DCJ - Semuliki Forest, Uganda 85% Single-Origin Chocolate Bar
The 3-second version
- 85% cacao from over 4500 smallholder farmers in Uganda
- Apricot, yogurt, and honey flavor profile with bright fruit notes
- Beans fermented locally in eucalyptus boxes in Kasese
- 85% cacao—too intense for casual snacking
- Fruit-forward profile may surprise dark chocolate purists
- Best savored slowly, not eaten quickly
Why it's on GiftsFeed
85% Uganda cacao bar with apricot and honey notes from Kasese smallholders
Most high-percentage dark chocolate tastes bitter or chalky because roasters use aggressive heat to mask flaws in commodity beans. This bar does the opposite: it starts with a standout harvest from a single region and roasts gently to let the fruit notes show. If you have tried 80%+ bars before and found them punishing, the bright apricot and honey character here might surprise you. Worth it for anyone who wants to taste what cacao can do when it is grown and handled well, rather than just learning to tolerate bitterness.
Good gift when
- Dark chocolate fans who want complexity beyond bitterness
- Anyone curious about single-origin cacao terroir
- People who enjoy tasting coffee or wine slowly and carefully
- Hosts who pair chocolate with cheese or dessert wine
Skip it if If you prefer milk chocolate or need something sweet enough for everyday snacking, 85% cacao will taste too intense and tannic. This bar rewards slow, deliberate tasting—if you want something to eat absentmindedly, a lower percentage or a flavored bar will be more satisfying.
Specs
- Cacao percentage
- 85%
- Origin
- Semuliki Forest, Uganda
- Fermentation location
- Kasese, Uganda
- Fermentation method
- Eucalyptus boxes
- Flavor notes
- Apricot, yogurt, honey
- Harvest year
- 2024
If you're giving it
- No sizing to guess
- Arrives ready to give
Craft chocolate bars typically arrive in finished packaging suitable for giving directly.
The details
This bar starts with cacao grown by more than 4500 smallholder farmers in Uganda's Semuliki Forest region. Beans are fermented locally in Kasese using boxes crafted from eucalyptus, a method that helps develop the clean, bright flavor profile. The 2024 harvest shows particularly strong fruit notes, and the roasting approach highlights that character rather than covering it.
At 85% cacao, this is a high-percentage bar that leans into complexity rather than sweetness. You get apricot brightness up front, a yogurt-like tang in the middle, and honey warmth at the finish. The fruit notes come through clearly without the roasted or earthy heaviness that sometimes dominates darker bars.
Single-origin chocolate means every bean comes from the same place, so you taste the specific terroir of the Semuliki Forest rather than a blended average. The fermentation and roasting choices preserve what makes this harvest distinctive—bright, fruity, and surprisingly approachable for such a high cacao percentage.
This is chocolate for tasting slowly, not snacking through. Break off a square, let it soften on your tongue, and notice how the flavor shifts. The bar works well alongside coffee or tea, and the fruit notes make it an interesting pairing with soft cheeses or stone fruit preserves.
High-percentage single-origin chocolate roasted to bring out the 2024 harvest's fruit character
Ships and sold by Dandelion Chocolate. About this merchant
Questions
- What does 85% cacao actually taste like?
- At 85%, this bar has very little added sugar, so the cacao flavor dominates. You get bright apricot and honey notes rather than the bitter or chalky taste some high-percentage bars have. It is tannic and intense, but fruity rather than harsh. If you are used to milk chocolate or even 70% bars, the first bite will seem strong—let it melt slowly and the complexity opens up.
- How should I store this chocolate bar?
- Keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and strong odors, ideally between 60 and 70 degrees. Avoid the refrigerator unless your kitchen is very warm, since temperature swings can cause sugar bloom—a whitish coating that is harmless but affects texture. Wrapped tightly, high-percentage chocolate like this stays good for a year or more.
- Is single-origin chocolate really different from blended?
- Yes. Single-origin means all the beans come from one place, so you taste the specific soil, climate, and fermentation methods of that region. Blended chocolate averages out those differences for consistency. In this bar, the apricot and honey notes are characteristic of the Semuliki Forest harvest—you would not get the same profile from beans grown elsewhere, even at the same cacao percentage.
- Can I bake or cook with this bar?
- You can, but it is not ideal for most recipes. The high cacao percentage and carefully preserved fruit notes will mostly disappear in baked goods, and you will lose what you paid for. Use it in applications where the chocolate shines—melted over ice cream, grated onto yogurt, or in a ganache where the flavor stays front and center. For brownies or cookies, a less expensive baking chocolate makes more sense.
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