Marco Colzani's tasting box includes 12 individually-wrapped squares of outstanding chocolate sourced from three different single-origins and designed to be tasted in descending order of cacao content:
The Dominican Republic, 72%: with notes of dried plum, tangerine peels, and cherry jam, this chocolate has a deep round flavor and a bright freshness with very low acidity.
Sao Tome, 78%: perfectly balanced with a light bitter touch, this chocolate boasts concord grape and licorice notes.
Venezuela, 80%: with little sugar, the intense flavors and aromas of smoked spice and roasted cacao really pop. Smooth and soft, the natural sweetness of the cacao bean pleasantly mellows out the bitterness.
...read more
These thin, individually-wrapped squares of chocolate are the perfect size for experiencing the complete pleasure of his chocolate. Like a glass of exceptional wine, this chocolate is meant to be savored slowly, so you can truly appreciate the nuances of these carefully sourced cacao beans.
Working closely with South American cacao cooperatives, Marco is one of the world's few true bean-to-bar chocolatiers. He regularly visits his suppliers to taste the beans right at the source and work with the farmers to develop the best fermentation methods. Marco's chocolate contains just two ingredients: cacao beans and raw sugar from Emilia-Romagna - no additives, preservatives, soy, or vanilla. His recipe is never the same twice since he adjusts the sugar-to-cacao bean ratio based on each batch of beans. Marco's chocolate is also un-conched, which means it is processed as little as possible, allowing the beans to maintain their natural flavor characteristics.
But there is more. Marco's cacao butter comes from the same cacao farms he sources his beans from. This is almost unique in chocolate production: cacao butter is typically a mass-market commodity, and it's infrequent finding chocolatiers who opt for a process that starts from scratch. Now, if that doesn't elevate your chocolate-eating habit, then we seriously don't know what will!
