Bikini season isn’t the time for scarfing down anything sugary, but chocolate lovers like me need our fix!
My favorite has always been dark chocolate—my tongue adores the bitter kick, and my hips thank me for the lower sugar content—and so I was glad to discover Malagos 65% Dark Chocolate Bars at an artisan fair.
Apart from the sophisticated packaging, it was the words “single-origin” printed on its label piqued my curiosity. I quizzed the vendor, and learned that single-origin chocolate, like the single-origin coffee we’ve all heard of, is chocolate made from one kind of bean growing from one specific region.
In this case, that would be the Puentespina Farms on the foothills of Mt. Talomo in Davao. “It is chocolate harvested from carefully nurtured trees and processed without the stain of child labor,” according to their website.
Are single-origin chocolates better? Chocolatier Pamela Lim-Cinco, of Risa Chocolates, says, “It depends on one’s point of view. Single-origin is admirable because it has a unique flavor profile. Not a lot of beans can do that. As a chocolatier, I admire those who can blend beans from multiple origins and create fantastic flavors. It is an art. I guess people prefer single-origin because they like to know where their food comes from.”
I am no chocolatier, just a chocolate eater, and my point of view really is all about what my taste buds have to say about it. I open up a bar of Malagos and taste. A little sweeter than what I normally go for, but quite good. As I bookmark their list of stockists, I resign myself to maybe having to buy bigger bikinis.
