Makossa 66% is a dark chocolate bar with nuts, sea salt and a light hint of pepper, built on single-origin Theobroma cacao from our family-owned agroforestry estate in Cameroon. At 66% the bar sits lower than our pure dark bars deliberately: inclusions need a slightly rounder base to sit against, and a higher percentage would push salt and spice into competition with the cacao rather than conversation with it.
Named for the music
Makossa is a Cameroonian music genre created in Douala in the 1960s, blending jazz, funk, rock and rumba. Manu Dibango's Soul Makossa carried it worldwide and it has since been sampled by artists including Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Makossa is a celebration of rhythm, layering and unexpected combination, which is what this bar does with salt, spice, nuts and cacao. Naming it was not a marketing exercise. It is where we are from.
What it tastes like
A semi-sweet cacao aroma leading into sweet, salty and gently spiced. Light crisp from the nuts, and a subtle pepper note on the finish. The pepper is a whisper rather than heat, it lifts the cacao rather than covering it. This is the most textured bar we make.
Pairing
Makossa is our most versatile pairing bar because the salt gives it something to meet a spirit with. Try a peated whisky, an aged rum, or a full-bodied red such as Syrah. The salt sharpens the tannins and the nuts bridge the oak. For something lighter, an amontillado sherry.
Grown, not bought
The cacao in Makossa is harvested, fermented and sun-dried on our family's agroforestry farm in Cameroon. Everyone working it is paid the Anker Living Wage for rural Cameroon: 135,729 CFA a month, about £176 / $180. That works out at the equivalent of £7 a kilo, seven times what most cocoa farmers receive at the farmgate. We don't start from the commodity price and hope a decent income follows. We start from the wage
Makossa is a Cameroonian music genre created in Douala in the 1960s, blending jazz, funk, rock and rumba. Manu Dibango's Soul Makossa carried it worldwide and it has since been sampled by artists including Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Makossa is a celebration of rhythm, layering and unexpected combination, which is what this bar does with salt, spice, nuts and cacao. Naming it was not a marketing exercise. It is where we are from.
What it tastes like
A semi-sweet cacao aroma leading into sweet, salty and gently spiced. Light crisp from the nuts, and a subtle pepper note on the finish. The pepper is a whisper rather than heat, it lifts the cacao rather than covering it. This is the most textured bar we make.
Pairing
Makossa is our most versatile pairing bar because the salt gives it something to meet a spirit with. Try a peated whisky, an aged rum, or a full-bodied red such as Syrah. The salt sharpens the tannins and the nuts bridge the oak. For something lighter, an amontillado sherry.
Grown, not bought
The cacao in Makossa is harvested, fermented and sun-dried on our family's agroforestry farm in Cameroon. Everyone working it is paid the Anker Living Wage for rural Cameroon: 135,729 CFA a month, about £176 / $180. That works out at the equivalent of £7 a kilo, seven times what most cocoa farmers receive at the farmgate. We don't start from the commodity price and hope a decent income follows. We start from the wage
What is Makossa and why is the bar named after it?
Makossa is a Cameroonian music genre created in Douala in the 1960s, blending jazz, funk, rock and rumba. Manu Dibango's Soul Makossa carried it worldwide and it has been sampled by artists including Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Makossa is a celebration of rhythm, layering and unexpected combination, which is exactly what this bar does with salt, spice, nuts and cacao. Naming it was not a marketing decision. It is where our founder is from.
What does Makossa 66% taste like?
Semi-sweet cacao aroma leading into a sweet, salty and gently spicy profile, with a light crisp from the nuts and a subtle hint of pepper on the finish. It is the most textured bar we make. The pepper is a whisper rather than a heat, it lifts the cacao rather than competing with it.
What nuts are in Makossa 66%?
[CONFIRM NUT SPEC] Makossa contains tree nuts. Please confirm the exact varietal and inclusion percentage against the current production recipe before this page goes live, as allergen accuracy is legally required and cannot be inferred.
Is Makossa 66% suitable for people with nut allergies?
No. Makossa contains tree nuts as a core inclusion and is produced in a facility that handles nuts. If you have a tree nut allergy, we recommend Noire 73%, Voodoo 83% or Nostradamus 35% instead, though please note all bars are produced on shared equipment and trace contamination is possible.
What is the best chocolate to pair with wine or whisky?
Makossa 66% is our most versatile pairing bar because the salt and spice give it something to meet a spirit with. Pair with a peated whisky, an aged rum, or a full-bodied red such as Syrah. The salt sharpens the tannins and the nuts bridge the oak. For a lighter pairing, try an amontillado sherry.
What makes a 66% cacao bar different from 73% or 83%?
At 66%, there is enough sugar remaining to carry inclusions without the bar tipping into bitterness. This is why Makossa sits here rather than at 73%, salt, spice and nuts need a slightly rounder base to sit against. Higher percentages suit pure bars where the cacao itself is the whole story.
Where does the cacao in Makossa 66% come from?
Our own family-owned agroforestry estate in Cameroon, the same source as every Bantu Chocolate bar. Beans are fermented and sun-dried on site. The people who grow it are our employees, on a wage benchmarked to the Anker Living Wage for rural Cameroon: 135,729 CFA a month, about £176 / $180. Most brands buy beans and pay a premium. A premium is a bonus on a good harvest. A wage is what you owe someone in a bad one.
Is Makossa 66% vegan?
Yes. Like every Bantu Chocolate bar, Makossa is entirely plant-based. No dairy, no milk solids, no honey, no animal-derived ingredients of any kind.
All Natural
Dairy Free
Gluten Free
No Lecithin
Soy Free
Vegan
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