Product Details:

This is one of the world's most unusual chocolates. It tastes like chocolate mixed with oranges with cinnamon and clove. To make this chocolate, we have not added any fruit or flavorings but have used very unusual cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic. These flavors are the true flavor of the special cocoa beans we used to make this very special chocolate. The flavor of cocoa beans changes depending on where they are from, their genetics, the skill of the farmer and these factors all go into the final flavor of the chocolate. Here, they all come together magically to create one of the world's most unusual and most flavorful chocolates.

The Chocolate Maker's Notes:

I am always on the lookout for new and unique cocoa beans. When I find beautiful beans, I try to make a chocolate with them that brings out and enhances the bean's true flavors.  To do this, you need cocoa beans that are exceptional. The cocoa beans for Dos Rios are as unique as I have ever seen and are perfectly suited to our chocolate making style.

As Amano's reputation has grown as one of the world's finest chocolate makers, we are often sought out when unique beans are found. Such is the case with the beans for Dos Rios. A friend in the chocolate industry was traveling in the Dominican Republic and while there discovered cocoa beans that tasted of bergamot, cinnamon and clove.  After his return, he called me and told me about these wonderful beans. He said that of all the chocolate companies in the world, he felt that Amano would best bring out the flavors of these amazing beans. Soon I was on a plane to the Dominican Republic to visit the source of these cocoa beans. Not long after that, we landed an exclusive agreement and the cocoa beans were on their way to our factory.

These are some of the most difficult beans with which we have worked. While making this chocolate, the flavors shifted wildly.  We had to bring our entire repertoire of skills to highlight the beans incredible flavor.  Even so, we had to develop new techniques to make this chocolate -- some of which we believe are ground breaking and we are looking forward to applying while working with other beans.

In the end though, it is all about flavor and Dos Rios has plenty of flavor to amaze you. The cocoa beans we used taste of bergamot, spice, and have a hint of floral aroma. So does this amazing chocolate.  I am very happy with the results of the chocolate we made from magical beans and believe you will be truly amazed by this chocolate for its intensely beautiful flavor.

Art Pollard
Founder, Head Chocolate Maker

Inscription on the Back of the Bar :

Where the mountains meet the sea on the "toe" of Italy, orchards of teh exotic bergamot orange, sway in rows to the peaceful ocean breezes. During our travels in the Dominican Republic, we discovered cocoa beans that naturally taste like bergamot, cinnamon, and clove. I developed special techniques specifically to preserve the delicate flavor of these beans. Unique in all the world, this chocolate will amaze, astound, and fill your senses with the passion of chocolate, bergamot and spice.

Amano Artisan Chocolate is dedicated to reviving the art of making fine chocolate from the bean. We craft our chocolate in small batches only from the finest cocoa beans, pure cane sugar, and whole vanilla beans. I hope you enjoy our chocolate.

Presentation:

Each bar is individually foil wrapped and beautifully boxed. Each box is printed on high grade paper providing a luxurious feel in the hand. The "Food of the Gods " painting is an original piece of artwork by artist Carlos Serbia commissioned by Amano Artisan Chocolate specifically for the Ocumare 70% Dark chocolate. The borders and details have been gently highlighted with gold foil accenting creating a stunning presentation making it suitable for gifts as well as your own enjoyment.

Artist: Gary Collins

About the Artwork:

Gary’s goal is to create paintings that give people pleasure and enrich their environment. "Painting is my true joy. I feel fortunate that I am able to make my living doing what I love, that I have the luxury of being able to follow my bliss."

Artist Bio:Gary Collins, contemporary oil and watercolor painter and one of Utah’s finest landscape artists, was born in 1936 and has drawn and painted since early childhood.

During the winters Gary paints at his desert home in Kayenta, Utah and his studio in Salt Lake City.
Gary’s paintings have a distinct quality, a unique blend of traditional, impressionistic, and abstract styles.
Collins' purpose through his renditions is not to recreate a landscape, yet to convey a dream-like impression of timelessness and calm. His paintings create a sense of a passing effect of atmosphere, light, and symmetry, while the energy conveyed to the viewer becomes highly subjective. What he defines as "the sensual pleasure of change", the fleeting moment, is captured in nature.

Artist Website: http://gary.collinsart.net

Ingredients:

Cocoa beans, Pure cane sugar, Cocoa butter, Whole vanilla beans.

Our Single Origin Guarantee:

All of our single origin chocolate is backed up with our "Single Origin Guarantee" so that you know that we have only used beans from Ocumare de la Coasta, Venezuela to create this incredible bar.