20°N & 20°S

Mast Brothers ~ La Red de Guaconejo 74%

 

 

**Archived Notes

 

Organic Dominican Republic beans sourced from La Red de Guaconejo cooperative in the northern tropical part of the country.

 

 

La Red de Guaconejo 74%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 74%

Bean Varietal: Hispanola (Forastero/Criollo blend)

Ingredients: Cacao and cane sugar.

Sample Size: 2.5 oz

Batch #: 11091211

 

Appearance: Dark brown color, non-monogrammed molding, slightly dry looking, but not ashy, slight scuff marks on the top surface, shiny top surface, minor air bubbles on the back surface.

Score: 89

Snap: Mild snap, slightly firm with lightly crisp snap sound. Crumbly break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: Soft aroma of bright acidic red cherries, pipe tobacco, and soft wood.

Score: 93

Taste: Deeply bitter, inky, sour and acidic, slight medicinal notes, earthy, cherries, pipe tobacco, buttery toast, soft wood, lingering bitterness.

Score: 84

Texture: Smooth, medium melt-time, creamy and a little chalky.

Score: 92

 

This was okay chocolate. Good but far from great. Though there are some flaws in it, I didn't seem to mind them as much for this bar. It has notes that I am usually not that fond of, but in this case, they work well on this bar. The medicinal notes worked. The acidity would have been fine along with the bright cherry flavors but it's the bitterness that left his bar unbalanced. So much bitterness it overtakes the whole bar.

Toast and jam. Those were the best flavors on this bar. I tried to not to be influenced by the package description indicating notes of pipe tobacco and cherries, but that is exactly what is all over this bar. Aroma and taste. It has good earthy medicinal tastes along with ink upfront and then bright cherries, toast, and tobacco. But the flavors were disjointed by the acidity and bitterness. It's almost like a dual bar. It really detracts from some of the richness in the flavors. You have to really burrough through bitterness before the lovely cherry, toast, and tobacco flavors come through. And then your palate is left with more lingering bitterness. If it were tamed a bit more, this would be lovely chocolate.

 

Final Score: 89.6

   score
  B+

Mast Brothers ~ Brooklyn Blend 73%

 

 

 

Mast Brothers Brooklyn Blend 73%

Lovely packaging. Meat-packing paper that looks like a southern quilt of patch work of their other wrappers. They really do pick the best papers for their packaging.

No listing on what beans were used for this blend. I should be able to guess by the taste, but I am rather miffed that their minimalist website has zero information about their products. Don't get me wrong, I love the Mast Brothers. I just wish basic information was provided. It's a blended bar so how about telling me which blends instead of this generic description on the back.

 

We have brought all of our favorite beans from around the world to create our first house blend. A balanced chocolate with hints of red wine, tobacco, and plum.

 

Are they suggesting they used every bean in rotation for their origin bars, or just their favorites? Maybe I am being too technical here, but it does help knowing some of the origins so you can understand certain flavor profiles and why certain flavors may or may not have worked. And don't tell me it's an industry secret either. That would be lame. Perhaps, the patch work paper is telling me which beans are in it?

 

Brooklyn Blend, 73%

 

Type: Blended bittersweet, 73%

Bean Varietal: Unknown, blend

Ingredients: Cacao and cane sugar.

Sample Size: 2.5oz

 

Appearance: Nice shiny surface, non-monogrammed molding, slightly ashy on the back with some minor particle matter on the back, but very minimal. Great shape.

Score: 93

Snap: Medium snap quality, a slight dull thud sound mixed with a mildly crisp snapping sound, crumbly break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: Very subtle aroma. A little inky, some mild charred notes, a little tart, and soft smoke.

Score: 87

Taste: Sweet, astringent, tangy, slightly sour, fruity, cherries, citrus, wood, ink, tar, earthy, buttery biscuit finish.

Score: 92

Texture: Gritty, medium melt-time, drying and cloying on the palate.

Score: 83

 

Much better appearance and flavor than the previous reviewed Moho River. Shiny surface, and no streaking on the backside. Just a tiny bit of particles.

The aroma and texture were the weakest things about this bar. It's really so subtle and soft. Not a lot of dynamic there on the aroma. The texture was overly drying, cloying, and gritty. It started off smooth due to the molding and I hoped it stayed that way, but it really opened up gritty. Not a fan of stone grinding. I should say stone grinding that doesn't finish the job. I have had bars from Mast that are texturally fantastic. But sometimes you get a miss. This is a miss.

The flavor is strong. Big and fruity. There is definitely Madagascar in this bar with th bright citrus and acidic notes and cherries in the fruits. There is also some ink and big wood flavors. I think the earthiness is either from the Dominican Republic beans or something coastal in Northern Venezuela. Something that has those funky ink, char, and tar flavors. Those flavors are present too. But the fruits win on this bar. And the lingering buttery biscuit notes. It's just unbalanced with the acidity and astringency.

The flavors listed on the bar were once again not what I tasted. I didn't get plums, or tobacco. Red wine maybe with it's fruitness, drying texture, and acidity. But that wasn't really it. No influencing either with just reading and suggesting the words. That can happen which is another reason why I don't like flavors listed on bars.

I have had this bar fresh from the source and sat at the Radegast German Beer Hall next door and enjoyed it with some Munich Dunkels with it. I have done the same with their Occumare too. It's a wonderful experience. But better to eat it right there on the spot. When the chocolate is a mere hours old, not old enough have fully breathed yet, and the beers are cold, malty, and biscuit-y to help tone down that astringency.

I am beginning to worry about the Mast Brothers and their consistency issues. There seems to be a hallmark with acidity and astringent bars. It's not a good hallmark to have. I fear they are creating way too many new products, new bars from new origins without addressing these technical marks. You can get far on the fact that most people don't understand where it's a technical flaw or a desired effect like the smoke in the Papua New Guinea. But it's not going to last for long with other bean-to-bar producers who are effectively producing flawless chocolate. I praise and commend the Mast Brothers. I admire them greatly and was one of their original fans and enamored with their products. But as my palate has grown and expanded, so have my eyes or my palate rather, been opened to the undeniable flaws all over their products. I need them to slow down and tweak, tweak, tweak their recipes and start refining their ways. They could be the American masters if they focused a little bit more on their classics, even this house blend. Less grittiness, less acidity, less astringency. More rich flavors, more true flavors of the cacao that's not being trounced by the aforementioned issues.

 

Final Score: 89

   score
    B

Mast Brothers ~ Papua New Guinea 71%

 

 

I have been waiting for this. Papua New Guinea is sort of a favorite region for me. Each bar I have had using beans from this region never fails to produce something cool and drastically different from one bar to the next. I wouldn't say my experience with this region is vast by any means, but it's something I generally look forward to.

Solid packaging from the mast brothers. I like this wrapper and I think it's fitting for how this bar smells and tastes. That might sound strange, but wait until you read about the descriptions I picked up from this bar.

This is a different bar indeed using post fermentation smoking techniques.

  After harvest, these beans are uniquely smoked. This post-fermentation process imparts incredible flavor; think hickory smoked bacon and aged scotch.

This is definitely a smoked bar of chocolate and one for the bacon lovers without having any actual bacon in it.

 

 

Papua New Guinea 71%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 71%

Bean Varietal: Unknown, probably Trinitario.

Ingredients: Cacao and cane sugar.

Sample Size: 2.5 oz

Batch #: 22081211

 

Appearance: Deep dark brown color, shiny top surface, simple non-monogrammed molding, scratches, nicks, and particle crumbs on the surface.

Score: 90

Snap: Nice snap, firm, crisp sound, clean break lines.

Score: 92

Aroma: Very big and bold aroma. Intense smoke, savory, hickory, bacon, tobacco, char, fruity, esters, potting soil, earthy, musty, dirt, pen ink, slightly astringent, and not to be influenced by the packaging, there is an aged scotch aroma.

Score: 95

Taste: Smoky, savory and bacon-y, pen ink, deeply rich and cocoa-y, fruity, fresh green tobacco, coffee notes, cereal grains, leather, tea flavors, robust and deeply bitter, acidic and mildly astringent, robust wood flavors, strange hints of kiwi.

Score: 93

Texture: Soft and creamy with a medium-fast melt time. Gritty grainy texture.

Score: 91

 

This bar was all over the place but really good! I opened this bar without realizing the beans were smoked after fermentation. It is every thing described on the package and more. Big huge smoke flavors, very savory and bacon-y. And then it sort of bounces around, fruity tart and astringent kiwi flavors, coffee, leather, grains, and tea flavors. It's very bold and bitter, and it does have that what is becoming a Mast Brothers signature hallmark of acidity and astringency. However, in this bar, those characteristics or flaws depending on how you look at it, don't really make this bar unpleasant. But it shouldn't be ignored that the Bro's really need to get on top of their game and refine these bars better. This bar just happens to have so much going on that certain flavors don't really interfere with one and other.

This is a vegan's dream right here. No meat in this bar at all, but the flavors have such a nice savory bacon flavor. The aroma has scotch on it, but it's not in the flavor. The Kiwi's, as odd as this may sound, almost lend to more of a mezcal flavor coupled with the smoked flavors.

Great snap on this bar, marred surface, but still a residual glossy shine on it's surface, and another mixed bag on the texture. I swear their bars didn't used to be as grainy as this. They are soft and melt great on the tongue, but the overly large particle sizes might be what is giving way to the astringency and acidity issues. Taza has this same problem but times ten. I have been at the factory and have had freshly made bars. I think once the bars are made they are smoother and less astringent. But once they have aged, they tend to sour a bit.

Whatever the technical flaws are on this bar, it doesn't manage to take away from how good and strongly flavored this bar is. Savory bacon and smoky mezcal makes for a big winner. This would pair awesome with beer. Rich deep and robust stouts or brown ales like a Munich Dunkel. But not smoked beers. Let the smoke on this infuse with the beer.

 

Final Score: 92.2

   score
  B+

Mast Brothers ~ San Martín 75%

 

 

Peruvian beans from the San Martín region, this is the Mast Brothers go at Peruvian beans. One of the more trendier regions to explore and experiment with as of late with all the bean-to-bar producers.

  From the rugged rainforests of northern Peru, this cacao epitomizes, elegance. Floral notes are followed by rich plum, orange peel and mint.

This is a very simple and straight forward map of the San Martín region of Peru.

 

 

I am pulling for some redemption with Mast Brothers after the Crown Maple Disaster. I am positive that was a one off, that something was off about that one particular bar or batch. The Mast Brothers quality is pretty damn great. I felt awful about having to write that because I have met them, I like them very much and I like every thing they are doing in Williamsburg. But in interest of fairness, I will always maintain my true feelings and convey my real opinions when it comes to reviews. Sadly I was very put off by the last bar I tried from them. Knock on wood that that will be a first and last time.

 

San Martín 75%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 75%

Bean Varietal: Unknown, possibly a new hybrid.

Ingredients: Cacao and cane sugar.

Sample Size: 2.5oz

Batch #: 12031211

 

Appearance: Nice paler color of brown, medium brown color, simple non-monogrammed molding, shiny top surface, drier bottom surface with some streaking, and a few nicks and particles on the surface.

Score: 91

Snap: Slightly weak snap, almost what you would expect on a milk chocolate bar. Crumbly break lines, small snap sound.

Score: 83

Aroma: Very delicate and soft aroma. Soft wood, almost like opening a new notebook of white paper, soft floral notes, mildly astringent, soft pen ink, and aged wood like an old wooden wine box.

Score: 94

Taste: Fruit forward, plums right up front, deeply bitter, spicy, woody, char and roasted cacao, pen ink, buttered toast, astringent and a little tangy.

Score: 92

Texture: Soft, creamy, medium-fast melt time. Gritty texture though.

Score: 91

 

Much better showing from The Mast Brothers. I knew they would redeem themselves. I have total faith in them as artisan producers.

This bar was shiny and sleek with some superficial nicks and particles and a little streaking on the backside of the bar. It looked a little dryer on the backside as well. But overall a fairly solid appearance. I love the lighter color. Some reddish tones in it and not a deep dark bar.

The snap was pretty weak. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either. Nothing exceptional. And it's texture was a little bit of a nuisance. It was very soft and creamy and had a nice melt to it, but there was a bit of a grainy texture that kind of ruins the integrity of this soft and pretty chocolate. 

The aroma was great. I liked this very much because it was so different. It smelled like a fresh new notebook of white paper. I love that smell. As it breathed a bit it let some stronger deep wood aromas out. It began to smell like and old wooden box. But with some tart notes and some underlying floral tones. Really nice and soft.

It's taste was fruit forward right away. They were not exaggerating with the plums description. That's what you taste right off the bat. Then it opens up and it's balanced really well with the sugars, it's sweet, but not over done, it's a little spicy like maybe some hints of cinnamon, but that doesn't hang on long enough to really matter, it's very bitter, but not very acidic or sharp. There is astringency and a little bit of tang at the end, but it's fairly tame. Some pen ink and big wood flavors, lingering tastes of buttered toast. I thought I might have tasted some jasmine from the deep bitterness. It was hidden in the back. They describe orange peels but that's not what I was picking up.

This is a very nice bar of chocolate. Soft and pretty, some mild texture issues, and a classic flaw of some astringency but none of that takes away or disparages this bar of chocolate from it's true intentions.

 

Final Score: 90.2

  score
B+

Madécasse ~ Smooth 67%

 

 

 

 

Smooth 67%

Mellow & Subtle Sambirano Valley

 

Type: Semisweet, 67%

Bean Varietal: Probably Trinitario hybrids

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla.

Sample Size: 2.64oz or 75g

 

Appearance: Monogrammed tablet with cocoa pods, simple square bite size squares, A bit ashy, and broken and nicked up,  soft brown color.

Score: 83

Snap: Fairly decent snap. Firm with a mildly audible snap sound. Crumbly break lines.

Score: 91

Aroma: Wood, soft, sweet, mild pen ink aromas, slightly acidic, soft roasted cocoa, soft floral aroma, peppers and berries almost like a pepper jam.

Score: 94

Taste: Berries right up front, a bit of tar and acidity, mellow sweet sugars, then it opens up into bright cherries and huge cedar wood, a bit drying on the finish and soft a wood and cacao finish.

Score: 95

Texture: Medium melt time and medium hard, a bit chalky, but overall smooth.

Score: 92

Slightly harsh on that appearance, but I can't be soft on them with a broken up bar. I am pushing it a bit however, with this bar, and I want to be completely honest and fully disclose that I have been sitting on this bar for a while. While it has a 6/11 expiration date on it, I have had this bar since last fall. I am not deducting point on it's slightly ashy appearance. Just for being destroyed in it's package.

That aroma has a lot going on. This is supposed to be smooth and mellow, and while it is a softer chocolate, it has a lot of characteristics on the aroma. More fascinating was this aroma of pepper jam. It was slightly acidic on the aroma which I think lends credence to this idea of pepper jam.

 

Image via Formaggio Kitchen

 

Not sure what pepper jam is? Here is one example from Formaggio Kitchen. It's a condiment jam for cheeses and cured meats. Hungry Mother in Cambridge is famous for their small plates of homemade biscuits with ham and pepper jam. It's amazing.

But, there are still the light flowery aromas, bright and full berries, a mild hint of pen ink, soft roasted cacao, and cedar wood. This is quite a complicated aroma for something that is supposed to be soft and mild. One thing to note though, the aromas didn't hang around for long. Some chocolate opens up and gets bolder the more it breathes, this aroma popped out and then checked out, leaving the berries and and pen ink aromas to hang around.

The taste is what I have come to know as very classic Madagascar flavors of bright cherries and big cedar wood. It's a bit inky at first but opens up sweet and mellow. A bit tangy and astringent, but not over the top by any means. It's fully flavored of these deep and complex berries, but it's definitely rounded out and smoothed out. Full flavors, but not kick you in the face with flavor. I like that the berries present themselves, dominate, take over the palate and then slip away as the cedar woods finish up and dry out the palate leaving a nice soft aftertaste without being cloying.

The texture could have been a little bit better than what it was. A bit hard, medium melt time, and a bit chalky. Not too bad though. Still, it was over all smooth, but if this was a tad creamier and a tad softer, this could be brilliant mellow semisweet chocolate. The flavors more than make up for it's texture though. Just a good tasting Madagascar chocolate.

 

Final Score: 91

   score
  B+

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+

 

Mast Brothers + Stumptown Coffee

 

 

Once again my partners in craft. American Craft Chocolate makers The Mast Brothers. This time they have paired up with Stumptown Coffee. Stumptown is out of Portland, Oregon with branches out in Seattle and now in New York. They make some of the best coffee in the nation. You might see Wil Wheaton tweet about this place a time or two. Sixpoint Craft Ales, another New York connection and fellow partner in the craft world, also uses Stumptown in some of their beer offerings. Locals supporting locals.

 

Madagascar base peppered with coffee beans on top. The beans are direct trade from Africa, part of the Kayanza Province in Burundi. The coffee beans are then roasted in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Madagascar beans are organically farmed in Madagascar and then roasted, cracked, winnowed and stone-ground, and aged in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 

 

 

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Stumptown Coffee

Type: Bittersweet, 72%

Bean Varietal: Unknown but probably Trinitario.

Ingredients: Cacao 72%, organic cane sugar, coffee beans.

Sample Size: 2.5oz or 70g

 

 

Appearance: Amazing contrast between the brown on brown colors of the chocolate and coffee beans. The chocolate was a lighter brown and a bit ashy. But the coffee beans were bright and popped against the background of the bar. The actual molded surface was ashy as well but smooth.

Score: 91

Snap: Decent and firm snap. Clean, but asymmetrical break lines.

Score: 92

Aroma: All coffee. Not freshly brewed coffee, but rich cracked beans. A bit like used coffee grinds. The roasted cocoa enhances the coffee aroma.

Score: 91

Taste: Coffee right up front, but then the tangy sharpness of the madagascar cocoa takes over. Sharp at first and a little bit acidic. But then it's followed by rich fruitiness and roasted wood flavors on the cocoa. Classic Madagascar flavors. It finishes with the crunchy coffee bits leaving a coffee and fruity taste. Very well balanced on the finish. The coffee is also not bitter and not acidic. Just lovely and roasted.

Score: 95

Texture: Creamy and crunchy. It's obviously supposed to be crunchy but the chocolate texture was smooth and creamy and the coffee beans were excellent and crunchy but not gritty.

Score: 91

 

The appearance score should have been a bit lower, but that gorgeous contrast of lighter chocolate and coffee beans saved the day. It was ashy. It's tough when reviewing the Mast Brothers. They shine when their bars are super fresh. With in a couple of weeks. After that they are very sensitive products. It only really effects the appearance in small ways. Maybe some ashy surfaces and maybe some streaking.

The taste on this bar is fantastic. The big bold complexities of Madagascar cocoa is exactly what was needed to balance and play off of the coffee beans. The cocoa added a big spike of acidity and bitterness, but quickly smoothed out with fruits, and roasted wood flavors. This toned down what might have been a double whammy of bitterness from the coffee beans and allowed a lovely rich roasted flavor off the beans. Very well balanced on the finish but the opening was huge for various flavors.

And the texture was great too. Crunchy and creamy at the same time. Not gritty.

I loved this. It's gorgeous to look at and tastes awesome. There is a lot going on with the flavor of this bar. I think this is one of their best flavored bars yet. That's a pretty big statement. If you have ever tried their Salt and Pepper bar then you will know that that bar was tough to beat.

Be advised though, to expect a big caffeine kick. Chocolate naturally contains it and more than most people are aware of. And of course the coffee beans. You will be jacked so I advise eating it little bits at a time. Unless you are at work and really need to woken up, then you can eat this whole thing.

 

Final Score: 92.4

   score
  B+

Mast Brothers ~ Dark Chocolate + Serrano Peppers 70%

 

 

My allies in the craft world. Craft beer drinker and chocolate eater, they are American Craft Chocolate makers. Once again coming through with stellar packaging. I LOVE skulls and this entire wrapping is just bad ass. It makes me want to say Suprasternal Notch. If anyone has seen the English Patient then you will know how amazing that word is and what it means. It's in my top five of all time for packaging.

 

 

Dark Chocolate + Serrano Peppers 70%

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Ingredients: Organically farmed  Dominican Republic beans, organic cane sugar, stone ground Mexican hot chilies, Serrano peppers.

Sample size: 2.5oz or 70g

 

Unfortunately I can't fully review this bar. It was broken up inside. I didn't have anything to do with that since it was gift chocolate. Probably banged up a bit in shipping. Normally I would just eat the bar and move on, but I have been wanting to talk about this one for a while.

I have had it a bit longer than I should have as well for Mast Brothers which is another reason why I can't review it in good conscious. Mast Brothers is one of the few chocolates that doesn't have a very good shelf life. Get it and eat it right then. Normally chocolate can go about a year or so depending upon it's wrappings. Mast brothers cannot. As you will notice in the pictures aside from being broken up, the bar is quite ashy.

I am happy that they chose the Dominican Republic for the cocoa beans for this bar. It's a much deeper and richer chocolate. They have been using Madagascar as their base lately for chocolate and I haven't been 100% sold on that. They need a little bit more time to perfect their Madagascar. They are right there on that cusp of greatness though. I liked their chocolate much more when Venezuela was the base. And by base I mean their base for most of their flavored bars, like almonds and sea salt or cranberries.

It tasted sweet and spicy right off the bat. A little waxy, at first bu then it opened up nicely. The heat was a slow building heat. I prefer this. I am a major wuss about spicy foods. If it builds slowly, I can take it. My palate is so sensitive I can barely tolerate medium salsas.

The chocolate flavor is robust and bitter, but not acidic or astringent. Nice sugar balance and the heat is just holding on the background. The peppers also add a nice flavor to the chocolate. Chocolate and chilies are made for each other. The spices help bring out a bit of a dried tart cherry taste on the chocolate which was an unexpected delight. Cherry pie filling lingering on the palate with tingling hot spice left remaining on the tongue. Fantastic.

I am very impressed that they kept the balance of the heat in check. Serrano Peppers is a no no for a wuss like myself, and I could handle this chocolate. The only issue I have with it, is that the heat is a bit distracting from trying to taste any nuances with the chocolate. But then again, that's not the point of something like this. And that cherry flavor is an unexpected bonus thanks to the heat. But that's all I am really picking up through the heat.

It's not a real review, but still fun to taste and talk about. If I were to give this a grade, I would give an A- or a B+.

 

Liddabit Sweets ~ The Snacker

 

Yeah, I mainly review chocolate bars or tablets, but that doesn't mean I am not interested in handmade candy bars!

Liddabit Sweets is the creation of Liz Gutman and Jen King. Specializing in handmade sweets such as pȃte de fruit, caramels, brittles, lollipops, and candy bars. With a commitment to using local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible, this makes them a step above the rest.

 

 

I like to call these adult candy bars. Unfortunately, when it comes to homemade and locally sourced, things can get a little pricey. $6.50 to $8.50 for a candy bar isn't exactly what you want to toss around in a 12 year olds Halloween basket. But for the adults, it's a small price to pay for handmade gem that doesn't contain a whole list of chemicals and ingredients you can't even pronounce.

They also offer cool varieties like the Pumpkin Pie bar, Pecan Pie bar, S'mores, Lime-in-the-coconut, and The King.

 

 

Right away these candy bars are extremely aromatic. Huge aromas of chocolate and peanuts. It smells like a Snickers bar but 100 times better.

Sweet and super soft texture. The nougat and caramel are very soft and not overly chewy. I would have liked a few more peanuts in my bar to add a bit more of a salty contrast or a bit more salt in the caramel, but this thing really hits the spot. And yes I am writing about this at 4 pm in the afternoon really needing a treat like this to make it through my day. Believe me, I am sold. Alas, the salty peanuts I was looking for were hiding at the ends of the bar. Defintiely makes it more worthy.

If you like Snickers but like to support your local or a small producer, then this is for you. It's a big candy bar, it's tasty, satifying, sweet, salty, and most importantly they nailed how to keep the caramel and nougat so soft.

Kudos Ladies!

Halloween Chocolate 2010

 

 

What is cool and scary looking for Halloween this year? I have decided to highlight some awesome winners for this season. And not the corny stuff either. Some stuff that I like, that I think is cool.

 

Life size and realistic chocolate skulls anyone? Pictured above. There is little information about these except that they make them using Belgian chocolate. You can get them in blends to look more realistic. And they cost about $120 bucks. I hope they come in the cool case that is pictured on their website. They better for $120 bones.

Source: Chocolateskulls.com

 

 

How about some angels and demons? Chocolate icons from Alma Chocolate in Oregon. The Charming Devil or the Anatomical Heart might be right for Halloween. Or an Our Lady Gualalupe for Dia De Los Muertos. Or perhaps a Celtic Cross to fend off any other nasties?

 

 

Source: Alma Chocolate

Skeleton/Heart image via: Oregon Live

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Icons, Alma isn't the only game in town running that offer. Bond Street Chocolate in New York, also has a selection of deities to worship in chocolate form. And the offer high cocoa percentage (72%) skulls.

 

We all know Jesus wasn't really a white man, so a chocolate Jesus just might be in order. Just don't let it get too close to your prayer candles.

Source: Bond Street Chocolate

 

 

 

Let's get morbid shall we?  Chocolate artist Stephen Shanabrook with Body Parts, wounds, and incision wounds box set lovingly called "Morgue." How about a chocolate sculpture called "The Remnants of a Suicide Bomber?" Maybe some Choir boy's being water boarded? It's Halloween after all. Just because we turn the scary into cartoon-ish images, doesn't mean there isn't some real creepy stuff out there. If you are going to do gross, go big or go home!

Wonder what kind of chocolate he uses?

 

Source: Eat Me Daily

 

 

 

For something less offensive and more tasty, how about some skull and ghost truffles? Vianne Chocolat Nibs-n-skulls truffle and L.A. Burdick's Ghost truffles. Keeping in with the spirit of Halloween without getting too gross about it. Cute and tasty.

 

Source: Vianne Chocolat

Source: L.A. Burdick's

 

 

And since Halloween seems to be the time to pull out the hot spices or peppers in chocolate, why not go with this slick Mutha Fuckin' bar of chocolate right here? Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Serrano Peppers.

Brooklyn-based, American Craft Chocolate producers, and now friends of mine, Rick and Michael Mast. Dope packaging, spicy chocolate, Dominican Republic beans. You can't go wrong.

This bar is in my own personal collection right now just waiting to be reviewed. Soon, my spicy friend. Soon you will be eaten and destroyed.

Source: Mast Brothers