Madécasse – Sea Salt & Nibs Dark Chocolate

Madécasse, pronounced Mah-day-kas, is an old French word for Madagascar.

Madécasse uses Heirloom cacao to make their Madagascar origin chocolate. According to their website, www.madecasse.com,  “…it is some of earth’s original genetic variety of cocoa that has remained untouched for hundreds of years and is found in only a few places in the world”.

Heirloom cocoa isn’t their only unique contribution to chocolate production. Madécasse also makes it entirely in Madagascar. It may surprise you that most of the world’s cacao (almost 70%) comes from Africa, but chocolate is not made there. In fact, chocolate is rarely, if ever, made in the country that grows the beans. Madécasse is changing that. So far, they’ve made more than 4 million chocolate bars in Madagascar.

Tasting this Madagascar Bar from Madécasse

Madecasse Sea Salt & Nibs 63% dark chocolateMy introductory bar from Madécasse is a 63% dark chocolate with sea salt and nibs. I purchased it my local health food specialty store for $4.50 (2.64 ounces).

The aromas are pleasant with roasted chocolate, earth, and wood. The texture is a mixture of smooth and crunchy from the nibs. The first flavors I detect are strong roasted cocoa notes, followed by intense fruit. There is another flavor that appears briefly then disappears. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I want to say tobacco, hay, and pickles all rolled into a single sensation.  Strange.

The sea salt, as usual, shows itself in bursts and brings out the chocolatey and buttery notes. There’s a nice combination of butter and vanilla at the finish.

I enjoyed this bar tremendously. Nibs in chocolate are always a favorite of mine. The intense fruit and chocolate of the Madagascar beans are also a good blend in my book.  I look forward to sampling their other varieties.

If you cannot find it in a store locally, you can try online, though it's rather expensive with shipping. Check Amazon price here, Madécasse price here.

Chocolate And Cocoa Recipes From 1909

Valentine's Day is coming up. How about giving some chocolate candies your sweetheart has never seen! We took an old recipe book and updated it for easier use.

Click here to get your own copy of this fascinating cookbook.

 

Bryn Kirk

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