We make this multiple award-winning bar with beans from the Salazar family farm in the Esmeraldas region of Ecuador. The Salazars have over one hundred acres of carefully cultivated Nacional hybrid cacao trees. The volume of beans they harvest allows them to ferment and dry the beans themselves and the level of control they have over the cacao varietals they plant, as well as their post harvest processing, results in beans of exceptional quality and flavor. This is a well balanced bar with very low acidity, intense berry jam flavors and a long finish.
We roast the beans in small batches, using a custom roast profile we created specifically to maximize their flavor. We stone grind the nibs in melanguers and conche for five days, using a conche profile that's also specific to this bean. This allows us to fully develop all of the incredible flavors.
We also freshly press the cocoa butter for this from the same Esmeraldas beans we use to make the chocolate, resulting in intense single origin flavor and exceptional smoothness. We’re one of the only chocolate makers in the country to press our own cocoa butter, and it makes a world of difference in flavor.
Tasting notes: Deep berry jam (blueberry, blackberry). Reminiscent of cabernet grapes.
