Letterpress Dark Chocolate - Ashanti, Ghana

David and Corey Menkes are a husband-wife duo, owners of the Letterpress Chocolate. These two had a meeting of minds with their dislike for the artificial store-bought chocolates, full of vanilla, artificial flavors, and sugar. So, they decided to invest in bean-to-bar chocolate business. The goal? Develop dark chocolate bars that bring us original craftmanship, flavors that would delight our taste buds and keep them wondering.  

Letterpress Chocolate uses organic ingredients whenever possible, and they have partnered with Cacao Services, Madre Chocolate, and Yellow Seed. The Cacao Services brings the fermentation expertise, Madre Chocolate brings the database of chocolate knowledge, and Yellow Seed connects Letterpress to the expert farmers. 

The Letterpress Chocolate Factory in Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, is where they turn the cacao into a dark chocolate bar. After the cacao is processed, it is molded into smooth silky-texture dark chocolates. Letterpress Ghana 70% is made from the origin cacao Ashanti, named after the region in Ghana. The Ghana Cocoa Board, known as COCOBOD, is one of the largest suppliers, who have taken a step towards maintaining some premium quality cacao in this African nation. Letterpress chocolates pay twice the commodity price to secure the premium Ashanti cacao, improving the farmers' wages. 

David, personally hand wraps this limited supply of chocolate bars, it takes him around 70 seconds to cover a bar. He used to be a graphic designer, he loved the quality and handcrafted feel of letterpress printing. That's where the name Letterpress Chocolate comes from, but that's another story. The vintage chocolate wrapper was designed and created by the owner, and it has a South American 1920's air-mail styled stamp on it. 

After you take this bar from its package, The Ghana, Ashanti 70% Dark looks perfectly tempered and with dark brown color. The ingredients include cacao, french sea salt, organic cane sugar, and organic cacao butter. You will feel sweet cane sugar aroma, and ecstatic flavors of graham cracker and brownie crusts, like a finely made cookie. You won't believe your senses, especially knowing that all is coming from the cacao. 

The Menken's are masterfully helping change the cacao supply chain, mainly west Africa, by producing this dark chocolate.