Monsoon

Hogarth has had many requests to bring back their original chili chocolate bar, but they thought a simple chili bar would be too boring, so they have been working on this concept of capturing the flavor of a South East Asian curry.

Its taken Hogarth a long time to pull it together but they are very proud of this bar because it soo delicious. Ginger, Chili, Lime and Lemongrass is infused into this chocolate. The initial flavor comes from the ginger and lemongrass, then it develops over time and you get a sense of the lime and cocoa, later the heat of the ginger and chili kick for a mild burn, its not too hot, just right. This blend is aromatic, invigorating and unique.

The cacao variety is Arriba Nacional a species whose natural home is in Ecuador where it is known as “Fine Flavor” cacao. Hacienda Victoria are experts in fermentation and have no less than 11 different fermentation protocols to choose from. Hogarth chose a protocol that gives the cocoa very low acidity and a mild fruitiness, focusing more on the chocolate flavor rather than fruitiness.

Featured ingredient: Chili. Capsicum plants originated in modern-day Bolivia and have been a part of human diets since about 7,500 BC. They are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the Americas. Origins of cultivating chili peppers have been traced to east-central Mexico some 6,000 years ago. When Christopher Columbus and his crew reached the Caribbean, they were the first Europeans to encounter Capsicum. They called them “peppers” for obvious reasons.