70% Tumaco | coconut sugar
We like to think of this bar as one of the more 'divisive' in our dark chocolate collection. If you like the flavor description – a rich caramel base, with subtle but unmistakable notes of whiskey towards the finish – you'll probably love this bar.
If the idea of a whiskey 'kick' in your chocolate (rest assured, there's no actually whiskey in here) doesn't pique your papillae, then you should probably stay away. Or gift this bar to someone you really don't care for. Jk! Joke will be on you in the end, because they'll probably love this bar. . . considering how much you don't like them, so you likely have rather opposing tastes.
From what you've shared so far, we actually seem to like this person more than you. Maybe we'll gift them a 70% Tumaco. Can you imagine if we both sent them the same gift?
For the extra adventurous: Pair with a Smith & Cross rum old fashioned, with walnut and chocolate bitters. Or a late-fall stargazing session on the grass, sans blanket.
Organic cacao, organic coconut sugar.
Made in a fully vegan, gluten-free facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy.
The Tumaco region in Colombia is renowned for its unique cacao genetics. Local producer associations have taken the initiative to establish clonal gardens, aiming to delve deeper into understanding and propagating the distinct cacao genetics scattered throughout their surrounding forests.
The 2022 cacao harvest from Tumaco was a collaborative effort, with contributions from four prominent associations spanning over 1,100 smallholder farmers: Afromuvaras, Asprocat, CORTEPAZ, and CORPOTEVA. To ensure consistency and superior flavor, the beans were meticulously blended by Cacao de Colombia, also known as Cacao Hunters. This organization collaborates with seven associations in total, sourcing high-quality cacao for export and for their own chocolate production within Colombia. The flavor profile of this cacao is notably characterized by rich undertones of chocolate ganache, almond butter, and a hint of green apple – transformed through our process, including the addition of unrefined coconut sugar, to carry the curious hints of molasses slowly morphing into whiskey.
Where are these flavors coming from? A large part of postharvest flavor development happens at the earliest stages of cacao production, with variables often summed up by the term “terroir” (French for “land”) – a reference to the soil composition, farming practices, and general growth habitat of a particular crop that come together to create something of a character. The concept of terroir is often applied to fine wines, and more recently is a common and useful descriptor for cacao postharvest practices, as well.
In this case, the crops that surrounded our Tumaco cacao prior to harvest – or, more accurately, that were used for intercropping – include banana, plantain, citrus, timber, avocado, yuca, coconut, wood, vanilla, and guanábana (soursop). With all the fun and fancy microbial processes beneath the surface, you can imagine how this rich and thriving soil composition might yield such complex agricultural offspring!
Beyond ensuring a regenerative agricultural environment, the producers enact strict quality standards throughout the postharvest process – including sugar analysis of the wet (pre-fermented) cacao at the point of purchase; temperature, pH and sugar monitoring across key stages of fermentation; and cut tests during fermentation – all of which contribute to preserving and bringing forward as much flavor precursors as possible (remember, we still gotta roast, refine and conche these beans once they reach us in nyc), while removing excess acidity.
A lot of work to help these beans sing!
