Pana Cacao - Eighty (Dark chocolate)

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Eighty
Main ingredients are cacao (butter and powder), dark agave nectar.
Cocoa content: minimum 80% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Pana Cacao, 15 Albert St, Richmond, VIC 3121, AUSTRALIA

Packaging

The 45g chocolate bar is wrapped in aluminium paper and a cardboard box.

Look

The chocolate is dark brown with a distinctive red hue at its edges.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a thud sound.

Smell

Opening the packaging initially releases a cacao aroma but there is a strong sweet and fruity smell.

Mouthfeel

The surface of the chocolate feels very smooth and even initially. However as the chocolate melts in the mouth, it feels slightly rough and textured. The chocolate melts slowly into a very fine and smooth liquid. But surface of the remaining chocolate chunk feels rough and may give rise to the false impression of a floury liquid.

Taste

The chocolate has a dark cacao flavour with hints of a nicely balanced bitterness and astringency. There is a distinct and subtle sweetness that combines with the dark cacao into a smooth and almost velvety taste. After a little while, the bitterness develops notes of roasted nuts.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is a strong cacao flavour that spreads everywhere and notes of the distinct sweetness of the cacao. The cacao notes towards the rear of the mouth remain more present as time passes.

Summary

This chocolate has a distinct sweetness that combines nicely with the dark, bitter and nutty notes of the cacao. It melts slowly into a fine liquid although its surface can feel rough and textured.

Verdict

The chocolate has an usual and nicely warming rich combination of cacao, bitterness and sweetness. It emphasises the cacao quality of the product. When melting, the surface of the chocolate can feel slightly rough and create the false impression of a product that melts into a floury liquid. 4 Stars.

Dates

Best before 08/11/2016, tasted 05&20&26/11/2016

Picking chocolates: The ingredients list I

Selecting a good chocolate for Christmas, Easter and birthdays is ever more challenging with an abundance of small and large manufacturers. There is no legal obligation for a product to taste nicely but there is a legal obligation to list all ingredients truthfully and completely - and this can help identifying higher quality products.

Not so good ingredients

If you read one of the following you should get suspicious:

• Fat reduced cocoa
• Palm fat
• Vegetable fat

Manufacturers may remove the fat from cocoa and add palm fat later in the process. This replaces the more expensive cocoa fat with something cheap such as palm fat. Palm fat is one of the cheapest fats and has been argued to be destructive to the environment and the communities producing it. It does not contribute to the flavour (the cocoa butter does) and if anything, it is bad for your health. The term vegetable fat may refer to anything that is fat and made from plants. If a manufacturer is not willing or able to specify what they put into the product, this should ring your alarm bells.
Fat reduced cocoa is also associated with a process called Dutching (washing cocoa with potassium carbonate, also referred to as alkalising). This is more common in Europe than in the US but it is difficult to tell. It is rarely (never) declared in the ingredients list because it is a processing method rather than an ingredient. Dutching can reduce the good stuff (polyphenols that delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, help regulate high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular conditions) in the cocoa solids by up to 90%. The number is subject to discussion with some people arguing that the reduction of polyphenols was negligible. Until that is decided, you should probably go for the natural cocoa. It may also have more complex flavours.

Better ingredients

Manufacturers can put some additional information in the list. By doing so, the manufacturer goes beyond its legal obligation. Because the manufacturers must not lie and they are bound to using the ingredients and methods as stated on the product. The extra commitment is often a positive indicator.

• Cane sugar
• Agave syrup
• Cocoa detail (e.g., origin, treatment)

By saying cane sugar, they actually have to use it. In contrast, saying sugar allows them to use any kind of sugar. Using cane sugar or agave syrup may show that the manufacturer has invested thought into the product, e.g. sometimes agave may add just the right edge with this cocoa but not with another one. Often, the more specific product details point towards a higher quality product.
But beware the fancy pantsy. The classic "made with" could mean that a small (tiny) proportion is high quality and lion's share is something else. The statement might be legit but still just smoke and mirrors.

Davert cocoa nibs

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Cocoa nibs (Kakao Nibs)
Main ingredients are cocoa beans.
Cocoa content: minimum 100% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Davert GmbH, Zur Davert 7, 59387 Ascheberg, GERMANY

Packaging

The 180g cocoa nibs are sealed in transparent plastic wrap and boxed in turquoise card board.

Look

The cocoa nibs are dark brown with some hints of black. The inside edges of broken nibs are lighter in colour with red and rosé hints.

Sound

The nibs break with a clear snap and some crackling noise.

Smell

There is a deep and dark-ish cocoa and chocolate aroma. The nibs also have some notes of roast and hints of earth or wet wood.

Mouthfeel

At first contact, the nibs feels a little bit cold. The nibs's surface is perceived as even but it has some texture. Once chewed, the nibs are slightly brittle and crackle in the mouth similar to roasted piece of chopped hazelnut.

Taste

The initial flavour is a mild bitterness with notes of roast and some hints of nuts. As the flavour unfolds, the bitterness remains very mild and the cocoa and nut flavours dominate. There are notes of wood and bark.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by a dark cocoa flavour, a lingering bitterness and flavours of roasted wood.

Summary

The flavour of the cocoa nibs unfolds slowly and has a mild, dark-ish bitterness. It has long lasting notes of wood, nuts and roast. Their mouthfeel is similar to roasted hazelnut.

Verdict

These cocoa nibs have a clear dark cocoa flavour. They have nuts, roast and wood aroma with little to none acidity but an intense bitterness and a little astringency. They are little, very flavour-intensive nibbles. 3 Stars.

Dates

Best before 14/03/2017, tasted 30/10, 01&06/11/1016

Wohlfahrt - Roasted cocoa nibs

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Roasted cocoa nibs.
Ingredients are just cocoa nibs.
Cocoa content: minimum 100% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Wohlfarth Schokolade, Choriner Straße 37, 10435 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany

Packaging

The cocoa nibs are wrapped in a transparent plastic bag of 50g (other sizes available).

Look

The nibs are dark brown. Some parts are darker, others are lighter with shades of red. The edges are much lighter coloured and almost white and appear to be almost powder.

Sound

When breaking the nibs, they emit a clear crackling sound.

Smell

The nibs smell of a mild cocoa and hints of roast aroma. They also have chocolatey aroma to them that is similar to milk chocolate.

Mouthfeel

Initially, the nibs feel cold when they touch the lips and tongue. Their surface feels surprisingly smooth and even. Chewing them feels similar to chopped almonds.

Taste

The taste unfolds slowly. It starts with a mild bitterness and roast flavours. This combines with an intense cocoa flavour that resembles very dark chocolate. The bitterness is very light, resembling that of lavender or roses. There are also hints of bark and roasted nuts.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste lingers for quite a while. It is mainly cocoa and the mild bitterness and an impression of very smooth chocolate.

Summary

These cocoa nibs taste very intensively of cocoa with a mild bitterness and hints of roast, nuts and petals.

Verdict

These cocoa nibs offer an intense experience. Given the size and amount, they are very rich in flavour. Their bitterness is immediately detectable but not overly hitting. They are not sour and leave an intense aftertaste of dark chocolate. 4 Stars.

Dates

Tasted 30/10&01/11/2016