Goodnow Farms Malekula Island 70%

Goodnow Farms Chocolate expands their single origin selection with a limited edition made from wild cacao grown on Malekula Island, the second-largest island in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The cacao beans come from Pinalum, a small village on the northeastern coast, where cacao grows in the shade of coconut palms along the coastline. The island’s cacao population descends from Amelonado trees introduced by European settlers in the 1800s, and no new genetic material has been introduced since. This makes it one of the few regions where this genetic strain has developed naturally in the wild, and it is part of the ten major genetic clusters identified by Motamayor in 2008.

Goodnow Farms discovered these beans through cacao geneticist and sourcing expert Dan O’Doherty, who emphasized their potential and unique flavor profile.

As Dan O’Doherty, agricultural and scientific consultant at Cacao Services Inc., explains:

“This origin is planted with 90–95% old Amelonado trees. This homozygous genotype is rare, even in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Nothing new has been planted since cacao was introduced in the late 19th century."

The cacao is harvested between April and August by villagers in and around Pinalum. Wet beans are purchased from farmers and brought to a central facility managed by Olivier Fernandez of Gaston Chocolat, in collaboration with his long-time friends Roy and Lily Buktan. Fermentation takes place in wooden boxes over seven days, followed by sun-drying on concrete patios. Once dried, the beans are blended, bagged, and shipped by barge to the island of Efate, where a significant portion of the harvest is used by Gaston Chocolat, a tree to bar chocolate maker based in Vanuatu.

This bar represents a rare example of cacao from Vanuatu entering the international fine chocolate scene, connecting a remote origin, a stable genetic lineage, and a precise, farmer-led fermentation process.

Goodnow Farms Malekula Island 70% Dark Chocolate

Ingredients: single origin cacao beans, organic cane sugar, single origin cocoa butter.

Batch Number: 1470

Aromas are deep and intoxicating, with a dense, almost honeyed richness that evokes buckwheat honey and honey-washed coffee. There's a warm, resinous quality reminiscent of tobacco-vanilla colognes, giving the bar a lingering olfactory presence.

Tasting Notes

• Earthy

• Old cellar

• Figs

• Malty

• Vanilla

• Hazelnut

• Candied sweet papaya

• Tobacco

• Buckwheat honey

• Sweet cream

• Honey-washed coffee (aftertaste)

• Dried candy cap mushrooms (aftertaste)

  
  

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

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

Tactile Attributes

Fineness (5/5): silky mouthfeel.

Texture (8/8): dense and addictive.

Astringency (3/5): Absent.

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

Melting Point (2/5): slow melt.

Flavor Profile and Aftertaste

Primary Cacao Flavor (9/10): prominent and balanced.

Secondary Pleasant Flavors (12/12): defined and well-perceptible.

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

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

Aftertaste (5/5): Long-lasting and satisfying (up to 12 minutes).

Taste

Sweetness (5/6): Balanced and well-integrated.

Bitterness (6/6): Subtle.

Acidity (6/6): none.

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

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

Total Score: 93

This score places Goodnow Farms Vanuatu 70% Single Origin Chocolate in the “Excellent” category.

Personal Reflection

This single origin chocolate left a strong personal impression on me. You find yourself reaching for another square, not out of habit but because you want to keep exploring its flavor profile. That’s when chocolate becomes not only technically solid but genuinely pleasurable.

Some tasting experiences don’t immediately reveal themselves, but they draw you in anyway. This is one of them. And that’s when it truly works on both a sensory and emotional level.

In my experience, this is the best single origin I’ve tasted, made with fine flavor cacao from Vanuatu. The complexity is remarkable, and the execution is precise. It carries an intoxicating richness reminiscent of buckwheat honey, with an aromatic intensity that evokes tobacco-vanilla colognes. The sweetness feels dense, almost cloying, yet it’s perfectly counterbalanced by "grounding" flavors. The tension between sweetness and earthiness gives this dark chocolate its distinct identity.

What impressed me most is the aftertaste. There’s a clear echo of honey-washed specialty coffee (among my personal favorites!), followed by something more unexpected: dried candy cap mushrooms. Their natural sweetness adds a subtle, lingering umami finish.

This limited edition also challenges assumptions. Amelonado cacao is often associated with lower quality and inferior sensorial complexity, but that’s misleading. Every cacao variety and cultivar can reveal extraordinary flavor profiles when harvest, fermentation, drying, and chocolate making are handled with expertise.

Honestly, this is one of Goodnow’s best single origin chocolate bars to date, and it deserves a permanent place in their lineup. It’s complex, persistent, balanced, and undeniably addictive.

Thank you, Tom and Monica, for sharing this incredible sample to review.