Tasting Notes: candied ginger, molasses, and apple cider

Cacao has grown in Vietnam since the 19th century, but only in recent years has it been used in craft chocolate. Once we tasted chocolate from Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat, the first makers of high-quality chocolate in the country, we were smitten and wanted to start working with Vietnamese cocoa beans. We’ve finally been able to purchase a limited supply of beans from Marou to make a few bars of our own.

Richard, our chocolate maker on Valencia Street who developed the flavor profile, instantly raised his hand to work with these beans. His family is from Bac Lieu, a coastal area of southern Vietnam about 200 kilometers from Bến Tre. Richard feels a connection to the growers and the soil where these cacao pods grew, and he has visited Vietnamese cacao farms. This is his first roast profile.

These cocoa beans are smaller than most, and once roasted, they take on a reddish orange hue. As is the case on many cacao farms, the trees are grown alongside coconuts and bananas for shade. In this bar, we taste candied ginger, molasses, and apple cider.

Ingredients and 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

Two ounces (56g)

Learn More

Learn more about our cocoa beans and sugar — the region, the farms, and the producers.