Our dear friend, Kristen, gave us the chocolates recently because they made her think of us, and we’re delighted that she did.
Twenty-Four Blackboards are Santa Barbara’s only bean-to-bar chocolate makers, meaning they process cocoa beans themselves into a product as opposed to melting pre-existing, mass-produced chocolate down, which is how most of the world’s chocolate-makers do it. Going bean-to-bar preserves the distinct flavors of individually sourced cocoa beans, much as is it does in the case of coffee. Also as with the coffee trade, exhibiting a closer oversight of the entire process from farm to manufacturer can mean a more ethical, sustainable industry. So why not dress that up with some nice design?
Not only did the craft paper wrapper boast some lovely silhouetted leafless tree limbs + blackbirds, but, as you’ll see below, the chocolate itself is stamped with a detailed, tattoo-worthy feather impression, making the whole thing a perfect gift for…us, it turns out.
Though the Dominican-Republic-sourced bar we enjoyed is no longer available, Twenty-Four Blackbirds offers some updated chocolates (all vegan), including an earthy Bolivian bar that’s 75% cocoa; a new, slightly lighter Dominican bar (68% cocoa); and what sound like awesome drinking chocolates. For maybe September…not today.
Visit the company’s Web site to find out who near you might carry the chocolates.
Spoiler alert, South Brooklyn: Carroll Gardens soda joint, Brooklyn Farmacy has ’em.
