The Letterpress Tranquilidad 70% Dark Chocolate Bar is exceptional in a number of ways. For the first time, Letterpress released a bar that required not only new packaging, but also a new mold. This is their first custom mold since 2014 and it is GORGEOUS. This incredibly detailed mold was made by the famous chocolate mold design firm Micelli in NY. The imprint alone on this bar will blow your mind.
There's the magnificent flavor and mouthfeel of this bar which is nothing short of a masterpiece made from wild harvested Bolivian heirloom Beniano cacao beans that were fermented by world-class cacao expert, Volker Lehmann, who has been referred to as "chocolate's real-life Indiana Jones." The tasting notes are buttercream, espresso, nuts, honey, dark brown fruit such as raisins and dates, young Scotch, and magic. The arc in this sublime bar is long and generous with a mouthfeel that is nothing short of divine.
Inspired chocolate makers and owners of Letterpress, David and Corey Menkes were once close friends in high school. They fell in love and got married in 2010. On a trip to St. Lucia shortly after their wedding they tasted the sweet pulp from cacao pods, saw cacao fermenting for the first time, and got bitten by the chocolate-making bug.
By 2013, the couple was running a bean-to-bar chocolate blog called Little Brown Squares where they exclusively reviewed craft bars. In 2014, David took a cacao bootcamp class hosted by Madre Chocolate in Oahu, Hawaii. There, David learned not only how to grow and cultivate cacao trees, but also how to ferment and dry cacao, taking the chocolate-making process all the way through to the finished bar.
Upon returning home to LA, he began purchasing small quantities of cacao beans to start making his own chocolate in the kitchen. After some practice, his chocolate was so delicious that his coworkers at DreamWorks Animation started placing orders. By 2016, David and Corey's tiny apartment was overrun with chocolate making equipment and they needed to find a larger home for it. A shared kitchen conveniently located just down the road fit the bill, and after renting space there, they eventually purchased it in 2017. In 2018 they expanded beyond the kitchen, taking over the entire location and renovating the retail area. They hosted a grand opening in 2018 and started offering factory tours in 2019 to an overwhelming response. Keep your eyes on this amazing company. They are young and brilliant chocolate makers.
Letterpress is among the 13 favorite USA craft chocolate producers recognized in Melissa Clark's February 2020 New York Times article for the extra attention their team devotes to sourcing beans, forging positive relationships with growers and treating the planet with extra loving care.
- Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter
- Net Weight: 57 g. / 2 oz.
- Country of Origin: USA
- Kosher Information: Pareve