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Black Urfa Chili
Our Black Urfa Chili bar is another flavorful collaboration with our friends at Burlap & Barrel. Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar are as passionate about sourcing single origin spices as we are about sourcing single origin cacao! They visit the farms personally, trade directly with the farmers, and find unique spices available nowhere else.
We’ve wanted to release a spicy bar for a long time. Most of the chili peppers we tried added only heat, and we wanted something more. We found it in the Urfa Chili, which boasts many complex flavors due to the fermentation process it undergoes after harvesting. We’ve paired it with our single origin Zorzal Communitario cacao from the Dominican Republic.
About Burlap & Barrel
Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international food supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable. Their unique and personally sourced spices can be found in the kitchens of Michelin star chefs. And for good reason – the flavors are extraordinary. We encourage you to check out their website to learn more about the great work they’re doing, and also discover their unmatched selection of spices… including the Black Urfa Chili!
About the Black Urfa Chili
The Black Urfa Chili used in this bar is sourced by Burlap & Barrel from Southeastern Turkey, just outside the city of Şanlıurfa. It starts as a red, sweet, spicy pepper. After harvesting it’s fermented in the sun where it changes color from red to black and develops its characteristic flavor profile. Much like our chocolate it’s ground between massive granite wheels. Sunflower oil and salt are added during the grinding process. The chilis are grown by farmer Bekir Bey. He and his family spend about ten months a year planning, planting, tending, watering and harvesting these very special chili peppers. For more information visit Burlap and Barrel’s website where you can buy the Black Urfa Chili for yourself!
About Zorzal Cacao
The 1000 acre Zorzal Reserve in the Dominican Republic was originally envisioned as a pure conservation land trust approach to preserve biodiversity using the Bicknell’s thrush as a landmark species. However, shortly after the reserve was designated in 2012 founder Charles Kerchner saw an opportunity to not only help local farmers receive higher prices for their cacao but also raise funds to help with management of the reserve. This was the inspiration for Zorzal Cacao. For more information and pictures from our trip please visit our Zorzal Cacao page, and the Zorzal website.
… and a note about Turkey
Although we’ve never visited Şanlıurfa we’ve been to Turkey many times and absolutely love the country. We highly recommend it as a travel destination, especially Istanbul and the small towns along the Lycean coast. If you’re planning to travel there and would like some personalized recommendations please email us. Iyi günler!
For more information on fine flavor cacao, our personal approach to direct sourcing and our unique chocolate making process please visit our Fine Cacao, Our Chocolate and Our Process pages.
Tasting notes: Raisin, fig, black pepper, plum & more. Deep, dark and earthy with pleasant, lingering heat.
Monica and the kids harvesting cacao pods in the Dominican Republic
$16.00
Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter (Zorzal), Black Urfa Chili (the chili is ground with sunflower oil and salt)
Sunflower Oil. Soy Free, Gluten Free, Not Alkalized, No Lecithin, Vegan