To`ak Sotol Cask Aged 75.5% Ecuadorian Dark Chocolate

When To’ak Chooclate announces a new release, the reactions are never neutral. For some, they represent the pinnacle of tree-to-bar chocolate, daring to elevate cacao to the status of fine wine or rare spirits. For others, they remain the subject of controversy — usually not because of their work with cacao or their processes, but almost entirely because of their price tags. This is the paradox of To’ak:

They have become both admired and criticized, praised for their innovative work and heritage efforts while simultaneously accused of elitism.

The starting point for understanding To’ak is not actually chocolate, but conservation. The company was born out of the work of Third Millennium Alliance, a rainforest conservation organization created to protect one of the last surviving remnants of Ecuador’s Pacific Forest. Within the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve, the founders of TMA encountered abandoned cacao groves that were incorporated into a reforestation initiative. What began as a conservation tool gradually developed into an obsession with cacao farming and eventually into chocolate making itself. In 2013, To’ak Chocolate was founded, not just as a business, but also as a means of financing and expanding its conservation mission. This origin story is often overlooked, yet it is key to understanding the company’s philosophy.

To’ak is not simply buying beans from intermediaries or positioning itself through branding — it is rooted in origin, in the genetics of cacao, and in the survival of Ecuadorian Nacional cacao itself.

This commitment has had tangible results. Through their collaboration with TMA, To’ak helped create Ecuador’s largest genetic bank of Ancient Nacional cacao, with support from the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, INIAP, and local universities. National Geographic and the Smithsonian have documented this work, recognizing the importance of safeguarding a variety once thought to be extinct.

Heirloom Nacional Cacao Pod

Beyond genetics, To’ak has supported regenerative agroforestry projects with local farmers in the buffer zones of the Pacific Forest, encouraging cacao cultivation as a tool for reforestation rather than deforestation. This is not a company that emerged simply to sell “luxury” chocolate; it is the product of a decade-long intersection between conservation, science, and craft.

And yet, for many in the chocolate community, the conversation about To’ak rarely gets this far. More often than not, it stops at the price tag. I recently read a comment from a chocolate taster who wrote:

Good for them on getting a higher price. But they’re not a maker. They have their chocolate made for them. I haven’t looked to see if they’ve improved, but they didn't use to be transparent about that at all. Kind of the Original Beans model to some extent, plus a chocolatier flair on top, but without the transparency.

This impression, however common, is misleading. To’ak and its team oversee every step, from the cacao tree to the finished bar. Their transparency is embedded in their very mission: preserving the Nacional Heirloom Cacao, restoring the rainforest, and directly engaging with the origin. Reducing them to a “rebranded chocolatier” misses the scale of their investment and the difference between their model and smaller bean-to-bar operations (away from the country of origin).

Much of the controversy around To’ak stems from a misunderstanding of what aging chocolate means. The company is widely known for pioneering the idea of cask-aging chocolate, drawing parallels with whisky, rum, cognac, and now sotol. But aging chocolate itself is not a novelty. Many makers age untempered blocks for two or three years before tempering and molding; I have personally tasted chocolate made from beans harvested a decade earlier. What To’ak has done is to formalize this process, integrate it into their identity, and turn it into a deliberate sensory experiment. Their chocolate coins are placed in empty barrels once used for fine spirits, allowing the chocolate to absorb volatile compounds from the specific vessel and the residue of the liquor. Over time, this interaction creates new layers of aroma and flavor, which build on rather than erase the character of Ecuadorian cacao. It is not about hiding defects or compensating for lack of quality — it is about exploring how chocolate can evolve when treated with the same reverence as wine or spirits.

To`ak Barrels for Aging

To`ak Barrels for Aging

The choice of sotol for this release is particularly interesting. Sotol is a distilled spirit native to the Chihuahuan Desert, produced from the Dasylirion plant, a spiky succulent often mistaken for agave but belonging to a different genus. For centuries, sotol has been distilled in Northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila) and more recently in West Texas. Unlike tequila or mezcal, sotol is known for a flavor profile that is earthy, herbaceous, slightly peppery, and deeply tied to its desert terroir. In this case, To’ak partnered with Desert Door, a Texas-based distillery specializing in sotol, using their emptied barrels to age their Nacional cacao. The result is a fascinating cultural and sensory bridge: Ecuadorian heirloom cacao meeting a North American spirit tradition that is still relatively unknown outside its native regions.

The Sotol Cask Aged 75.5% dark chocolate is crafted with just two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar. It is a reminder that complexity in chocolate does not require additions or weird ingredients; it can emerge from the process and time.

Organic ingredients: heirloom cacao beans, cane sugar.

Harvest 2021

Batch Number: 003

Aromas: woody (aak aged, cedar), orange zest, vanilla beans, toffee, sweetgrass, leather, and cacao.

Tasting Notes

• Fresh cream (dairy notes)

• Roasted arabica coffee

• Earthy

• Woody

• Green grass

• Floral

• Citrus zest

• Berries undertones

• Sage

• Leather and cacao

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): silky.

Astringency (4/5): hint of astringency.

Roundness (7/7): engaging mouthfeel.

Melting Point (2/5): slow.

Flavor Profile and Aftertaste

Primary Cacao Flavor (10/10): strong and earthy.

Secondary Pleasant Flavors (10/12): 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 15 minutes).

Taste

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

Bitterness (5/6): Subtle.

Acidity (6/6): none.

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

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

Total Score: 93/100

This score places Sotol Cask Aged 75,5% Ecuadorian Dark Chocolate in the "Excellent” category.

Personal Reflection

To’ak is often criticized because many tasters claim they cannot find the aromatic notes printed on their packaging. In my view, this criticism overlooks the nature of the cacao itself. Nacional is not a variety that delivers bold, fruit-forward, or acidic profiles, which are easier to identify and often more immediately appealing. Instead, it leans toward earthy, nutty, and floral dimensions, sometimes recalling 100% dark chocolate in its restraint and complexity. This makes it more demanding to evaluate, but also more rewarding for those willing to look beyond the obvious.

With the Sotol Cask Aged 75.5%, I find the result strikingly consistent with To’ak’s own descriptors. The chocolate is aged in empty barrels, without any spirit added, and the volatile compounds from sotol wood and residue build layers of herbaceous, woody, leathery, and citrus-zest character.

The first impression is unexpectedly vivid: fresh cream, delicate and sweet, followed by roasted Arabica coffee that adds warmth and depth. For a bar made with only two ingredients and such a high cacao percentage, these notes are surprising. They suggest creaminess without milk and complexity without additions, creating a profile that feels both genuine and counterintuitive.

This chocolate challenges assumptions. It is not about imitating the sotol spirit, nor about masking the cacao. Instead, it shows how Nacional interacts with cask-aging to produce a flavor experience that is elegant, layered, and surprising. It is not designed for casual indulgence, but rather for refined palates — those who appreciate complexity and enjoy exploring pairings with fine spirits.

To’ak’s Aged Selection will always divide opinions, but this bar demonstrates how chocolate can embody flavors that feel simultaneously familiar and unexpected. For me, it is one of their most convincing achievements.