Pure bitterness, nothing blended in. BALAVA Bean to Bar tablets are made from Lam Dong cacao that we ferment, roast, grind and mould ourselves — with no cocoa butter substitutes.
Bean to Bar
Bean to finished tablet, entirely in our own workshop
Lam Dong cacao
Fermented by the Nakano Mame method
Pure cocoa butter
No substitute fats
Bitter
One of eight flavours in the range
What the Bitter tastes like
This is the tablet for tasting the bean rather than the sugar. Clear bitterness up front, resolving into a long clean cacao finish with no off-notes left behind.
Who it suits. Anyone used to dark chocolate who wants to judge the raw material.
What bean to bar means, and why it matters
Bean to bar means one maker controls the whole process, from the cacao bean to the finished tablet. It sounds simple, but most chocolate brands on the market do not work this way — they buy in cocoa mass or couverture that someone else has already processed, then melt it, flavour it and mould it.
The difference lives in fermentation, the stage that determines most of the final flavour and the one a buyer of ready-made material cannot control. BALAVA ferments by the Nakano Mame method with time and temperature closely monitored, so the beans develop natural aroma, lose astringency and build a balanced flavour structure.
| Stage | What BALAVA does |
|---|---|
| Harvest | Pods selected at full ripeness in Lam Dong |
| Fermentation | Nakano Mame method, time and temperature controlled |
| Roasting | A gentle roast that preserves aromatics |
| Stone grinding | Ground on a stone mill rather than industrial heat pressing, keeping the natural cocoa butter in the mass |
| Tempering | Precise temperature work so the cocoa butter crystallises in the right form — this is what produces gloss and a clean snap |
| Moulding | Moulded and finished by hand, tablet by tablet |
Product details
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Bean to Bar — Bitter Chocolate |
| Type | Craft chocolate tablet, bean-to-bar process |
| Cacao | Lam Dong cacao, Nakano Mame fermentation in the BALAVA workshop |
| Fat | Pure cocoa butter — no substitute fats |
| Storage | Cool, dry, out of sunlight and away from heat. Stable temperature matters more than low temperature |
| Shipping | Travels well, including as a gift abroad — unlike our nama range, which requires refrigeration |
| Produced in | Da Lat, Lam Dong, Vietnam |
| Brand | BALAVA Chocolate |
How to taste it, and how to keep it
Bring the tablet to room temperature first. Place a piece on the tongue and do not chew straight away — pure cocoa butter melts at about 33.8°C, just below body temperature, so the piece collapses on its own within ten to twenty seconds and releases its aromatics as it goes. Chewing immediately throws away most of what the tablet has to say.
Store it dry, dark, sealed and away from temperature swings. Keep it clear of coffee and spices, because cocoa butter absorbs odours readily. Refrigeration is unnecessary unless your ambient temperature regularly exceeds 25°C.
Frequently asked questions
There is a white film on my chocolate. Is it still edible?
Yes. That is bloom — cocoa butter or sugar that has migrated to the surface after temperature swings. It is not mould and not harmful; you lose gloss and a little smoothness, nothing more.
Can it be shipped abroad?
Yes. Tablets travel well, unlike our nama range. Just avoid leaving them in a car in the sun or anywhere excessively hot.
Why does this melt faster than the chocolate I usually buy?
Because it uses pure cocoa butter with no substitute fats. Substitute fats melt above body temperature, which is why they melt slowly and leave a waxy feel.
Which flavour makes the best gift?
A mixed box is safest when you do not know the recipient. For a dark chocolate drinker, Bitter or Bittersweet; for a newcomer, Milk or Cashew; for something memorable and unusual, Kumquat.
What about bulk orders or private label?
Message us with quantity, budget per unit and the date you need delivery. Custom printed packaging is what drives the lead time, so allow several weeks.
Certification and laboratory results
Independently tested at a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Report no. 2602168/KQKN.
Certificates on file
| Food safety establishment licence | No. 94/2025/ATTP-CNĐK, issued 2 June 2025 by the Lam Dong Sub-Department of Food Hygiene and Safety |
| ISO 22000:2018 | No. GOODVNA17825.FSMS, issued 4 December 2025 by Good Vietnam National Certification JSC |
| HACCP | No. GOODVNA17825.HACCP, issued 4 December 2025 by Good Vietnam National Certification JSC |
| Manufacturer | BALAVA Co., Ltd, tax code 5801491510, Bi Doup road, Lang Biang ward, Da Lat, Lam Dong |
Declared composition and packing
| Ingredients | Cocoa mass 57%, cocoa butter 10%, sugar 25%, cocoa powder 8% |
| Shelf life | 12 months from date of manufacture |
| Pack sizes | 5g, 20g, 45g, 80g, 100g, 500g, 1kg |
| Packaging | Sealed in aluminium foil, outer carton or food-grade wrapper |
Nutritional values (per 100g)
| Parameter | Result |
|---|---|
| Energy | 549 kcal |
| Total fat | 43.9 g |
| Protein | 9.16 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.4 g |
| of which total sugars | 25.8 g |
| Sodium | 4.65 mg |
Heavy metals, mycotoxins and microbiology
| Parameter | Result | Declared maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | 0.11 | 2.0 |
| Cadmium (Cd) | 0.15 | 1.0 |
| Mercury (Hg) | 0.0063 ( |
0.05 |
| Arsenic (As) | 0.024 | 1.0 |
| Aflatoxin B1 | ND (LOD 0.4) µg/kg | — |
| Total aflatoxins | ND (LOD 0.4) µg/kg | 4 µg/kg |
| Total aerobic count | < 10 CFU/g | 10⁴ |
| Coliforms | < 10 CFU/g | 10 |
| E. coli | Not detected | 3 |
| Yeasts and moulds | < 10 CFU/g | 10² |
Every heavy metal result sits several times below the maximum BALAVA declares under Vietnam’s QCVN 8-2:2011/BYT. Aflatoxins were not detected, E. coli was not detected, and all remaining microbiological parameters pass.
Results are valid only for the sample tested. The declared maximum is the level BALAVA states in its official product self-declaration, applying QCVN 8-2:2011/BYT on heavy metal contaminant limits in food. ND: not detected. LOD: limit of detection. LOQ: limit of quantification. Full test reports and self-declarations are available on request.
Order or request a wholesale quote
Retail, wholesale, corporate gifting, custom packing and private label. We answer in English.
Email: mint@tgroup.vn
Zalo: zalo.me/640678654565315593
Phone: +84 979 600 379
Workshop: BALAVA Chocolate House, Da Lat, Vietnam
Zalo: zalo.me/640678654565315593
Phone: +84 979 600 379
Workshop: BALAVA Chocolate House, Da Lat, Vietnam
