Salted 100% Tumaco
Same as our classic 100% Tumaco, but oh, so different.
A sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt on the back of this bar truly transforms the Colombian-origin cacao into an even more snackable, deeply satisfying, energizing, flavorful, and potent boost of all the magic cacao can offer.
Rest assured: there's no actual dried fig or whiskey or brownies in this bar. Like all our dark chocolate, the "tasting notes" aren't ingredients, but rather – like a fine wine, single-origin coffee, or truly any other complex multisensory stimuli – examples of what the chocolate reminds us of, and where it takes us.
And oh, does this chocolate remind us: to first "chew, then stew," as we say; to invite flavors to slowly unfold as the cacao melts on the palate and melds into the memories that inform our impression.
(Moondance choreography not included. :)
Organic Colombian cacao, Himalayan pink salt.
Made in a fully vegan, gluten-free facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy.
The Tumaco region in Colombia is renowned for its unique cacao genetics. Local producer associations have taken the initiative to establish clonal gardens, aiming to delve deeper into understanding and propagating the distinct cacao genetics scattered throughout their surrounding forests.
The 2022 cacao harvest from Tumaco was a collaborative effort, with contributions from four prominent associations spanning over 1,100 smallholder farmers: Afromuvaras, Asprocat, CORTEPAZ, and CORPOTEVA. To ensure consistency and superior flavor, the beans were meticulously blended by Cacao de Colombia, also known as Cacao Hunters. This organization collaborates with seven associations in total, sourcing high-quality cacao for export and for their own chocolate production within Colombia. The flavor profile of this cacao is notably characterized by rich undertones of chocolate ganache, almond butter, and a hint of green apple – transformed through our process, including the addition of unrefined coconut sugar, to carry the curious hints of molasses slowly morphing into whiskey.
Where are these flavors coming from? A large part of postharvest flavor development happens at the earliest stages of cacao production, with variables often summed up by the term “terroir” (French for “land”) – a reference to the soil composition, farming practices, and general growth habitat of a particular crop that come together to create something of a character. The concept of terroir is often applied to fine wines, and more recently is a common and useful descriptor for cacao postharvest practices, as well.
In this case, the crops that surrounded our Tumaco cacao prior to harvest – or, more accurately, that were used for intercropping – include banana, plantain, citrus, timber, avocado, yuca, coconut, wood, vanilla, and guanábana (soursop). With all the fun and fancy microbial processes beneath the surface, you can imagine how this rich and thriving soil composition might yield such complex agricultural offspring!
Beyond ensuring a regenerative agricultural environment, the producers enact strict quality standards throughout the postharvest process – including sugar analysis of the wet (pre-fermented) cacao at the point of purchase; temperature, pH and sugar monitoring across key stages of fermentation; and cut tests during fermentation – all of which contribute to preserving and bringing forward as much flavor precursors and energetic potency as possible.
As always, all our cacao is third-party lab tested prior to entering our production studio to ensure it is far below any limits of heavy metals or other toxins, including lead and cadmium. We voluntarily abide by the strictest standards available globally, California's Prop. 65 for Maximum Allowable Daily Levels (MADLs). Under these restrictions, we ensure all our raw ingredients satisfy limits by a safety factor of 1,000x, making our standards incredibly more conservative than any other regulatory frameworks. We also carry lab tests for all our cacao origins, available on request.
Once the cacao finds us in NYC, we then carry the fruits of all that human labor, care and energy, as we complete our own minimal processing – sorting the beans by hand, low-temperature roasting, stone-grinding, conching, tempering, molding, and hand-wrapping each bar.
A lot of work to help these beans sing. We invite you to share in our process by indulging slowly, intentionally, and in gratitude for the years of environmental conditions that must align just so: thousands of hours of human labor, and generations of intention and care for the land and resources that make craft chocolate possible.
