Selva Maya 75% – Gold Winner 2016

Selva Maya by Chocolat Bonnat, complex and balanced

Selva Maya by Chocolat Bonnat is a dark bar made from Porcelana, the lightest fine cacao in Central America. Fruit and depth perfectly balance one another, the melt remains smooth, and it was awarded gold at the industry's most important competition in 2016.

Selva Maya is a dark chocolate from Chocolat Bonnat with 75 percent cacao from the rainforest spanning Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. Its bean is named Porcelana after its almost white color and results in a 100-gram bar of rare composure.

Dried fig, dark depth, smooth melt

Nothing about this bar is overbearing, neither the fruit nor the dark side, and that is precisely where its charm lies. This is chocolate for people who become quiet for a moment when tasting.

The melt begins early and lasts a long time, with nuances shifting several times, from light berry to dried fig to a warm, almost earthy base. For such a dark variety, there is no edge, the bitterness remains a mere suggestion, and after the final piece, the flavor lingers quietly for a while.

Anyone who lets a piece melt on their tongue while doing nothing else will notice this shift most clearly. It holds its own against an aged red wine without overshadowing its companion. After a heavy meal, it feels cleansing rather than heavy, which is why it is better suited to the evening than the morning.

Porcelana, the light bean from the rainforest

Porcelana is the name of the bean because its interior shimmers as light as porcelain, and it ranks among the rarest fine cacaos in existence.

It grows in the Selva Maya, the great rainforest that stretches across Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico and is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The harvest is small, meaning only a few thousand bars can be produced from this origin per year. It is harvested by hand because the trees are scattered throughout the forest and no machine can fit between them.

Chocolat Bonnat buys directly from the farmers there, which secures a reliable income for the families and allows the forest to keep its old trees. Where trade is direct, the harvest remains single-origin, and that is exactly what one tastes in the end.

Gold at the world finals, tasted blind

At the 2016 world finals of the International Chocolate Awards, the gold medal went to this bar.

Tasting there is done blind, without wrappers or names, so that only the substance in the mouth determines the result and no reputation influences the outcome. The fact that a harvest this small came out on top says a lot about the care with which Chocolat Bonnat roasts, grinds, and waits. Houses from all over the world were in the same round, and the jury tasted over the course of several days. An award may age, but the taste remains.

Dark chocolate for a slow evening

Take the bar out of the cool cupboard and onto the table a good ten minutes before eating, so that it can open up its aromas at room temperature. Half a piece is enough for dessert; this origin demands nothing more.

Those who give it as a gift do not need a ribbon around it; the name on the wrapper is enough. The famous Chuao from Venezuela stands alongside it, as does the Cacao Real del Xoconuzco from Mexico, and you can find all these origins together in the Chocolat Bonnat collection.