Bar of the Week: Domori Rio Caribe

Region: Venezuela

Bean Type: Trinitario

Cocoa Content: 70%

This week Chocolopolis continues its tasting of the Cru Line by Domori with our featured bar, the Rio Caribe Superior. Its beans come from the plantation San Jose in Venezuela which was acquired by Grupo Franceschi in 1840, and is known as being one of the great epicenters of fine Criollo beans. Domori paired up with Grupo Franceschi in 2004 with the idea to bring Criollo chocolate back to its pure origins.

The Rio Caribe Superior is a 75 gram bar that will leave you longing for more. Notes of nuts, ripe fruit, raisins, and tobacco surface on the palette throughout the tasting. The chocolate has the unique yet traditional Domori characteristic of being molded without any lines or indentations. This detail allows the consumer to savor as little or as much as they want without worrying about how many squares make up a single-serving portion.

Only two ingredients are combined to create this bar - cocoa mass and cane sugar. Free of soy lecithin, vanilla, and added cocoa butter, the Cru line by Domori allows you to taste the complex flavors of artisan chocolate by keeping the ingredients the way they should be - simple.

Bar of the Week: Domori Apurimac

Region: Peru

Bean Type: Trinitario

Cocoa Content: 70%

To inaugurate our month-long tribute to the Italian chocolate maker Domori, we've decided to aim our spotlight at the Apurimac 70%. This bar is named for the Apurimac River Valley in Peru where the beans are grown, and represents the shop's only Peruvian single-origin chocolate.

This bar is what we like to call "a kick in the mouth." It's full of personality, evident even in its rich, spicy aroma. We would describe the taste as an immediate and powerful burst of fruit, especially green banana, and a mild, creamy finish with notes of flowers and caramel.

Even the packaging is something to behold; a conglomeration of tropical birds and other animals, which can be found on Domori's entire Cru Cacao Cult line. Stop in and pick up these bars now, because the company is rumored to be changing their packaging in the near future.

Christopher Elbow Tasting Thursday!

Christopher Elbow is coming to Seattle to visit Chocolopolis this Thursday, May 14th. We've scheduled two tastings that day so that everyone can have a chance to stop by, and both events are free of charge.

1 to 3 pm - Tea and Chocolate with Christopher. Join us for a cup of tea, a finger sandwich and a sample of Mr. Elbow's chocolates.

7 to 9 pm - Cheese, Crackers and Chocolate with Christopher. Stop by and mingle with the man behind our most popular confections.

We'll also be holding raffles during both events. Every $5 spent in our store gets you a raffle ticket for a chance to win Christopher Elbow chocolate or a specially selected item from our store.

Save the date and we hope to see you this Thursday!

Bar of the Week: Michel Cluizel Concepcion

Region: Venezuela

Cocoa Content: 66%

This will be the final bar in our taste of the Michel Cluizel collection before we begin our feature of another artisan chocolate maker (here's a hint - they're Italian). The Carenero beans used to make this bar are from a regional type of cacao grown east of Venezuela's capitol, Caracas. The beans are fermented, dried, and polished in the traditional methods that have been used since 1902 before being handcrafted into one of Cluizel's signature bars. The tasting notes alone are enough to pique interest with descriptions of vanilla, honey spice cake, and caramel, and a lingering aroma of dried fruit.

Also worth a mention are the Cluizel champignons, which are back in stock on our truffle counter. These delicious mushroom-shaped chocolates are filled with a hazelnut gianduja cream and topped with a crunchy nut praline. There are many other deals and delights for you to discover so stop by this Saturday for a taste of Michel Cluizel.

Fun Fact: The Concepcion bar debuted in 1997, along with the Caribbean Los Ancones and the Mangaro bar which uses beans from Madagascar. Each bar is named for its home plantation.

Bar of the Week: Michel Cluizel Noir 60%

Cocoa content: 60%

Region: Blend

Michel Cluizel (center) with his children.

Well, it's official: April is Michel Cluizel month at Chocolopolis. This is the third Cluizel bar we've featured in the last few weeks, and if you've been in the store recently, you've no doubt seen our large Cluizel display complete with posters and pamphlets. Chocolate this good deserves the attention!

This week's featured bar comes from Cluizel's line of "blends," or chocolate made with beans from multiple origins. At 60% cocoa, it falls into the semisweet range and it's flavor is delightfully balanced and smooth. Try the 60% in comparison to Cluizel's other blends- 85%, 72%, and 45% (milk).

Bar of the Week: Michel Cluizel Vila Gracinda

Region: Africa

Cocoa Content: 67%

The Island of Sao Tome, just off the coast of central Africa, has been called the "birthplace of African Cacao in the 19th Century." It's marine climate and rich volcanic soil make it an ideal environment for producing some of the world's most flavorful and aromatic cacao.

Well aware of this fact, Michel Cluizel established a private cacao plantation on the island, the Vila Gracinda Estate. All of the cacao beans used to make this week's featured bar were grown on this estate, and the distinct flavors of the region--ripe, tropical fruits, spices-- shine through beautifully.

And, like all of Cluizel's dark chocolate bars, the Vila Gracinda Plantation bar contains only cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, and natural vanilla bean (no soy lecithin to be found!). You'll find Cluizel's Noble Ingredients seal of approval right on the box:

Bar of the Week: Pralu Caracas 75%

75% Dark Chocolate

Origin: Venezuela

Bean Type: Trinitario

Though it is no longer the world's largest exporter of cacao, Venezuela is still considered by many to produce the world's finest beans. The Pralus Caracas, named for the Venezuelan capitol, is just one of a host of bars in Chocolopolis' inventory produced from Venezuelan cacao.
The Caracas belongs to Francois Pralus' single-origin line of dark chocolates, and, like it's colorfully wrapped siblings, it is just as wonderful to look at as it is to eat! Compare this bar to another of Pralus' single-origins (we recommend the Djakarta or the Madagascar) to see just how much geography can affect the flavor of cacao.

Fun Fact: Francois Pralus' belief in the ancient Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl, reportedly serves as his inspiration to make fine chocolate directly from the bean.