Finally, we can introduce you to our newest baby. It took almost three and a half years of work, quite a few headaches, countless tastings and tests. There’s something very special about it: it doesn’t contain any sugar. In fact, this is our first “chocolate” completely without any sugar. There is, of course, a reason why we write “chocolate” in quotation marks. It’s similar to the purity law for beer from 1516, which states that beer is only beer if it consists of hops, malt, yeast and water, when it comes to the term chocolate. “Chocolate” is only “chocolate” if sugar has also been added to the cacao.
So our latest product can technically not be called chocolate. It is simply called "Pure Cacao".
Challenging, tastes of berries, smoothly combined with the power of cocoa
Pure Cacao, Tesoro Escondido – 70g
Perhaps we can discuss this matter another time. Anyway, we would be happy bout it, and we remain curious whether this law will become as old as the purity law for beer.
Ever since the beginning of laflor, the idea of a “Pure Cacao” bar has been at the top of our wish list. As you might imagine, developing it was not that easy.
The task was to find out which of our cacao Origins was the most suitable, both in terms of taste, but also with regard to the different textures. So Marina, our co-production manager, has been busy experimenting with our five varieties of cacao from the four different countries over the last few months. Thanks to her perseverance, the two Origins Hacienda San Cayetano from Venezuela and Tesoro Escondido from Ecuador made it to the final round. It was really difficult for us at the manufactory to decide, so we let our 50 Chocolate Club members vote on the winner. You, our loyal customers and chocolate lovers, have decided which “100% Cacao” we are launching. The winner is the Ecuadorian cacao from Tesoro Escondido. The raw cacao nibs are roasted, finely ground and conched in the stone mélangeur for 4 days, then molded into bars and carefully packaged.
Along with Marina, our co-founder Heini Schwarzenbach was certainly both the project’s driving force and motivator. “You can’t deny that when it comes to a “Pure Cacao” bar, the cacao with its Origin unfolds in all its complexity. The quality of the cacao bean and the correct processing in the country of origin is very important for the variety of flavors of the bean. Purists and chocolate connoisseurs appreciate the authenticity of this chocolate, and for the chocolatière it is probably the icing on the cake of chocolate making. With “Pure Cacao”, only the original parameters such as roasting and conching count,” explains Heini Schwarzenbach.
We are very excited to find out how you like the “Pure Cacao”. The enjoyment will certainly be new for many people, and will probably take some getting used to. To us, it tastes nutty, harmonious and has a note of dark berries. Even for us, who are all surrounded by cacao on a daily basis, it’s a whole new culinary adventure. It might be comparable to an espresso shot; a small amount acts as an explosive stimulant.
Yes, “Pure Cacao” is new, nerdy, insanely fantastic in our eyes, and hopefully worth a try for you. One thing we can say for sure is that it’s a flavor that really hits the spot – maybe not the first time, but little by little.