Today, we’ll be tasting bean to bar chocolate bars from all around the Caribbean. There is a whole host of different flavours to try from these bars!

Dominican Republic

Chocolate from the Dominican Republic tends to be robust with a load of tannins and acidity, as well as a heady mix of woody spices like cinnamon.

Fruition Brown Butter Milk Chocolate 43%. Made with churned Ronnybrook Farm dairy browned butter & Dominican Republic beans, an utterly delicious bar, full of creamy caramelised milk flavour.  A smooth mouthfeel that will make you look at the packaging for the heaven caramel to this divine bar from Upstate New York. A new favourite.

Blanxart Dominican Republic 72%. Creamy dark chocolate sounds like an untrue contrast when it comes to higher percentage of chocolate. An unchallenging bar, unlikely other bars when the flavours notes smack you in the face, this bar is a very good crowd-pleaser bar.

Rococo Dominican Republic 63%. Having been to Rococco before but only their truffles and Easter eggs. I was interested in trying one of their single-origin bars. This one is a more robust flavour than your standard milk with some hints of earthy depth. An unchallenging bar for those looking to experiment with single-origin chocolate. A slight ginger spice, but not a fire heat.

Grenada

Chocolate from Grenada tends to have a dark fruit note with some minerally qualities.

Grenada Chocolate Company Nib-a-licious. This 60% dark chocolate is studded with nibs that give it a wonderful intensity and delicious crunch. Made at source on the island of Grenada in a solar-powered factory, and shipped to Europe by sailing boat, a super ethically sound chocolate maker. The nibs add nuggets of extra cocoa punch amongst the ultra-creamy smooth milk chocolate. A beautiful bar to nibble on, with even hints of tropical fruit.

Seaforth 70% Grenada. I went to get a bar for Patricia for our Choc-swap and they’ve actually changed their name to Ocean Creed if you’re after their bars and they have released two bars for their Autumn/Winter range. This bar is wonderfully ethical, where the beans from the Caribbean are transported back across the Atlantic on a wooden brigantine, reliant on the wind and gulf streams. This 70% Grenada, sharp and fruity with dominate young bananas and with a delicious delicate hint of rum to finish.

Haiti

Haiti chocolate tends to have citrus light notes and yellow fruit like mangoes.

Michel Cluizel Los Anconès bar. Winner of 2011 Academy of Chocolate Awards Gold and 2012 International Chocolate Awards Europe Gold. Super creamy for dark chocolate, slight honey flavour and floral after note. A slight sweetness but not detracting from the depth of flavour. Superb bar of chocolate, one of my new favourites.

Bullion No.1, When sourcing bars to send to Patricia (My Year In Chocolate) Choc-Swap, some of the British makers she mentioned she would like to try, I hadn’t tried myself. Naturally, I got myself some bars as well. One being Bullion, who with three bars in their range, all at the same cocoa solid percentage but of different origins. Punchy levels of tannins with a rich red fruit flavour that just bursts through.

Tobago

Chocolate from Tobago tends to be more hearty flavours such as spice, cedarwood, tropical fruits, tobacco and red fruits.

Next up is a bar from again one of my favourite producers that opened my eyes to the fact a high cocoa solid bar didn’t have to be bitter and drying. François Pralus has paired their skills with Tobago Estate Chocolate to make a to make this award-winning bar. The Roxborough 70% has a really interesting flavour of a hint of leather with a silken smooth mouthfeel with a slightly caramelised note.

Have you tried any bars from the Caribbean?

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