Noto Azuki × Cacao Dark Chocolate

Noto Adzuki × Cacao Dark Chocolate This dark chocolate is crafted by grounding together with azuki beans(red beans) from Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture — nurtured by the region’s distinctive climate — and cacao beans from the Dominican Republic. Known as the “ruby of the fields,” Noto’s adzuki beans are celebrated for their vivid red colour, large size, and glossy beauty. For this chocolate, we intentionally use beans that were set aside during grading due to irregular size or appearance. Rather than focusing on form, we chose to honour the strength and depth of their flavour. Adzuki and cacao, beyond the notion of Japanese and Western, we approached them simply as bean and bean — equal ingredients. Through repeated refinement of roasting and proportions, we drew out the gentle sweetness of adzuki and the rich aroma of cacao. The cacao quietly and faithfully enhances the roasted fragrance of the azuki. The first impression is the toasty aroma of cacao. Then the azuki unfolds, creating layers of roasted warmth. Gradually, the cacao — rounded by the azuki — reveals itself with richness that remains light and elegant. In the end, the roasted notes of both beans and their gentle sweetness linger in a calm, refined finish. Glossy and jewel-like in vibrancy, Noto’s azuki and cacao intertwine to create a chocolate with an elegant and beautiful aftertaste. Ingredients: Cacao nibs, cane sugar, cocoa butter, Dainagon azuki beans, sea salt. International Chocolate Awards Asia Pacific 2026 - BRONZE