70% Single-Origin Bar

Zorzal Comunitario

Dominican Republic

2022 HARVEST · BATCH no. 1 · By Trevor
tasting notes: chocolate-covered cherries, fresh milk, black tea

These cocoa beans come from a collection of farms surrounding Reserva Zorzal, a bird sanctuary in the Dominican Republic. The sanctuary protects Bicknell’s thrush, an endangered bird that migrates between Vermont and the Dominican Republic each year. The sale of cocoa produced on and around the sanctuary serves to fund the project.

This chocolate, which we share with our Dandelion Japan team, represents a new step in our evolving relationship with Zorzal Cacao, and we’re thrilled as ever to explore the flavor potential of these beans, while supporting the Reserva’s mission. To develop refined flavors suited to the Japanese palate, Trevor roasts this 2021 harvest lightly, bringing out delicate fruit notes.

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
2.0 oz (56 g)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Storage instructions:

  • Store in a cool and dark place; back of pantry is ideal
  • Best results somewhere between 40°F-68°F
  • Keep away from heat and direct sunlight
  • Keep away from strong odors
  • Do not freeze
  • Two-ingredient chocolate won’t go “bad” like milk chocolate or chocolate with additional ingredients (e.g. inclusions or nuts)
  • If your bar melts or blooms, the flavor notes will still be present though the bar will have lost its characteristic snap. Feel free to use bloomed chocolate for making hot chocolate or baking.

Shelf life:

2 years from factory production date

Vegan

Gluten free

nut free

kosher-svg

kosher

soy free

Direct Sourced

Dandelion Chocolate Japan Chocolate Bar Zorzal Comunitario, Dominican Republic 2022 70% Single-Origin Chocolate Bar
70% Single-Origin Bar
Zorzal Estate, Dominican Republic

About Zorzal Estate, Dominican Republic

Reserva Zorzal is a 1,019-acre organic cacao farm and bird sanctuary located in a moist, broadleaf-rainforest region of the northern Dominican Republic. Charles (Chuck) Kerchner co-founded Reserva Zorzal and Zorzal Cacao (a.k.a. Cacao del Bosque S.R.L) in 2012, hoping to prove that a for-profit business could be a viable, economically sustainable driver of environmental conservation.

Chuck and his co-founders (Jamie Phillips, Jesus Moreno, Jaimie Moreno, Angelica Moreno, and Sesar Rodriguez) bought a relatively undeveloped 412-hectare (1000-acre) piece of land in the mountains of the Duarte Province. They divided it into Reserva Zorzal (the bird sanctuary) and Zorzal Estate (the farm) to protect a critical habitat and simultaneously grow high-quality cacao. While Zorzal Cacao processes and sells estate-grown cacao under the name “Zorzal Estate,” the company also buys freshly harvested beans from neighboring farms, ferments them, and sells them, under the name “Zorzal Comunitario.”

Unlike many origins where we source beans, the Dominican Republic has a thriving national cocoa industry, and Chuck supports and retains staff through continual education. When possible, Dandelion runs annual customer trips to visit Zorzal and the Zorzal team. To learn more, visit our Trips page — or sign up for our newsletter, in which we announce new origin trips.