How a tasting works
- Jacob presents itHe tells the room who made the bar and what is special or different about it, as people try it.
- The room scores itEveryone tastes and gives it a score out of 5. Bars are tasted in groups by cacao percentage, so a 100 percent bar never sits next to a 60 percent bar.
- It gets its own pageThe score goes up here with photos and a link to the chocolate maker, win or lose.
The next tasting
The next date is not set. Ask to join and you will hear when it is.
What we tend to like
Good dark chocolate, ethically made, with a lean toward small makers.
- We lean toward dark bars, with a short ingredient list.
- We like knowing where the cacao came from and how the people who grew it were treated.
- Mostly we want a bar a person would keep around, or give to a friend.
The score sheet
From the journal
Bean-to-bar means a maker started from cacao beans and did the rest of the work itself. Here is what those steps are, which ones happen on the farm, and what the phrase leaves out.
The number on the wrapper tells you how much of the bar's weight came from cacao. It says little about the balance of solids and fat, and nothing direct about how well the bar was made.
The pale film is usually fat bloom, where softened cocoa butter rises and sets again on the surface. Makers say the bar is still safe to eat, and it can be melted and re-tempered if you want the shine back.
Who runs it
Jacob runs Cacao Club. About a hundred people are on our invite list. Write to him at jacob@cacaoclub.org.
Questions
What is Cacao Club?
A free dark chocolate tasting club. Jacob presents each bar, who made it and what is special or different about it. The room scores it out of 5, and every bar gets its own page here, win or lose.
What does it cost to join?
Nothing. Joining is free, and nothing is for sale at a tasting.
When is the next tasting?
The next date is not set. Ask to join and you will hear when it is.
Is Cacao Club a shop?
No. It is a tasting club and not a retailer, and it does not sell anything.
Where do the bars come from?
Chocolate makers send them to the club free. Every page that covers one says who sent it, and they do not see the page before it runs.
What does the club like to taste?
Good dark chocolate, ethically made, with a lean toward small makers. That is a guide and not a rule.
How big is it?
About a hundred people are on our invite list.
Want a seat at a tasting?
Joining is free. Tell us who you are and what you have been enjoying lately.
Ask to join