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Single Origin

Small-Batch

Bean to Bar

PURE EXPRESSIONS

Dominican Republic

Cibao, Duarte Province

(Reserva Zorzal)

70% Dark Chocolate

A lively but approachable dark chocolate with an opening of bright, tangy cocoa and a lingering cherry-pie finish. Beneath the fruit are softer impressions of molasses and warming spice, creating complexity without abandoning the familiar flavor of traditional chocolate.

This is an excellent introduction to refined single-origin chocolate: distinctive enough to reveal the character of its source, yet comfortable enough to become an immediate favorite.

$7.50

Country

Dominican Republic

Region

Cibao, Duarte ProvinceCordillera Septentrional · Reserva Zorzal

Elevation

230 m · Northern mountain rainforest

Cacao Identity

Mixed / Documented GeneticsTrinitario, Forastero & Criollo blend

Harvest

2024April - June

Fermentation

Controlled 2–2–1–1 Fermentation

The cacao follows a controlled 2–2–1–1 fermentation protocol at Zorzal’s central fermentary. Scheduled movement between stages promotes even fermentation while developing the fruit, molasses, spice, and chocolate characteristics of the finished lot.

Centralized processing also gives estate-grown cacao and fruit from participating neighboring farms a consistent post-harvest standard.

Drying

Following fermentation, the cacao is dried in solar tunnels. It spends approximately four days on raised mesh tables, followed by three days on cement.

This staged approach combines airflow with a more gradual finish, helping stabilize the cacao while preserving its clarity and rounded chocolate character.

Certifications

USDA Organic

Producer

Zorzal Estate & Central FermentarySourced with Meridian Cacao

Roast

Balanced

Genetics / Pedigree

A Diverse Regional Blend

Supplier documentation identifies this cacao as a mixture of Trinitario, Forastero, and Criollo material. Zorzal selects and grafts cacao for fine-flavor potential while also sourcing compatible fruit from neighboring farms.

Because the finished lot brings together multiple genetic backgrounds and more than one growing source, it is best represented as a documented blend rather than a single cultivar or uniform genetic population.

Producer Profile

Zorzal Cacao operates within Reserva Zorzal, a private bird sanctuary and organic cacao demonstration farm in the Dominican Republic’s Cordillera Septentrional. The project integrates cacao production with permanent habitat protection, reforestation, and shaded agroforestry.

Cacao from the estate is joined by fruit purchased from neighboring farmers who participate in the broader conservation effort. Centralized fermentation and drying allow these harvests to be processed with consistent standards while expanding the economic value of keeping the surrounding landscape forested.

Why We Chose This Source

Some cacao protects more than its own future.

At Reserva Zorzal, every harvest is connected to a living forest—a place where rare migratory birds find winter refuge, local families cultivate cacao beneath shade, and productive land helps make conservation economically possible. The cacao does not succeed despite the wild landscape around it. It succeeds because that landscape is still there.

We chose this source because Zorzal demonstrates what cacao can become when farming and conservation are treated as partners. Purchasing this lot supports carefully fermented cacao, neighboring growers, and a model in which preserving habitat creates lasting value for the people who live beside it. It allows something as joyful as chocolate to help keep a forest standing.

Flavor of Place

Cacao in the Cordillera Septentrional

In the Dominican Republic’s northern mountains, cacao grows within the warm, rain-soaked forests of the Cordillera Septentrional. More than ten feet of annual rainfall sustains a dense broadleaf landscape where cultivated cacao shares space with abundant tropical life.

This humid setting gives the cacao an approachable but expressive character. Tangy chocolate, dark cherry, plum, molasses, and warming spice unfold over a deep chocolate foundation, creating a bar that feels both familiar and distinctly shaped by place.

Cacao in the Cordillera Septentrional — The humid forests of the Cordillera Septentrional in the northern Dominican Republic.

Conservation Through Cacao

A Sanctuary Where Cacao Protects the Forest

Reserva Zorzal is a private bird sanctuary and organic cacao farm built around a powerful idea: agriculture can help preserve a forest rather than replace it.

Most of the reserve is protected as permanently wild habitat. Cacao is grown in a shaded agroforestry system alongside macadamia, banana, and other crops, creating productive land that continues to support biodiversity. The reserve also collaborates with neighboring landowners, supports reforestation, and employs local wildlife monitors.

The name Zorzal means “thrush” in Spanish—a reference to the rare Bicknell’s Thrush, which winters in these tropical forests. Here, cacao gives the surrounding community a reason to keep that habitat standing.

A Sanctuary Where Cacao Protects the Forest — Shade-grown cacao helps protect important winter habitat for the Bicknell’s Thrush.

Crafted at the Fermentary

Many Harvests, One Refined Expression

Zorzal combines cacao from its estate with fruit purchased from neighboring farmers who share its commitment to conservation. Centralized post-harvest work allows these separate harvests to become one carefully developed expression.

The cacao follows a controlled 2–2–1–1 fermentation protocol before drying in solar tunnels. It spends four days on mesh tables, followed by three days on cement, balancing airflow and controlled finishing to develop clarity without losing the cacao’s generous chocolate character.

The result is polished and approachable: bright cherry and plum, warm molasses, gentle spice, and a lingering chocolate finish.