Dark Matters Chocolate Reviews
Craft Chocolate Reviews and Interviews with Victoria Cooksey
Dormouse Chocolates is a craft chocolate maker located in Manchester, England. They also happen to be one of my favorite bean-to-bar chocolate makers. A big congrats to Dormouse for their recent UK Rising Star Award from the Academy of Chocolate Awards! Well done ladies!!!
1st up today is their Limited Edition 75% Dark Honduras bar. This bar was in one of Dormouse’s monthly chocolate bar subscription boxes. The origin of the beans is Copan Highlands, Honduras, and the bean type is Mayan Red. Conch time 48 hours.
Limited Edition 75% Dark Honduras Dormouse Chocolates Pic taken in Port Townsend, WA
Color: This bar is a medium/dark brown that also has a reddish/purple color in certain lights.
Nose: Black currant, jammy, new world red wine, coffee.
Texture: Good snap and very smooth.
Dormouse Chocolates 75% Dark Honduras Limited Edition Bar
Taste: Buttery to start, some tannins, dried cherries, Cabernet Franc grape taste and acidity, red fruit. and dark honey.
Finish: A very long finish around 25 – 30 minutes.
Dormouse Chocolates happens to be making a fantastic white chocolate bar called Toasted Madagascar White 38%. This bar keeps selling out so be sure to check their website often, or send them an email to see when it will be back in stock. The cocoa butter in this bar comes from criollo and trinitario beans from Madagascar Sambirano Valley and has a 28 hour conch time. The milk powder in this bar is toasted which makes this an extra tasty white chocolate bar.
Color: Toffee, golden color like caramel.
Nose: Caramel, condensed milk, nutty.
Dormouse Chocolates 38% Toasted Madagascar White (full size bar)
Texture: Very smooth.
Toasted Madagascar White (mini bar size)
Taste: Buttery, caramel, roasted macadamia nut, cream and light brown sugar.
Finish: A medium/long finish with some fruity notes.
Dormouse Chocolates:
https://www.instagram.com/dormousechocs/?hl=en
https://dormousechocolates.co.uk/
Victoria Cooksey:
https://www.instagram.com/victoria.cooksey/?hl=en
Watch all my craft chocolate review videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-lp-lF_wB2oX_592jK9UQ
Note: Dormouse added a mini bar of the Toasted Madagascar White bar to one of my orders I had placed with them and I loved it so much I immediately ordered a full size one.
Mackenzie Rivers’ skills are as varied as her Map Chocolate is creative. She has been a Grand Canyon river raft guide, a writer, a bean-to-bar consultant, has had an apprenticeship at Chocolate Alchemy, and is winner of two Academy of Chocolate Awards in 2017 and so much more.
I personally have always enjoyed the lovely wrappers she chooses for each bar, the quality of the bars, her creative ingredients for Map Chocolate bars and hearing about the inspirations behind each bar. In my mind I think of Mackenzie as a bean whisperer because she seems to be able to take an idea for how she wants a bar to be and then gets the beans to bring forth the flavors from out of those beans and/or imagine the perfect inclusions to match the beans, all to create the chocolate taste experience that she desires.
And now, the lovely inside and out of Mackenzie Rivers:
Mackenzie Rivers of Map Chocolate Continue reading “Interview with Mackenzie Rivers of Map Chocolate Co.”
In 1998 the first officially labeled Amedei bars became available and since then just looking at Amedei’s packaging evokes feelings of luxury. Those who know anything about bean-to-bar chocolate list multiple Amedei bars such as Porcelana, Chuao, and Amedei 9, and more in their tasting repertoire. Today’s interview is with Amedei’s founder Cecilia Tessieri, maitre chocolatier. So sit back, imagine yourself in Italy, taste a piece of Amedei chocolate, and enjoy the read:
Cecilia Tessieri Founder of Amedei Continue reading “Interview with Cecilia Tessieri, Founder of Amedei”
Today’s chocolate bar reviews feature three of Damson Chocolate’s Vietnamese dark chocolate bars. Damson Chocolate is a bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker located in London, England. Today’s chocolate review post includes Damson’s 70% Lam Dong, 74% Tien Giang, and 80% Dak Lak dark chocolate bars. Side-by-side tasting from bars made from cacao from a single country with different percentages, is a great way to learn about chocolate and figure out what your favorite tasting notes are. Learning never tasted so good!
Damson Chocolate Vietnam Bars pic taken in Port Townsend, WA Continue reading “Damson Chocolate Vietnam Dark Chocolate Bar Reviews of 70%, 74%, & 80%”