$40.00
Nose: Blackberry marmalade bomb with hints of flowers.
Palate: Burst of berries, floral honey, nutty caramel
Finish: Berries, almonds, tinge of grapefruit
To'ak makes the world's finest and most expensive chocolates, with some of their single bars costing up to $450! Why? The cacao is grown in Manabi, Ecuador, which is to cacao what Burgundy is to wine. Beans come from the rarest variety, pure 100% Nacional, which is over 5,300 years old. To'ak also promotes sustainability and conservation. Barefoot is proud to offer these one-of-a-kind chocolates.
2021 Rain Harvest 18 Hours Conch Story: Heavy rains during ripening and harvest time pushed this cacao in a fruitier direction. With this edition, To'ak chose a conching time of 18 hours, which is longer than in previous years.
Pairing Recommendations: Spirits: sweet single malts from Speyside, triple-distilled Irish whisky, well-aged bourbon, VSOP Cognac, reposado or anejo Tequila, Zacapa 21 Rum. Wines: sweet dessert wines like Port or Sauternes. Cheese: Robiola, brie, triple-cremes, and semi-soft cheeses like gouda, havarti, and fontina.
Location: Ecuador
Size: 1.76 oz (price is per bar)
Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar*
*Organic
NOTE: chocolates will only ship if ordered with a coffee bean order. We do not ship in summer or hot weather but do have a wide selection at our cafes.
$24.95
WE TASTE: A bright cup with notes of raspberries, plums and cherries with a lingering chocolate finish.
ROAST PROFILE: Light
COUNTRY: Ethiopia
REGION: Gedeo Zone
GROWER: Smallholder farmers organized around Worka Coffee Farmers Basic Cooperative
ELEVATION: 1800-2200masl
PROCESS: Natural
OTHER: Traceable, Single Origin
FARM INFO
Worka is a large municipality in the Gedeb district of the Gedeo zone. Nearly all of Gedeb is known for its gifted processing climate and experienced growers. Washed and natural coffees alike from this area tend to be dense and fruit-forward, ranging from sparkling clean acidic fruits, to jammy or herbal concentrated sweetness. Worka is one the oldest and largest individual cooperatives that make up the storied Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union.
Gedeb and Its Coffee
Gedeo zone is a narrow section of Ethiopia’s southern highland plateau dense with savvy farmers, a famous terrier, and high competition for cherry. Gedeo as a whole is frequently referred to as “Yirgacheffe”, after the zone’s most famous central district. Gedeb, however, is a terroir, history, and community all its own. Coffees from this district are often the most explosive cup profiles we can see anywhere in Ethiopia. Naturals tend to have perfume-like volatiles.
Worka Cooperative and Processing
Work was established in 2006 with 210 member farms; today there are over 1,400 farmers spanning 2,500 hectares of coffee production. These are quintessential Gedeo family farms: small and forested.
Naturals at the coop are received as fresh picked cherry from member farmers throughout the day. Cherry is hand-sorted to find the ripest, most dense and consistent portions which are moved to raised beds to dry in the sun, a process that takes typically 21 days. During this time, the cherry is continuously rotated to keep airflow consistent and prevent moisture buildup between the fruit. Drying beds are covered at night to prevent humidity from settling on the coffee, as well as during the mid-day hours to prevent sunburn and uneven dehydration. When drying is fully complete, coffee is milled to remove the dried fruit husks and conditioned in local warehouses, until it is trucked north to Addis Ababa for final milling and preparation for export.
Origin photo by Royal Coffee
$19.00
WE TASTE: Aromas of almond and honey lead to a smooth cup filled with caramel, apple and toffee.
$19.00
CUP PROFILE: Nutty aromas followed by notes of green apple, candied walnut and a lingering milk chocolate finish
