Flavor Picks:<br/>Rich and Complex - 12/18

Dandelion Chocolate Chocolate Bar Flavor Picks:<br/>Rich and Complex - 12/18

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Flavor Picks:
Rich and Complex - 12/18

Karen, our long-time Flavor Manager, created this set to launch you on a delicious exploration of five single-origin chocolate bars that align with many Americans’ expectations of how chocolate tastes, while expanding the definition of “chocolatey” in fascinating ways.

In these bars, you’ll discover classically chocolatey aromas, creamy mouthfeel, and flavor notes ranging from nutty fudge and rich baked goods to mellow fruits. Karen hand-picked these origins as a perfect start to an eye-opening journey through the complex flavors that may be found in our chocolate.

Also consider Karen's Bright and Expressive Flavor Picks

Ingredients & allergens: All of our single-origin chocolate is made with just cocoa beans and sugar; no added cocoa butter, lecithin, or vanilla. Our chocolate is free of soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten, and it is made in a factory that does not process nuts.
Weight: 10 oz (280 g)
Learn more: Learn more about our cocoa beans and sugar – the region, the farms, and the producers.

Karen's Flavor Picks

CURATED 5-BAR SETS

A WORD FROM KAREN

OUR FLAVOR MANAGER

I’ve heard the bars in this set being categorized as “chocolatey,” and I understand where people are coming from when describing these bars as such. However, I encourage you to employ your curiosity and focus as you taste through these bars, and look for all of the ways that our understanding of chocolate can be broader and richer by embracing the complexity that chocolate has to offer.

I pulled this set of bars together to highlight how our cultural aromatic definition of what chocolate is can, in some instances, serve us well, while in other moments, if we are willing to keep an open mind, it may just shift our understanding towards something more compelling and complex.

Happy tasting!

Karen

This Set Includes:

If you are newer to two-ingredient, single-origin chocolate, this five-bar Flavor Pick set may just be the best place to start on your journey. You'll go beyond just "chocolatey" notes to consider mouthfeel, flavor arcs, and a range of sweet, nutty, and caramel flavor notes. If you are feeling adventurous, we also recommend our Bright and Expressive Flavor Pick.

70%
MAYA MOUNTAIN, BELIZE

2018 HARVEST

tasting notes:
strawberry milkshake, brown sugar, and chocolate mousse

Maya Mountain Cacao has taken us for a new ride every single year. Don’t get me wrong, there are significant consistent thematic threads through each harvest, of sweet aromatics, dairy, fruity, and rich yet approachable chocolatey notes. But where the emphasis lands each year has shifted from tangy yogurt and pineapple in 2016 to a honey and a dessert wine in 2017 to our “American dessert classics” of 2018.

70%
HACIENDA AZUL, COSTA RICA

2019 HARVEST

tasting notes:
chocolate almond biscotti, buttery caramel

Hacienda Azul is a distinctly unique origin in our collection. This bean has a personality of its own and it’s taken us a couple of tries to really feel like we understand what it has to offer. While we often get sweet aromatics in supporting roles throughout our other origins, in this origin notes of caramel are the star of every version we’ve ever produced. I ask you, who doesn’t love a caramel chocolate combination?!

70%
GOLA RAINFOREST, SIERRA LEONE

2017 HARVEST

tasting notes:
fudge brownie, marshmallow, roasted almond

Gola Rainforest is the origin that would fit most neatly into people’s preconceived notions about what chocolate is. It takes the notes we’ve all grown up with from West African cocoa (this cocoa is what has built most of our American definitions of what the word “chocolatey” means) and brought subtle spice, nut, and sweet notes that make this a s’more-in-a-two-ingredient-chocolate-bar bar.

70%
COSTA ESMERALDAS, ECUADOR

2018 HARVEST

tasting notes:
chocolate buttercream frosting, banana

The consistency from Freddy Salazar at Costa Esmeraldas has always impressed us. This bar is clearly born of the hard work and care of Freddy and his team in partnership with our 16th Street chocolate makers. Costa Esmeraldas, with its signature ebony coloration, creamy mouthfeel, and clear chocolatey notes, is always accompanied by a hint of fruit at the very end. This harvest year expresses banana very clearly — its high on my list of current bars with unique flavor expressions.

85%
CAMINO VERDE, ECUADOR

2019 HARVEST

tasting notes:
chocolate covered espresso beans, roasted nuts, candied lemon peel

In many recent harvests, this origin’s perceived acidity level has crept up. We’ve been seeing aromas like lemon peel, honey, and espresso pop up in our finished profiles. At first we tried to get rid of it, thinking of it as a defect. However over time we’ve come to think of this added acid like you would add a touch of acid to your favorite dinner dish: it can brighten up and highlight the other aromas present in a way that makes you want to line up for seconds!

Our Chocolate Philosophy

Bean to Bar in San Francisco

We’re Dandelion Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker in San Francisco’s Mission District. For over 10 years, we’ve been turning cocoa beans and organic sugar into pure dark chocolate. We travel and build lasting relationships with cocoa farmers and producers, then craft small batches of chocolate back home in our factory. With our minimal approach, we aim to highlight different beans’ distinctive flavor notes—from classic fudge to tangy fruit.

JUST
TWO INGREDIENTS

Beans and sugar.
That's all.

Our chocolate bars are just two ingredients: cocoa beans and organic sugar. We never add cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla, flavorings, or preservatives because those ingredients mask the inherent flavors in beans.

PRODUCER
FOCUSED

Good cocoa starts
with good relationships.

Good relationships are absolutely essential to procuring consistently good flavor. We work closely with the producers who grow, ferment, and dry the single-origin cocoa beans we source, so we can share this amazing cocoa.

CONNECTING
OVER CHOCOLATE

Online classes. Doorstep shipping.
SF stores and local delivery.

We hope someday you'll join us at our San Francisco factory for a toasty s'more while watching chocolate makers craft beans into chocolate. In the meanwhile, we'll ship bars and truffles to your doorstep, host you for a virtual chocolate class, or answer (chocolate!) questions you might have via phone or email.

Flavor Picks:Rich and Complex - 12/18

Karen's Flavor Picks

This Set Includes:

70%MAYA MOUNTAIN, BELIZE

70%HACIENDA AZUL, COSTA RICA

70%GOLA RAINFOREST, SIERRA LEONE

70%COSTA ESMERALDAS, ECUADOR

85%CAMINO VERDE, ECUADOR