Original Beans - Virunga 70% - dark chocolate (Organic)

The cocoa for this bar is harvested in Virunga National Park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Original Beans, a chocolate brand based in the Netherlands, has its own sourcing team that seeks out rare and authentic cocoa varieties and focuses on preserving that cocoa and the tropical rainforest in which it grows. The cocoa is organically grown: the bar is certified organic under organic code CH-BIO-006.

The ingredient list of this bar is short: cocoa mass, cocoa butter and raw cane sugar. So no milk components have been added. The statement does apply that the chocolate may contain traces of milk and nuts, because these are processed in the same production environment. If you have an allergy, always read the label on the packaging you have at home, because that is what counts.

The flavour profile of this Virunga is described as warm notes of sour cherries and black tea. With 70 percent cocoa and a conching process of 20 hours it is a chocolate with a complex taste and plenty of depth, but without the sharp bitterness of bars with an even higher cocoa percentage. This bar won a silver medal from the Academy of Chocolate in 2011.

You receive a bar of 70 grams. Per 100 grams this chocolate contains 573 kcal (2401 kJ), 43 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbohydrates of which 29 grams sugars, 7 grams of protein and 0.03 grams of salt. The current values are always on the packaging you have at home.

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: the cold and the moisture can make it bloom, giving a grey haze on the surface and a grainy bite. Also keep the bar away from strong smelling products, because cocoa butter absorbs odours easily.