Your Connection for Ecuadorian Chocolate, Part 3

Part three of our series about Conexión Chocolate is focused on the chocolate bars you can buy from the company which might make interesting holiday gifts for the adventuresome chocolate lovers on your list. These were both made from a couverture that we will reveal to you next month. The flavors were unique, I've never had these flavors in truffles or bars before and I've tried chocolate now from 196 brands at the time of this initial publication. We both went into this testing after two previous sets of samples that same afternoon, but we took time between each test to cleanse our mouths out, so we confident that we gave these bars a fair test. Both bars were sent to The Chocolate Cult for free in exchange for us testing and writing about them; no other form of compensation was received.

The Pineapple and Pink Salt bar is 70% cacao, made from a couverture we’ll try next time, the minimally processed variety from Los Rios. The photo shows you the dried pineapple on one side, which surprised and tickled us both when we unwrapped the bar. The other side is scored into 12 sections you can break apart without difficult. I got both dark chocolate and pineapple fragrance when I brought a piece close to my mouth. “That’s really good,” our Mocha Acolyte reported as she finished the first bite. The pineapple pieces are a bit chewy but not soft. Normally I’m not a fan of pineapple, but this was sweet not sour. The salt flavor built up a bit at the end but it faded to leave the bitter and sweet flavors dominating equally. “The salt was overwhelming at the end, but there was a nice balance of the sweetness and the bitterness, with the salt tying it all together,” Mocha shared.

The Coriander and Golden Berry 70% bar had a strong coriander, dark chocolate, and sweet edge to the fragrance. “I can smell that coriander,” Mocha exclaimed; she isn’t a fan of that spice, but she kept an open mind when she tried her share of the bar. When I ate one of the 15 pieces this bar can be broken into, I got a sweetness first, followed by a slight peppery flavor, then bitter chocolate, but the entire bar turns slightly sour by the end for me. This is interesting and unique, I’m not sure I’d buy it again, but I recommend trying it. “It has dried fruit in it,” Mocha pointed out before I noticed, We both found that fruit stick to the tops of our teeth. “That is complex!” Mocha declared with a grin. I agree that it is a complicated layering of flavors. 

Of the two bars, the Pineapple and Pink Salt was Mocha’s favorite, while I had a slight preference for the Coriander variety, must to my surprised. I recommend you all check them out.