Keith spent both his early childhood and early adulthood in Hawaii. It’s an important part of his cultural makeup. He’s also an avid chocoholic. I thought I’d draw on both those things and surprise him with some award-winning, bean-to-bar, artisan Hawaiian chocolate. If you live in Chicago, you can get it at Provenance Food and Wine in Lincoln Square. You can also order it directly from Madre, which is what I did even though Lincoln Square is an easy walk from my house, because I’ll be damned if I’m going out in all that comfortable, sunny, early fall weather we’ve been having. They shipped it priority mail, in a box with cooling packs.

We had a tasting, this past Sunday morning.

Hawi Criolo, limited edition, 70%

This bar is unmistakably Kona. In fact, the Hawi Criolo immediately reminded me of Kona coffee: light and full of nuance. Keith’s not a coffee drinker – don’t get me wrong, he’s an otherwise decent human being – so he couldn’t comment on the coffee comparison. Kona coffee has a distinctive, sweet nuttiness/earthiness covered with an almost-imperceptible tobacco sheen that sits right behind the “coffee” flavor, in a prominent background position. Hawi Criolo has that same roast flavor, in the same profile position, sitting right behind the “chocolate” flavor. Keith did agree that things grown in the Kona region have a distinctiveness to them. Neither one of us have ever tasted a chocolate as intriguing as this.

Coconut Milk & Ginger, 55%

The coconut-ginger bar is silky smooth. The coconut is beautiful, milky, and fresh-tasting. The ginger: subtle. I felt that the chocolate-coconut balance was remarkable. Keith immediately felt transported back to Hawaii.

Madre Chocolate

Kona, Hawai’i, 70%

The Kona Hawai’i bar is intense, very dark, and accompanied by high notes … like a lone, trilling piccolo over a sea of violas, cellos, and double basses. It melts smoothly, and as it does, it develops into something pointedly intense – not that coffee quality I described earlier … a deep, wonderfully rich, earthy, chocolate black-out. It’s a 70% bar, just like the Criolo, but it tastes much darker.

In General

Each of the chocolates has a remarkably long, lingering, pleasant aftertaste, sometimes revealing a slight tanginess. A good cup of coffee is a nice accompaniment to these bars, but so would be a red wine. The bars are pricy, but there are plenty of good reasons for that. The beans are harvested by American laborers, and we Americans don’t work for beans. They have to be transported to the mainland, and in my case, into the heartland. On top of all of that, it’s beautifully crafted, world-class eating chocolate. For a special occasion, I didn’t mind the expenditure.

You might also like this review: Review: Madre Kona, Hawai’i, Likao Kula Farm

Madre Chocolate did not sponsor this post, nor did they front me any free chocolate. If they’re even aware of my blog, it’d only after the fact. Credit for all images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Hover over images and/or green text for pop-up info. Click for joy.