in response to more 80%+ dark chocolate is a 91% Fiji Trinitaro dark chocolate.
Super rich and very herbaceous
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
KarKar Island
our latest release dark chocolate crafted from cacao beans sourced from KarKar Island.
And just where is KarKar Island, its located in the Bismarck sea to the east of PNG.
A very rich chocolate, almost a mud cake in a bar quite unlike most PNG cacao
And just where is KarKar Island, its located in the Bismarck sea to the east of PNG.
A very rich chocolate, almost a mud cake in a bar quite unlike most PNG cacao
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
new Vanuatu Dark Chocolate
just finished first pour on a cacao sample from northern vanuatu island of Espiritu Santo. Chocolate from this cacao is a richer chocolate and fruitier than that from Malakula to the south. Both regions have a slight chalky dryness in after taste. But overall a nice chocolate almost African
Sunday, April 7, 2013
chocolate classes & tasting
the next chocolate class is on Saturday 13th, 1pm.
this is a combined chocolate making class and tasting of chocolate made from Pacific & Asian cacao beans
this is a combined chocolate making class and tasting of chocolate made from Pacific & Asian cacao beans
Friday, March 22, 2013
Chocolate making classes
with summer behind us our new season chocolate making classes will start.
the first being April 13th, this will be a combined chocolate making and chocolate tasting of new season origin chocolate
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Upolu Island chocolate
finished refining first batch of Upolu Is cacao now into the conche for a couple of days.
Very strong nutty flavours up front, dominated by hazelnut which we'll try and preserve.
Very strong nutty flavours up front, dominated by hazelnut which we'll try and preserve.
chocolate review
i'll be the first to admit i'm not big on reviews or fine food shows/comp's but will take this one as one of our bars rated higher than the Worlds Best chocolate.
See full review at
http://www.c-spot.com/chocolate-census/daily-review/?pid=1811
See full review at
http://www.c-spot.com/chocolate-census/daily-review/?pid=1811
Sunday, March 17, 2013
madagascan dark
conching what could be the last of criollo beans from Isle of Perfume. and possibly the best batch.
after day 2 developing in to a deep rich chocolate with hints of lime, liquorice and nuts.
bumped up conche temp 10c to develope some caramel flavour
after day 2 developing in to a deep rich chocolate with hints of lime, liquorice and nuts.
bumped up conche temp 10c to develope some caramel flavour
Saturday, March 16, 2013
new delivery samoan bean
just arrived a delivery of trinitaro cacao beans from
Sang Yum Farm, in the village of Siusega, Upolu Island, Samoa.
these are un-washed beans and with a 7day ferment cut very well.
Roasted the first lot yesterday and initial tasting is very nutty. similar to some beans i had a couple of years ago.
Very distinct roasted hazelnut flavour, so should make an outstanding chocolate.
Sang Yum Farm, in the village of Siusega, Upolu Island, Samoa.
these are un-washed beans and with a 7day ferment cut very well.
Roasted the first lot yesterday and initial tasting is very nutty. similar to some beans i had a couple of years ago.
Very distinct roasted hazelnut flavour, so should make an outstanding chocolate.
Monday, February 11, 2013
organicFijian 67%
finished last pour on latest batch of organic Fijian 67%. From Koko Is, much deeper and stronger chocolate quotient than supply from other parts of Fiji. This is a mix of trinitaro & forastero and the later really dominants the first flavour notes on the palate. The trinitaro brings the citrus tropical fruis to the end of the palate. in this chocolate pink grapefruit and guava dominate.
the lighter roast brought out the fruits in force.
Being washed beans may have also reduced the herbaceous flavours usually present in cacao of this origin. Also a lower cocoa butter content than Samoa which results in a thick treacle melt on the palate.
the lighter roast brought out the fruits in force.
Being washed beans may have also reduced the herbaceous flavours usually present in cacao of this origin. Also a lower cocoa butter content than Samoa which results in a thick treacle melt on the palate.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Osmantus Oolong tea from Ali Shan Mts Taiwan now in stock
Osmanthus in Chinese is called Gui Hua
Osmanthus in Chinese is called Gui Hua, The best Gui Hua is in October. It comes with the best osmanthus fragrance. We use fresh Osmanthus to scent with best grade of Organic Taiwan Oolong. Oolong is absorbing the fragrances from the fresh osmanthus flower, which produces a superb floral fragrance, smooth and fruity sweet taste. The osmanthus has a rich and long lasting fragrance.
Taste Rich and long lasting fragrance, smooth and lovely sweet taste, Has a hint of peachy flavor.
Appearance: Golden yellow Osmanthus flowers mixed in with Organic Oolong tea leaves.
Place of Origin: Taiwan
Harvest Period: Autumn '08
Osmanthus in Chinese is called Gui Hua, The best Gui Hua is in October. It comes with the best osmanthus fragrance. We use fresh Osmanthus to scent with best grade of Organic Taiwan Oolong. Oolong is absorbing the fragrances from the fresh osmanthus flower, which produces a superb floral fragrance, smooth and fruity sweet taste. The osmanthus has a rich and long lasting fragrance.
Taste Rich and long lasting fragrance, smooth and lovely sweet taste, Has a hint of peachy flavor.
Appearance: Golden yellow Osmanthus flowers mixed in with Organic Oolong tea leaves.
Place of Origin: Taiwan
Harvest Period: Autumn '08
organic Fijian 65% dark chocolate
the first batch of organic Fijian 65% dark chocolate is out of the conche after 64hrs. Origin is from Koko Island. Different terrior to previous Fijian's. Much deeper chocolate with a medium palate finishing with a pink grapefruit, guava flavour
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Solomon Isand Chocolate review by C-spot
Solomon Islands 75%by Cravve |
Rating 8.82 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Impact
Another first: the premiere of a single-origin chocolate sourced from Solomon Islands to be so recognized anywhere.
So far off-the-grid that few have even heard of it.
Several well-placed calls to insiders at CIRAD in France, USDA, Mars & Hershey's -- all geneticists who make it their business to track down cacáo everywhere it grows on the planet -- & they are all startled. Solomon Islands? (Which may be more a comment on the industry than the islands.)
What about the great reference guides & books on the species? From Bartley's The Genetic Diversity of Cacao & Its Utilization to the German Cocoa & Chocolate Foundation (a very resourceful atlas) & the exhaustive Chocolate: History, Culture, & Heritage edited by Grivetti & Shapiro? Nothing.
Even the omniscient Google returns very little.
Enough of a black hole surrounds Solomon Island cacáo to wonder whether they still exist or did the US Military vaporize them during nuclear blast tests.
Well, a cold call to the Agricultural Ministry there reports that Solomon actually produces more cocoa than its neighbors in the South Pacific (Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, et.al). Those enjoy better distribution however & hence better known.
In fact, Solomon Islands ranks as the largest Pacific island producer at ~7,000MT thanks to 20,000 stakeholder families who cultivate it. The main local processor & exporter -- C-Corp Ltd. (hmmm, sounds strangely familiar to a chocolate review website) – steps in & handles most of it from there.
Thru their combined efforts, cacáo represents the 3rd most important export earner for Solomon Islands, right behind logging & palm oil.
Much of the commercial crop stems from material planted in the 1980s with newer, more recent types entering from PNG. This follows a similar pattern to Australia. And for good reason. Australia is both a major export market for Solomon Island cocoa (the other is Singapore) as well as underwriter of the cocoa sector’s improvements thru AusAID.
So, now, without any further gnashing of the teeth or wagging of the tongue over 'how does it taste', here's the first ever review of premium chocolate from Solomon Islands.
So far off-the-grid that few have even heard of it.
Several well-placed calls to insiders at CIRAD in France, USDA, Mars & Hershey's -- all geneticists who make it their business to track down cacáo everywhere it grows on the planet -- & they are all startled. Solomon Islands? (Which may be more a comment on the industry than the islands.)
What about the great reference guides & books on the species? From Bartley's The Genetic Diversity of Cacao & Its Utilization to the German Cocoa & Chocolate Foundation (a very resourceful atlas) & the exhaustive Chocolate: History, Culture, & Heritage edited by Grivetti & Shapiro? Nothing.
Even the omniscient Google returns very little.
Enough of a black hole surrounds Solomon Island cacáo to wonder whether they still exist or did the US Military vaporize them during nuclear blast tests.
Well, a cold call to the Agricultural Ministry there reports that Solomon actually produces more cocoa than its neighbors in the South Pacific (Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, et.al). Those enjoy better distribution however & hence better known.
In fact, Solomon Islands ranks as the largest Pacific island producer at ~7,000MT thanks to 20,000 stakeholder families who cultivate it. The main local processor & exporter -- C-Corp Ltd. (hmmm, sounds strangely familiar to a chocolate review website) – steps in & handles most of it from there.
Thru their combined efforts, cacáo represents the 3rd most important export earner for Solomon Islands, right behind logging & palm oil.
Much of the commercial crop stems from material planted in the 1980s with newer, more recent types entering from PNG. This follows a similar pattern to Australia. And for good reason. Australia is both a major export market for Solomon Island cocoa (the other is Singapore) as well as underwriter of the cocoa sector’s improvements thru AusAID.
So, now, without any further gnashing of the teeth or wagging of the tongue over 'how does it taste', here's the first ever review of premium chocolate from Solomon Islands.
Appearance 3.3 / 5
| Color: | pale for a 75% |
| Surface: | pock marks, whorls, voids / airholes, bubbling, grease splatter & those are the good features |
| Temper: | totally pissed off |
| Snap: | brittle; more pinholes on the edge wall |
Aroma 7.6 / 10
beguiling mix of kerosene, coconut cream & cherry blossom syrup with a citrus back
Mouthfeel 13.2 / 15
| Texture: | sensual breastaurant material |
| Melt: | less than perfectly uniform but still pretty gulpable |
Flavor 46.7 / 50
initiates a honey-caramel bite -> mild cocoa & vanilla ->
coconut -> loquat (think apricot of a dried fruit cake quality) +
durian -> gingerbread -> marang (similar but superior to
breadfruit) & pedalai (similar but superior to marang) -> akebia
pulp (a melon flavored tapioca) flirting with ambrette mallow -> Milk Choc -> roasted chestnut finish
Quality 17.4 / 20
Perhaps no one paid attention to Solomon Islands chocolate because there's nothing to pay attention to?
Wrong.
Plenty here. A Solomonic chocolate... quiet temple kind-of-stuff from the biblical land of milk 'n honey 'n harems.
Often an exotic origin proves more exciting in name than in flavor. Solomon Island excites on both accounts & multiple levels beyond.
Those naturally-occuring milk chocolate overtones in this bar rival Catongo & select seeds from Marañón Canyon -- the lactic acid converted beautifully in the ferment.
So benign for a 75% which, depending on how Cravve calculates its cacáo-conent, may actually weigh closer to 80% to surpass even ki'Xocolatl's supersweet 72% chocolate kiddie pool. Extra cocoa butter here spells the difference in a soft textural pad too, which contributes to the overall enveloping sensation.
A fine-grade chocolate; nothing that bludgeons taste buds, just soothes them over with smooth flavor. Someone needs to conduct a survey of this place.
INGREDIENTS: "75% cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter"
Reviewed January 14, 2013
Wrong.
Plenty here. A Solomonic chocolate... quiet temple kind-of-stuff from the biblical land of milk 'n honey 'n harems.
Often an exotic origin proves more exciting in name than in flavor. Solomon Island excites on both accounts & multiple levels beyond.
Those naturally-occuring milk chocolate overtones in this bar rival Catongo & select seeds from Marañón Canyon -- the lactic acid converted beautifully in the ferment.
So benign for a 75% which, depending on how Cravve calculates its cacáo-conent, may actually weigh closer to 80% to surpass even ki'Xocolatl's supersweet 72% chocolate kiddie pool. Extra cocoa butter here spells the difference in a soft textural pad too, which contributes to the overall enveloping sensation.
A fine-grade chocolate; nothing that bludgeons taste buds, just soothes them over with smooth flavor. Someone needs to conduct a survey of this place.
INGREDIENTS: "75% cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter"
Reviewed January 14, 2013
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