Castronovo Colombia Sierra Nevada 63% Dark Milk Chocolate Bar

Dark milk chocolate bars are known for being creamy and accessible to the palate. This fine flavor 63% dark milk chocolate bar from Castronovo, made from rare Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans, stands out from the crowd with its lustrous auburn color and layered notes of caramel crème brûlée, nutty chocolate truffle, fruit, and a tart hint of sour cream. If I had to describe this bar in just one word, I'd call it elegant. Gold Winner 2024 at the International Chocolate Awards Golden Bean Winner 2019 at the Academy of Chocolate, London Gold Winner of the International Chocolate Awards World Finals 2016 Gold Winner of the 2019 & 2016 Academy of Chocolate Awards (London) The rare cacao beans that comprise this bar grow wild, at high altitudes, along the remote slopes of Colombia's Sierra Nevada coastal mountains. There are no roads here, so the Arhuaco indigenous people harvest the cacao themselves, traversing the steep slopes on the backs of mules, using jute sacks to collect the precious pods. The local people measure the journey in pursuit of cacao not by distance but by how long it takes them to smoke their homemade "tobacco" cigars.    Denise Castronovo (chocolate maker extraordinaire) and a team of chocolate professionals were granted a rare visit with the Arhuaco people on a trip to Colombia in 2019. Typically El Mamo (the spiritual leader of the Arhuaco) doesn’t meet with strangers so this was a most special honor indeed, indicating the deep trust he has in Denise and those who traveled with her to the place the Arhuacos consider the “heart of the world.” You can see their photo together below. Net Weight: 62 g. / 2.2 oz. Country of Origin: USA