u/Live_Rhubarb_7560

Continuation of the trip around Sweden! Or rather from Ecuador to Sweden. This time: Höganäs 100% bar.

I did previously try their 70%, but I was still curious about this one. So first, upon opening the wrapping: clear aromas that remind me of a mix between some more assertive red fruits and something yellow, sometimes tart and sometimes ripe. That was a welcome addition, since IMHO their 70% was low in aromas. The fruity acidity continues in the flavour, underlying cocoa notes that remind me of cocoa powder, together with some nut (skin?). Texture feels smoother than I remember from their 70%, not too buttery, with a uniform melt (I hate crumbly melt), maybe just a tad dry, but still okay.

An interesting thing about Höganäs and Hacienda San José in Ecuador, where their cacao beans come from, is that they rely on resistant, high-yield varieties, including CCN-51, which aren’t famous for their aromatic or flavour qualities (it’s in fact classified as bulk and not fine cacao). It’s interesting how this could have resulted in such an approachable 100%, since from what I have seen, CCN-51 tends to have higher levels of off-flavour-associated compounds, but neither the 70% nor the 100% I tried displayed them. Good processing, I guess! The problem with the 70% was rather that it didn’t have a high enough level of interesting flavours.

I was trying to test this bar on others: one kid stole a piece despite my warnings and managed to eat it without spitting it out. That led me to a devilish idea: to test it on kid 2 by asking them to assess the %. They said 70% (read: this is dark chocolate). An adult victim, when pressed, said cranberry aroma and guessed the bar to be an 85% one.

I’m positive it’s a good bar to recommend to everybody who has been punishing themselves with ultra-bitter and/or astringent 100% bars, for as long as they can take a bit of fruity acidity. Unless, obviously, someone truly enjoys ultra-bitter and astringent ones (but it’s definitely not me).

Purchased from delitea.se. Price: 886 SEK/kg, which is approximately 95 USD/kg or 81 EUR/kg.

Time to review the four bars I bought at the Chocolate Festival in Stockholm, which took place at the end of March! They are all made from cacao beans from the same estate in Tobago, but by two different makers: Friis-Holm and François Pralus. Three of them are dark milk bars, and one is a 70% dark bar.

All four are very smooth and pleasant, with a good melt. Pralus uses sunflower lecithin, while Friis-Holm does not, but for me, in both cases, the mouthfeel is smooth and enjoyable.

Starting with the Friis-Holm Tobago Estate 70% Anniversary Bar, I would not call it overly complex in the sense of many different flavour notes coming and going. To me, the dominant note feels more consistent: a pretty fruity and flowery character. My flower dictionary may be a bit limited, but I would describe it first as rose, followed by something more like rosehip. Sweet, delicate, lightly perfumed, and pleasant.

The Friis-Holm Tobago 58% dark milk was also very interesting. The milk does not make the bean taste simpler; actually, I think it makes the bar more complex and layered. At the opening, I get a slightly mushroomy, savoury note before the floral rosehip character starts to appear.

The Tobago Estate Sea Salt 45% dark milk is sweeter than what I usually eat, but the salt helps balance the sweetness, which I like. At the same time, the salt is a little too dominant for me. I find myself focusing more on the salt than on the cacao. Still, it is smooth, pleasant, and easy to enjoy.

Finally, the Tobago Estate Laura 45% dark milk, without salt, is soft, creamy, and caramelly. It is sweet, but the caramel notes are satisfying. Unlike in the salted version, where the salt draws most of my attention, here I can still detect different shades of the floral-fruity Tobago profile.

Overall, this was a fun comparison. For my personal taste, and in terms of the bar that hits my sweet spot best, I would probably choose the Friis-Holm 58% dark milk. Kids say Laura by Pralus :)