• Dandelion 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
  • Dandelion 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
  • Dandelion 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
  • Dandelion 70% Dark Chocolate Bar

Dandelion Chocolate

Dandelion 70% Dark Chocolate Bar

$10.99
Style:

For more than a decade, Dandelion Chocolate has been crafting exquisite single-origin dark chocolate using just two ingredients: cocoa beans and organic sugar. Located in San Francisco's Mission District, this luxury bean-to-bar chocolate maker prides itself on its dedication to quality and simplicity. The result is a decadent treat that is free of soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, and any added cocoa butter, lecithin, or vanilla. And with production taking place in a nut-free factory, indulging in their chocolate is truly a guilt-free pleasure.

One of the most magical things about single-origin, two-ingredient chocolate is the intensity of flavor in every square. To appreciate the varied aromas of small-batch chocolate fully, they recommend tasting bars side by side. Tasting chocolate, like tasting wine, is a great way to develop your palate and hunt for the distinctive flavors of cocoa beans that have been fermented, dried, and roasted to highlight their differences. It’s delicious and a lot of fun!

Weight: 2.0 oz (56 g)

Tasting notes: chocolate malt, almond praline, cream

These beans come from the Tumaco region of Colombia, where a small company called Cacao Hunters encourages cacao diversity by working with farmers to cultivate regional varieties. Cacao Hunters buys and blends beans from small farm co-ops, then coordinates export with Uncommon Cacao, a Colorado broker which provides cocoa to chocolate makers willing to pay a premium for high-quality beans.

Veteran chocolate maker Pablo joined our team in 2015, bringing with him a wealth of agricultural knowledge. The 2022 harvest is the second Tumaco profile Pablo has developed, and he relishes the Colombian beans' magical, creamy aromatics. This bar's flavors remind Pablo of MILO, a chocolate-flavored malt treat he enjoyed growing up in Cuba — and he tells us he especially enjoys savoring Tumaco chocolate with Cuban coffee, as Mariah Carey tunes play in the background. We aspire to live like Pablo!

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.

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.

  • 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