Millésime - Ghana (with orange) - 70% dark chocolate

The cocoa comes from ABOCFA, a cocoa cooperative in Ghana with both an organic and a fairtrade certification. The cooperative has 1063 members and together manages 1514 hectares of land, with its head office in the Aponoapono enclave in the municipality of Suhum in the east of Ghana. ABOCFA works on a higher income for the farmers through premiums, on educational opportunities and on tackling child labour. The bar itself is made in Belgium.

This bar contains cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter and orange extract. No milk ingredients have been added, so the bar is made up of purely plant based ingredients. It does carry the note that the chocolate may contain traces of nuts. If you have an allergy, always go by the label on the packaging you have at home.

The percentage shows how much of the bar consists of cocoa components, in this case cocoa beans and cocoa butter together making up 70 percent. The rest is mainly cane sugar, topped up with orange extract. The higher the cocoa percentage, the less sugar and the stronger the chocolate flavour. At 70 percent this bar sits in the range where the cocoa is clearly at the front, while enough sweetness is left to let the orange come through well.

Ghanaian cocoa is known for a deep, sweet chocolate flavour and here it is combined with fruity orange. The result is a dark chocolate in which the cocoa is firmly present, with a fresh citrus note on top. The bar weighs 70 grams.

Store the bar cool and dry, preferably at around 15 to 18 degrees, and well sealed in its packaging. Do not put chocolate in the fridge, because cold and moisture make it bloom, which gives a grey haze and a grainy bite. Also keep the bar away from strongly scented products, because cocoa butter absorbs smells quickly.