The Spirit of Cacao Tasting

This past Saturday was a bit cold and gloomy, but not inside Back Label Wine Merchants cozy back room. That is where 25 curious chocolate and spirits enthusiasts gathered to taste 8 new experiences from around the world. Mark Christian of the C-Spot and the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund spoke about the chocolates and what makes them heirloom designation, Natasha Soto-Albors of BLWM explained her spirit choice pairings then I discussed the importance of packaging and its effects on why you purchase what you do and showcased the Heirloom Chocolate Series package Mark and I worked together on.

Our line up was:

#1 Designation VII

Spirit — Tuthilltown Cassis Liqueur (NY)

Chocolate —  Origin: Maya Mountain, Belize / Barsmith: Brasstown (USA) / Cacáo-content: 70%

#2 Designation IX

Spirit — Bittermen’s Citron Sauvage (OR)

Chocolate —  Origin: Piedra de Plata, Ecuador / Barsmith: TO’aK (Ecuador) / Cacáo-content: 73%

#3 Designation II

Spirit — Catskills Provisions NY Honey Rye (NY)

Chocolate —  Origin: Beníano, Bolivia / Barsmith: Oialla (Denmark) / Cacáo-content: 78%

#4 Designation Preliminary

Spirit — Old New Orleans Cajun Spice Rum (LA)

Chocolate —  Origin: Purús, Brazil / Barsmith: Luisa Abram (Brazil) / Cacáo-content: 81%

My fave pairings in order were 3, 1, 4, 2.

One of the highlights was the chance to try the TO’aK sample disks from Ecuador. This bar at $300 a pop is the most expensive in the world. I was very curious to find out what makes it so special. I did like its very mature, grown up flavor, but as discussed earlier much of the hoopla is the cost of wonderful packaging and store presentation of the bar. Well done.

As a bonus, one of the guests, Glenn Petriello of Glennmade Craft Chocolates  gave out samples of his two heirloom chocolate bars whose beans originate from Belize and Ecuador. Glenn is a new bean to bar producer in Hoboken “yeah” and has 6 single origin dark chocolates in his line.

There were many lively questions and discussions and was so much fun that when it was over no one wanted to leave, but eventually we had to go ;-(

The quote of the day from our package “Save the Earth: It’s the only planet with chocolate”.

What‘s an Heirloom Chocolate?

… and how do you brand it?

In simple terms it’s the highest quality, most flavorful cacao sourced from around the world that chocolate can be made from.

 

Our design journey began by creating a fair number of versions with the direction to incorporate a monkey image because most of the cacao comes from the Central and South American rain forest regions — plus they’re cute.

After further discussions with the organization they determined it was paramount to incorporate into the icon the people involved in the cacao process —the farmer as well as the person who buys this special chocolate. The equal importance of the cacao pods on the tree was accomplished by making them oversized and multi-colored as they grow in nature.

The larger design is the final inspirational icon and logo created for the non-profit Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP), a 501(c)(3) organization that works closely with the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. It will be used in many forms but mostly to promote on chocolate packaging.

The HCP collaborates with the USDA and together with chocolate industry professionals, chocolate makers, farmers, and chocolate enthusiasts are determined to save the quickly diminishing Theobroma cacao trees that produce the most flavorful chocolate and certify the farmers who grow them and help them receive higher, more consistent prices.

An alternate version of the logo in vertical format within a shield shape, will be placed on all packaging utilizing Heirloom beans designated by the HCP.

We also are consulting with them on their event materials, on-line newsletter and website — see more here.