Rich banana, whole milk powder & fine flavor vanilla combine with their fruity, single origin Esmeraldas cacao and freshly pressed cocoa butter for this very special treat!
This combination of flavors is, in the words of one public radio host, “spectacular.” They previewed this bar this past weekend at The Craft Chocolate Experience in San Francisco and the response was overwhelming – after they sold out people kept coming up to them to ask where they can get more!
The flavors are carefully balanced, so you’ll taste the natural flavors of our single origin Esmeraldas cacao, the creamy organic banana, and the personally sourced Planifolia vanilla, along with the base of rich whole milk. It’s truly a banana split in bar form!
About the Vanilla
This is very special vanilla! Mexico is the birthplace of vanilla, and has some of the most flavorful and sought after vanilla plants in the world. Several years ago their farmer in Nicaragua, Giff Laube imported what is widely considered to be the gold standard: Mexican Planifolia vanilla cuttings. The vanilla needs to be cured, and how the curing is done has a big impact on flavor. Giff uses the “bourbon” method, which is both time and labor intensive but results in incredibly rich vanilla flavor. When Tom was in Nicaragua in March he hand carried the vanilla pods for this bar on the plane with him!
About the Banana
They spend a lot of time searching for authentic, natural flavors to complement our chocolate. Sometimes they’re very hard to find, which was the case with bananas. All of the options either didn’t taste quite right or contained some kind of artificial flavoring. Then they came across Natierra – their organic, freeze dried bananas has an authentic, fresh, robust banana flavor. And, of course, they’re all natural.
About Organic West Milk
Organic West sources from family run dairies on the west coast. All the cows are pasture raised, and their milk is always antibiotic, GMO and rBST free. They buy milk on a regular basis at a stable price, which allows farmers to plan long term. They’re able to do this because their facility allows them to turn the milk into many products, including the organic whole milk powder they use in this bar.
About our Esmeraldas Cacao
To craft this bar they start with beans we source directly from the Salazar family farm in the Esmeraldas region of Ecuador. The Salazars have over one hundred acres of carefully cultivated, handpicked Nacional hybrid cacao trees. They ferment and dry all of the beans themselves right on their farm, allowing for an exacting level of control over the entire process. For more information about their Esmeraldas beans from the Salazar family farm in Ecuador please visit their Esmeraldas page.
Tasting Notes: Cocoa, banana, vanilla, cream
