Chocolate of the week: Ecuador

Ecuador (situated in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia, Peru, and the Pacific Ocean) is known for its very special regional cocoa beans called Arriba.

These cocoa beans have a finer flavor and aroma than “bulk” cocoa beans grown in other countries.

I’ve had the pleasure of tasting 100% Arriba chocolate when I was working for a Midwest chocolate manufacturer and it is heavenly!

The rich chocolatey and intense red berry fruity notes are simply amazing. I had one co-worker describe his experience with Arriba as “a mouthful of ripe blueberries drenched in chocolate”.

Not all chocolate from Ecuador is Arriba, but even so (in my opinion), Ecuadorian chocolate is some of the most delicious tasting chocolate in the world. Cacao grown in Ecuador is distinctly fruity with varying degrees of floral aromas.

Passport Equador - The Taste Experience

Today’s chocolate is from Ecuador with 66% cocoa. (For an overview of this series and vocabulary see the Trader Joe’s Chocolate Passport post.)

The aroma is soft, made of mostly leather and wood. This surprises me a little because I was expecting at least some light floral notes.

The snap is crisp, and the color is brownish-red.

During the first bite, a strong, richly roasted cocoa flavor hits me right away, and I almost miss the floral perfume, very muted but briefly there.

The fruity berry notes follow, then a mellow nuttiness. And at the end, there's a second burst of chocolate and berry.

This bar has more added cocoa butter compared to last week’s Peruvian bar. The Ecuadorian melts faster in the mouth and feels “thinner” as it melts.

I very much enjoyed this chocolate. If I had to determine a favorite so far – between the Peru 60% and the Ecuador 66% – I would give 1^st place status to the Ecuadorian sourced chocolate. Alas, the sample size is still small.

I wonder where next week’s chocolate will fit into the mix? Coming up: Venezuela 70%.

By the way, a couple of my favorite Ecuadorian chocolate bars are Alter Eco DARK BLACKOUT 85% and Equal Exchange Organic Ecuador 65%.

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Bryn Kirk

Course Facilitator at Chocolate University Online

Bryn worked for nearly 10 years in a research and product development for Ambrosia Chocolate Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now she develops all of the CUO lessons and coaches the members of the Primal Chocolate Club.

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