Zotter Labooko Belize Sail Shipped Cacao 82%
Zotter - Labooko - Belize Sail Shipped Cacao - Dunkle Schokolade - 82% - Batch 05.04.2022
Cacao origin/type:
Local cacao variety
Ingredients:
Cacao beans, raw cane sugar, cacao butter
Other facts:
Made in Austria (zotter Schokolade GmbH, Riegersburg), BMEL seal for organic farming, Fairtrade
https://www.zotter.at/en/
The single origin of zotter are designwise quite peculiar, small and narrow to open package in two separate small panels of 35g each, the front design always a kind of pop art motif, not quite my cup of tea, but a matter of personal taste. Inside you find a detailed text on the “official” tasting notes and also more info and photos on the beans, what bean-to-bar means, etc., as well as the two bars left and right in classic golden aluminum foil with logo. Also a small card with "instructions" or tips for smart tasting of high-quality chocolate is amusingly included.
The special thing about this bar (which is also available as 72%) and therefore not to be confused with the 82% and 72% “standard” Belize from other years, it is "Sail Shipped Cacao" (also written on the label), quote from zotter: "Ahoy! Cacao sets sail: From Belize to Hamburg, the cacao was transported by a sailing ship. Aboard the Avontuur, a 100-year-old two-master that took 17 months and 100 helpers to restore and rebuild, and is now crossing the Atlantic again to show that goods can also be transported ecologically."
Dark brown with a slightly reddish tinge, as with all zotter single origin bars intricately detailed with logo, lettering and wave design on the bar (or the two mini-bars to be precise), a small work of art and beautifully thin. Silky matte, very classic, breaks snapping hard and quite straight, although not perfect.
Nose:
Noticeable dark dried fruit, dried plum, some cherry, currant, behind that some walnut, chestnut and notes of dry autumn leaves.
Taste:
A slow, delicate and creamy melt, tannins noticeable from the start, nice nutty notes of chestnut slightly toasted and hazelnut, walnut also appears noticeably, a very creamy undertone makes the whole thing tasty and exciting and not as bitter as it sounds with some nougat later and then also after the first half, but more discreet than on the nose, the dried plums and currants, also some cranberry, discreet sour cherry, the undertone remains a mixture of noticeably dry-tannic in alternation with creaminess despite the 82%.
Finish:
More chestnuts, some foliage and leather, walnut, cherry pit, the rather tannic body remains, but without becoming too exaggerated bitter, everything has its balance
Comment:
The Zotter is again very solid, but at the same time of the 4-5 I had so far from the company in comparison rather a bit unexciting, there were some with more concise and interesting main notes. But for those who are looking for more classic, nutty-woody-leathery flavors and at the same time, what it can great, something not too bitter, rather with beautiful creaminess, can get very happy here. The actual a bit disappointing part for me was the (for me) non-existing or almost minimal traces of the whole sail shipping (apart from the eco-aspect of course), actual salty notes are not really to be found here, maybe in the finish the slightest trace.
