A long-time and good friend had a small surprise for me the other day- a bar that says DAVAO PHILIPPINES DARK CHOCOLATE + ORANGE from Askinosie chocolate. Thanks a million, my friend for the unexpected gift.
I have written about otap from Cebu and barquillos from Iloilo, but I have not written about our chocolate for a long time. It is about time.
A little history on our table
In the Philippines, many of us grew up with tablea. Cacao came to the Philippines in the 1670s, brought from Mexico to the Philippines via the Acapulco galleon. For centuries we made it into tablea for champorado and tsokolate. It was always good, but it was always for home.
Now Davao is different. Davao City and Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, in Mindanao, is our cacao capital. The soil, the rain, the elevation- it is perfect for Trinitario beans, which is what is in this bar. For many years we exported our beans as commodity. Now chocolate makers from America, France, and Japan come to Davao to buy single-origin beans. This bar is 58% dark, made from Davao Trinitario beans.
The Maker
Askinosie is not a big factory. It is a small bean-to-bar maker in Springfield, Missouri, started by Shawn Askinosie in 2007. They do direct trade - they go to Davao, meet the cooperative, and pay above market price. That is why the farmer's face is printed on the wrapper. When you buy the bar, you know who grew it.
They also press their own cocoa butter in their factory. That is rare. Most small makers buy it.
What is inside and how does it taste?
I like simple ingredients. I worked many years as a chemist for the US FDA, so I read labels.
Ingredients: Davao Philippines Cocoa Beans (Trinitario), Organic Turbinado Sugar, Cocoa Butter (made in their factory with Davao beans), Organic Oranges, Organic Orange Oil, Organic Vanilla Bean. Nothing else.
They mix in organic oranges, peel and pulp plus a little orange oil. It is like candied orange peel dipped in chocolate, but in bar form. On first bite: bright, juicy orange. Then the dark chocolate comes - fudge, a little tart citrus, and vanilla sweetness at the end. Askinosie's own tasting notes say juicy orange, chocolate-dipped citrus peel, and vanilla. That is exactly right.
Net weight: 85 grams (3 oz). It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free. Price on their website is $11.50.
How I enjoy it at home
Here in Walnut Creek, I do it the Filipino way:
After dinner, with black coffee. The bitter of Barako or even plain American coffee cuts the sweetness of the orange. Break it into small pieces, do not chew fast.
With otap or barquillos. As I posted last week, we had three tubs of otap - buko-pandan, ube, and classic. A small piece of this Davao chocolate with a crisp otap is wonderful. The butteriness of otap and the citrus of the chocolate balance each other.
For tsokolate. If you like to experiment, shave a little of this bar into your tablea when you make tsokolate for a light orange aroma. Your grandchildren will notice.
Do not put it in the refrigerator if you can avoid it. Chocolate likes cool, not cold. Keep it at 65-68 degrees if you can, and it will keep its snap.
Why I am proud of this bar
When I was young during the war, chocolate was a luxury from America. Now American makers are putting Davao on the wrapper. This means our farmers can earn more from quality, not just volume. If you visit Davao, you will see chocolate shops and cacao farm tours now. That is new, and that is good for our food tourism.
If you find this bar, please try it and tell me what you think. And if you are in Davao, what is your favorite local chocolate? Is it Malagos, Theo & Philo, Auro, or this kind of small American maker?
You can find Askinosie Davao bars at askinosie.com and at World Wide Chocolate and specialty stores.
AI Overview:
The maker:
Askinosie is a small-batch bean-to-bar maker in Springfield, Missouri. Founder Shawn Askinosie started it in 2007 and they are known for "direct trade" — they go to the origin, meet the farmers, and pay well above commodity price. They press their own cocoa butter in-house.
The beans:
- Origin: Davao, Mindanao in the Philippines. Davao is the cacao capital of the Philippines -Trinitario beans.
- This bar is 58% dark. Askinosie also makes a 77% pure Davao bar, a 62% dark milk, and a white chocolate from the same origin.
- The man on your wrapper is one of the farmers from the co-op they source from. Askinosie puts the actual grower on every bar.
This flavor:
The description from Askinosie is: "Imagine a candied orange peel, dipped in chocolate. Now imagine it in bar form". It's not just orange flavoring. Ingredients are: Davao Philippines Cocoa Beans (Trinitario), Organic Turbinado Sugar, Cocoa Butter (made in their factory with Davao beans), Organic Oranges, Organic Orange Oil, Organic Vanilla Bean. They blend in organic orange peel and pulp plus a dash of orange oil. Tasting notes they list: juicy orange, chocolate-dipped citrus peel, and vanilla, and from retailers: notes of fudge, tart citrus, and vanilla sweetness.
Specs:
85g (3oz) bar, $11.50 on their site. It's Certified Kosher D.E., vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but processed in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. It's a nice example of how good Philippine cacao has become in the last 10 years, Davao used to export mostly bulk beans, now it's recognized for fine-flavor single-origin like this.
My Photo of the Day:
Beef kaldereta is the rich, tomato-based stew that shows up at every big Filipino celebration.
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