12 February 2017
Some months ago, I wrote a post about The Case for Cacao vs. Cocoa. You may recall, in the post, that I’d dismissed the palatability of cacao chocolate. A recent discussion with my colleagues and an ad hoc taste test at work (initiated by yours truly, of course) prompted me to revisit cacao derived or raw chocolate.
Pana Chocolate
The brainchild of its namesake creator, Pana Chocolate is a homegrown success story taking on not just Australia but the world. Pana Barbounis took a gamble when he decided to create cacao/ raw chocolate, tout its health promoting properties and peddle it to cocoa chocolate attuned consumers. Through passion, determination and a strong sense of self conviction, Pana has evolved Pana Chocolate into a household brand in many health conscious and special dietary circles. Not only is the chocolate raw, but it’s also organic, Vegan, Kosher, gluten, dairy and soy free as well as free of refined sugars.
At this point, some of you may be wondering – is it free of flavour too? I had my doubts so decided to pay a visit to the single Sydney store, located in the industrial-turned-hip suburb of Alexandria. In hindsight, perhaps I could have picked a better day – extreme summer conditions with the mercury hovering around the high 30s to low 40s degrees Celsius and a malfunctioning freezer. Nonetheless, I persist. It’s quiet when I arrive. There’s the familiar sight of the signature raw chocolate bars. On top of this, there’s also a tantalising selection of raw chocolate cake slices, ganaches, pralines, rochers and chocolate squares. It’s too early for cake so I settle on a small selection of ganaches, in particular the Caramel Lava Drop, Turkish Rose, Coconut Barrel and Lavender Heart.
I’m truly amazed by how good they taste! Thumbs up for the Coconut Barrel – a generous centre of dessicated coconut, enrobed in dark raw chocolate. The savouriness of the coconut pairs very well with the dark chocolate, and balances the overall sweetness. The Turkish Rose, far from Pana’s take on the Turkish delight, is in fact pure essential rose oil infused raw chocolate ganache. It’s pleasant on the palate, with just the right amount of sweetness. The Lavender Heart, a perfect Valentine’s Day treat for a loved one, comprises a layer of lavender infused white chocolate, sitting atop dark raw chocolate. It’s rich, smooth, has accents of lavender, a hint of salt and subtle sweetness that just pulls the whole combination together beautifully. The Caramel Lava Drop is dark raw chocolate with a dollop of molten caramel – I like the ooziness of the caramel but this combination is a tad sweet for me.
I’ve also tried several of Pana Chocolate‘s raw bars, namely the Eighty, Raw Cacao and Coconut and Goji Berry. The Eighty bar is pretty intense and ideal for those wanting a taste of 80% raw cacao, sourced from Bolivia and Dominican Republic. The 60% Raw Cacao bar sings tropical flavours of coconut, from the added coconut oil, while the coconut flakes and goji berries add a textural dimension of chewiness to the 50% Coconut and Goji Berry bar.
Pacari
Still on the theme of raw chocolate, I’ve recently discovered the pleasures of Ecuadorian Cacao, thanks to Pacari. Proudly organic, and socially and environmentally sustainable, Pacari is a family owned business that cultivates its own Arriba Nacional Cacao to create great tasting tree to bar raw and dark chocolate bars. I’m over the moon that my local organic grocer, About Life, stocks a limited range of these bars.
I can’t get enough of the Raw 70% Salt and Nibs bar. The cacao nibs and sea salt granules are a play on textures in this rich and smooth bar, sweetened with coconut sugar.
The Raw 85% bar is intensely earthy, both in aroma and flavour. It’s also slightly bitter, mildly acidic and with a lengthy finish of lemons, skins and all. Strongly recommended for the cacao enthusiast.
Now, back to the all important question – can cacao derived chocolate, devoid of dairy, soy, refined sugars, vanilla and other typical additives, be bountiful in flavour? Thanks to my recent discoveries of top notch cacao/ raw chocolate, I’ll happily admit that I’ve been proven wrong☺️
Does this rate as an ultimate chocolate experience? Undoubtedly so, for achieving my eureka moment with cacao/ raw chocolate!
