To'ak Chocolate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To'ak Chocolate (pronounced Toe-Ahk[1]) is an Ecuadorian chocolate company founded in 2013 by Jerry Toth, Carl Schweizer, and Denise Valencia.[2] It produces its chocolate from the rare Nacional cocoa bean variety.[3] To'ak Chocolate's Heirloom Nacional cacao bar has been dubbed "the world's most expensive chocolate bar" by CNBC in 2017.[4]
To’ak's chocolate bars are produced from the Nacional variety of cocoa bean, which was thought to be extinct by some experts.[5][6]
The chocolate bar is handcrafted, and its production involves fermenting the cocoa beans.[7][8][9][10] The chocolate bar is composed entirely of the Nacional cocoa bean, with a small amount of added cane sugar.[5][11] A single roasted cacao bean is placed in the middle of the bar to signify the bar's origin.[12] The company ages bars in wood casks and empty spirit casks.[13][14]