From my friend Elizabeth Montes in Portland, Oregan

I received something very special yesterday afternoon.

Chocolate by Claudio Corallo

Some of you may have heard of him in Saveur’s November 2006 issue, He and his chocolate make a prominent appearance in Mort Rosenblum’s book Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light and more recently in Chloé Doutre-Roussel’s The Chocolate Connoisseur.

Claudio Corallo grows his cacao on the Plantation of Terreiro Velho on the island of Principe in the nation of São Tomé & Principe (Africa’s smallest country. It’s west of Gabon)

A little more about the chocolate in his own words:

“On this plantation we have reproduced and we cultivate, the now rare, direct descendants from the first cocoa plants that arrived in Africa, actually on the island of Principe, in 1819. Dom Joao VI, thought well to transplant, on Principe which was also a Portuguese colony, the best plants cultivated in the region of Bahia.)”

“The good varieties of any fruit pay for their higher quality with the price of low yield and this cocoa is a variety that has a very low yield per hectare. Immediately after the harvest, the cocoa beans are carefully selected by hand and fermented naturally with a process unique to us, put in place to maintain their fragrance and exalt their aromas. Slowly dried, roasted in small quantities, peeled by hand and processed cool, to make you discover and remember the taste of chocolate….that has no need of adding vanilla.”

Taken from 3 loucuras de Cafés….com Chocolate de Claudio Corallo.

Please don’t expect a super refined European chocolate bar. Firstly these are artisanally made chocolate bars — They are made by hand produced in a smallish building in the middle of the tropics by Corallo, his two sons and their crew. What may seem rustic to some, is intentional, The idea being that over refinement in the manufacturing process just chases away the flavor which was so carefully developed as a result of correct growing practices, fermentation and drying.

It’s great honor to sell this chocolate and it’s a greater honor to have the opportunity to experience the fruits of such care, labor and attention.

So,
Here are the chocolates:
All Cacao grown in Plantação de Terreiro Velho. Fermented 9-17 days. Slowly Dried. Roasted in small quantities. Peeled by hand.
Unconched.

1. Soft – a 73.5% bar with cocoa nibs. It feels softer to eat and the nibs are delicate (not like chewing pebbles). Attention those of you who were lately asking about the brick-like nib bar, Pralus’ Brut de São Tomé, Corallo’s Soft is what we were holding out for ….You will be quite pleased.

2. Chocolate 75% – pure experience of carefully crafted chocolatiness. Another opportunity to just trust your tongue.

3. Chocolate 80% – The sugar contained in these bars is in granular form. Soooo smooth flavor with crystal bites and sounds.

4. Chocolate 100% – Bars made from 100% cocoa beans. Not acidic nor over bitter.

5. Chocolate com Passas de Uva e Destilado de polpa de cacau – 70% chocolate with raisins that are soaked in a distillation of cocoa bean pulp. Check this OUT! I ate this for breakfast one morning and was in LOVE with the WORLD!!

6. 3 Loucuras de Cafés….com chocolate – Not just any chocolate covered coffee beans. Divided into 3 packets denoting 3 different small yield antique varieties of Arabica coffee all grown in the same plantation (also grown by Claudio Corallo on his Nova Moca Plantation in São Tomé) They are coated with the same 55% chocolate. Engaging Guided tasting experience instructions inside.

All available at

Sahagún Chocolate Shop
10 NW 16th Avenue (between Burnside & Couch)
Portland, Oregon
(503) 274-7065

Wed – Sat
10am – 6pm

Holiday schedule
Operating on regular schedule till 12/23.
Reopening 12/28-12/30
After that we’ll be closed till 1/10 after which normal hours will resume.