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# Tasting Random Chocolate & Stuff | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 116
- URL: https://thechocolatelife.com/tasting-random-chocolate-stuff-podsavechocolate-ep-116/
- Published: 2025-05-01T22:02:45.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-05T14:50:28.000Z
- Description: Episode 116 of #PodSaveChocolate will feature a tasting of some chocolate bars I have rattling around the office, as well as some ingredients to consider. [ Updated ]
- Author: Clay Gordon
- Tags: PodSaveChocolate, Live Stream

**When and Where to Watch**

🗓️

This stream begins at the regular time 11:00 am ****PDT/MST** (12:00 am MDT, 1:00 pm CDT, 2:00 pm EDT), on Friday, May 2nd, 2025.  
  
Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode.

Click on this (shareable) link to watch on YouTube. Please subscribe (free!) to the [@PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@podsavechocolate/featured?ref=thechocolatelife.com), like this video, comment, and ****share** this episode to help grow the #PSC community.

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Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other.

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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**](https://carobeans.square.site/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (Minnesota) – POG, Passionfruit, Orange, Guava
- [**Chokaico**](https://chokaico.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (Connecticut) – Negroni
- [**Blind Cat**](https://blindcatchocolates.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (Montana) – Ethiopian Spice
- [**Ayitika**](https://ayitika.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (Haiti) – 70% Criollo/Amelonado blend; 70% Contamana/Amelonado blend with Guava
- [**Beyond Good**](https://beyondgood.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (Int’l) – 73% Uganda Salted Caramel
- [**Cabosse Naturals**](https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en-US/cacaofruit?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (*Barry-Callebaut*) – Cacaofruit juice; cacaofruit juice concentrate, cacaofruit pulp, cacaofruit powder

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### **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.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-37.ico)PLOS OneJuan C. Motamayor ,![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/image-1)](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0003311&ref=thechocolatelife.com)

In response to an audience question about genetics regarding the Ayitika blending.

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### **Questions?**

If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at ***any*** time.

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### **Episode Hashtags and Socials**

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

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### **Future Episodes**

🗓️

Ep 117 – Tuesday, May 6th  
Interview and Tasting – Tania Molina, Villakuyaya (Ecuador)

🗓️

Ep 118 – Friday, May 9th  
Interview and Tasting – Chocolate Tree, Scotland (Ali Gower)

🗓️

Ep 119 – Tuesday, May 13th  
This episode will be pre-recorded because of a 15-hour time difference  
Interview and Tasting – Warren Hsu, Fu Wan (Taiwan)

🗓️

Ep 120 – Friday, May 16th  
This episode will be pre-recorded because of a 14-hour time difference  
Interview and Tasting – Neil Ransome, Siamaya (Thailand)

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### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives**

**To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards, below.

[Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/11/TagImageBanner-PodSaveChocTagFinal_1920x1080-5.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/pod-save-chocolate-calendar-and-archive/)

[#TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/03/solen-feyissa-WG7v_wYZW4Q-unsplash-CalendarFeatured1920x1080.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/thechocolatelife-live-calendar/)

[PodSaveChocolateHosted by Clay Gordon, the creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife.com, #PodSaveChocolate covers a wide variety of topics in the worlds of cocoa and chocolate. The video versions of this podcast are hosted and archived on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Click on the PodSaveChocolate link in the top nav on TheChocolateLife for the links to the post accompanying each episode.![](https://pnc.st/static/img/256x256.png)Pinecast![](https://social.pinecast.net/preview_card/podcasts/covers/d3730dca-0711-4720-9ef3-3b18918c1f0d/TagImageBanner-PodSaveChocTagFinal_1920x1080.jpg?title=PodSaveChocolate)](https://pnc.st/s/podsavechocolate?ref=thechocolatelife.com)

Audio-only podcasts

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