Fjåk Thailand 85%
Fjåk - Thailand - Thai cacao - chanthaburi - 85% - Batch MAR2026
Cacao origin/type:
Local cacao variety from Chanthaburi
Ingredients:
Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter
Other facts:
Made in Norway (Fjåk Chocolate AS, Eidfjord)
"Chanthaburi is a beautiful region, located on the coast just a few hours drive southeast of Bangkok. During our recent visit to Thailand we the pleasure to meet husband and wife team Boom and Suriya at their small farm together with the whole Thai Cacao team. We spent time together visiting farms anb the fermentation process center. In the evening we sang karaoke together with Boom, she is not only and amazing cocoa farmer but the best karaoke singer!" - Fjåk
At the very end of the Norwegian Hardangerfjord in the small town of Eidfjord, the two girls Agurtxane Concellon and Siv Hereid have been making chocolate since 2015 and the Fjåk brand has been around since the end of 2017. This name comes from the Hardanger dialect, in which people of a certain generation refer to themselves as "Fjåk". Agur and Siv roughly translated this term as "lovable" or "honest".
Fjåk sources its cocoa beans from renowned cooperatives or directly, such as the Madagascar cocoa beans from Bertil Akesson (another well-known manufacturer with its own farms). In addition to the fantastic Single Origin range, the two also released chocolates with additives from their Norwegian homeland, such as brown cheese or special reindeer moss. Fjåk made a very strong first impression at the Academy of Chocolate Awards 2018, winning the award for Best Newcomer in gold, silver and bronze with various bars.
The bars are always beautifully flat, as is often considered the best option for high-quality chocolate in order to have an even, smooth melt on the tongue. Divided geometrically simple but chic, in an asymmetrical mix of small rectangles and triangles, which gives a modern touch. I also always like the packs with the Scandinavian minimalist, grey cardboard, but with a colorful touch via the beautiful label and especially the cool retro lettering. The Thailand breaks hard and very straight, with a very smooth cross-section. It also has a slightly maroon-like hue, rich and deep.
Aroma:
You find the fruits and tropical notes promised on the packaging directly in the nose, great bright, fresh notes of pineapple, papaya, mango and a hint of light nuts like macadamia
Taste:
Despite the rather thin bar, it has a very slow and relatively dry melt, gives you a lot of time to appreciate the flavours, notes of passion fruit and pineapple come directly through, behind it dry, tropical grasses, pineapple peel, slightly spicy bitterness with some black pepper, actually from the fermentation notes also a kind of boozyness, which Fjak himself of course appropriately calls "rum", which I find a bit too specific, but it's nice nonetheless
Finish:
Quite dry and matt finish, slightly fermented fruit, here especially mango and some yellow bell pepper
Conclusion:
I always love chocolates with quite unique flavors and like to give them at least one bonus point apart from the "objective quality", here as well. The Thailand is a little too dry overall and doesn't have the longest finish, but its tropical fruitiness is inspiring without the aggressive acidity of some South American single origins, which often comes along with the fruit.
