Balanced bitter and sweet — one step gentler than the Bitter. 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
Bittersweet
One of eight flavours in the range
What the Bittersweet tastes like
It keeps the bitter cacao base but adds enough sweetness to soften the edge. This is the balance most people find easiest, and the best tablet to eat alongside coffee.
Who it suits. Anyone who wants dark chocolate but is not ready for straight bitterness.
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 — Bittersweet 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.
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
