DISTINGUISHED BEANS
Reviewing the best in craft chocolate
Cacao Hunters
Cacao Hunters makes chocolate in Colombia with regional single-origin Colombian beans. They make award-winning bars as well as a professional line of coverture chocolate. The goal is not just business - Cacao Hunters is about creating sustainable development by seeking out the best varieties of cacao and supporting the people who produce it.
Sierra Nevada 64%
Aroma: Mild, sweet, raisin
Flavor: Very sweet, fruity, dried fruit, grape jelly, green grape, raspberry jam, very soft earthiness like celery, nutty, like sweet creamy peanut butter, mineral – almost a slight ashy taste, but not excessive. A very milky richness – almost tastes like milk chocolate, milk chocolate covered cherry.
Recommendation: Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for a dark chocolate that’s on the sweet side (this is 64% and is naturally sweet). Another beauty from Cacao Hunters.
Batch info: Lot 730; Best before June 2020
Colombia Arauca 70%
Aroma: deep chocolate, root cellar, browned butter, licorice
Flavor: deep chocolate, some fruitiness, vanilla, delicate dried fruit - blueberries, cherry; black cherry soda, concord grape, sweet port wine, slight hazelnut nuttiness, dark caramel, walnut, slight greenness, cream, silky melting texture like ganache. Rich flavor with lots of medium dark notes like dried fruit and deep chocolate, complemented by softer notes of vanilla, caramel, and nuts.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Many of the flavors are subtle, but there’s a lot of depth and rich darker flavors if you take the time to let them emerge.
Batch info: Lot no. 612, Best before 10/2019
Tumaco – Colombia 70%
Aroma: grapes, slightly smoky, spices, damp warm soil
Flavor: creamy hot cocoa, a rich chocolate flavor, delicate nuts, caramel, floral honey, grapes, earthy and vegetal notes
Recommendation: Recommended. Flavorful and complex.
Batch info: Lot no. 564, Best before June 2019
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100%
Aroma: toasted hazelnuts, a little floral
Flavor: Great! Tangy flavors develop as you taste it, more complexity than many 100% bars. Fruity. Coconut, red fruit, a little nutty, candied orange rind, great natural sweetness. Extraordinarily little bitterness, virtually no astringency,
Recommendation: Highly recommended. This is one of the best 100% bars we have tried.
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Batch info: Lot 843