Tasting Random Chocolate & Stuff | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 116

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Episode 116 Overview

For the 2025 Craft Chocolat Challenge I tasted over 55 bars. But that does not begin to exhaust the chocolate bars I have on hand to taste.

Many (most) of the bars I have in my chocolate closet will be tasted in dedicated interview/tasting episodes of PodSaveChocolate, some live and some recorded. (See Future Episodes, below.)

But I do have some bars that aren’t a part of a competition or interview/tasting episodes that I will be featuring in this episode.

I also recently received samples of four ingredients from one of the big chocolate companies. One of them I tasted nearly six years ago, and the other three I have not tasted before.

Bars and ingredients tasted in this episode:

• Carobeans (Minnesota) – POG, Passionfruit, Orange, Guava
• Chokaico (Connecticut) – Negroni
• Blind Cat (Montana) – Ethiopian Spice
• Ayitika (Haiti) – 70% Criollo/Amelonado blend; 70% Contamana/Amelonado blend with Guava
• Beyond Good (Int’l) – 73% Uganda Salted Caramel
• Cabosse Naturals (Barry-Callebaut) – Cacaofruit juice; cacaofruit juice concentrate, cacaofruit pulp, cacaofruit powder

Resource Links

Geographic and Genetic Population Differentiation of the Amazonian Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L)

Numerous collecting expeditions of Theobroma cacao L. germplasm have been undertaken in Latin-America. However, most of this germplasm has not contributed to cacao improvement because its relationship to cultivated selections was poorly understood. Germplasm labeling errors have impeded breeding and confounded the interpretation of diversity analyses. To improve the understanding of the origin, classification, and population differentiation within the species, 1241 accessions covering a large geographic sampling were genotyped with 106 microsatellite markers. After discarding mislabeled samples, 10 genetic clusters, as opposed to the two genetic groups traditionally recognized within T. cacao, were found by applying Bayesian statistics. This leads us to propose a new classification of the cacao germplasm that will enhance its management. The results also provide new insights into the diversification of Amazon species in general, with the pattern of differentiation of the populations studied supporting the palaeoarches hypothesis of species diversification. The origin of the traditional cacao cultivars is also enlightened in this study.

PLOS OneJuan C. Motamayor ,

Questions?

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#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife

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