A benchmark set of bars — by origin and style — that covers the course's tasting sessions, sourced first from Dandelion (your local San Francisco maker), with Caputo's filling the styles Dandelion doesn't make. Roughly 14 bars, most $8–15 each.
0 of 14 bought
How this is sourced.
1 · Dandelion first. They make two-ingredient dark single-origin 70% bars (cocoa + sugar), the ideal clean canvas for tasting — and they're maker-direct in San Francisco, so freshness and provenance are as good as it gets. Where a bar says "Dandelion," that's the primary pick.
2 · Caputo's second. Dandelion doesn't make milk, white, ruby, couverture, or a Venezuelan/Criollo bar — for those, Caputo's carries dozens of makers and ships free over $30 (US). Those items are marked.
3 · Stock & freshness. Dandelion bars are small-batch and sell out; any in-stock origin works for the lesson. Check batch/date, and use warm-weather packaging in summer.
Alternatives if a style is unavailable at both: Bar & Cocoa (barandcocoa.com) and Cocoa Runners (cocoarunners.com, UK, ships worldwide).
The origin flight — dark single origins (70%)
Madagascar (Ambanja)
The "bright" reference — red fruit & citrus acidity
Dandelion — Ambanja, Madagascar 70%. Their first-ever container of beans; vivid berry/citrus brightness. The single most useful bar for calibrating acidity (Session 3).
A classic chocolatey origin (and the floral-Nacional question)
Dandelion — Camino Verde, Ecuador 70% (their flagship, deeply "chocolatey"). Note: Camino Verde is the chocolatey style, not the floral Nacional/Arriba — for that specific floral profile, add Pacari via Caputo's.
Dandelion — Anamalai, India 70% (Tamil Nadu single estate). For Vietnam specifically, add Marou via Caputo's — either covers the Session 8 Asia lesson.
Not a Dandelion origin.Caputo's — Firetree (single-estate island bars) or any PNG craft bar. Taste the wood-dried smoke — prized here, a fault elsewhere (S12).
Light-roast, fruit-forward: Dandelion — their whole house style leans bright/low-roast (Ambanja is a fine example). Dark-roast, classic: Amano or Pralus via Caputo's. Taste them side by side.
Caputo's — Dick Taylor, Fruition, or Chocolat Madagascar sea-salt. Your plain twin to compare against is any Dandelion single-origin (they're two-ingredient by design). Does the salt complete the bar or hide it?
Dandelion sells baking chips/nibs, not couverture.Guittard (Burlingame, CA — also local) or Valrhona (Guanaja, Caraïbe) via Caputo's. Compare its silky melt to a cheap "compound" coating bar (S14).
Dandelion is the ideal pick — they source directly, pay above commodity price, name the farm/co-op on every wrapper, and publish producer profiles. Read one against Sessions 16–17. (Also excellent: Original Beans, Åkesson's, Marou via Caputo's.)
Dandelion — The Originals Collection (two single-origin bars, chocolatey vs bright, side by side) or their single-origin subscription. A fast way to start a comparative flight (Session 4).