Tabal Bolivia – Bolivian Single Source Cacao Bar
January 22, 2018
Today’s chocolate comes from a company located in my old stomping grounds where I grew up – Wauwatosa, WI. I lived on 73rd and Center and spent countless hours riding my bike around town. North Avenue was the longest, busiest street, and it had everything. There was Tosa Variety, the penny candy store, A&P grocery (and then a Kohl’s Food Store). I bought all my hamsters at Wisconsin Garden and Pet. I remember eating the most delicious bakery at Hartter’s with my Dad on Sunday morning.
Tabal Chocolate is located at 7515 Harwood Avenue in Tosa. They make small batch, bean to bar chocolate using stone grinders. Dan Bieser opened Tabal’s retail store in 2017, and in addition to selling his chocolate, he conducts chocolate making classes there. Check out their website, www.tabalchocolate.com.
Tasting this Single Source Dark Chocolate Bar
The chocolate I’m tasting is a 70% single origin bar from Bolivia. I find aromas of dried fruit, tobacco, and a hint of coconut. The texture is slightly course, with an occasional gritty particle. Overall, it’s fairly smooth, and I’m not bothered by the odd large particle, but I do notice it. The first flavors are unmistakably fruity – both dried (plum) and ripe berries (blueberry).
There’s nutty and vanilla notes as well. The cocoa notes are robust but not domineering. I’ve always liked the powerful fruity flavors that cacao beans sourced from South America delivers. This bar showcases a splendid blend of roasted chocolate notes with rich fruit. I really enjoyed this bar!
According the Tabal website, their “cacao grows in the lowlands of La Paz, Bolivia - a region known as Alto Beni. Nelson and Jorge Valverde, brothers from Bolivia, started the Alto Beni Cacao Company in 2010 to help develop the cacao industry in the region and as a result improve the economic opportunities. The company pays premium prices to farmers and collects, centrally ferments, and dries beans to ensure high quality, consistent cacao.”
Other origin chocolates from Tabal include; Peru, Columbia, Domican Republic, Nicargua, and Cost Rica.
I’m happy to go back to the old nieghborhood to buy this, but I don’t have to. Tabal bars are showing up in specialty stores all around the area. I’ve bought Tabal chocolate at Good Harvest in Waukesha. Tabal’s Bolivia 70% dark chocolate bar sells for $8.00 USD for 3 ounce size.
And you can shop online too. Here's the product page at Tabal's website.
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