Bar of the Week: Domori Arriba

Region: Ecuador

Bean Type: Nacional
Cocoa Content: 70%

Domori emerged onto the chocolate scene in 1996 as the project of Italian chocolate maker, Gianluca Franzoni (who writes under the pseudonym Mack Domori). His journey began in Venezuela where he was on a business trip researching cacao orchids. It was there that he discovered his passion for quality cacao and his desire to create a product from some of the finest beans in the world. The Arriba bar uses a different class of beans known as Nacional which are grown predominately in Ecuador. Cacao beans are typically divided into two categories, flavor beans (which are sought after by artisan chocolatiers) and bulk beans (which are used in approximately 80% of the world's chocolate production and which are bought with less regard to flavor). The Nacional is genetically a forastero bean which is usually considered to be of the bulk bean variety, but its strong, floral flavor is what lifts it into a league of its own. This bar is one of six in the Domori Cru line that has minimal ingredients and no extra cocoa butter added. The chocolate has a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel and the tasting guide on the box suggests notes of hazelnuts, bananas, and citrus.

Experience Domori's Arriba bar yourself this Saturday from 10:30 am to 1 pm. We will also have available a sampling of Domori's Arriba beans for comparison.

Fun Fact: The Cacao Cult slogan on the Domori packaging is short for Cacao Culture, Domori's mission to produce quality chocolate while fighting to avoid the extinction of prized criollo varieties and educating consumers about what to look for in artisan chocolate.