3) Scarcity: beans are harvested from only 14 farms and come from the rarest variety, pure 100% Nacional. They painstakingly sift through beans in 6 manual phases to find the most desirable
4) To’ak is sustainable and invests in conservation. eg. all wood they use for boxed packaging is replenished by planting native hardwood trees.
Their least expensive bars include the 2019 Rain Harvest 75% ($35) and Pu'er Tea Aged 73% ($40) We can barely keep these bars in stock! But why do prices go up exponentially?
Some chocolates are aged 18 months (or longer) in a 50-year-old cognac cask. Some in whiskey, bourbon, PX sherry, or tequila casks. Aging helps soften tannins, and by aging in casks, the chocolates develop deep flavors and aromas. This bar, aged for 3 years in an Islay Whiskey cask, costs $200!.
Have you seen this profile in a conventional bar?
Nose: Fruity caramel with a citric zest.
Palate: Soft fruit and butterscotch with a sweet agave twang, touch of vanilla and nutmeg.
Finish: Sweet buttery caramel, slightly smokey wood, honey.
But $450...for a single bar?! That's To'ak's 77% Guayasamín art series bar...and it is truly a piece of art. The bar pays tribute to renown artist Oswaldo Guayasamín who painted in dualities: cruelty and tenderness, life and death.
It arrives in a crafted wood box with wood tweezers (so you don't contaminate the bar with your finger oils). It also includes a drawing by Guayasamín. The chocolate was aged 3 years and is a blend of their 2015 "light" and "dark" (duality theme) harvest.
Experience notes:
Nose: Tobacco, caramel, floral, woody.
Palate: Woody, buttery caramel, tobacco, honey, dark fruits, softly floral, earthy, nutty.
Finish: Honey, toffee, earthy, nutty.
With luxury items, high prices reflect the artistry, craftsmanship, scarcity, taste and overall experience. That is To'ak's $450 Art Series bar.
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