Tasting Notes: Creamy, Delicate Citrus and Hazelnuts. Great for pairing with a sweet dessert wine
It’s nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite bar among the multi-awarded Goodnow Farms lineup. Each bar is an exquisite masterpiece expression of the fine flavor bean it showcases. That said, I will admit that the three Goodnow Farms single origin dark chocolate bars I personally reach for the most are Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, and this Mexico bar has racked up its share of awards from the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards.
- Bronze - Academy of Chocolate 2021
- World Silver - International Chocolate Awards 2020-2021
- Americas Bronze - International Chocolate Awards 2020-2021
All of the Goodnow bars are velvety, delicious perfection as they melt in your mouth, and the tasting notes indicated on each bar are exactly what reveal themselves to me as I savor.
My advice: identify the tasting notes that light up the dopamine reward pathway in your brain just by reading them, and then click “Add to Cart.”
Now a little about the beans, the farmers and their process…
”Almendra Blanca” means “white almond,” but there are absolutely no almonds or nuts of any kind in this dark chocolate bar! The name comes from the rare white color of the beans that give the finished bar a beautiful, light color, akin to that of a milk chocolate, even though the cacao content is quite high at 77% and it is totally dairy-free.
The cacao beans are sourced from an 80 year-old family farm in Tabasco, Mexico, whose owner, Vincente Cacep, grows a variety of crops for the health of the soil and the joy of farming. Some of his other crops include oranges, coffee, pimienta gorda and bananas. It’s not surprising that this bar has gorgeous citrus notes as oftentimes, the flavors of the nearby fruits make their way into the flavor of the cacao beans. Here is a picture of some of the pods with these glorious and delicate white beans inside. Now they just need to ripen…
Vincente also welcomes indigenous rescued animals such as monkeys and marsupials into his plantation.
Now a little about the makers…
Tom and Monica Rogan, the excellent team behind Goodnow Farms Chocolate, have developed friendships with the cacao farmers whose fine flavor beans they meticulously source. This dynamic duo follows the beans, traveling directly to origin to secure outstanding, flavor-packed cacao.They’ve learned so much about post harvest practices and often request that their farmer partners ferment and dry the beans according to their custom specifications. They’ve purposely chosen a short, gentle roast for this Mexican bean to highlight the delicate citrus notes.
Tom and Monica pay significantly more than Fair Trade prices to ensure that farmers earn fair wages and engage in sustainable practices.
Another reason why Goodnow Farms Chocolate is utterly superb is the fresh-pressed single origin cocoa butter that Tom and Monica incorporate into their bars. Many chocolate makers do not press their own cocoa butter, but these dedicated makers go above and beyond the standard to provide an authentic single origin experience, with cacao beans and butter hailing from the same terroir. This labor of love results in a rich, lusciously flavorful chocolate.
Every bar is lovingly made and wrapped by hand at the Rogans’ 225 year-old farm on Goodnow Road (named after one of the town’s first settlers) in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
- Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Organic Sugar, Fresh Pressed Cocoa Butter
- Net Weight: 55 g./ 1.94 oz.
- Country of Origin: USA