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Claudio Corallo ~ Sablé 80%

 

 

 

Click to enlarge images.

 

Sablé "Sandy" 80%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 80%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario/ Hybrid

Ingredients: Cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter.

Sample Size: 50g or 1.76oz

 

Appearance: Two raw and unrefined tablets, broken tablets, no molding, large course sugar lightly covering the top and mixed with in, but not overly sugared and shiny. No glossy finish but a matte finish.

Score: 90

Snap: Thinner tablets, lightly firm crisp snap, lightly audible, but clean break lines that left a clear image of the hallows inside from the course sugar.

Score: 89

Aroma: Huge, massive aroma. Fresh coffee grinds, roasted cocoa, char, burnt toast, a bit medicinal, rubber, tar, and huge blueberries. Very slight lingering aromas of honey and cinnamon.

Score: 98

Taste: Sweet sugar up front, then charred and roasted cocoa, deeply bitter but not astringent or acidic, toasted almonds and cereal grains, and a light Cinnamon finish. The sugar is balanced and comes through at various stages of tasting. Lingering char from retro-olfaction.

Score: 96

Texture: Crunchy sugar crystals, dry and chalky, medium melt time.

Score: 82

 

I have learned to appreciate the simplicity of these bars appearance. I wasn't as kind in my first review of Claudio Corallo on appearance. Technically they should score real low on appearance but this is just straight up chocolate and simply molded. It isn't trying to be fancy and it isn't trying to be glamorous, which I like about these bars. Either be pretty and have an elaborate or unique/signature molding or just be raw and natural. It was just too broken up to score higher for rustic integrity in my opinion.

The aroma is by far and away one of the biggest aromas I have ever smelled on a bar. I took all the notes I could upon opening this package, I then repeatedly went back to the package and it took two full weeks for the aroma to dissipate from it's packaging. It still has this amazing toasted cinnamon aroma. It's like my inhaler. Two weeks later!

The aroma right out of the package was amazing. Huge blueberries underneath some pretty raw char aromas. Roasted cocoa and coffee grinds. Like someone took freshly ground, super strong, French roasted coffee grinds and put it in with this bar. But the blueberries held on. It had lots of charred aromas, burnt toast and rubber. That might not sound very appealing to some people, but I love how funky it is.

The taste is deeply bitter without any astringency or acidity. The large course sugar was exactly what this chocolate needed. It added a good sweet balance and crunchy texture. The flavor was toasted grains and cinnamon with coffee and char. Breakfast chocolate. Cinnamon toast and coffee. The char on the aroma was not as robust on the flavor but still nice mingling with toasted almonds. Not very fruity. I was hoping for a blueberry taste as strong as it was on the aroma.

Aside from the crunchy sugar crystals, I wasn't in love with the texture of this chocolate. It's dry, and chalky and had a medium long melt time. This chocolate would be perfection if it had a creamier texture.

 

Final Score: 91

    score
 B+

TCHO ~ Chocolate Drenched Mango Pieces

 

 

 

I like the folks at TCHO. They are some beer loving peeps who like taste experiences from all different aspects. Although I wish they had a beer and chocolate pairing guide on their website like they do for wine and cheese. Just saying.

They were kind enough to send me a lovely shipment of chocolate to sample. In that shipment came these lovely little noshes. Chocolate Drenched Mango Pieces dipped in 60% Peruvian chocolate.

Today I won't dig too far into TCHO's history. Normally I like to include a history about a new company I am writing about. I would like to save that for the next reviews I have coming up. Some of their origin chocolate is up for review.

After having a not-so-great Valentine's Day, I cracked open the large tin of the chocolate covered mango pieces from TCHO. They're just what I needed. I am also thrilled to note that 17 pieces are only 90 calories. This is fabulous news for those of us who are keeping an eye on the waistline but still want a sweet spot.

 

 

Via TCHO about their Chocolate Drenched line.

"...our Chocolate Drenched Treats have leapfrogged our bars — and for very good reason: they are just compulsively delicious, if we say so ourselves. We can’t stop eating them, and we have a whole chocolate factory full of amazing stuff to choose from."

They are very addicting. Foodie crack right here y'all.

These little unassuming nuggets are very surprising. As soon as you open the tin and open the plastic covering you are flooded with deep rich chocolate aromas. It filled my whole living room. Dry roasted cocoa, a little tart and astringent on the nose at first, but then deep roasted nutty aromas.

A little sharp at first from the tangy mango and bitter chocolate, but then it smooths out. The mango bits are soft and flavorful. They hold up well to the rich and bold chocolate. The chocolate is deep, fruity, and complex. Fruity by the sweet and soft mango and by the chocolate they called "Fruity" from Peru, which does have strong fruit forward characters about it.

These are nice and surprising because you wouldn't expect something that rich or good on a product like this. You would think 60%, a semisweet, would be too sweet but the chocolate is very bold, deep and rich. Almost on the line for being too much for the chocolate but strikes just the right balance instead. And again those mango bits hang on and don't allow themselves to be overtaken by the rich chocolate. Usually it's cheaper chocolates and chewier, dried up pieces of mango or fruit. Not here. These are awesome. I could pick on these all day. Good Peruvian chocolate and soft mango pieces and not that high in calories. And I kind of want to leave the tin open like a fruity, chocolate-y, reed diffuser for my apartment.

 

Product information:

Chocolate Drenched Mango
Ingredients: Dark chocolate (cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), dried mango, sugar, corn syrup, tapioca dextrin, confectioner's glaze

Nutrition: Serving Size: 17 pieces (20g), Calories 90, Calories from Fat: 45, Amount Per Serving (% DV*): Total Fat 5g (8%),Sat. Fat 3g (15%), Trans.Fat 0g (0%), Cholesterol 0mg (0%), Sodium 0mg (0%), Total carb. 12g (4%) Dietary Fiber 2g (8%), Sugars 9g, Protein 1g, Vitamin A (6%), Vitamin C (15%), Calcium (0%), Iron (2%) *Percent Daily Values (% DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Mast Brothers ~ Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs (Revisited)

 

This is an evolution of taste and review skills. The whole point of this blog is to watch me grow into tasting chocolate. Learning and understand chocolate better.

This is my first go at Mast Brothers. Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

I have to be honest, looking back I feel like the score I initially gave it was a little too high. That appearance is very streaky and I scored too high. And to be honest I was too generous with the taste score. It wasn't bad chocolate by any means. It still deserves a good score. Maybe in the B-range not the A-range. I still feel like the Mast Brothers have a long way to go with Madagascar beans. They excel with South American and primarily Venezuelan beans. However, I predict they will have one of the top Madagascar profiles in the U.S. And after tasting this bar again they have already improved greatly. They just need to keep working at it and keep tweaking it. Tone down it's rough sharp acidic edges and allow some softness to come through. Soften the sharpness so it's not a distraction to the amazing flavors Madagascar beans produce.

 

 

Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

 

Type: Filled Bittersweet, 72%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Cocoa, organic cane sugar, cocoa nibs.

Sample Size: 2.5oz or 71g

 

Appearance: Smooth simple molding, a few nicks on the molded surface side, gorgeous smooth surface on the flip side peppered with wonderful contrasting cocoa nibs. The nibs make it pop. Darker chocolate color as well. Deeper shade of brown.

Score: 92

Snap: Crisp but thin snap. Clean break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: First thing it smelled like coffee, char, and roasted peanuts, roasted cocoa and a tart aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Acidic, tart, tangy, fruity, cherries, char, pepper, peanuts, cedar wood finish with lingering coffee notes and very slight medicinal notes on the aftertaste.

Score: 94

Texture: Slightly waxy right up front then opens up smooth, crunchy, not gritty.

Score: 90

 

I think this review more accurately depicts this bar of chocolate. This tastes better to me now but the technical marks more accurately reflect this bar in my honest opinion. I have been learning how to taste better the more chocolate I have and the more I review. That is the point of my blog. Learing and growing with chocolate.

It's becoming more balanced with the Madagascar cocoa. It's still a big tart and astringent, but it's a lot more mellow than it used to be. There is more balance with the flavor of the nibs and the conched chocolate. I got a few hints on cherries from the nibs as well this time. More nutty flavors as well and less dominating wood flavors.

I love how they balanced the texture. The crunchy cocoa nibs are just that crunchy and a bit soft but not gritty. The initial texture however, was a bit waxy this time. But it opened up creamy and had a fast melt time. This is chocolate you are allowed to chew up and not just let rest on your tongue.

Much better bar and I think much more accurate scoring. As accurate as you can get for a highly subjective tasting blog anyway.

 

Final Score: 91.8

   score
  B+

 

Chocolat Bonnat ~ Trinité 75%

 

 

 

Long standing traditional French chocolatier continuing today with single-origin bars. Beans hand selected and sourced from plantations around the world by Stéphan Bonnat. They are selected and then shipped to Voiron where they are roasted and made into chocolate bars.

 

Via their website:

Bonnat is story of a family’s long love affair with chocolate. It is a story which began back in 1884 when Félix Bonnat established his premises at number 8, cours Sénozan in Voiron (Isère region).

All Bonnat’s customers in France and those making their way home for Christmas by boat from the French colonies looked forward to tasting the Voiron “Pavés” (Praline Chunks) and other Bonnat specialities.

As time went by Félix Bonnat’s two sons, Armand and Gaston, began to help him more and more with the production and running of the family business.

And in 1956 Raymond Bonnat finally took over the firm. After studying business, he toured France, studied at the School of Chocolatiers in Basel, completed the COBA School and finally did a tour of Switzerland. He got married in 1959 and his wife Nicole, the daughter of well-known hoteliers in the region, helped him to run the business. Two of their four children, Cécile and Stéphane from the fourth generation, perpetuate the high quality tradition which has always formed the basis of the family business.

Our shop in Voiron is a place of pilgrimage for unconditional Bonnat lovers where they are greeted by Nicole Bonnat and her daughter Cécile.

Given that many tourists pass through Voiron on their way to the mountains, many of our foreign customers often stop off en route to see us. Our products are sold in Paris and in sixty other departments of France thanks to our network of sales representatives. Bonnat was dispatching its products out to the French colonies as early as 1919 – Africa, Indo-china, Asia. Because our business has always taken us to far away countries, having an affinity with and understanding the diverse mentalities of different continents is something which comes naturally. And of course our travels have also given us a real taste for the high seas.

In France, as abroad, our priority is to preserve the chocolate- making traditions which have made the Bonnat name so famous. We believe that, :

"What is good to the taste
is great for the soul"

 

 

 

This bar is part of the Grand Cru single-origin collection from Bonnat. Trinité also known as Trinity or Trinidad in the Caribbean. This is the origin in which these cacao beans come from for this bar.

 

 

Trinté 75%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 75%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario.

Ingredients: Cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar.

Sample Size: 100g or 3.5g

Lot: A

 

 

Appearance: Smooth, simple molding with smaller squares, monogrammed, and ashy in patches all over the bar.

Score: 83

Snap: Great firm snap, nice crack when it snapped and clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: Beautiful rustic aroma. Earthy, musty and dirty, tree bark, a little nutty, deep roasted cocoa, sweet, spicy, and a little hint of cinnamon.

Score: 95

Taste: Deep cocoa, bitter, earthy and musty, opens up with a little bit of sweetness, woody, mild medicinal hints,

Score: 93

Texture: Very smooth and silky, smoothest texture I have tasted in a while, but not overly soft, medium melt time.

Score: 95

 

This is rustic, earthy, down and dirty chocolate. I loved it. Tasted like tree bark and wood. It smelled nutty and had a musty kind of aroma and taste to it. That may not sound too desirable but believe me this is nice earthy chocolate. It's aroma matched it's taste nearly point for point aside from the small hints of cinnamon I detected on the aroma. It was no where to be found on the taste.

The texture was unbelievable. So silky and smooth. I don't think I have tasted a bar of chocolate with this kind of silky quality to it before. And it wasn't overly soft either. It didn't melt away too fast. You can sit back and enjoy it for a minute.

Nothing but praise for this bar. Just some minor surface issues, but otherwise a very good bar of chocolate. I am actually looking forward to melting this down for hot chocolate as well. Lately I have been into making my own at home with left over sample bits of chocolate and even blending samples together. I can imagine this rustic, woody-tasting chocolate with a kick of cayenne and cinnamon.

 

Final Score: 92

   score
  B+