85% Single-Origin Bar

Costa Esmeraldas

Ecuador

2022 HARVEST · BATCH no. 1 · By Eric
tasting notes: dark chocolate, pomelo, clotted cream

The beans for this bar come from Freddy Salazar’s estate near the coast of northern Ecuador. Eric, our Origin Lead for Costa Esmeraldas, has spent time at the farm and was impressed by the close attention Freddy and his team pay to every step of cultivation and production — from pruning trees and managing disease in the field, to efficient harvesting practices, and careful loading of the fermentation boxes to ensure a clean facility. Freddy has built one of the most sophisticated processes we’ve seen, and it shows in the flavor of his beans. 



To improve the 2022 harvest’s acidity, Freddy extended its fermentation and drying. Eric enhances the beans’ rich, chocolatey notes with a longer conche time, creating this winning flavor profile.

INGREDIENTS & ALLERGENS

Cocoa beans and organic cane sugar

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 Chocolate Bar Costa Esmeraldas, Ecuador 85% 2022 Batch 1 Single-Origin Chocolate Bar
85% Single-Origin Bar
Costa Esmeraldas, Ecuador

About Costa Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Freddy Salazar, the owner of Costa Esmeraldas, produces unique cocoa that we make into one of our best-selling bars. Located in the Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador, Costa Esmeraldas began as a very different farm when the Salazar family acquired it over a decade ago.

Freddy’s father purchased two properties on the northeastern side of the beautiful Esmeraldas coast. On formerly dry pastureland and wild forest inaccessible by any road (and not ideal for growing cacao), he and his family created a 10-hectare (25-acre) plantation and cocoa-processing facility. What began as a passion project for the Salazars has evolved into a thriving farm of over 330 hectares (about 850 acres), approximately a third of which is used for growing cacao.

While most cocoa produced on the farm (and what we buy) is from Neo-Nacional cultivars, the farm also cultivates CCN-51 pods as a cash crop, selling to the local bulk market. In addition, the farm produces bananas and citrus, and 50 hectares (124 acres) of land have been left as virgin forest, creating a thriving habitat for flora and fauna.