What you see here is a Hop Toad: equal parts white rum, apricot liqueur & lime juice. Here are the results from individual tastings:

The citrus notes were highlighted when pairing the cocktail with Charley’s and Jasper + Myrtle. The citrus was especially intensified/more pronounced with Wm. Chocolate.

Alternatively, the apricot sweetness was enhanced by Cultura and Solkiki.

I realized too late that I also have a unique sugar cane alcohol made in the Peruvian Amazon. Sounds like I have more pairings and experimentation in my future!

If you have a rum cocktail recommendation, please leave me a note in the comments section.

Please visit the various makers’ websites for more details on their offerings!

Cultura Craft Chocolate: https://www.culturachocolate.com/
Charley’s Chocolate Factory: https://www.charleys.com.au/
Jasper + Myrtle: https://jasperandmyrtle.com.au/
Solkiki: https://www.solkiki.co.uk/
Wm. Chocolate: https://wmchocolate.com/

G is for Gin

Up until about five years ago, I wasn’t much of a drinker. I’m not fond of wine (unless it’s sweet/dessert/Late Harvest); mass produced beer smells and tastes like pee (I’ve since discovered that I like craft beer sours); and I thought that all cocktails were served on the rocks or blended with ice (my throat doesn’t do well with super cold things). My boyfriend is a firm believer that everyone should cultivate an acquired taste, so gin became my thing! He also opened my eyes to cocktails that are served “up” (meaning that they are chilled, but come sans ice) and my world has never been the same since. 😂

I love the complexity of gin! This spirit can be distilled from seemingly almost anything. I’ve tried one made from clementine oranges and another from grapes, as well the more traditional grain distillation. Each gin is distinct depending on the blend of botanicals used. Most makers keep their ingredients a secret, others proudly detail that it contains juniper, bergamot, orange peel, angelica, coriander as well as many many other herbs and spices. My recent gin acquisition has a vibrant purple hue thanks to butterfly pea flowers that changes color when citrus juice is added! 😲

Confession time: I’ve been planning and gathering bars for this alcohol-related Alphabet for about a year now and this round has been rolling out at a much slower pace than the previous three, so the first two bars featured below have (unfortunately) past their prime after languishing in my stash, waiting for their moment in the spotlight…one of the drawbacks of being a chocolate hoarder! 🤦

First up is Zotter’s Gin Zitronic Hand-scooped bar:

A fellow gin lover and chocophile from the UK visited the Zotter factory in Austria over a year ago (yes, I’m shaking my head too) and sent me this bar. The label is entirely in German, so I’ve been struggling to translate it to English. I’m pretty sure it says something about Josef Farthofer’s O. Gin (the O meaning organic) and that this gin has 24 different herbs and spices, with juniper and orange called out specifically.

Don’t you just love the undulating waves of 60% dark milk chocolate that enrobe this bar and how you can see each distinct layer?

The bar is like a soft fudge and doesn’t snap, so it’s advisable to cut off portions with a knife. The lightly crisp, thin dark milk chocolate top and bottom fall away easily so that you can taste the creamy dark chocolate ganache layer and the citrusy lemon cream layer separately.

Deconstructing all the elements allowed me to better enjoy the latent botanical flavors as well as discover tiny pieces of citrus zest that add texture and enhanced flavor. Again, based on my rudimentary translation, I think the lemon cream is made with their house-made lemon soda + vermouth, though it’s really not boozy.

Another thing that baffles me on the label, is that the “zi & r” of Zitronic are in green, whereas everything else is in black…if anyone knows the significance, please fill me in!

Next up, is Cultura Craft Chocolate’s Limited Release 75% Gin + Juniper bar:

Based on the label description, Belize dark chocolate was infused with Denver-based Leopold Bros Navy Strength gin and finished with juniper sugar; piloncillo (unrefined brown sugar) in particular, I believe.

What is “Navy Strength” you might ask? Well, the quick answer is a spirit that is bottled at exactly 57% alcohol by volume (ABV). The longer answer is that during the 18^th Century, the UK Royal Navy mandated that a certain quantity of gin be carried on board as a way to combat scurvy or malaria as they traveled around the world. Since suppliers were notorious for watering down alcohol, mariners would test the product by igniting the liquid with gunpowder. If it failed to light, this indicated that they had been duped. Only gin that passed the gunpowder test were classified as Navy Strength.

The small (0.9 ounce) bar has no mold design and a nice amount of sprinkled inclusions. Once out of the inner wrapper, the aroma was herbal, like hay or grass. Sharp snap with a smooth, slow/even melt. Fruity/juicy notes with a tart tang at the back of the throat. Chewing a tasting morsel brought out more vibrant fruit notes. Returning to melting a piece on my tongue after chomping a few bites, now I was able to get the botanical notes that are characteristic of gin.

Since I don’t like to be pre-influenced when tasting chocolate, I didn’t read the label until AFTER trying the bar. I was pleasantly surprised to see Leopold Bros, since I just happen to have one of their gins on hand: mine is the Summer Gin. By the way, I always feel so guilty about drinking alcohol too early in the day; so I tasted and photographed the chocolates at lunchtime, but waited until an appropriate “cocktail hour” for the pairings.

The Summer Gin on its own is quite citrusy, but also smooth enough to be sipped neat. Paired with the Belize chocolate, this brought out raisin/stewed dried fruit and floral notes. What a delightful combo!

Last, but not least, Hunted + Gathered Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin bar:

How can you not smile when you see a cheerful sticker saying “time for more chocolate”! This should be my mantra, wait it IS my mantra 🤣

From the packaging, Four Pillars Gin botanicals were ground through with 70% Dominican Republic cacao to produce this bar. Granted this is my most recent acquisition (since a friend traveled to Australia within the last 6 months and brought back this bar for me), but it was also the one that MOST smelled like gin: VERY herbaceous!

The mold design makes me think of a tic tac toe board or a large Rubik’s cube panel. Forgive the lightly frosted surface appearance…remember, it traveled QUITE a distance to get to me!

Resounding snap, sending botanical aromas to my nose. This is like eating gin in solid form! Intensely juniper with resin/pine too. Bitter during the melt and long lasting flavor on the tongue during the finish. I was surprised to see that the ingredients list mentioned coconut sugar and dried orange.

While on a shopping spree recently, we spotted a Four Pillars Gin and knew we *HAD* to have this for the perfect pairing!

On its own, the gin has quite a kick (the first sip was mellow and then that second sip was WOW!) Paired together, I get all kinds of licorice-y and anise notes. Quite robust and complex!

Tomorrow I’m going to try a non-alcoholic juniper bar since it’s gin-adjacent! Follow me on Instagram to find out more.

If you know of any other gin bars out there that I shouldn’t miss, please leave a comment below.

Cheers & Happy Thirsty Thursday to all! Should we blame or congratulate my BF for corrupting me?! Regardless, I’m off to make myself a cocktail…with gin, of course 😉🍸

If you’d like more information on any of the makers featured here, please check out their websites:

Cultura Craft Chocolate from Denver, Colorado, USA: https://www.culturachocolate.com/

Hunted + Gathered from Victoria, Australia: https://huntedandgathered.com.au/

Zotter Schokolade from Austria: https://www.zotter.at/en/homepage.html

E is for Enzian

Every time I think up a new theme for Eating the Chocolate Alphabet, the process for acquiring bars that fit each letter seems easier in my head than in reality. The only thing that initially came to mind for “E” was elderflower liqueur, but that proved impossible to find in a chocolate. So, today’s hero is Lilla from Little Beetle Chocolates. While on a reconnaissance trip to Austria, she found not one but two “E” bars as well as them containing an alcohol that I had never even heard of until now!

Introducing Enzian...

According to Wikipedia, enzian liquor (also known as gentian spirit or gentian schnapps) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage originating in the Alpine region, produced using roots from gentian plants (generally the yellow variety, though there is also purple, brown or spotted). Gentian can be found in angostura bitters, is said to be the main flavor in vermouth and has been used since the Middle Ages for the production of schnapps. WOW…what a versatile plant this is!

First up is Xocolat Alpin

The illustration on both the outer packaging and the inner glassine envelope makes me want to take up cross stitching again; the floral pattern is both intricate and satisfying in its symmetry. While I’m not certain, since I had trouble translating the German text in small cursive font on the back of the box, I believe that the beautiful design was created by hand at https://www.handdrucke.at/en/

Is it just me, or does their mould design look like ravioli waiting to be cut apart into individual portions? The convex bulge lulled me into believing that the bar was filled, so it came as a surprise when I bit into a portion and discovered it was solid chocolate.

Even though sugar is the first ingredient of this 43% milk chocolate bar and there is less than 1% of gentian oil, the overall flavor is extremely bitter. I read somewhere that the bitter taste from gentian (accurately described as the “king of the bitter herbs”) can still be perceived when diluted down to 1 part in 12,000. If you’ve ever licked a pencil eraser and thought that it tasted metallic…then you have a good starting point for this chocolate! Other vivid descriptions are the packaging taglines: “with the spice of nature / with the aroma of the mountains.” When I described this bar as “botanical,” a friend very astutely asked: “Is that the nice way of saying it tastes like leaves?” Hmmm…BUSTED 😲

Medium snap, smooth mouthfeel during the slow/even melt, it’s hard to get past the bitterness and then you’re left with a lightly astringent finish. Paired with a sweet vermouth, it’s actually quite tasty! FYI, this bar does NOT contain any alcohol, just the enzian (gentian) oil.

Next is Tiroler Edle

At first, I thought: what a cute silver foil stamped cow logo on the front of this box. Little did I realize that this is a not-so-subtle hint as to the origin of the milk used for this 60% dark milk chocolate: an alpine cattle breed called Grauvieh in German and Tyrolean Grey in English.

The fair direct traded couverture chocolate (Ghana & Ecuador origins) was sourced from chocolatier’s partner, Felchlin, and then filled with 46% Galtürer Enzianbrand-Creme (cream of gentian brandy).

At first bite, there was a boozy burst of dried fruit flavor, but then the creamy sweet filling reminded me of Turkish coffee, smoke or leather. I have to admit that I’ve already eaten half the bar in one sitting 🙂

To find out more about these Austrian chocolate bars, please visit: https://www.xocolat.at/ and https://www.tiroleredle.at/

N is for Nicalizo

Every day affords us the chance to learn something new if we maintain an open mind and embrace the opportunities that are placed on our paths!

As I was putting together a list of bars to feature for this round of the Alphabet, Nicalizo kept popping into my mind, probably because I’ve tried this “origin” a couple of times already this year. What I didn’t realize until today was that Nicalizo is NOT an origin, but the trademarked name of a Trinitario-Acriollado variety of cacao that grows in the northern mountains of Nicaragua near the Honduras border which was identified/propagated by Ingemann Cacao Fino (Fine Cacao) located outside the capital city of Managua. Also, Nicalizo® was the first Nicaraguan cacao to be awarded Heirloom Cacao Preservation status; they are number 8 of 13, so far.

For a while now, I’ve been envious of my fellow chocolate bloggers who have been posting about Lithuanian Chocolate Naive’s nano-lot bars, so (of course) I had to get one for myself. When you hear the term “nano-lot,” what comes to mind? That the maker produced a very small number of bars? That the grower’s yield was limited? Both of these are certainly plausible! According to the packaging, it sounds like the “nano” designation comes from the fact that chocolate maker, Domantas Uzpalis, was able to “secure the very last 60kg [approx. 132 lbs.] of this special lot that was supervised and preserved by mad cocoa fermentation scientist Zoi Papalexandratou PhD. in mid-2015.” A quick look on LinkedIn shows that Dr. Zoi is the former Head of Research & Development + Post-Harvest Management for Ingemann Fine Cacao and that she specializes in cocoa fermentation as it relates to flavor development.

Are you sufficiently intrigued?! Well, then let’s get to tasting the chocolate!!

The plain black and white cardboard box with the embossed logo of a man riding a unicycle (which will be repeated on the chocolate bar itself) is in stark contrast to the vibrant packaging that I’ve seen from Chocolate Naive recently! The only pop of color comes from the double-sided informational insert that holds the wrapped bar in place within the box.

Taking a closer look at the insert, you learn what makes these beans special:

As you might expect, the bar is a light brown, almost like a mocha or café au lait. It surprised me to discover milk powder as an ingredient since I was expecting this to be a dark chocolate bar (though I wasn’t able to find any cacao percentage listed either on the packaging or the company website).

Even though the front of the bar sports a near flawless, textured, matte finish, the back of the bar looks a bit lumpy by comparison.

In the photo below, I’ve used a silver tone filter and zoomed in to what appears to me as a friendly dragon or partially decorated Christmas tree. What do YOU see?! 🤔

Earthy and freshly-ground coffee bean smells greeted my nose upon removing the bar from the sealed pouch. Breaking off a morsel with a sharp snap, there was a dairy/milky aroma at the break point.

While there were initial quick bursts of fruit flavors as the chocolate melted on my tongue, those evolved to honey/caramel/nutty notes and ended with what I can only describe as a “dusty” finish (imagine papery walnut skins). Subsequent tastes brought out lightly smoky notes. The texture seemed a little crumbly when chewed, resulting in a thick mouthfeel which coated the tongue + palate. There was certainly a long lasting chocolate aftertaste, though I didn’t use a stopwatch to confirm if it matched the 9 minutes quoted on the packaging insert!

As a parting thought, I wanted to share that prior to tasting the bar this morning, last night I listened to episode 17 of the “Unwrapped: A conversation about chocolate” podcast which discussed microlots, exclusives, scarcity and rarity. While Sunita & Brian’s 50 minute chat was rambling at times, it certainly made me consider whether terms like “nano-lot” are just clever marketing tools to hook those of us with a FOMO (fear of missing out). I’d like to think that wasn’t my (subconcious) motivation! 😲

Although this bar is sold out on Chocolate Naive’s website, you can still find it on Cacao Review’s website (at least at the time of this post).

If you’ve tried this bar or have an opinion on the term “nano-lot,” I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message or leave a comment below.

Stay open to new learning experiences each day & early Merry Christmas!

L is for Loma Quita Espuela

Originally I was going to avoid inclusion bars this round (unless absolutely necessary) since “Round 2” was dedicated to them. However, once I saw this bar as part of Chocswap 2.0 with Lilla from Little Beetle Chocolates, I knew I couldn’t find a better (or more unique sounding) “L” origin!

The highest elevation within the city of San Francisco de Macorís in the North Region of the Dominican Republic is at Loma Quita Espuela. In case you’re curious about the name, here is what I found on Wikipedia:

“This name allegedly comes from the time when the Spaniards were exploring the island, since the hill was too steep to ride their horses, they had to dismount and remove their spurs and undertake the ascent on foot.”

It certainly sounds like an amazing place to experience nature, based on what I’ve seen from this website!

Now for the chocolate itself: Kilian & Close 52% D.R. with Périgord walnuts

Love the simplicity of this sturdy cardboard packaging with interlocking folds that remind me of a modified “dovetail joint” or “tongue and groove” assembly. There is a single triangular notched tab keeping the box closed and the plastic-wrapped bar tightly nestled within. In retrospect, the bar might have been too secure since the inner wrapper clung to the chocolate in places, leaving several shiny spots.

Honestly, I was NOT expecting there to be several candied walnut halves adhered to the back of the bar, though I should have guessed there might be visible inclusions when the package felt thick in my hand.

As if to alleviate my conscience (about only using non-inclusion, single origin bars for this round of the Alphabet), there were several spots sans walnuts so that I could taste the chocolate on its own!! 💕

The bar segmented easily with a sharp snap and there were hardly any air bubbles at the breaking point.

Handling the tasting morsels with my fingers, I noticed that the chocolate had an ultra-smooth, plastic-like texture to the touch. Perhaps this explains why it was difficult to melt on the tongue? Switching to chewing, creamy, nutty, caramel notes emerged. The flavor remained consistent throughout the tasting, until I got to a piece with the candied walnuts. Chomping on a walnut, there were earthy and lightly bitter notes relegating the slow roasted Dominican Republic cocoa beans to “second fiddle.”

Speaking of the walnuts, these come from Périgord (the old name for the former province in southwestern France) which, as of September 30, 2016, has a new name: Nouvelle-Aquitaine. In 2002, these walnuts were awarded PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status even though they have been in the area since the Middle Ages!

Since Lilla purchased this bar in Germany during her summer road trip, the label is entirely in German.

It wasn’t until AFTER my tasting that I decided to translate the ingredient list. I was surprised to see coconut blossom sugar as the first ingredient and that there was also coconut milk powder at the end of the list! The flavor notes all make much more sense now! Not sure why I didn’t originally make the connection that there would be an alternate milk to retain its vegan certification! 😲

I’m slowly learning to embrace serendipity since not knowing all the information in advance allows you to taste without prejudice and pre-conceptions. 🙂 This was certainly a delicious journey of discovery!

To learn more about Kilian & Close, please visit their website: http://www.kilian-close.com/en.htm

Bonus W – Water Buffalo Milk

For a couple of weeks running, I’ve posted some “fun food Friday” posts on Instagram. After skipping a week, I’m back with a bonus post since how could I resist tasting TWO different buffalo milk chocolate bars from the UK, especially after tasting camel milk, donkey milk and goat milk earlier in the Eating the Chocolate Alphabet project?!

I’m sure you’re thinking, wait a minute…shouldn’t this be featured under “B” for “Buffalo”?

Since Damson’s website mentioned Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire as the source of their buffalo milk, I did a little research on their website to confirm that when you hear “buffalo” related to milk or cheese, the animal in question is really the WATER BUFFALO, not the American Bison (which is commonly referred to simply as buffalo)! In the wild, water buffalo can be found in swampy, wet areas which is how they got their name. Did you know that water buffalo are quieter and easier to milk than most cows?! I didn’t either until I started reading up on them!

Anyway, back to the chocolate!

Thanks to fellow chocolate blogger Victoria Cooksey for sending me this Damson 55% Buffalo Milk bar!

When I saw the Cocoa Runners logo on the front of the package, I was equally intrigued and confused. Turns out that before Dom Ramsey started Damson in early 2015, he was a founding member of Cocoa Runners (a company that curates bean-to-bar chocolate subscription boxes in the UK, among other things). You can read more about Dom through this link.

Tearing open the re-sealable, foil-lined, brown Kraft paper pouch, I could immediately smell dried fruit, like raisins or currants. The small bar adorned with images of cacao leaves and pods had a matte finish despite the visible air bubbles. The surface of the bar felt smooth and lightly oily to the touch which reminded me of the sensation of rubbing rose petals between my fingers or the supple skin of a ripe plum.

There was a medium snap when segmenting tasting morsels and I was fascinated to see the delineation of smooth and porous surfaces at the juncture of the “puzzle pieces” that form the mold.

The small piece didn’t seem dense in weight and I found it easy to bite through the piece, like a thick piece of fudge.

During the slow and even melt, there was a milky/creamy mouthfeel and a lightly grassy (yet also fruity), caramel taste. In my opinion, this animal milk is mild in comparison to goat and camel, but less mild than donkey. Unfortunately, no country of origin was listed for the chocolate, so I’m not sure if this was a blend or a single origin. If someone knows more about batch 297, please let me know!

When I had arranged a chocswap with Lilla from Little Beetle Chocolates, I had no idea what to expect, so I was thrilled to receive this Rare & Vintage Hotel Chocolat 65% Buffalo Milk bar!

Not sure if the 3D mold design has changed recently, but my bar with accordion-like folds doesn’t look exactly like the photo on the company website! Check it out for yourself & let me know what you think!

Despite the chocolate dust and damage sustained in transit from the UK, the bar was free from air bubbles and had a glossy shine when viewed at just the correct angle!

This would be my first time tasting chocolate made with Saint Lucian beans, so I didn’t know what to expect (note: Saint Lucia is an island country in the Eastern Caribbean).

There was a brittle snap to the bar and the aroma reminded me of olives, while the flavor was earthy with what I can only describe as minerality, like smoked salt. Not surprisingly, the bar itself had the same tactile characteristics (like stroking a soft rose petal) as the previous buffalo milk bar. While there was a smooth mouthfeel, this chocolate felt denser and was more difficult to melt in my mouth (not as creamy as the Damson bar, I wonder if this is because Damson uses “whole buffalo milk powder” vs. Hotel Chocolat’s “dried buffalo milk”). However, I noticed that the Hotel Chocolat tasting morsel seemed to disintegrate more quickly when “chomped.” The overall flavor of the Hotel Chocolat bar was more “gamey” (intense) than Damson’s buffalo milk bar, even though I’m guessing that the same buffalo milk source was used…how many biodynamic and organic buffalo milk farms are there in Britain?!

For more information on either of these companies, please see their respective websites:

https://damsonchocolate.com/

http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk

As this project is nearing the end of the alphabet, I’m still holding out hope for a zebra milk chocolate bar! Maybe I should have renamed this series “Eating the Chocolate Zoo” 😉

50 States Collaboration – New York / Fruition Chocolate

Usually Lori (from Time to Eat Chocolate) and I trade off featuring different states and chocolate makers in our respective blogs, but this week we are both featuring “The Big Apple.” It wasn’t until this project that I discovered that New York is second to California in terms of the number of bean-to-bar makers! In case you’re wondering…Oregon and Texas tie for 3rd with ten B2B makers in each of those states, while California has a whopping 36 and New York has 12!

Back in 2014, Fruition hired the All Good NYC creative team to revamp their packaging and I wish I knew if there was a term (mathematical or otherwise) to describe the kaleidoscopic / repeating stylized flower petal pattern that features prominently on these thick, notched closure cardboard boxes. I don’t know about you, but the stark contrast between these two Fruition bars makes me think of “Ebony and Ivory”…

Viewing the outer packaging at a certain angle, with the right lighting really makes the pearlized stamping and embossing sparkle and shine, such that this design is both distinctive and eye-catching.

Brown Butter Milk Chocolate (43% Dominican Republic cacao)

Removing the bar from the sealed clear plastic sleeve, you’ll notice the symmetrical motif is repeated, but this time with a single tilted “F” within a square inside of a circle near the top. Some chocolate dust along the left side of the bar and a few air bubbles mar the overall matte finish.

As you would expect from a brown butter bar, caramel is the primary aroma. Straight out of wine fridge storage, there is a crisp snap when segmenting morsels and a semi-crisp snap at room temperature (granted it’s in the high 60s/low 70s here at the moment). If only I had taken Physics, I might understand what causes the random “shear” pattern when breaking off pieces for tasting.

The mouthfeel is thick and dense during the slow and even melt. Overall, this not-too-sweet bar is smooth, creamy and milky; which makes sense since locally churned Ronnybrook Farm Dairy browned butter was used in this interpretation of a classic milk chocolate bar. The caramel flavor is intensified when chomped rather than melted, leaving a pleasant lingering toasted nut aftertaste at the finish.

Hudson Valley Bourbon Dark Milk (61% Dominican Republic cacao)

Over the years, this bar has won several awards; however, the sticker here (from Batch no. 3 packaging) only reflects the World Silver from the 2015 International Chocolate Awards. (According to their website, they won World Silver again in 2016!) Since I’m familiar with bourbon barrel aged beers, I was especially intrigued to find out how “oaky” the results would be in this dark milk chocolate bar since the roasted Dominican Republic nibs were aged with Tuthilltown Spirits bourbon barrel staves.

Similar to the last bar, this one had some chocolate dust and air bubble cosmetic defects as well.

There was a sharp snap and a woody aroma when segmenting pieces of this bar. As I’ve come to expect from Fruition bars, there was a slow even melt and a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Initially, I tasted caramel, though different than the last bar; but a second tasting produced a woody fruit flavor which I’m guessing comes from the bourbon barrel aging process. Thankfully the oak notes were muted.

Side-by-side, you can see the differences in the chocolate brown color between a milk and dark milk.

Which one would you select if you had the choice?!

To learn more about chocolate maker Bryan Graham and the extensive Fruition product line, visit: https://www.tastefruition.com/

Be sure to also follow the Time to Eat Chocolate blog so you don’t miss next week’s stop in the “50 States” project!

Other chocolate makers in New York:

Dark Forest Chocolate Makers

Fine & Raw Chocolate

Madécasse

Mast Brothers

Raaka Virgin Chocolate

Raw Chocolate Love

Sol Cacao

NOTE: If you know of any other bean-to-bar makers in New York that aren’t mentioned above, please leave a comment or send an email so that we can keep this list as up-to-date as possible!

Category: dark milk chocolate