ChocoMe Chuao 72% Dark Chocolate

Discovering a new chocolate maker is always an intriguing moment, especially when they’ve chosen to work with one of the most revered and limited fine flavor cacao origins in the world.

Until now, I hadn’t tried anything from ChocoMe Atelier, a Budapest-based company that recently entered the bean to bar chocolate industry. I came across their name by chance and decided to explore their work. Curiosity is often the starting point of meaningful evaluations!

Chuao isn’t just a legendary village in Venezuela: it is a living archive of post-harvest know-how, environmental isolation, and generational craftsmanship.

It’s a small village in the Aragua state of Venezuela, founded in 1660 and nestled within the tropical rainforest of Henri Pittier National Park. Isolated by steep mountains and accessible only by boat or mountain trail, Chuao has preserved post-harvest traditions that date back centuries. The plantation is located in a cloud forest within a protected ecological zone, and forms part of what UNESCO describes as an exceptional cultural landscape shaped by cacao and sustained by a community with deep historical roots.

The cacao grown here is a hybrid of Criollo and Trinitario, with a notable Criollo influence that gives the chocolate its complex flavor profile. Fermentation takes place in wooden boxes for nearly a week and is followed by sun-drying in the Plaza de Secado, the historic church square at the village center.

The entire process is managed by the Chuao Farm Workers Company, a cooperative made up of 40 partners. Many of the workers involved in production today are descendants of enslaved Africans brought during colonial times. Their agricultural practices and cultural identity are deeply connected, reflected in traditions such as the Diablos Danzantes, a religious festivity recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The historical and symbolic core of the village — including the Iglesia Parroquial de Chuao, built in 1785 and dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari, the House on the Hill (Casa del Alto), and the large cocoa-drying patio in front of the church — remains intact and active.

Since 2000, Chuao has been protected by a Denomination of Origin and is certified through an official system to ensure the authenticity of its cacao beans. A recognition that very few cacao-producing regions in the world can claim!

This combination of traditional knowledge, architectural heritage, and cultural continuity makes Chuao a singular expression of cacao terroir and one of the most sought-after origins by chocolate makers and chocolate connoisseurs worldwide.

So what happens when a new maker brings Chuao to the table? You taste and evaluate with precision.

ChocoMe Cuao Aragua Venezuela 72% dark Chocolate

Variety: hybrid of Criollo

Origin꞉ Empresa Campesina Chuao Aragua, Venezuela

Ingredients: cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter.

Batch Number: BB101

Aromas: earthy, ash, licorice, spicy, nutty, blackcurrant.

Tasting Notes

• Tangerine

• Plum

• Mango

• Orange Blossom

• White Currants

• Mace spiciness

• Ash - Licorice

• Toasted Hazelnuts

• Edible Peas Blossom

Appearance (4/4): Homogeneous, glossy, and uniform.

Snap (1/1): Clean and sharp, indicating good tempering.

Tactile Attributes

Fineness (4/5): Smooth Texture.

Texture (7/8): Smooth and creamy.

Astringency (5/5): Absent.

Roundness (7/7): creamy and balanced mouthfeel.

Melting Point (4/5): slow.

Flavor Profile and Aftertaste

Primary Cacao Flavor (8/10: intense.

Secondary Pleasant Flavors (12/12): Well-defined.

Secondary Unpleasant Flavors (0/5): None detected.

Overall Aromatic Quality (5/5): Rich, complex, and full of intense aromas and flavors.

Aftertaste (5/5): Long-lasting and satisfying (up to 7 minutes).

Taste

Sweetness (6/6): Balanced and well-integrated.

Bitterness (5/6): Subtle.

Acidity (3/6): Subtle but pleasant.

Harmony and Gustatory Pleasure (10/10): Excellent.

Final Sensation (5/5): Outstanding and complex.

Total Score: 91

This score places ChocoMe Chuao 72% dark chocolate in the “Excellent” category.

Personal Reflection

The first impression is a pronounced cacao flavor, something I find entirely natural. Too often, single origin chocolate bars are marketed around their "secondary" notes, as if cacao should somehow not taste like "cacao". But in well-crafted chocolate, the intensity of cacao is not a flaw; it’s the foundation from which everything else emerges.

With repeated tastings, the profile deepens. Beneath the initial richness, this bar reveals great complexity. I detected white currants, offering a subtle tanginess, sweeter and more delicate than black currants. Alongside this fruitiness, there’s a clear presence of licorice and a dry, ashy character, contributing a root-like, roasted-earthy layer that grounds the profile without weighing it down.

What stood out most was the gentle, lingering floral finish, reminiscent of edible pea blossom: soft, green-floral, and lightly sweet. A touch of mace-like spice adds warmth: less intense than nutmeg, but round, slightly peppery, and with a faint citrus lift. It introduces a slow-building, earthy spiciness that unfolds gradually with each melt, reinforcing the bar’s quiet complexity.

Chuao is often reduced to an idea, a name, a status, a label used to evoke expectations. But this bar doesn’t perform the origin; it respects it. There’s nothing decorative here, nothing exaggerated or stylized. What emerges is a carefully structured interpretation that unfolds with precision, detail, and clarity. It doesn’t chase impact; it builds meaning. And it does so by letting the origin speak, not louder, but better.