I have seen notes about cocoa beans from the Ocumare region of Venezuela, but have yet to experience these beans until now. They come from northern Venezuela in the mountain region.
This bar was sent to me from the Amano team. It was the last one I had to review in a set of 3 that they sent to me. With it was the Dos Rios, and the Guayas. The Dos Rios is to date the only bar of chocolate that has received a 100% score for the aroma. No other bar has yet to receive a 100% in any category.
[Images via travelmarcelo.com, Tourismodeplaya.com, and Jaime Perez via fotopaisis.com]
Flavor profiles and general descriptions via The Nibble:
| •Criollo & Trinitario •Sharp •Spicy, peaches, red fruits •Dairy |
Ocumare 61. Originally from the Ocumare de la Costa valley; Criollo and Trinitario hybridized blend. This cacao is gentle and light, but it still possesses a slight acidic punch. Flavors can vary, but most often, it yields earthy spiciness, peaches, red fruits and fresh dairy. |
| •Criollo & Trinitario •Darker, robust •Cashews, peanuts •Spice, pepper |
Ocumare 67. Originally from the Ocumare de la Costa valley, a Criollo and Trinitario hybridized blend. Interesting flavors of cashews, peanuts, spice, pepper, and sometimes dairy. The tone is a little darker than Ocumare 61 and it does not possess 61’s sharpness. It is more robust than 61 in overall character, with a heavier body. |
Via Amano:
Product Details:
It is rare that cocoa is grown in the mountains, most all cocoa is grown in secluded valley's or in flat areas. This chocolate is made from cocoa beans that break this mold. The cocoa beans for Montanya come from deep with in the mountains of Venezuela. The only way to reach these secluded farms is either to hike or by horseback. Similarly, the cocoa beans are brought out by horseback after the farmers have carefully harvested, fermented, and dried the beans to bring out their most beautiful flavor. These rare cocoa beans produce a chocolate like no other with a complex deep and rich flavor that is sure to make chocolate lovers swoon.
This chocolate is being released as a “Limited Edition” due to the rarity of the cocoa beans we use to produce it.
The Chocolate Maker's Notes:
When I discovered the cocoa beans that are being produced by a small group of farms deep in the mountains of Northern Venezuela, I was enchanted. The more I learned about these farms, the deeper my appreciation for them became.
There are few places in the world where cocoa is grown in the mountains and this is one of them. The heritage of the cocoa comes through Ocumare. In the 1940's, graftings were taken from Ocumare and brought to these remote farms. Since that time, much Trinitario (a variety of cocoa bean that has its roots in Trinidad) has been brought to Ocumare. It is very possible, these remote farms hold purer Ocumare than Ocumare itself does today.
In our small factory, just south of Salt Lake City, I tested a small batch of these beans and their flavor was incredible. From them, I made a small batch of chocolate. The instant I tasted them, I was in love with the deep complexity of flavor produced by these beans. This experience was shared by each person I shared them with. It was not long before I had brought these rare beans to our factory to turn them into chocolate.
There will be those who debate how much of Montanya's flavor comes from the cocoa bean's roots in the mountains of Venezuela. While altitude the soil and growing conditions unique to the mountains surely have a significant impact on the flavor of the finished chocolate. How much the altitude affects the flavor, it is impossible to say, there simply are too few places in the world where cocoa is grown in the mountains to make this kind of judgment. In the end, it simply does not matter. The flavor is enchantingly complex and it will create a passionate lover of this beautiful chocolate out of each person who tries it.
Art Pollard
Founder, Head Chocolate Maker
Montanya 70%
Type: Bittersweet, 70%
Bean Varietal: Hybrid, Trinitario
Ingredients: Cocoa beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole vanilla beans.
Lot #: 3/4/69 or 314169
Sample Size: 2oz or 56g
Appearance: Simple square shaped bite size bits with monogrammed molding, deep brown color, muted and ashy (maybe the start of sugar bloom), and bit banged up.
Score: 83
Snap: Great snap. Crisp, loud, and firm. Clean break lines.
Score: 95
Aroma: Soft, sweet, pretty and perfume-y, deep berries, a tiny bit inky and slight hints of rubber, and sweet vanilla.
Score: 94
Taste: Intense flavor, very bitter and very sweet, deep roasted cocoa, big apricot notes, fruity with red wine grapes, slight hints of ink and tar.
Score: 96
Texture: Smooth, and soft, quick melt time.
Score: 94
One day I will get an Amano bar that is shiny and beautiful. I desperately want to give their bars good marks for appearance, but for all the bars I have tried from them, they all have this beat up look to them. This one also had what looks to be the start of some sugar bloom happening to it. I think that coupled with some banged up edges made for an ashy, tarnished appearance. It makes me kind of angry because this chocolate was fantastic. It deserves all the right marks. But I can't seem to get a decent appearance on these bars.
The aroma is completely disarming compared the bold and intense flavor. It's very delicate, sweet, soft, and perfume-y on the nose, and then you taste it and it's intensely bitter and yet very sweet to balance it. Bold fruit flavors, and hints of tar and ink. Very sexy and intriguing chocolate, it's stunningly good.
Very bold and fantastic chocolate. I am disappointed to give it a lower score. It deserves much higher, but I can't give it what it deserves based on the appearance.
Final Score: 92.4
B+
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