Tasting Lucid Chocolatier MEDAL wINNERS

Lucid Chocolatier is the business name of chocolate maker Johnty Tatham.  He is based in the Wairarapa and uses Peruvian beans in his fine craft, bean to bar chocolate.  He has just won the Supreme Chocolate Award at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022.  We grabbed a whole chocolate stash of Lucid Chocolate to try.

ORIGINAL MILK 42%
Silver award winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022
Beans, SISA, Peru

This milk chocolate is caramelly with a hint of spice.  There is also a berry underlying flavour.  It reminds us of a creme brulee with berries on top.  We really enjoyed this bar and we compared it to our favourite milk chocolate made by Ocho.  We couldn't decide which we preferred best.  They both tasted very different.  Ocho milk chocolate had dark chocolate flavours, like having a strong cuppa with just a dip of milk.  Lucid 42% is more milk and caramel.  We decided to put both in our favourites page, as they were so different and it would depend on our mood on the day which we would prefer.

PIURA WHITE 70%
Bronze medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022

The Piura White Cacao bean is very interesting.  It is a white cacao bean that was nearly extinct and has been brought back, though still rare.  White cacao makes up 0.1% of cacao harvested in the world.  It is suppose to be less bitter than brown cacao beans.  We weren't sure what to expect.... what colour was the chocolate going to be?
It was a lovely red brown colour, that makes you think yummy chocolate.  The flavour notes we got were of prunes and malt with a bit of hay in the background. Piura cacao is grown in a desert like climate, and this chocolate does give you a dry summer vibe to your tastebuds.

BLONDE WHITE CHOCOLATE 34%
Gold medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022
Beans are single origin, San Martin, Peru

The colour is lovely and golden.  The flavours are mild and milky.  There is tastes of condensed milk, caramel, cinnamon, golden syrup and a slight smokiness.  There is also a fruity aftertaste.  It is a pleasant bar.

COCONUT AND LIME 48%
Bronze medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022
Beans are single origin, Chuncho, Peru

The texture of the chocolate is smooth.  It tastes of coconut with a fruity chocolate that has notes of lavender and lime.  The lime shows up stronger in  the aftertaste.  This was a really nice flavour combo and we enjoyed it.

SOURDOUGH AND BROWN BUTTER 48%
Gold medal winner at the NZ Chocolate awards 2022
Milk Chocolate with brown butter and sourdough breadcrumbs
Beans, Maranon, Amazonas, Cajamarca, Peru

The chocolate is lovely and creamy.  There are flavour notes of toffee, caramel, malt, sultana, bread bun.  It reminds us of eating a Sally Lunn, and we like it a lot.

TONKA 48%
Silver Medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022
Milk Chocolate with Tonka beans
Cacao beans, Amazonas, Peru.

Tonka beans are actually part of the pea family, but have a bean shape.  A little goes a long way in fragrance and flavour.  This pairing of Tonka beans with the 48% milk chocolate was gorgeous!  Tasting notes of vanilla and custard topped with jasmine florals.  This is now our favourite milk inclusion bar!

MARANON 70%
Gold medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards
Bean, single origin, Maranon, Peru

This is very flavoursome.  We had tasting notes of wood, earth and molasses and ended with this fruity grape note.  It reminded us of Grape sherbet in flavours.  A yummy and different tasting bar.

CHUNCHO 72%
Silver medal winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022
Beans, single origin, Chuncho, Peru

Lovely dark chocolate fragrance as you open the packet.  Nice smooth texture.  The chocolate is tangy in flavour, almost peppery.  There are flavour notes of wood, plum and blossom.  We are calling this our spicy plum tree chocolate.

PORT 68%
Supreme Winner at the NZ Chocolate Awards 2022.
Port infused dark chocolate
Beans, Maranon, Amazonas, Cajamarca, Peru

The port really enhances the fruitiness of this dark chocolate.  There is a sweetness to it, and you get notes of red berries and raisins.  It is not an alchohic punch, but an intense fruitiness to it.  It is very nice and is added to our favourites list.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Peru has been our favourite single origin chocolate source.  It was so nice to explore the different cacao beans and flavours from this area.  Lucid Chocolatier did a great job of showcasing the variety of flavours in chocolate that was always smooth and creamy, even if it wasn't a milk chocolate.  The flavour inclusions were great matches with the chocolate chosen.  We LOVED this tasting!