Dandelion Chocolate Japan - Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 70% 2021 Harvest Single-Origin Chocolate Bar
The 3-second version
- Roasted and made in Tokyo using beans from a Tanzanian smallholder network
- 70% cacao bar with jammy red fruit notes and a hint of bitterness
- Two ingredients only: cacao beans and cane sugar, no lecithin or vanilla
- More bitter than many craft chocolate bars
- Nuance matters most to experienced tasters
Why it's on GiftsFeed
Tanzanian single-origin bar roasted and crafted in Japan
Most single-origin bars from the same farm taste nearly identical no matter who makes them, because most makers follow a cautious middle path. This bar proves the opposite: same harvest, different roast, entirely new result. The Tokyo team's willingness to push toward bitterness and let fruit notes turn jammy rather than bright means you get a version of Kokoa Kamili cacao you cannot find anywhere else. It matters most if you already know what Tanzanian beans usually taste like and want to hear what they sound like when someone else is behind the controls.
Good gift when
- People who taste chocolate for the roast profile, not just the origin
- Anyone curious how the same beans change under different makers
- Fans of fruit-forward bars with a more assertive finish
Skip it if Only worthwhile if you already care about how roast profiles shape single-origin chocolate, or if you are comparing bars from the same harvest made by different teams
Specs
- Cacao percentage
- 70%
- Origin
- Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania
- Harvest
- 2021
- Ingredients
- Cacao beans, cane sugar
- Weight
- 2 ounces (56 grams)
- Allergens
- Free of soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, and nuts
- Made in
- Japan
What's included
- One 2-ounce chocolate bar
If you're giving it
- No sizing to guess
- Arrives ready to give
Individually wrapped and ready to give; no personalization available.
The maker
Dandelion Chocolate opened its Japan operation with the same commitment to single-origin craft that defined the San Francisco factory, but the Tokyo team was never meant to simply replicate American recipes. For every new origin, the Japan makers start over, running test roasts and holding blind tastings until they find the profile that works for them. Pearl, who spent years making chocolate at Dandelion's Valencia location, led the setup in Tokyo and developed the roast profile for this bar. The result is a version of Kokoa Kamili cacao that reflects a different set of decisions—proof that even when the beans are identical, the maker's hand shapes everything.
The details
This bar starts with cacao from the same Tanzanian farm network that supplies San Francisco, but follows a completely different path once it reaches Tokyo. The makers at Dandelion Chocolate Japan run their own roast tests for every origin, tasting batch after batch until they settle on the profile that works for them. The result is a bar that shares some jammy red fruit character with its American counterpart but takes those beans in a new direction.
Kokoa Kamili operates as both a fermentary and a social enterprise in Tanzania, buying freshly harvested beans from over three thousand smallholder farmers. By centralizing fermentation and drying, the organization controls quality and consistency in ways individual farmers cannot. Founders Brian Lobue and Simran Bindra built the model to give small growers access to premium markets while ensuring the beans meet exacting standards.
The Tokyo production team chose to work this harvest at 70% cacao, bringing out fruit notes with a touch more bitterness than the gentler profiles some craft makers pursue. The roast profile was developed by Pearl, a former maker at Dandelion's Valencia factory who helped establish the Japan operation. Every bar is made with only cacao beans and cane sugar—no added cocoa butter, no lecithin, no vanilla. The approach keeps the focus on the beans and the decisions made during roasting.
Each bar weighs two ounces and arrives free of soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten. The factory does not process nuts.
70% cacao from Kokoa Kamili, developed with a distinct roast profile by Dandelion's Tokyo team
Ships and sold by Dandelion Chocolate. About this merchant
Questions
- What does this bar taste like compared to other Tanzanian chocolates?
- This bar has jammy red fruit notes with a touch more bitterness than many Tanzanian bars. The Tokyo team's roast profile brings out assertive flavors rather than the brighter, gentler profiles common in American-made versions of the same origin.
- Is this bar safe for people with nut allergies?
- Yes. The bar contains only cacao beans and cane sugar, and it is made in a facility that does not process nuts. It is also free of soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten.
- How is this different from Dandelion's San Francisco bars?
- Dandelion Chocolate Japan sources the same beans but develops completely independent roast profiles. The Tokyo team runs its own test batches and tastings for every origin, so even when the harvest is identical the final bars taste distinctly different.
- What is Kokoa Kamili?
- Kokoa Kamili is a fermentary and social enterprise in Tanzania that buys freshly harvested beans from over three thousand smallholder farmers, then ferments and dries them centrally. This approach gives small growers access to premium markets while ensuring consistent quality.
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