DISTINGUISHED BEANS
Reviewing the best in craft chocolate
Zotter
Zotter makes a line of unique filled bars as well as a wide range of single-origin bars.
Guatemala 75%
Aroma: Toasted soy beans, dark bread, cinnamon/wood
Flavor: Green olive, sesame/tahini, toasted sesame oil, brownie, a little bit savory, vanilla, dried cherry, complex dark fruity spice, like Dr. Pepper or root beer, a little bright grapefruit acidity.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
India 70%
Aroma: Granola, oats, apricot
Flavor: Nice mellow flavor that develops well as it melts. Honey, dried apricot, melon, hazelnut, oat milk, something floral – rose and violet, slight yogurt/sourdough bread sourness, raisin, oatmeal raisin cookie, dried fruit, nice fruitiness, overall interesting and pleasant. Mellow.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Pleasant, interesting, great texture.
Batch info: Best by May 9, 2021
Brazil 72%
Aroma: dried apricots, coffee, chocolate buttercream frosting, super rich
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Flavor: Mix of nutty, rich chocolate and fruity flavors: cocoa powder, coffee beans, almond, coconut, prune, dried cherry, dried apricot, some delicate fresh fruit too – strawberry, melon, floral, honey. Also good cocoa buttery richness: heavy cream, fresh coconut.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Nice complexity and very pleasant flavors. One of my favorite Brazil bars so far – and yet another nice one from Zotter!
São Tomé 75%
Aroma: Some dark and somewhat bitter flavors – coffee grounds, dark roasted almonds molasses, rye bread (slight sourness) and some earthy, muddy flavors. A bit of an over-roasted flavor that leaves a harsh note in the back of your throat, not burnt but noticeably bitter. Slight dryness – nut skin astringency, natural peanut butter, dry roasted peanuts with skins. There are pleasant notes - Brazil nuts, unroasted hazelnuts with skin – and a little fruitiness emerges near the end - lightly fruity but not tangy, like dried apricot - but it is kind of lost in a dark roast/earthy fermentation. The lingering aftertaste tended towards the dry, earthy, and slightly bitter notes.
Recommendation: Recommended with reservations. It feels a bit off balance, with some over-roasting perhaps, and a lack of complexity. It wasn’t bad – I finished the bar and enjoyed it – but a better São Tomé bar is the one from LetterPress. This would, however, make an interesting addition to a tasting focused specifically one São Tomé cacao. If you are considering different Zotter bars, this one was similar to their Togo bar, but I would recommend that one over this.
Batch info: Best by May 9, 2021
Togo 68%
Flavor: Toasty peanut butter and jelly. A little bit of a bulk cacao note – coconut, cinnamon, earthy, almond.
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Recommendation: Recommended with reservations.. One of the only bars I’ve seen from this origin, and in that sense it’s unique and fun to try, and there are not major defects. However, the character is overall reminiscent of bulk cacao, with a slightly off note of coconut and slightly unbalanced acidity and earthy bitterness. It was definitely interesting to try, but it’s not my favorite from Zotter. They do a lot of great stuff – I recommend their Peru, Brazil, Tanzania, Guatemala, and India bars!
Batch info: Best by November 7, 2021
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Tanzania 75%
Aroma: faint, cocoa powder, ganache, fudge – sweet and mild
Flavor: Really nice! Delicate, Criollo-type flavors – hazelnut, dried apricot, cream and crème fraîche, grains, hot chocolate, very slight citrus note, hint of green flavors, but pleasant – not like raw or unfermented. Acidity and astringency are slight and perfectly balanced.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Delicate complexity and perfect balance of flavor elements. Probably my favorite Zotter bar, and definitely high up among my Tanzania favorites.
Batch info: Best by May 9, 2021
Peru Criollo Blend 82%
Flavor: Delicate clean flavors that fade quickly. Marzipan, seeds, hazelnut, a slight toastiness, a hint of grapefruit.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
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Batch info: Best by December 7, 2021
80/20% Dark Milk
Aroma: granola, brownie, hazelnut skin,
Flavor: A flavor reminiscent of baked goods: brownie, granola, oatmeal raisin cookie. Also rich and dark flavors: dark roasted almonds, almond butter, a little salty butteriness, browned butter. Nice hint of sweetness that balances out a slight bitterness. Very smooth texture.
Recommendation: Recommended – I loved it and thought it unique and very satisfying; some other tasters found it odd but not unpleasant. It offers the intensity and richness of a 100% bar with a lot of the bitter edge softened by the milk. A great option if you enjoy the combination of milk and chocolate but want something that’s less sweet.
Batch info: Best before July 13, 2021
Peru 100%
Aroma: cocoa powder, mellow, earthy
Flavor: Dark roast flavors: toasted almonds, coffee, wood, not a lot of complexity, somewhat bitter, some saltiness. A little sour, brownies, hint of a slightly chemical note. Some dryness, not excessive but distinct.
Recommendation: Can’t say this was my favorite. I like a lot of what Zotter does; their Peru 82% and Bolivia 90% are stunning! This one, however, was edging a little too close to over-roasted for me. Unless you really like dark roast flavors, I would go for a more delicate 100% bar, such as one from Pralus, Akesson’s, Firetree, or Cacao Hunters.
Batch info: Best by December 7, 2021
Maya Cacao 100%
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Flavor: Tangy, some mellowness like criollo, not really any astringency, little sour.
Dark roast? Dark toasted almonds, a bit of a bite. Some bitterness and very little natural sweetness, with a hint of salt. Smooth melt.
Recommendation: Recommended with reservations. Not unpleasant – the texture is great, and there are some nice flavors. However, there are several 100% bars milder and more complex than this that I would recommend instead – those from Pralus, Metiisto, Akesson’s, Cacao Hunters, and Firetree.
Batch info: Best by August 9, 2021
Criollo Time Travel 16hr vs. 20 hr. Conche Time
16 Hour Conche
Aroma: toast, toasted hazelnuts,
Flavor: Super mellow and smooth, with light, delicate flavors. Honey, whole wheat cookies, sorghum molasses, cocoa powder, malted milk, butterscotch, gianduia, a little green seed.
20 Hour Conche
Aroma: black tea, raisins, oats, whole wheat biscuits
Flavor: Lots of darker, complex grain flavors: molasses, dark beer, whole wheat biscuits; plus a little red fruit - dried cherry and green tea. A very smooth, cocoa-buttery mouthfeel.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. The flavors of both bars are excellent – refined and delicate but offering plenty of interest and complexity. I liked the 16-hour conche better; it had more of a criollo/gianduia flavor. Again, both were excellent.
Batch info: Best before April 26, 2021
