Happy Valentine’s Day, chocolate-lovers! This Love Shack bar by Map Chocolate is the perfect bar to eat today and not just because of its name. Let me explain.
This bar features Tien Giang cacao beans, which are sourced in Vietnam. I experienced the beans for the first time in a dark chocolate bar and all I remember is a strong (albeit nice) acidity with a faint chocolate flavor. It was good but it felt like it needed a loving arm to hold onto.
There is a belief in the chocolate world that you honor cacao by making dark chocolate with no inclusion so you can “let the beans shine.” Well, let me tell you something. I liked myself before I met my husband but I became a stronger, better person after I fell in love with him (and yes, he’d say the same thing about me.) Sometimes, cacao is like us and it needs a partner to make it stronger. If you dare to listen, it will tell you what it needs.
Last fall, I welcomed Map Chocolate’s Love Shack into my life. Mackenzie Rivers, chocolate-maker at Map Chocolate turned the Tien Gang beans into a work of art. She honored the Tieng Gans beans by giving them a partner to play with: lemon cookies. The cookies echoed the acidity of the bean, while bringing enough sweetness to balance the chocolate. Now that’s what I called “honoring the bean” and I am grateful for Mackenzie for this match made in heaven.
Map Chocolate is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to get equipment that will help her stay small (yes, I know), and I hope this post will encourage you to contribute. If anything, please watch the video because you can see me at the 3 min 29 second mark (just saying.)
To learn more about Map Chocolate, read my interview with founder Mackenzie Rivers here.
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