Kekao Monthly Craft Chocolate Club - January

Let's take a closer look at what chocolates you can expect to receive this month with the Kekao Box. 

BLANXART CHOCOLATE:

It was in April of 1954 when the master chocolatier Francesc Agrás embarked on a long journey through the best patisseries and confectioneries in Europe. His passion for excellence in artisan confectionery was the seed that led to the founding of one of the most renowned Catalan chocolate factories: Bombons Blanxart. It all started in a modest workshop in the neighborhood of Les Corts (Barcelona) and feeding a dream: bringing the best cocoa beans from Ghana, Congo, and Guayaquil to chocolate.

Blanxart Congo 82%

There has got to be a law against chocolate this good. Intense smoke and coffee flavor permeates the palate leaving its delectable mark on the unwary taste-traveler.

Tasting notes: Smokey & Coffee

MANOA CHOCOLATE HAWAII:

Manoa is a Hawaiian-based chocolate maker. Hawaii is the only state in the USA to grow cacao. The story of this maker began in the labs at the University of Hawaii in 2010 studying cacao as a crop for the state. Manoa started as college students with no money and bootstrapped their business with ingenuity and determination.

Manoa Pa'akai x Sea Salt 72%

Tasting notes: Salt & Bright

OMNOM CHOCOLATE REYKJAVÍK:

OmNom is a small-batch, craft chocolate maker based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company started as an experiment to see if the two friends could master how to make chocolate. From the start, they received positive tasting feedback. After receiving positive feedback, they set up a small chocolate-making lab inside a converted gas station and launched. OmNom's mission is to make the best chocolate possible using the highest quality of ingredients.

OmNom Cookies + Cream 30%

Exceptional creamy white chocolate, with hints of vanilla and grass, with two mildly bitter chocolate cookies made with their 70% Tanzania dark chocolate.

Tasting notes: Milk, Cookie & Cacao

RITUAL CHOCOLATE:

Ritual Chocolate produces small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate using classic European methods and premium cacao from select sources. Founded in 2010 by Robbie Stout and Anna Davies, their mission is to produce exceptional quality chocolate while celebrating the complexity of the cacao bean. At their small chocolate factory in Park City, Utah, they are involved with the entire chocolate-making process to ensure their values for the highest achievable quality are present every step of the way.

Ritual The Nib Bar 70%

Unsweetened Madagascar cacao nibs are spinkled atop Ritual's Belize dark chocolate, for a fudgy and slightly fruity bar with a cocoa crunch. The added crunch introduces a new, chewable way to enjoy the unique flavors for which Ritual is known. Enjoy the familiar flavor sensation of dried fruit and nuts, with nothing but pure cocoa to guide you.

Tasting notes: Crunchy, Unsweetened Cacao, Dried Fruit, Subtle Nuttiness & Fudge

SABADI CHOCOLATE:

Modica style chocolate, born in the elaborate and eponymous city in southeastern Sicily, has long suffered in reputation due to cheap cacao from dubious sources. Enter Simone Sabiani, Modica restaurateur with a restorative eye for food, natural wine, and chocolate. His Sabadì chocolate taps the potential of Modica style, known for cold processing, lack of added cocoa butter, and rough texture, to highlight the raw materials that go into its creation. Sabadì showcases how ethical sourcing, attention to detail, and thoughtful inclusions can match this unique style to the baroque beauty of its rich history.

Sabadi Rajah Organic Traditional Modica Chocolate w/ White Peppercorns 64%

The extraordinary aroma of the excellent cocoa Nacional Fino de Aroma from Ecuador in pleasant contrast with the spicy and balsamic notes of Sarawak white pepper.

Tasting notes: Spicy, Balsamic & Pepper

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. 

If you want to just try a couple of bars, check out our online chocolate store.

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 Twitter, and Instagram.