Forum Activity for @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis

Good Quality Cocoa for chocolate fudge centers

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thanks Antonino, I have sent you an email.

Good Quality Cocoa for chocolate fudge centers

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi, come and see us at cocoafair, the first company in SA to produce bean to bar to pralines 100% organic.

we are in Cape Town @ the Bisquit Mill.

not only we can offer you chocolate, but also customer support.

you can contact me via this message or at antonino@cocoafair.com

Good Quality Cocoa for chocolate fudge centers

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi, can anyone tell me where I can buy really good quality cocoa in South Africa? I feel as if I am on a different planet and I do not even know what a good quality cocoa would be. I want to use it to make a soft fudge centers. I find that using chocolate with my recipe makes the centers hard and I think that if I replace some of my flour with cocoa I will get a softer center.

It may also be possible that some of you have a better idea for making a soft chocolate fudge center. I have a client that wants it, but I am not too sure how to go about it

Thanks

Magriet

updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Buying large transfer sheets (uk/Europe)

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Here's another option for you.... http://cheaptransfersheets.com/shop/

Buying large transfer sheets (uk/Europe)

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thanks Clay - I'll go take a look and compare with current charges from PCB.

Many thanks

Katy

Buying large transfer sheets (uk/Europe)

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

US sources for transfer sheets include:

• Chef Rubber ( catalog index page )
• American Chocolate Designs ( home page )

Many other sources are going to be reselling PCB, etc. Sourcing from the US might not be such a bad idea as the Pound is so much stronger than the USD at the moment. Plus, there are probably going to be some designs you won't find in the stock European catalogs.

Buying large transfer sheets (uk/Europe)

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

HiI use a lot of transfer sheets to make cracked transfer slabs and am looking around to see if there is anyone else I should be trying.I buy mine from Keylink in Sheffield and PCB Creation from France but the latter is proving v expensive because of taxes and carriage.Does anyone have any recommendations of other suppliers and how much they cost per pack.Thought about maybe getting some from America but no idea where to start!
updated by @Katy Weddell: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Cacao Prieto

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

http://www.joe-ray.com/work/published/cacao_prieto/

Fun article in the Daily yesterday.

updated by @Daniel Preston: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Chocolate/Pastries in Romania

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi!

Does anyone know of any chocolate/pastry/bread shops to visit in Bucharest or in the Transylvania area? I am going there the end of July. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

updated by @Victoria Atfield: 04/21/15 00:12:26

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Omar,

I actually never use them, I just test them, and the run pretty well

kind regards

Javier

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Javier,

Did you have the opportunity to try them?

How do you like them?

Thanks,

Omar

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Omar,

I buy these machines, as a compressor, two stainless steel tables with marble moldes, ........ to open a chocolate shop in Texas, but it does materialize, so I try to recover my investment.

kind regards

Javier

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Javier,

May I ask why are you selling the tempering machines?

What country were they manufactured?

Thanks,

Omar

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Clay

I have 2 brand new stainless steel
tempering machine, capacity 30 kg ,
110 volts.
Each one for US $ 5500-

maybe you know some one interesting

kind regards

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I may have just the units for you (company is in Florida). It's the holiday weekend so nothing is going to happen until Tuesday. I will check in then and let you know.

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Clay,

I think one with 5 celcius with between 10 and 20 trays

and one with 15 cecius with also 10 - 20 trays

budget: +/- 8000$ for both

thk

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Javier:

What capacity (trays) and/or throughput (kg/hr) are you looking for and what is your budget?

:: Clay

material

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

some one know,

where is possible to buy a refrigerator here in USA whit humidity control, for chocolate proses ?

thx

updated by @Javier Tono: 04/07/25 13:00:14

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

unfortunately everything is dangerous for a smallholder in a poor country, so much can go wrong and there is usually no margin for error. no farmer can really trust the intentions of buyers, even me. I could easily die on the dangerous highways of peru any time i take an overnight bus trip which is often. but i do offer a good deal, fair and advantageous to the farmers, which is why they have responded.

you're right that the farmers may get stuck, but with or without me there's no incentive for them to do post-harvest. and if i insist on them doing it then I'm forcing them to make an unnecessary investment AND sacrificing quality. so you pick your poison and try to do the right thing while making sure everybody can make a living.

our ratio of wet beans to dry exportable is much less than half, in fact under 40%, which i think is normal.

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

On the subject of premium for post-harvesting, I have seen big buyers in Vietnam offer 0-premium for post-harvest, meaning they will buy pods at 1/12 the price of dry beans per kg, which as far as I know is the weight ratio between pod and dry bean, so the 6 days of fermentation and week+ of drying is simply not remunerated. The way Brian sees it it should be a great boon for farmers "pods for the price of beans! yeah!", but I can't help thinking that in the long run it could be a dangerous game for farmers. If there's no money to be made in post-harvest then there's no need to invest in the know-how, the boxes, the drying racks... until such day comes when the buyer may no longer offer such a good deal for pods and the farmers are stuck because they no longer have the resources to do the post-harvest processing themselves. I guess it all boils down to the good or otherwise intentions of the buyers, I have no doubt Brian offers a really good deal to his farmers.

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

Brian:

Your observations bring to the conversation just the sorts of nuances that only actual on-the-ground experience can bring to the issue. As outsiders, we walk into situations with assumptions about "the right way to do things" that are simply untenable when considered from the POV of the producer.

We can make the claim that better post-harvest processing is always better ... but if the buyer is unwilling to pay enough for the labor involved (and no, ten cents per pound is not enough) and lost opportunity costs, then there is no economically justifiable (to the farmer) reason to invest their labor.

:: Clay

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

Much of what NGO's do ends up being neutral or even harmful because they think in 3 year funding cycle timelines, and they say what funders want to hear to get their capital. it takes a cacao tree 3 years to produce, 4 to produce to nearly full capacity, so farmers and ngo's have fundamentally different time perspectives. to get funding they typically say something like "we will expand production from 150 to 400 Ha., form and strengthen associations and co-ops, assisting 500 families, provide tech assistance from crop management through post harvest, and help with marketing so they can export at fine and flavor prices, plus organic and fair trade." in other words, impossible to do in 5-7 years, much less in 2 or 3.

i have run a non-profit before and know many people in that industry, they are nearly 100% good people with fine intentions, but this structural problem in how they attract capital and the length of their programs often ends up convincing farmers to invest in nonsensical things. like, as you say, cert.'s and business practices that are not sustainable when the outside $$ go away. And, as a businessman, i would say that the ngo folks are usually not businesspeople and when they get involved in marketing and logistics its not their strength.

As for USAID, they have lots of $$ and a mandate, and within the limits of that mandate i think they do a good job here in peru. I have said to them many times that some small % of the $$ should go to prevention in areas that are not yet coca producing, not just to increasing hectarage of cacao in current coca areas. but like all govt. programs they do their best within strict guidelines, and they're good people, not like the caricature of bureaucrats.

In my area the average association would be 50-60 producers, maybe? some as many as 300+, some as small as a dozen farmers in one caserio.

post-harvest is interesting. my project buys beans en baba, or with the pulp on, strictly separated by variety, and we do all the post-harvest, and export into the fine market. farmers here love the model because most of them are coffee farmers as well, and right as the cacao harvest is heavy the coffee ripens and they have no time to attend to their cacao. in my model, they spend 2 days a month on cacao, make more $$, and have more time for coffee. in my area, most farmers just want to be rid of post-harvest. but that may not be true in other areas, you would know better. also, other than my project, there is no sales option here that gives a premium for quality, so any time spent on fermentation is time lost.

which is the long way of saying that there isn't a clamor for post-harvest training here, but that may be a local phenomenon. if full fermenting and complete drying during the rainy season paid well and didn't cost high value time away from coffee i'm sure they would do it.

brian

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

Brian:

Keeping the interests of the farmers in mind is an important principle, I think. Many of the systems are more about forcing Western European/North American values than about being "fair" really.

Also, the paying of certifications by NGOs and USAID/aid organizations provides zero incentive to reduce their cost and the producers get hosed when the aid money runs out.

How large would you say the average produce association is? Is technical assistance in post-harvest processing also needed/wanted?

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

well i have a kind of extreme micro level view as i live and work with cacao farmers and know their perspective, in this one place, very well. here's what i would consider their primary concerns:

1. higher income

2. price stability

3. technical assistance (crop management, trimming, disease & pest control, irrigation, nursery/grafting/cloning)

4. credit against future harvests

5. no or very low cost to enter system

6. no additional admin / bureaucratic duties

7. no time wasting bs, especially in harvest season

8. SIMPLE AND NOT OVERSOPHISTICATED TO EXPLAIN

this doesn't take into account realities on the buy / admin side, its a farmers wish list basically. i'm sure these points will vary from place to place. you can see that based on these points organic and fair trade as currently set up aren't realistic here.

as a frame of reference, the farmers here are mostly in associations but no larger co-ops, of the type that operate in other areas in northern peru and in some cases already have fair trade / organic / other certs, almost universally financed by ngo's or usaid

brian

What would an "ideal" ethical certification program look like?

Posted in: Opinion

The pros and cons, ins and outs, ups and downs, and good and bad of existing social certification programs have been an ongoing topic for discussion here on TheChocolateLife, most recently in this discussion sparked by a thesis examining a Fairtrade coffee co-op in Laos.

Let's step back for a moment, and rather than try to dissect what's bad (and good) about existingsystems, let's start from scratch and outline what the elements of an ideal system would be.

I started a discussion around a specific approach (a VAT-like system) at 5percent4farmers.ning.comfor anyone who is looking for a little inspiration.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/18/15 08:12:21

Wastage

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks Gap, I will simply have to learn how to be less messy and better organized with my utensils. I have to be honest, I did not even think about melting it off of the utensils back into the other chocolate.

Wastage

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

If you are talking about wastage from melting chocolate, tempering it and then making confections - there should be barely any (any chocolate you throw away is profits being thrown away). Scrape all the bowls/utensils clean and then hit them with a heat gun to melt/scrape off the last bits. Add the chocolate scraps back into the melting tank for the next day. If you find a little dark/white/milk has mixed together, it can go back into a melting tank withmilk chocolate or be used in centres for your next batch.

Wastage

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Sorry, me again. I was wondering if there is a industry standard on wastage as far as the chocolate goes. I mean the whole tempering and dipping. How much chocolate is wasted that you cannot use again. I mean sticking to bowls and utensils and such.

Of course I need it to make my sums with the real chocolate that is more expensive than the coating I have been using. This is making the product a lot more expensive and I have to bring it to the attention of the client wanting it.

I will, of course, not say it as bluntly, the price will simply have to go up1

Thanks

Magriet

updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Magriet, Mycryo does have its place. Once in a while there isn't time for a proper tempering (I use a large warmer) and the Mycryo helps. Just don't over use it; don't rely on it. And don't use it for white or milk chocolate. Once in a while, my dark chocolate will go 'off' during the day. Then a little, actually less that the full recommended weight can refresh it again. It's expensive to experiment, but you have to play a little to find what works for you. I'm still learning, always will be.

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for the encouragement Clay, I need it and I now know to fulfill my dream I will have to practice the skill of tempering. I know it is not going to be an easy road, but with you guys to help me I will make it.

Magriet

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Magrietha:

If you're working with chocolate in any capacity, understanding tempering should be considered a starting point - even if you're using automatic tempering machines. They're not perfect and it's fundamentally necessary to be able to recognize good temper (and when the chocolate is not in good temper!) and to be able to temper by hand when necessary.

It gives you far greater control, yes - but also far greater confidence, and that's not to be underestimated.

:: Clay

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks George, it boils down to the fact that I simply have to master the technique of tempering.

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The issue with Mycryo is it is 100% cocoa butter, so as you add more you inevitably change the viscosity of the chocolate. While you may not notice the first or second time, as you go on you will notice.

However, if you 100% follow the Mycryo directions to the letter, you shouldn't have an issue. As you go in to commercial production though the added cost of Mycryo is outweighed by other tempering options.

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks Mark, you are confirming my "gut" feeling that it is not the best way to go. I have tried one batch with the seeding method as I have seen it on quite a few sites. I had some "beginners" luck and it actually cam out fine. A good crack, it did not come out of the mold too well, but that is because I got impatient.

I think I will go with this method for a while and see how it goes. Once we are really on our feet it will be time to think of at least a melting pot if not a tempering machine.

Sorry for asking basic questions, but I need a little hand holding here and there is no one else I can turn to. I know there are quite a few good chocolatiers in South Africa, but everyone is being very secretive.

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The Mycryo powder is a type 6 cocoa butter crystal. Instead of tempering by traditional methods to develop 3-7% type 5 crystal, you just add the powder as the crystal needed.Many times stays as small lumps that can be dispersed with an immersion blender This is because the type 6 crystal has a higher melt point than you use in chocolate tempering to form the type 5. However this is an expensive way to go and not recommended for regular use. It adds more cocoa butter to your chocolate, changing its flow properties, and if reused you just keep adding more cocoa butter. The powder is more for a quick and dirty way to temper a little chocolate, but not recommended for larger batches. The biggest downside is it doesn't help you learn to temper as you normally would. They use the powder as much for glazing meats and vegetables with spices as for chocolate. There are many sites to learn how to temper chocolate. Ask 10 people and you'll get 12 ways to do it. Find one you're comfortable using based on how much you're tempering, play with it and you'll have your own way.

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi, anyone PLEASE! I need to know what to do here.

Thanks

magriet

Mycryo Powder

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

As you all know by now I am a complete newby, I have only used coating up to now. I am moving on to the real thing. What I would like to know is. if I use mycryo powder for my tempering, can I try and re-temper after the inevitable problems when learning? I am aware I will not get it right for quite a few tries and cannot afford lots of chocolate. Should I rather try the seed method so that I can use the same chocolate over and over for practice?

I need to master this as fast as possible because there is not a lot of time until I need to be ready. I will be at it all of the next weeks (months, years?) so any advice will help. I have read all the post about tempering but I cannot find this one about the mycryo powder and re-using the chocolate to practice.

Thanks

Magriet

updated by @Magrietha Hendrika du Plessis: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Technical Melting Temperatures - Part 2

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Greetings,

I had posted this before and had recieved several great responses to it, however, there are no posts in the discussion any longer - I guess they expire - as apparently so does my memory....So I am asking again :-)

I have seen varied information that relates to the actual temperature "Chocolate" really begins to melt. The temperatures I have seen relating to this has been from 63 degrees to 70 degrees. With a goal to keep chocolate as fresh as possible, i would like to store it at a temperature where crystals are below the beginning melting/breakdown temperatures.

Does anyone have any details of the actual starting melting/separation temperature?

Thank you,
Robert

updated by @Robert Cabeca: 04/11/25 09:27:36

First Blush: New Lindt 70%, Good Cacao, Zokoko, and Amano

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I'll have to come visit next time I'm in Sydney. It's such a shame PNG appears so hard to deal with exports wise. As PNG is so close to Australia is almost criminal we are not mutually taking advantage of PNG's cacao growing potential.

First Blush: New Lindt 70%, Good Cacao, Zokoko, and Amano

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Thank you for your honesty and candor.

The Morobe is definitely niche, but it has found its place. The red grapefruit notes are too citrusy for some, but it has become a new favorite for many of our customers.

I haven't asked Art what he was thinking when he made this, but I'm guessing he was thinking along the same lines as when he began Amano in the first place. He wants to create the finest chocolate in the world, from the finest ingredients, and give his customers the ultimate chocolate tasting experience. Sometimes this means "boldly going" where other chocolate makers dare not.

Several chefs have eagerly bought the new Morobe, to incorporate it into desserts, because it tastes quite different from anything else available in the chocolate world. We'll keep making the Morobe bar as long as our customer keep demanding it.

Thanks again for your feedback.

First Blush: New Lindt 70%, Good Cacao, Zokoko, and Amano

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Did you try the Zokoko PNG chocolate? Any thoughts if you did? I'm in Australia so appreciate your review of products here

First Blush: New Lindt 70%, Good Cacao, Zokoko, and Amano

Posted in: Tasting Notes

One of the things I really love about what I do is that people send me chocolate to taste.

Sometimes they call me up in advance and ask me if it's okay - but sometimes I show up at the post office and there are boxes waiting for me.

What's not to love?

Lindt Excellence 70%

I got an e-mail from Lindt's PR agency asking me if I wanted to taste three new products in the Lindt Excellence line - a new recipe 70%, 70% with almond brittle, and 70% with nut crunch (caramelized walnuts and hazelnuts). Me not want to taste chocolate?

Irrespective of what you may think about some Lindt products (I personally am not a fan of Lindor "truffles") they are one of the three largest players in the gourmet chocolate segment. They've done a phenomenal job in distribution and, overall, the Excellence stands tall among the brands with broad distribution.

The package I received did not include a bar of the old recipe 70% so I did make a direct comparison against the two. The new 70% has a faint, pleasant note of bright fruit on the front that gives way to a not overly assertive pleasant chocolate flavor. The long finish is long with a hint of the up front fruitiness returning before fading away.

There's no indication if the 70% almond brittle is made with the same new formula 70% - but the chocolate is branded differently (the new 70% is "smooth dark" and the chocolate in the almond brittle (and the nut crunch) is "intense dark." Whatever recipe is used, the upfront fruitiness is a more assertive and lasts longer and the finish contains a touch of (not unpleasant) astringency. Personally, I like chocolate with my inclusions in a bar like this, not inclusions with my chocolate and I wanted there to be more there, there with the brittle. That said, there is a very lovely toasted almond note on the long finish.

The fruitiness and astringency are both more obvious in the nut crunch bar, as is the flavor profile of roasted nuts in the long finish - especially the walnut which, like the pecan, is very much underused, in my opinion, in high end chocolates.

I think part of my issue might be the relative thinness of the bars. If they were thicker the inclusions could be bigger and they would be more to my preference.

That said, like all Lindt chocolates this trio is impeccably made and bears all the textural hallmarks we've come to expect (and demand) from a Swiss-brand chocolate (even when it's made in New Hampshire). The new 70% in particular makes a pleasing, affordable addition to the list of "everyday eating chocolates" for people looking to make a step up from mass-market domestically produced options to something more sophisticated.

Good Cocoa

I met the founder of Good Cocoa , Paul Frantellizi, over on LinkedIn where we participated in discussions about "healthy" chocolate (X**ai) and other issues. Paul sent me samples of two bars that are labeled as Superfood Chocolate.

Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of turning chocolate into a nutraceutical delivery vehicle for the simple reason that I want to feel good eating chocolate, not feel good about eating chocolate. Most "enhanced" chocolates might enhance the nutritional value of chocolate but tend to do so at the expense of flavor and texture.

What I can say about Good Cacao is that if I blind tasted it the first time I would not have put it into the category of either raw chocolate (which the label says it contains) or nutritionally-enhanced chocolate.

And nutritionally enhanced it is. In addition to Maca, the bars contain about a half-dozen nutrient blends and additions including a blend of marine phytoplanktons. In addition, the outer wrap is made from a recycled paper wade with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified components and Green Power offsets are used to power the factory. So you can feel really good about eating this chocolate.

But, not only were the bars not bad, they were actually quite good. The lemon version had small pieces of Meyer lemon zest in it that provided nice bright bursts of flavor and the earthy funk common to most bars that contain raw cacao was missing entirely. The coconut bar had visible flakes of coconut that added a nice texture, too.

However, I do have some issues with the wording of the labels, specifically around the use of the word raw, which, in the absence of any standard on the subject I will construe to mean "not subjected to temperatures above 118F."

The ingredients list on both bars mention Organic Rainforest Alliance Single Origin Ecuadorian Cacao Paste AND Organic Raw Fair Trade Single Origin Ecuadorian Arriba Nacional-Fino de Aroma Cacao Powder.

Actually this is kind of interesting, suggesting that the paste is made from roasted beans and that the powder is used to add some oomph to the antioxidant rating. It makes sense in a way, but it's potentially confusing to someone who sees on the front that the bar contains raw cacao but raw cacao is not the main ingredient.

I know that vanilla needs to be fermented and I am also pretty sure that the fermentations are above 118F - I've never heard of "raw vanilla" before. On the same note, I've never heard the term raw applied to cinnamon before, and it's on this label.

I also have a problem with the "no trans-fats" label on the front. All cacao is free of trans fats so making the claim this way is misleading. I would prefer "naturally trans-fat free" or nothing.

The packaging says "organic" on it though nowhere does an organic certifiers mark appear on the labels, just on the web site (USDA seal). Similarly the bars are labeled "Fair Trade Conscious" which is a term (with a "seal" that looks remarkably like their own "Be Good to Yourself logo) I had not run across before, but the web site also specifically refers to Fairtrade (as in FLO) with no explanation of what that means with respect to the Rainforest Alliance certification.

Finally, the cut (sell) sheet I received included the line "USDA Certified Organic & Raw Ingredients" which pretty strongly implies that there is a USDA certification for raw. As there is no such certification (though it's possible to interpret the line differently), for clarity's sake, it would be best to separate the two claims.

So - while I think that Paul and crew have done a very good job of creating a tasty nutraceutical chocolate (it is one of the top two or three best-tasting chocolates in this genre that I have tasted), the labeling and marketing materials are more than a little overwhelming and in the density of information there is the potential for more than a little confusion.

Zokoko

Based in NSW Australia, Zokoko is - to the best of my knowledge - the first new bean to bar producer in Australia working with refurbished European equipment, including a Barth Scirocco roaster and a Lehman melangeur.

The proprietors (ChocolateLife members Dean and Michelle Morgan) have crafted an award-winning collection of chocolates from different origins that have a lot to recommend them.

One of the challenges I have about writing about a lot of chocolates (including these) is that they're not generally available in the US and I have a general policy of not creating a demand for a chocolate that you can't get easily get your hands on. That said, these chocolates are very well made and very much worth trying to get your hands on in part because there are some very unusual chocolates to be tasted that really do deserve to be tasted this side of the Pacific.

Two of the best examples of this are chocolates made from Bolivian beans. Not the ones from El Ceibo or from the Hacienda Tranquilidad (though there is a chocolate made from those beans) - but two chocolates made from beans that come from the Alto Beni around the town of Palos Blancos. There (and in the area around Chimore west of Santa Cruz), Volker Lehman has been involved in a fascinating project with the Danish chocolate maker TOMS that involves two different fermentation techniques - one using conventional boxes and another involving trays. As to be expected (when you think about it), the two different fermentation techniques yield two different tasting chocolates and, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time anywhere that there are commercially available chocolates that demonstrate these differences.

From a larger perspective, this demonstrates that the concept of terroir (in cacao) is not just limited to genetics and environment, but also includes post-harvest processing techniques. This conflation is well understood in wine, cheese, and other foods, but not so strikingly and clearly before this in cocoa.

One exception I do take with the marketing presentation is that it's unclear if Zokoko is pressing its own cocoa butter. If they are, then presenting the chocolates as "pure origin" is perfect appropriate. However, if deodorized cocoa butter from another manufacturer is being used, the origin of the beans used to make the cocoa butter is unknown and, rightfully, the chocolate can't be called "pure" origin or "single" origin.

Amano

Art Pollard is generally regarded as one of the better artisan/craft chocolate makers on the planet. That makes me wonder what was he thinking when he produced his new Morobe bar, made from beans from Papua New Guinea.

This one is over the top in your face bright fruity acidic - citrus fruits, too; lime mainly, plus some grapefruit. After tasting it, it's not a chocolate I would knowingly buy for myself to eat, nor choose to buy or gift for someone else. I did not like it at all. I can appreciate how well made it is ... but I do not like it.

My one sincere hope is that this does not signal a trend to see who can outdo the next and produce overly acidic chocolate for ... the shock value? It's definitely niche.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/10/15 15:45:29