Bar of the Week: Cluizel's Maralumi Lait

Milk chocolate lovers, you've been waiting patiently, so here's a Bar of the Week for you!  From French chocolate maker Michel Cluizel, Maralumi Lait is a 47% milk chocolate made from single origin cacao grown in Papua New Guinea.  Here's what Cluizel has to say about it:

“...'Maralumi' plantation lies on a land rich in alluvial deposits. Its strongly aromatic cocoa beans blend well with milk to make a distinguished and powerful combination. In the mouth, the characteristic notes of bananas, red berries, and blueberries emanate progressively in an herbaceous harmony and then in “salty caramel.”

(If you like the sound of that but prefer dark chocolate, Maralumi also comes in a dark version...)

You can sample Maralumi Lait at our Braven store in downtown Bellevue on Wednesday, March 31st, or at our Queen Anne store on Saturday, April 2nd. 

Bar of the Week: Pralus Tanzanie

Our bar of the week is Pralus' single-origin Tanzanie, a 75% dark chocolate that is typical of the maker in some ways and unexpected in others.  Made from Forestero cacao, Tanzanie is surprisingly light and fruity, full-bodied but with little of the bitter heavy-roasted notes that are a common theme in Pralus' chocolates.  The glossy temper and silky texture, however, are pure Pralus. 

You can try Pralus' Tanzanie at our Bravern store on Wednesday, March 24th, or at our store on upper Queen Anne on Saturday, March 26th.

Bar of the Week: Patric's Madagascar 67%

Our Bar of the Week comes from Patric, chocolate-maker Alan McClure's small-batch company based in Missouri.  Of his 67% Madagascar bar, McClure writes:  "I created this beautiful chocolate to showcase the naturally occurring notes of plum preserves that intermingle with fruits rouges and enticing hints of butter-hazelnut toffee in the amazing single-estate Madagascar cacao."

To try this distinctive dark chocolate, visit our store at the Braven in downtown Bellevue on Thursday, March 17th, or our Queen Anne store on Saturday, March 19th. 

Bar of the Week: Grenada 71%

Our bar of the week is what might be considered a "green" chocolate, grown and processed on a lush island nation in the Caribbean.  Founded in 1999, Grenada-based Grenada Chocolate Company produces chocolate using cacao from a co-operative group of organic farmers.  The factory is located in a rain forest and operates off solar energy. 

Grenada's 71% is a dark chocolate that also includes organic vanilla from Costa Rica and organic sugar from Paraguay.  It's intense and somewhat fruity, with a notably long finish and a refined texture. 

You can sample Grenada 71% at our store in downtown Bellevue on Thursday, March 10th, or at our Queen Anne flagship on Saturday, March 12th.

Bar of the Week: Domori's Teyuna

Our Bar of the Week is the Teyuna from Domori, an Italian maker known for the impeccable texture of its chocolates. The Teyuna bar is a 70% dark chocolate made from Colombian cacao. The flavor is simple but seductive, with notes of honey and cashews and exactly the right amount of sweetness.

Want to try this toasty treat?  Stop by our Bravern store in downtown Bellevue on Thursday, March 3rd, or our Queen Anne store on Saturday, March 5th.

Bar of the Week: Pacari's Los Rios

This week we are revisiting a bar of the week from late 2010.  The Los Rios bar from family-owned Ecuadorian chocolate maker Pacari features arriba nacional cacao grown Ecuador's Los Rios region. It's a 72% dark chocolate that's organic, soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher. According to Pacari, “The Los Rios bar evokes the exotic aromas of the lush tropical forests where the cacao is grown. You will find strong upfront cacao with notes of fruit blossom and subtle finish of guanábana and roasted coffee.”


If you missed out on sampling Los Rios last time around, you have two more chances:  try it at our Bravern store in downtown Bellevue on Thursday, February 24th, or at our Queen Anne store on Saturday, February 26th.

Bar of the Week: Cluizel's Noir de Cacao

Our bar of the week is also one of our favorite drinking chocolates; heck, if came in an atomizer we'd probably like that, too!  Cluizel's Noir de Cacao is a masterfully blended 72% dark chocolate, smooth, rich, intense, and just a little bit sweet.  Like all of Cluizel's products, Noir de Cacao has a luxurious mouthfeel, rather like velvet covered in cream.  We consider it an ideal, go-to dark chocolate.

Samples of Cluizel's Noir de Cacao will be available at our store inside the Bravern in downtown Bellevue on Thursday, February 10th, and at our Queen Anne store on Saturday, February 12th.