LetterPress Esmeraldas, Ecuador 100%

Weight: 57 g

$12.00

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Reasons to Love

With only 1 ingredient, this is the purest expression of Costa Esmeraldas cacao they've ever made. This bar is the result of a new fermentation and drying project from award-winning cacao expert Daniel O'Doherty of Cacao Services. The flavor is surprisingly mild for such a high percentage 100% cacao bar. Tasting notes: nutty, floral

Kosher Information: Parve

Maker
LetterPress Chocolate
Country
United States
Cacao Origin
Ecuador

INGREDIENTS & ALLERGENS

Ingredients: cacao beans

May contain traces of milk, treenuts and peanuts.

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REAL CHOCOLATE
True chocolate has rich, nuanced flavors. Like wine it can vary by the variety of cacao beans, and where it's grown.
ETHICALLY SOURCED
Chocolate makers that source cacao at high standards beyond Fair Trade, and produce responsibly.
A CURATED SELECTION
A diverse selection sourced from the top 2% of all chocolate in the world.
25,000+ HAPPY CUSTOMERS
Once you’ve tasted pure chocolate, the other stuff won’t do. Read verified customer reviews.

Also from the Same Region

Maker

LetterPress Chocolate

LetterPress Chocolate was cofounded by David and Corey Menkes in Los Angeles, CA. They founded LetterPress with the purpose of paying cocoa farmers a a premium for quality, sourcing their cacao through direct trade, and working with partners such as Uncommon Cacao, Meridian Cacao. Quality above quantity with as few ingredients as possible to make the best chocolate possible is their mission. On the inside flap of every bar is their favorite quote from Benjamin Franklin: “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

Cacao Region

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Esmeraldas is the northernmost province of Ecuador, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and western Colombia. The province is notable for its strong Afro-Ecuadorian culture & seafood-based cuisine, as well as the beautiful beaches. Much of Esmeraldas’ population relies upon agriculture to make a living, with the most important crops being banana, tobacco, coffee, and cacao.

Cacao Estate

Costa Esmeraldas

Located in the coastal Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas, this family-run estate has experienced a complete turnaround in recent years. After nearly a decade of their farm just scraping by through selling produce into the commodity market, in 2015 the Salazar family took on the project of completely revamping the 100-hectare farm. This included adding a complete post-harvest processing facility on-site, which is now managed by Freddy Salazar, the youngest sibling in the family. Management of the cacao orchards create over 40 full-time jobs within the local community in rural Esmeraldas, while the fine flavor neo-nacional beans they grow are now used by over a dozen chocolate companies around the world. Makers favor it for its strong base notes of cocoa, roasted nuts, and light fruitiness, with almost no astringency or bitterness.

Cacao Strain

Cacao Strain: Esmeraldas

This cacao strain takes its name from the northern Ecuadorean province to which it is native. The path which brought it there is yet unclear, but experts agree that Esmeraldas contains some amount of criollo ancestry, maybe even the same criollo types found in ancient Mesoamerica. But whatever its origin, the pods are mostly small and maroon-colored, with relatively few fruits per tree. The characteristic flavor profile of Esmeraldas cacao is incredibly mild, with traces of spices and melon, though chocolate made from pure Esmeraldas is uncommon.

Chocolate Connoisseur

Very good chocolate for all lovers of the bean.

5/5

Another great offering from Letterpress

Nice bar, not what I expected.

Got this to compare to A. Morin Esmeralda, it was a completely different experience! Not as bright, more nutty. Leading me to believe the diffeeence is not in the bean variety so much as in the process.

Country/region

LetterPress Esmeraldas, Ecuador 100%