Thursday, October 28, 2021

Eldora Chocolate: Mexico Chiapas 70%

So far, we've taken a look at Eldora Chocolate's storefront, their Goat Milk Dark Chocolate, and their body care products. Now it's time for the three single origin chocolate 70% bars I also picked up. While there were quite a few to choose from, I tried to get the less common origins or even ones I had never had before. The first would be the Mexico Chiapas 2018. I could be wrong, but I don't believe I've ever had cocoa sourced from Mexico before. 

In the store, they bundled up the three bars I chose and tied them off with a black cord. The look of the packaging is simple and handmade. Clear sleeves are sealed with a large white sticker label. Each chocolate bar is a fairly small square at only one ounce, which means that the $4 price tag is average value for the amount but also easier on the eye than paying $8 or $10 for a larger bar. That makes it easier to try more varieties, or to simply spend less. And I'm always all for making high quality chocolate in smaller amounts rather than more chocolate in lower quality.

Because the chocolate is a smaller square, the Eldora logo covers one side of the bar. It takes on the look of a trading stamp this way, adding to both the vintage and handmade vibes. There are a couple of small air bubbles in the design, but just in a way to show that it's small batch. A simple semisweet aroma accompanies a good snap. 

The chocolate begins with a begins with a mellow, blue flavor like a sweeter, softer version of nibs. As the chocolate melts, the flavor warms and deepens. There is a hint of tanginess after the halfway point, and then it mellows into a rich yet still mild chocolatiness. The finish is perhaps dried fruit, and the aftertaste of brownies. Texture-wise, everything is smooth and solid with neither dustiness nor a plastic feel.

Eldora doesn't provide flavor notes on this one--they just mention that chocolate from this region is some of the most distinctive in the world. I will agree with that. This chocolate is great. There is a classic chocolate feel to its taste and yet the flavors are also nuanced. That pairing means that it will please a range of palates. This chocolate bar shows me that Eldora knows how to handle cocoa and how to coax out a complete flavor profile. As someone who has had plenty of gourmet chocolate over the years, I'm impressed. 

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