Paradai – Phuket Dark 70%

Description

Beautiful! Paradai makes all kinds of wonderful chocolates in Thailand, with Thai cocoa.

And with great success, awarded some of the highest distinctions at the International Chocolate Awards. Not that that says it all, but still – we absolutely get it in this case. Thailand was certainly not an origin where we know great chocolates from and that much cocoa does not grow there, let alone that we know the quality of it. Paradai opened the eyes of the jury to what beautiful flavors can be found in these cocoa types and with their powerful fruity flavor explosions with everything in every bite, we ourselves take our hats off to them.

For us, it was not the praising jury that was the deciding factor, but the nice people in Germany who also occasionally provide us with chocolates from Pacari (from Ecuador). They had direct contact with the makers of Paradai, and asked us to taste them too. And then we were immediately convinced. The chantaburri and Nakhon Si Thammarat were the first bars in our range, and we are happy to be able to expand that with this Phuket chocolate.

As the name suggests: made from cocoa from Phuket. And from one specific cocoa farm.

There are many beaches, it is known worldwide as a tourist spot, but… of course people also live there, and cocoa also grows there.

The importer says about it:

This dark single estate or single origin chocolate from Paradai with cocoa from the Phuket growing region in Thailand has a cocoa content of 70%. This table is also characterized by the beautiful enamel. It is beautifully fruity and is reminiscent of honey, citrus, lychee and banana.

The cocoa comes from one cocoa farm in Phuket, where Warit, one of the two founders, grew up. The cocoa farmer is his mother, who grows cocoa naturally in addition to many other crops. The cocoa is then fermented directly on site in Phuket and further processed into local production in the family factory in the old center of Phuket. The exciting taste play of this Paradai chocolate earned silver at the International Chocolate Awards World Final 2023.

Taste notes described as: beautifully fruity and reminiscent of honey, citrus, lychee and banana.

We would say that compared to the other Paradai chocolates, the fruitiness/acidity is slightly milder, allowing the cocoa butter to dominate and the flavours to become more subtle, at least initially. More like a cross between Paradai and Friis Holm. Or something like that. With a lot to taste but more subtle than such a popping flavour bomb as some other Paradai bars. We like it when the flavours come out a bit more ‘popping’ and with a bit more acid in your mouth, but for the more patient tasters this is definitely a nice bar to discover. The bar starts a bit more cautiously, for some the cocoa butter will be a bit dominant, but then you wait a second and then suddenly a beautiful harmony of fruitiness comes, slightly tart, but above all sweet and pleasantly fruity. And then you get a very long aftertaste as a reward.

Ingredients: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cane sugar.

Allergy note: free of soy, nuts and lactose. So no traces either. Contents 50 grams.