I have been sitting on this chocolate for a short while. It's been stuffed in my massive library I have for review. Not too long though. I bought this chocolate with a small note in the order requesting information. They sent right after my order some details about their company along with their emails to contact them with any questions. Very friendly and it shows they are paying attention to the orders.
Madécasse (mah-DAY-cas) was formed by two men Brett Beach and Tim McCollum. After being inspired from their Peace Corps work, they decided to make a bean-to-bar chocolate with beans grown in Madagascar, and the bars are made in Madagascar as well. Instead of sourcing the beans and made here in the US, they make their product right there on the spot. They pay their farmers above fair trade prices and according to their packaging, making the bars in Africa "creates 4x more income than fair trade cocoa alone." Also mentioned on their website, 85% of the worlds cocoa is grown in Africa, but only 1% of chocolate is actually made there.
We’ve spent over 10 years combined working and living in Madagascar as Peace Corps Volunteers, and beyond. The island became home and the people our families and friends. Our products represent that personal connection to the island, a deeper understanding of the rich and complex flavors hidden inside the varieties of cocoa, vanilla and peppercorns found exclusively in Madagascar. The result is unique, satisfying products unlike anything you’ve tasted before.
There are only a few companies out there this committed to actually helping the environment and helping the people where their cocoa is grown and sourced. This is a wonderful thing they are doing. They also make vanilla extracts and sell whole vanilla beans, and pepper corns.
Type: Semisweet
Varietal: Unknown, but more than likely Trinitario or a hybrid of.
Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla.
Sample Size: 75g or 2.64 oz
Appearance: Simple molding with a small monogram on each little tab. Smooth and shiny with only a few minor matted marks.
Score: 93
Snap: Nice firm snap, clean break lines, and a good snap sound.
Score: 93
Aroma: Big aroma right out of the package but soft at the same time. Roasted, a little smoky, cedar wood, soft tar, mild hints of berries. That immediate aroma dissipates quickly leaving a mild roasted aroma with smoky hints.
Score: 93
Taste: Sweet up front, hints of tar and bitter wood flavors, slightly medicinal, big cedar wood flavors right in the center of the flavor profile, finishes sugary and sweet.
Score: 92
Texture: Very waxy, slow melt time, it gets more creamy at the end, but it takes a while to get to that creaminess, opens up to a little bit of some rougher texture at the end but very slight. Overall smooth and creamy at the end.
Score: 82
It's certainly lives up to it's name. It's very mellow yet there are strong features on it's aroma. Even the taste that has big cedar wood flavors, yet it's still a rather soft and mellow chocolate.
Despite the waxy texture which really tanks the score here, it's very tasty and lovely soft Madagascar chocolate. This is a nice way to break someone into Madagascar cocoa. It has all the favorite things I love about Madagascar cocoa beans which is that big cedar wood flavor and yet has seemed to mellow some of the other flavors like the tar and medicinal flavors which can sometimes interfere in my opinion with the more desirable flavors. A bit sugary on the finish, but not an unwelcome feature. It is a semisweet after all.
To be perfectly honest I am going to take the rest of this bar and melt in a cup of steamed almond milk for a nice Madagascar hot chocolate. The sugary content of this bar will make for fabulous drinking cocoa. I am sure that's not exactly what they intended, but I as my sweet tooth drifts further away from me as my palate is shifting, this is a great way for me to enjoy it better.
Final Score: 90.6
B+
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