Dandelion Chocolate and Umami Mart Sake

On July 25th San Francisco chocolate maker Dandelion Chocolate teamed up with Oakland's Umami Mart to have a chocolate and sake tasting. This is the first time I have heard of a chocolate-sake tasting. Wine and chocolate, of course (goes great with Port). Chocolate and whiskey, sure (a peaty Scotch will give dark chocolate a go). Sake and chocolate would be new for me.

The event was more class than tasting, though there was plenty of tasting. The hosts were Umami Mart's founders, Yoko Kumano and Kayoko Akabori. Joining them were Christine from Dandelion. After introductions, which included some notes on the background of both Dandelion and Umami Mart, we were told how sake is made, the different manufacturing styles used to make sake, and of course details on cacao and chocolate making.

Cacao bean with mucilage

Cacao pod

Christine began her talk by showing us a cacao pod. It had been cut open in a wedge, showing the cacao beans within. Each bean was enclosed in a pulpy material, which I later learned is called mucilage. She pulled the beans out of the pod and gave one to each of us to taste. This was another first for me. I popped it whole into my mouth. The pulp had a neutral taste, and the bean at the center was slightly bitter, but mostly bland. Christine said that she thinks the taste and texture was akin to lima beans.

We would be tasting four sakes with four bars from Dandelion. The photo below shows the pairings. I have included links to earlier ChocoCheck reviews of the Dandelion bars.

• ENTER:Sake Gold was paired with the Guatemala Cahabón 70%
• Den Nama Batch 7 was paired with Belize Maya Mountain 70%
• True Vision Yamahai was paired with Sierra Leone Gola Rainforest 70%
• Hisui Red was paired with Ecuador Camino Verde 85%

Note that the Sierra Leone bar was made at Dandelion's Japan facility. I had previously tasted all of these bars, however they were  for different harvests, except for the Sierra Leone bar, which I had tasted the San Francisco-made bar.

The pairings were intended to balance the flavors of the sake and the chocolate. I would say they were successful in this.  Each pairing was served separately, giving us time to savor the flavors. We were served about an ounce and a half of sake and a single piece of the corresponding chocolate bar. I would suggest serving two pieces would have given us more room to allow the sake and chocolate to pair up.

Christine suggested that we taste the sake, then the chocolate, then the sake again. This worked well, allowing the sake to stake its taste profile on the foundation of the chocolate. Two of the sakes were a surprise for me. The Den Nama sake was unpasteurized, which was possible because it was made locally. Unpasteurized sakes do not travel well, so it is rare to find a Japanese-made unpasteurized sake. The taste of this sake seemed more open than the others.

The Red Sake was also a surprise. It was made with red rice, from which the color came. It stood up well to the rich 85% cacao bar. This sake was served at room temperature, which allowed its flavors to open up. The tasting note on the sheet we were given reported: vine, prune, vermouth. I certainly tasted the prune and vermouth, but I haven't tasted enough vines to be able to confirm that.

By this time in the tasting the sake (and perhaps the chocolate) was having its effect, and the class became more of a social event. Umami Mart's bar is open on weekends, so ad hoc tastings can be had then, but you will need to bring your own chocolate.

Thanks to Yoko, Kayoko and Christine for a fun and informative evening!