Kekao Monthly Craft Chocolate Club - April 2021
April is the month for blooming trees and flowers. It is also a month in which you will indulge in 5 wonderful craft chocolate bars - now that is no April Fools.
Let's take a closer look at what chocolates you can expect to receive this month with the Kekao Box.
WHAT'S INSIDE KEKAO'S CRAFT CHOCOLATE CLUB APRIL BOX
LetterPress:
LetterPress Chocolate's story starts in high school, where founders David and Corey met. Their first experience with cacao was in 2011 when they traveled to St. Lucia on vacation and happened to stop at a cacao plantation where they got to taste the pulp from cacao pods for the first time.
Two years later, the couple began a chocolate blog called Little Brown Squares which exclusively featured reviews of bean-to-bar chocolate bars.
David began purchasing small quantities of cacao beans from chocolate makers and brokers and started making his own batches. He eventually started making chocolate that tasted good enough to start selling to fellow employees. Today LetterPress Chocolate has its very own factory where you can visit and even complete a tour with tastings.
LetterPress Kokoa Kamili Tanzania 70%
Approximately a ten hour drive from Tanzania's main city of Dar es Salaam, Kokoa Kamili is based in the village of Mbingu (Kiswahili for Heaven) in the Kilombero Valley area of the Morogoro region bordering the Udzungwa Mountain National Park. Mbingu is fairly rural with no access to electricity or tarred roads for about sixty kilometers. Kokoa Kamili pays premiums to farmers in the region who grow quality cacao to encourage them to seek quality over quantity.
Awards: Academy of Chocolate Awards, Bronze 2017
Tasting notes: Green Banana & A Peppery Mocha Finish
Weight: 65g
Potomac:
Potomac Chocolate is an American craft chocolate maker based in Woodbridge, Virginia. Founded in 2010 by Ben Rasmussen, Potomac is one of the first bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the United States.
At their small workshop, raw cacao is transformed into award-winning craft chocolate. Every bar made is hand-crafted and the focus and dedication Ben brings to the workshop results in delicious bean-to-bar chocolate that highlights the unique flavors of each cacao origin.
Potomac Toasted Milk 65%
Handcrafted with the same care and dedication to quality as all of their award-winning dark chocolates. This bar started with the same cocoa beans from San Martín, Peru roasted to perfection. Then organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, and organic whole milk powder is added and toasted to bring out rich notes of caramel. Resulting in an intensely creamy and addictive chocolate bar.
Tasting notes: Caramel & Creamy
Weight: 60g
Beyond Good:
Beyond Good is a Brooklyn-based chocolate and vanilla company established in 2006 by two Peace Corps volunteers who served in Madagascar. The company sells a range of single-origin chocolate bars and vanilla products, sourced from Madagascar, and Uganda. All of the cocoa is certified direct trade and is sourced directly from Madagascan and Ugandan cocoa farmers.
Beyond Good Madagascar Salted Almond 63%
This bar is a savory-sweet classic. Their newest bar has a time-tested combination of chocolate and salted almonds. Made with their 63% pure, Madagascar cocoa.
Tasting notes: Nutty
Weight: 75g
PUMP STREET CHOCOLATE:
Pump Street is an award-winning bakery in the village of Orford on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast. After mastering naturally-leavened bread, they ventured into making chocolate from beans imported directly from single estates and cooperatives around the world.
Provenance and process are key to Pump Street's finished bars. They source cacao from the best growers who ferment and dry the beans at the origin. They then tailor their roasting, grinding and conching to yield the best tasting chocolate possible.
Pump Street Madagascar Milk 58%
This chocolate is made from the same beans as their Madagascar 72% from the Sambirano Valley. A creamy, luxurious whole milk chocolate with notes of caramel and treacle and the zesty finish characteristic of Madagascan beans, it will appeal to those with a sweet tooth as well as dark chocolate devotees.
Tasting notes: Caramel & Zesty Finish
Weight: 20g
CHOCOLATE NAIVE:
Chocolate Naive makes chocolate in a little town on the Eastern side of Lithuania, where they make their chocolate from bean-to-bar. Each and every morning, the chocolate master carefully roasts fresh cacao beans whose delicious aroma gently awakens the residents of the town. Just as they were hundreds of years ago, cacao beans are slowly rolled and conched to release.
Naive makes chocolate in ways that help to reveal the character of a particular cacao bean. For some time already, their products have put Lithuania on the foodie map as a rising star of gourmet chocolate in the world.
Naive Tahini Organic Milk Chocolate 42%
The Tahini bar is a new creation by Naive and part of "The Equator Collection". This bar overwhelms you with crunchy sesame seeds and features notes of sea salt with a nutty finish.
Tasting notes: Sea Salt & Nutty
Weight: 20g
To get started with craft chocolate, start with our Kekao Box. We search the world for the finest chocolate bars and bring them right to your doorstep monthly.
From rich dark Peruvian chocolate bars to new start-up chocolate bars on the come up, you never know what you’ll get inside the box!
Each month we will curate 4 to 5 premium specialty crafted chocolate bars.
Have someone who you appreciate? It also makes as a great gift!
If you want to just try a couple of bars, check out our online chocolate shop. It's a selection of what we have curated in our past boxes.
If you have any questions regarding this blog, our Kekao Box, or premium specialty crafted chocolate bars, feel free to contact us! Keep up with us by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
