Ara Chocolat Peru Tingo Maria 70% 91/100

 

This bar is made with Amazonico cocoa beans from central Peru, south of Tarapoto between the Andean highlands and the Amazonian Jungle. Once harvested they’re shipped to Paris, where husband and wife team Andres and Sabrina help to turn cacao beans into their colourfully packaged Ara chocolate bars. Bringing with them a wealth of fine dining experience and a stint with Chocolates Franceschi in Venezuela they’re well prepared to make small batch bean to bar chocolate, while putting their own individual stamp on it. Ara’s philosophy revolves around Andres and Sabrina’s commitment to the environment and their desire to use cacao that is grown in harmony with the local ecosystem, furthermore they’re vegan, encouraging a simple approach to cacao production in which only cacao products and cane sugar are used.

Ara Chocolat Porcelana 70% 91.5/100

Porcelana or white criollo (different from white nacional) grows south west of Lake Maracaibo in the Venezuelan region of Zulia and is considered to be one of the best varieties of cacao. Porcelana beans grow white rather than the purple and brown hues we traditionally associate with cacao beans due to the absence of the flavonoid anthocyanin, which is responsible for the purple colour. This absence of anthocyanin is responsible for the lack of bitterness in fine white criollo chocolate, which makes it highly desirable in terms of flavour. This lack of anthocyanin and Porcelana’s ancient heritage come at a cost however, with ancient white criollo strains being susceptible to pests and disease, thankfully though Venezuela has never shyed away from growing vulnerable, low yielding, but flavourful cacao strains. With less than a 1000kg of this Porcelana produced every year it makes every Porcelana bar made a rarity, so we’re lucky to have this offering from Ara Chocolat.

Ara Chocolat Trinitario Guasare 72% 89/100

From the far north west of Venezuela, west of Lake Maracaibo is the growing region of Guasare a growing region responsible for the ‘father of all criollos’, although they also grow trinitario there now as well. Hailing originally from Venezuela themselves, Ara Chocolat now take up residence in Paris, where husband and wife team Andres and Sabrina help to turn cacao beans into their sets of mini chocolate bars. Bringing with them a wealth of fine dining experience and a stint with Chocolates Franceschi in Venezuela they’re well prepared to make small batch bean to bar chocolate, while putting their own individual stamp on it. Ara’s philosophy revolves around Andres and Sabrina’s commitment to the environment and their desire to use cacao that is grown in harmony with the local ecosystem, furthermore they’re vegan, encouraging a simple approach to cacao production in which only cacao products and cane sugar are used.

Ara Chocolat Venezuela Macuare 70% 85.5/100

West of Puerto Cabello and east of Maracaibo, Macuare sits on the northern Venezuelan coast by the Parque Nacional Juan Crisotomo Falcon, not far from where Porcelana can be found. Hailing originally from Venezuela themselves, Ara Chocolat now take up residence in Paris, where husband and wife team Andres and Sabrina help to turn cacao beans into their sets of mini chocolate bars. Bringing with them a wealth of fine dining experience and a stint with Chocolates Franceschi in Venezuela they’re well prepared to make small batch bean to bar chocolate, while putting their own individual stamp on it. Ara’s philosophy revolves around Andres and Sabrina’s commitment to the environment and their desire to use cacao that is grown in harmony with the local ecosystem, furthermore they’re vegan, encouraging a simple approach to cacao production in which only cacao products and cane sugar are used.

Ara Chocolat Madagascar 75% 90/100

Located in the north west of Madagascar, the Sambirano Valley is responsible for producing some of the fruitiest chocolate that you’re likely to taste and with this bar being made from trinitario beans, which are also fruity in nature, it has the potential to be indicative of Madagascar’s notoriously fruity terroir. Hailing originally from Venezuela, Ara Chocolat now take up residence in Paris, where husband and wife team Andres and Sabrina help to turn cacao beans into their sets of mini chocolate bars. Bringing with them a wealth of fine dining experience and a stint with Chocolates Franceschi in Venezuela they’re well prepared to make small batch bean to bar chocolate, while putting their own individual stamp on it. Ara’s philosophy revolves around Andres and Sabrina’s commitment to the environment and their desire to use cacao that is grown in harmony with the local ecosystem, furthermore they’re vegan, encouraging a simple approach to cacao production in which only cacao products and cane sugar are used.

Ara Chocolat Trincheras 75% 84.5/100

Las Trincheras is a cacao growing town, down the inland road from Puerto Cabello situated in the high altitude rainforest hills of the northern Venezuelan coast. The cacao grown here is split up amongst a trinity of Trincheras producers, Willies Cacao, Rozsavoglyi Csokolade and the bar we have here from Ara Chocolat. Hailing originally from Venezuela themselves, Ara Chocolat now take up residence in Paris, where husband and wife team Andres and Sabrina help to turn cacao beans into their sets of mini chocolate bars. Bringing with them a wealth of fine dining experience and a stint with Chocolates Franceschi in Venezuela they’re well prepared to make small batch bean to bar chocolate, while putting their own individual stamp on it. Ara’s philosophy revolves around Andres and Sabrina’s commitment to the environment and their desire to use cacao that is grown in harmony with the local ecosystem, furthermore they’re vegan, encouraging a simple approach to cacao production in which only cacao products and cane sugar are used.