What does one do during a snow-pocalypse? Eat chocolate, of course. (And video the dogs plowing through snow drifts.) And, of course, this weekend’s chocolate is from the NWCF. Let me introduce you to Palato Chocolate. It was founded in 2007 by Chef Mónica Pedemonte and started as a high-end catering service that, with time, shifted its focus to Honduras’ world-class cacao. All of their chocolate is made with cacao from various locations in Honduras. The company’s headquarters and production facilities are located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They strive for sustainability and quality, but also promote the growth and modernization of cacao cultivation in Honduras, to improve the lives of thousands of producers and contribute to the nation’s economic development. Palato Chocolate has won 18 awards from the International Chocolate Awards, Chocolate Alliance Awards, and Academy of Chocolate.
Now let me introduce you to Palato’s 70% chocolate bar. This single origin bar is made from Mayan red cacao beans sourced from La Masica, Honduras.
Sight: dark brown; clean, sharp molding in a modern design
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity; chocolate
Mouth Feel: ready melt that’s a little chalky
Taste: it has an initial mild bright/tangy flavor with a little floral note, followed by an earthy dark chocolate flavor
Astringency: mild
Summary: This is a good, solid chocolate bar that’s usually moderately priced. There’s a little complexity to it, and I like what the company is doing. In short, this is an average bean to bar chocolate bar, but it knocks the socks off of anything you’d get at your local grocery store.