There was great excitement in the shop yesterday as three new Valrhona chocolate bars arrived to add to our collection. Needless to say, we had to rip open one of each immediately to sample (i.e. devour)!
The bars are so new they are only on the news section of the Valrhona website, and they widen the range nicely.
They are: 
Araguani: We have used this chocolate for baking for some time, but it’s new as a retail bar. It’s not as subtle as the Caraibe or Guanaja, but it carries a bitterness that is great for cooking and a straightforward chocolate hit…
Abinao: At 85% cocoa, this bar is a chocolate explosion.
Tanariva: A milk chocolate to complement the Jivara, Tanariva has less cocoa content and strong hints of caramel. Although it’s complex and high quality, it’s a good option for people with simpler and sweeter tastes.
Technorati tags: chocolate, valrhona, abinao, araguani, tanariva
A couple of vegan ones there 🙂
Have you tasted the new Butler organic range? I haven’t (yet) had the pleasure myself.
keith
All dark chocolate should be vegan, but of course that is not always the case if the company puts junk in it…
I haven’t tried the Butler’s range, but I did notice it in the airport…
where can i buy some 85% chocolate i live in dundalk?
I will ask our distributor if they have any accounts up there that sell Valrhona. Sometimes Tesco stocks Lindt 85%, depending on the store…
Olive Deli in Skerries and Eagans in Drogheda stock Valrhona. They have an 85% bar called “Abinao.”
I’ve been using araguani for a couple years now and love working with it (especially les feves discs). I just went through 6 kilos over the holidays. I haven’t had 85% valrhona, but I did recently try another brand at that percentage–and found my limit! It’s more bitter than sweet beyond 75%, but I suppose a good food pairing or additive to recipe would put it to good use.
I’m with you, Brian. I do think the best tasting chocolate is around the 70% mark. 85% is fine for some cooking applications, but overwhelms my palate. For baking, I do love the araguani…