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Issue Date: May 6, 2007
FOOD
Fine chocolate redefined
These days, you need to know where it's grown.
By Laura Daily
Decisions about chocolate used to be simple: milk or dark. But with the recent popularity of single-origin chocolate, geography also has become a factor. Venezuela, Madagascar, Trinidad -- does it really matter where the cacao beans used to make chocolate are grown? To help you decide, here's what you need to know about single-origin chocolates:
Single-origin chocolates are made with cacao beans all from one place -- a single country or region, sometimes even a single farm. Example: French chocolate master Michel Cluizel buys beans for his "single plantation bars" from five plantations, such as the Rizek family's "Los Anconès" in the Dominican Republic.
Geography affects flavor, which comes not just from the cacao beans themselves but also from growing conditions -- sunlight, earth and water -- in a specific location. Example: Madagascar chocolate might boast an intense citrus tone, while cacao beans from New Guinea could hint of green bananas and red currants.
The percentage listed on packaging refers to the total amount of ingredients derived from cacao. So a 92% bar has 8% sugar or other flavoring. The higher the percentage of cacao, the more intense the chocolate flavor because less sugar is added. But a high number doesn't necessarily indicate quality.
"Fair trade," a phrase sometimes seen on packaging, refers to the agreements between buyers and growers that ensure a fair price is paid for the product. Example: Farmer-owned Divine Chocolate (shown above) uses only cacao from Ghana's Kuapa Kokoo cooperative. Some 20,000 Ghanaian cacao growers receive a guaranteed minimum price and earn a portion of the company's profits to put back into local schools and community projects.
Want a taste?
Private tasting with chocolate sommeliers at Chocolat Michel Cluizel in Manhattan, by reservation, ranges from $35 to $100 per person; 212-447-7335.
Noka Grand Cru Collection: $17.50 for two piecesof single-estate dark chocolate truffles; nokachocolate.com.
Theo Chocolate Origin Bars, fair-trade cacao sweetened with organic beet sugar; $6 for 3-ounce bar; theochocolate.com.
Hershey's Cacao Reserve Single Origin Collection: 3.5-ounce bar for $3.29,at grocery stores.
Choxie's Single Origin Tasting Kit: 5.8-ounce boxof bite-size squares, $12,at Target stores.
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