DISTINGUISHED BEANS
Reviewing the best in craft chocolate
Manoa
Based in Hawaii, Manoa makes chocolate with locally-produced Hawaiian-grown beans as well as direct trade beans from some of the best cacao regions in the world, including Costa Esmeraldas, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic (Zorzal Cacao) and Tanzania (Kokoa Kamili). Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that can commercially grow cacao, so Manoa makes some of the only completely American chocolate on the market.
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Peru Ucayali 70%
Flavor: Overall a very clear, clean flavor. Complex, delicate, bright fruitiness with a little creaminess – orange cream soda; strawberry vanilla smoothie. Raw sugar, coffee cream filling, faint note of banana. Very little bitterness or astringency.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
Batch info: Best by October 7, 2021
Hawaii 70%
Aroma: deep chocolate, dark fruit, dried fruit, rich soil, sour cherry, wood, dark chocolate cheesecake
Flavor: Dark chocolate goat cheese, dark chocolate covered cherry, wood, a soft, creamy fruitiness, like strawberry, banana, and cherimoya, pleasant sourness and a slight yogurt tang, fudgy texture.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Unique origin, distinctive flavor profile
Batch info: Best by December 11, 2020
Hawaii - Dark Goat Milk Chocolate 69%
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Aroma: brownies, goat cheese, red fruit, brown fruit, chocolate
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Flavor: cherries, tangy goat cheese, dark chocolate cheesecake or goat cheese frosting, red wine, cherries, peaches, apricots, a little fruitiness – orange, blueberry? Almond extract. Nice base cocoa flavor. Tangy goat milk comes through. Fudgy, pleasantly chewy texture.
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Recommendation: Highly recommended. With dark milk, you can still taste the cacao under the sugar and milk powder, and in this bar they complement each other rather than compete. The goat milk powder adds a wonderful tang and makes the bar especially interesting.
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Batch info: Expiration date: July 2, 2019
Hawaii Dark Goat Milk 69% (Second Tasting)
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Aroma: cocoa powder, wood with a hint of spice; rich, tangy, and intriguing
Flavor: Stunning. Rich chocolate and caramel notes with red fruit coming through beautifully: chocolate covered cherry, fudge, butter caramel, cheesecake, delicate red fruit, strawberry jam, rich milky flavors with just a hint of tanginess from the goat’s milk.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. This might be the best dark milk (or any milk) bar I’ve ever had, as well as being just overall excellent.
Batch info: Best by February 28, 2022