#dark milk

[silly-billy-skilly]

thought this one was pretty cool,,,, I'm super tired now I sleep now..

[buffetlicious]

A box of 45% Dark Milk Chocolate Batons from Singapore’s very own Awfully Chocolate. This was a gift from my colleague. According to the website, most milk chocolates sit within 12-30% cocoa solids range but theirs has 45%. That's why it was called Dark Milk. This results in a smooth, yet strong, great chocolate 🍫 that is a delight to snack on.

[thewallsaretalking-again]

Happy (late) Valentine’s Day everybody!

Just wanted to put a little sumthing on here for the supposed day of love. These are obviously ships so if you don’t like, scroll on; if you do, enjoy!

Been missing tumblr a bit lately, so I’m gonna try and get some stuff out into the void that is my profile.

[ilmattinohaloroinbocca]

Non mi vergogno di fare l’amore.

L’amore è una battaglia che posso vincere.

Ho il corpo di un guerriero che non uccide né ferisce.

Sul libro del mio corpo per sempre ho inciso un albero.

DEENA METZGER, da Dark Mil

[365in2017]

72/365 Omnom

[superdangerouslygeneralstudent]

I recently watched a very cute video by one of my favorite chocolate bloggers, Estelle Tracy of 37 Chocolates, who was reviewing Mast Brothers’ Dark Goat Milk Chocolate. I’m linking to Estelle’s full video here and encourage you to watch it if you have time, as it’s quite informative. But to sum up her review, she thought the chocolate tasted a little TOO much like goat cheese for her taste. And truth be told, that’s not the first time I’ve heard negative things about that Mast Brothers bar, although I admit I haven’t tasted it myself.

That said, I DID recently try a 69% dark goat’s milk chocolate made by Hawaii-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker Manoa and LOVED it. I couldn’t put it down.

Goat cheese: what’s not to like?

Before I say anything else, it’s worth noting that, unlike Estelle, I actually love goat cheese. Be that as it may, I never thought cheese and chocolate went well together (there are exceptions, like this salty Parmesan containing dark chocolate by Portland-based chocolatier extraordinaire Xocolatl de Davíd, and this tangy blue cheese containing milk chocolate by chocolate maker Lillie Belle Farms, also from the great state of Oregon).

But back to the Manoa bar.

First, a brief description of what the Manoa bar tastes like: it has a nice snap and a surprisingly uncreamy (that really should be a word) texture for a milk chocolate bar, bordering on gritty. It did have the characteristic mouthful of a milk chocolate — that awesome milk fat creaminess that many people (including me) love. In terms of its color, this is a VERY DARK dark milk chocolate bar. Because of that, I’m guessing the percentage of goat’s milk powder in this bar is quite low. Even so, it packs quite a flavor punch!

What I LOVE about Manoa’s goat’s milk bar is that, unlike Lillie Belle Farms’ Stella Blue bar, Manoa didn’t try to camouflage the sour goat’s milk flavor by adding extra sugar. Instead, they let the natural astringency of their full-flavored chocolate balance out the lovely, funky, earthy goat’s milk. The overall effect was a sort of addictive umami deliciousness that made it hard for me to put this bar down.

I highly recommend seeking out Manoa’s 69% Goat Milk Chocolate bar, which you can buy on Manoa’s website or at specialty chocolate retailers. If not, I know you can buy it here on Chococurb. If you do end up trying it, please email me or post in the comments section of this blog and let me know what you think!

And as always, happy nibbling.

How do you feel about goat milk chocolate? Manoa's dark milk bar just changed my mind I recently watched a very cute video by one of my favorite chocolate bloggers, Estelle Tracy…

[thesecretchocolatier]

Al Nassma Camel Milk Chocolate 70%

Normally I only review American chocolates. It’s the main body of who we support but when a friend brings me a bar during his travels abroad that is outside of our cultural tastes I felt it entertaining enough to put it through the paces. After all, who here in the states is making a camel milk, chocolate product?

Al Nassma

In Arabic it means the drifting breeze, and this chocolate company with wind etched bars brings that meme along.

Made from camel milk and finest ingredients like genuine Bourbon vanilla and pure cocoa butter, Al Nassma chocolates symbolize the discerning taste of the Arabian world and a unique and halal quality product. For travelers looking for a distinctive and delicious gift, Al Nassma represents the refined elegance and luxury of Arabia. — Al Nassma

Decor

A little thicker chocolate bar at nearly 1/2″

Molds use a dessert wave pattern and have the Al Nassma / Camel logo imprinted

Clean and shiny

Temper

Bar has a nice crack to it, a little softer than some dark bars. Probably the milk content or travel wear

Aroma

A classic dark milk scent

Nothing broadly distinctive

Taste

Simple on the palate

Not a real bright bar or much flavor beyond some classic milk/dark milk concepts

A little nutty perhaps

Darker wave of flavor between the line.. not sure if its the milk, the beans.. very hard to discern

Body

First blush I wonder about a heat stabilizer–took a little longer than I expected to melt down

Real creamy texture on full melt

Aftertaste

Not much lingers

Clean profile

Left with maybe a flavor akin to a Costa Rican coffee–again nutty-ish

Notes

This is a tricky bar. I’m used to bars, even in their dark milk profiles to exert a certain amount of acidities, flavor profiles that have some definition. This bar really does not. If I thought this bar was going to have uncertain flavors like Askinosie’s goat milk, or Olive & Sinclairs buttermilk I was not.

What is camel milk after all? I have no palate built to discern it and obviously it has been sublimated so well in this blend that any origination characteristics are either very close to our classic bovine products or they have been eliminated in the process.

For a dark milk chocolate at 70% it seems milkier/creamier than that. Probably leaning to the fact that the bean source is pretty homogenized.

This was a fun little romp. I expected more, but them I’m used to individuals pushing boundaries. I really thought camel, whatever that really means, would have pushed the flavor-scape more as well. For those looking to pick up something unique in essence this bar is safe for just about everyone. Don’t let the 70% fool you, it’s simple and safe on the palate.

It was enjoyable getting back to another chocolate review and I have a number of American producers I’ve been meaning to get online so let this be the impetus to start that process again. If you know someone I should try, and perhaps carry at The Secret Chocolatier get in touch.

Al Nassma Camel Milk Chocolate 70% was originally published on The Secret Chocolatier's Blog