20°N & 20°S

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+

Artisan du Chocolat ~ Bali 72%

 

 

 

**Archived notes.

 

I reviewed this bar a while ago. Sometime last year, but I still had the notes and pictures I took so I wanted to make sure this review got posted. It was a pretty interesting bar. A rare and limited edition bar. Strange and crazy banana notes on this bar. It's all about the bananas.

 

Bali, famed Indonesian island and tourist destination for Australians and many Europeans. Perfect tropical and lush jungle conditions for growing chocolate. Trinitario trees, probably brought over around the 1600's or 1700's when chocolate trees were being sent around the world to Africa and Asia.

 

In the Balinese jungle, everything around you is alive and bearing fruits from cacao to papaya, coffee, guava, pepper, banana or native snake fruit. With notes of sweet bananas and spices, the chocolate we make from these exotic beans is smooth, gentle, on the palate, low acidity, but is exhibiting in its flavours the lushness of its birthplace.

 

 

L'Artisan du Chocolat Bali, 72%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 72%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and soy lecithin.

Sample Size: 45g

Lot #: 00006062

 

Appearance: Dusty and ashy, *but held up remarkably well. Simple, non-monogrammed molding, sill had some shine and a rather unblemished surface.

Score: 91

Snap: Nice firm snap, a little crumbly with the break lines.

Score: 92

Aroma: Big sweet aroma of ripened bananas, spicy, peppery, smoky, almonds, wood, earthy, inky.

Score: 96

Taste: Sweet, cocoa-y like powdered hot chocolate, mellow and mild, lightly bitter, tiny hints of acidity, fruity, peanuts, lingering banana flavors, and coffee grinds. Way later in the finish were mild hints of cinnamon toast.

Score: 92

Texture: A little waxy and a little hard at first, but does give way to a smooth texture and a medium melt time.

Score: 91

 

* I didn't take points away from its appearance. This was a bar I held on to for a while. It wasn't expired or past it's best by date, but I did push it with this bar and it held up remarkably well. It's a pretty basic molding and still had some residual shine and a unblemished surface. That's what I scored it on.

Snap quality was pretty great. Nice and firm and pretty audible. Just a little messy with the crumbles from the break lines.

Aroma was huge. What a fantastic and complex aroma this thing had. Sweet, fruity, and spicy and earthy. So much going on with the nose. Incredibly complex and diverse with it's range.

The flavor was fairly muted I thought. It tasted good and the bananas were insane but a lot of the flavors didn't come out until retro-olfaction. It opens up fairly sweet and with rich cocoa flavors but it was very reminiscent of hot chocolate cocoa powder. Not that that's a bad quality, but that's just what it reminded me of right in the beginning. It was pretty tame all over and had some wood flavors, sweet bananas, almonds, bitterness, and mild hints of char. More bananas at the end make their presence known but the lasting flavor on the palate was coffee grinds. It tasted really good, but it just wasn't as explosive as the aroma was. It wasn't as complex as the nose.

The texture was a little hard at first, not bad though, fairly waxy and chewy, but it does open up to a softer smooth texture with a medium melt.

Best and most curious aroma I have smelled in a while. I wish it's flavor was as dynamic, but it was still good to eat.

 

Final Score: 92.6

  score
  B+

 

Mast Brothers ~ Crown Maple 73%

 

 

 

Mast Brothers Chocolate and Crown Maple syrup from the Catkills. Simple enough concept, but not a lot of information about this bar except that it's made with Crown Maple products. No word on what the base chocolate is except it's 73% dark chocolate. Their minimalist website has zero information about it. Kind of frustrating to have to scour the web and other blogs to gather information about it. I get it guys, you are hipsters and artisans who don't like to use computers. But the rest of us do and we would like some more information about your products. Even after scouring, I still have no idea what the base is. I suspect it's either something Venezuelan or from the Dominican Republic.

Striking packaging as usual though.

 

Crown Maple

 

Type: Flavored bittersweet, 73%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Cacao, maple sugar.

Sample Size: 2.5 oz

Batch # 21081211

 

Appearance: Deep dark brown color, shiny molded surface with streaky back side. Regular, non-monogrammed molding.

Score: 90

Snap: Light and dull snap sound, clean break lines with a chalky appearance on the break lines.

Score: 82

Aroma: Roasted cacao, smoky, little woody and a little tangy, caramel, medicinal, earthy, inky.

Score: 90

Taste: Tart, very acidic, inky, sour, big bold wood, toast, no maple taste whatsoever.

Score: 45

Texture: Very soft, grainy, fast melt time. Creamy but the grainy texture messes that up.

Score: 63

 

Tastes like something from Venezuela, but completely out of balance. This is the second time ever I have to report that I found a chocolate to be gross. It's terribly sour, extremely acidic, there is no natural harmony with the extremely robust flavors of the chocolate and the maple syrup. They're using a great product like a wonderfully natural maple syrup from small craft producers in the Catskills, you would think they would want that to shine through even just a little bit. I couldn't taste any of it in this bar. The chocolate is so over the top raw and untamed, it left little to be desired. I never thought I would say that about the Mast Brothers ever, but this bar was out of control.

It actually made my throat a little sore after eating a few squares from the acidity. I don't know what to make of that.

The appearance was simple and good. Just some odd streaking on the back of the bar. The aroma was fairly decent. But the snap was dull and weak and the texture was good up until the overly large granules of the chocolate interfered with that.

I am so frustrated with this bar. This is certainly not Mast Brothers quality that I am used to. In the past I have noticed consistency issues, and an acidity issue that I felt might become a problem if they didn't get on top of it. I noticed it in a couple of different bars making it a signature issue of the makers and not the beans. I have always said these guys are amazing. If they just tweak a few issues, they will be one of the best in the US. This bar was a huge step in the wrong direction.

This score should be lower than it is because taste is everything, but it's other technical marks hold it up higher than it should be.

 

Final Score:

score
D+

L'Amourette ~ Rio Caribe Superior 75%

 

 

Round two with L'Amourette. This time a Rio Caribe bar. Coastal Venezuelan region that has become very popular for all the bean-to-bar or small artisan chocolate makers right now. If looking at a map of the northern Venezuela coastline, Rio Caribe is on that eastern arm that branches out a bit from the mainland.

 

Via their website:

The luxuriant, fruit filled aroma with a hint of citrus is released when the silk-like texture melts before your tongue.

The taste is balanced—an intricate agreement between cacao butter and beans, made from hand selected

Rio Caribe Superior beans imported from Venezuela— hand crafted, giving individualism
to each bar.

Delicately roasted beans, 36-hour conching process.

 

Fair trade, Kosher, and vegan product.

 

No fooling around, let's get right into this.

Click images to enlarge.

 

 

Chocolat Noir 75%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 75%

Bean Varietal: Unknown, probably Trinitario.

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

 

Appearance: A rich mahogany color, nice and shiny and glossy, custom signature monogrammed molding, large square tabs, and it has chocolate particle dusting on it but much finer than the other bar I reviewed from them. Again, I think that was due to shipping.

Score: 92

Snap: Same issue with the other bar so I am literally cutting and pasting the exact same description and score.

"Very weak snap due to thin molding lines and overly large tabs. It's a light crisp snap from the molding lines, but a deep hard snap when breaking the fat tabs in half with moderately clean break lines."

Score: 86

Aroma: Big tar aromas, smoky, burnt, wood, nutty, acidic, mildly medicinal, and soft floral overtones.

Score: 92

Taste: Fruity, sweet, tangy, but still mild on astringency, herbal, tar, inky, complex bitters, buttery, slight hints of coconut, roasted cacao, earthy, peanuts, lingering bitter palate.

Score: 94

Texture: Smooth texture, medium melt time, this bar is much more creamy than silky and smooth like the other bar, but still very nice. 

Score: 94

 

Rio Caribe hasn't been one of my favorite regions. It gets high marks for it's deep complexities, and technical scores. But having said that, this was better than what I am used to. More depth of flavor than the typically over charred characters from the roasting on these beans. As mentioned in the previous review from L'Amourette, I heard that a lot of the beans that are sourced from Rio Caribe are roasted in the same facilities. This is why that overly charred taste on a wide range of brands using these beans. I haven't confirmed that, but it does make sense. However, there are certain hallmarks that I tend to find on a lot of coastal region beans from Venezuela, especially Rio Caribe. The deep earthy and medicinal flavors, tar and pen ink, and a deep bitterness.

I gave this bar high marks on it's taste because it was layered with lot's of complexities. One didn't interfere with one and other they just stripped away like peeling paint to revel the flavor underneath it. This bar had many different things going on, coconuts, peanuts, earthy, musty, dirty, tar, charred toast, butter, and fruit characters. The only thing I didn't really like was how bitter it was and how long it holds on after the chocolate has long melted away. It was fairly tangy on the first taste, but not sharp with acidity. Just deep bitters that over take the palate in the end.

I liked this much more for being less charred and more layed with flavors even if it's not my favorite region or favorite flavors. The coconut was faint and interesting as was the peanut character. But the medicinal flavors are not something I look forward to. Some people really dig funky flavors. Like sour heads who love Guezue and Lambics from Belgium. Which is why I always called Rio Caribe, a beer lovers chocolate. This is nerd chocolate, geek chocolate, thinking chocolate. This bar just happens to be more layered than usual and not dominated by the charred characters.

Texture was great, snap was weak with overly large tabs, but a full aroma and big full taste. Another winner I'd say.

 

Price point highlight: $4.80 a bar from their website.

 

Final Score: 91.6

   score
  B+

 

L'Amourette ~ Carenero Superior 75%

 

I am not going to lie, my life is pretty good. You can't deny that fact when someone emails you and asks to send you their bars of chocolate to review. I don't care who you are or what the circumstances are, you have to admit that that makes life pretty sweet.

This chocolate comes from L'Amourette Chocolatlier in San Francisco. Andre V, a French chocolatier who worked in the research and development side of chocolate for over ten years. I don't know much else about him or his company, other than what's described on his website, but I am honored he sought me out to review his products. No word on weather he is a bean-to-bar company, but the products are handmade, kosher, vegan, and the beans are fairly traded.

 

 

Carenero is another coastal town in northern Venezuela, but more in the center of the coast closer to Caracas. 

For centuries, the Carenero bean has been known for its complex, intricate flavor. In fact, due to this quality, it most often serves as a supplement to a vintage of other beans; it is often added to deepen and smooth the flavor of chocolate. We would like to bring you a bar that is made purely from Carenero— after tasting it once, you will never forget your journey to the place east of Caracas.

 

Click images to enlarge.

 

Carenero Superior 75%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 75%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

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

Sample Size: 100g or 3.5oz

 

Appearance: Deep dark brown color and very shiny and glossy, custom signature monogrammed molding, large square tabs. A bit of some chocolate particles all over the surface.

Score: 91

Snap: Very weak snap due to thin molding lines and overly large tabs. It's a light crisp snap from the molding lines, but a deep hard snap when breaking the fat tabs in half with moderately clean break lines.

Score: 86

Aroma: Big strong aroma of wood, pen ink, berries, very sweet aroma, sugary, roasted cacao, slight hints of coffee and smoke.

Score: 91

Taste: Rich roasted cacao, very deep and complex, wood, berries, woody tequila notes, toasted biscuit flavors, no sharp astringency, good balance of sweetness from sugars and deeply bitter cacao.

Score: 94

Texture: Very silky and smooth texture, medium melt-time at first, but then opens up very creamy and soft and gives way to a medium fast melt time.

Score: 96

 

Really nice chocolate. Finally something from coastal Venezuela that isn't a charred mess. I am not quite a big fan of some of the over-roasted beans coming from coastal regions all across Northern Venezuela. I once heard the reason for this is that a lot of the farms use the same roasters, but I haven't researched enough of that to comfortably talk about that. But to me, it's become a hallmark that I can instantly recognize. This tastes like Venezuelan chocolate, but without all the interference.

Just some slight chocolate particles on the surface of the bar which probably came from transport. The molding was custom, and even though I didn't like the molding lines, it had a wonderfully deep color and very shiny surface.

It's no secret after some other reviews of late that I don't like large square tabs with weak mold lines. It gives way to a weak snap which doesn't do the chocolate justice, and the tabs are usually too hard to bite into. That was the case with this bar. But snapping the large tab did give a nice firm and quality snap, but I graded it on the mold lines.

The aroma was a nice strong aroma, but I found it to be pretty common. Lot's of similar descriptors. That doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable by any means. It just means for me in particular it was fine but nothing really spectacular. I know that sounds pretty snobbish and I assure you it is a good aroma. But with the way this tasted and those cool notes coming off the flavor, I wished more of that was on the aroma.

The taste was extremely balanced. No sharp astringency, not overly sweet and sugary. Big bold wood flavors, berries, pen ink and then an very awesome hint of aged tequila on wood barrels. It's not a dominate flavor, but definitely cool. I do wish they could extract more of that flavor. I can't tell you how happy I am to have picked up on that. This puts this chocolate in a different realm for me. Not just because of that flavor hint, but mostly because of how extraordinarily balanced it is.

I don't think I can say this is by far the best chocolate I have ever had, but I can say this is very solid and very good chocolate. It's not overly complicated, it's just good eating chocolate with some really great flavors. Nice cocoa-y flavors, interesting tequila flavors, big wood and fruit balance as well as a deep bitterness that is balanced by a good ratio of sugar.

Something worth mentioning, this bar is only be sold for $5.00 on their website. I don't know what it retails for, but that is a great price. Keep that in mind when you see it retailed. Make sure the stores are not gouging.

Excellent introduction to L'Amourette.

 

Final Score: 91.6

   score
  B+

Justin's Organic Peanut Butter Cups

 

Justin's organic nut butters and peanut butter cups. Happily found at Whole Foods and a special little treat it is. My husband is the shopper in my household. I give him the list, and he forages all of one block away to Whole Foods and he likes to pick up little nick knacks for me. This time he brought back these peanut butter cups.

A Colorado based company that's an environmentally sound, organic, and green company that makes nut butters, chocolate nut spreads, and peanut butter chocolate cups. They work on squeezable packs for environmentally safe packaging and for easy transport while hiking or bike riding.

 

We at Justin's Nut Butter hereby decree that all of our nut butters will be made in small batches to preserve premium quality standards and our fresh taste.

We will only use the highest quality natural and organic ingredients that are sustainably harvested and found as locally as possible.

We will be mindful with all of our business practices by working toward reducing our environmental footprint on the natural environment. We will remain excellent community and global citizens and will only do business with those who pledge to do the same.

We will continue to produce and promote fresh nut butters that will always be simple, delicious and nutritious.

Consumer packaged goods are tough on the environment. Period. Everything, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and distributing final products, has an environmental consequence. I like to think of our business as a part of an ecosystem with every decision and action interdependent and connected to the rest of the world.

We are on a journey towards sustainability. The 14er we are currently climbing is sourcing Sustainable Squeeze Pack Film. Right now, the technology does not exist for a fully sustainable film. Our goal is to source at least 33% renewable squeeze pack film by April 2012.

 

They even discuss on their website the carbon footprints their products make.  

 

 

 

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients: Organic Milk Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter*, Organic Whole Milk Powder, Organic Chocolate Liquor*, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla), Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Dry Roasted Peanuts, Organic Palm Fruit Oil), Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt.

 

Nice shiny surface and big roasted peanut aroma. I have no information about the chocolate they use, but it has a nice aroma. Not as full or fruity as the dark chocolate though. But that's usually the case with milk chocolate.

It's nice and salty. Really full tasting and sweet but a good balance with the salt. The peanut butter was a little dry though and a little texturally rough with large peanut particles. As much as I love organic and green companies, natural is always better for you, when it comes to peanut butter, I don't like the natual stuff as much. Either they are too runny, greasy, oily, or to dry. Flavor wise this is a really good peanut butter cup. And It's not that big of a deal about the grittiness of the peanut butter, but I do wish it was smoother and creamier. But the best part about this cup is that nothing about it tastes artificial. Not even the milk chocolate tastes overly processed. So again, despite it's texture, the taste is incredibly good.

**This product is Kosher, Gluten-Free, works with the Rainforest Alliance, and uses sustainable palm oil from Brazil.

 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Chocolate Liquor*, Organic Cocoa Butter*, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla), Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Dry Roasted Peanuts, Organic Palm Fruit Oil), Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt.

 

A little bit of a fruity aroma from the chocolate with rich robust roasted peanuts. Again, I am not sure what kind of chocolate they use, but it carries a good aroma. It almost tasted like cookie dough at first. Same balance with the milk chocolate but a lot more rich with the chocolate. Good and rich bitter dark chocolate with a good sweet, sugary balance. But a nice balance with the salty peanut butter.

Really good peanut butter cup! It's nice and rich. The peanut butter has the same issues as the milk chocolate cups, with a dry and gritty texture, but again the flavor is really good. Nice lingering chocolate notes from the dark chocolate that I didn't expect. Usually the focus with products like this isn't quality chocolate. This was surprisingly good.

**This product is Kosher, Gluten-Free, works with the Rainforest Alliance, uses sustainable Palm Oil from Brazil, vegan, and dairy free.

 

This is a nice organic alternative to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. An ethical and conscious company that makes a damn fine and tasty product. If there was just some way to make that peanut butter a bit more silky and creamier, they'd be on top of the world.

 

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate ~ Black Fig

 

 

The joys of being surprised by the hospitality in the chocolate industry. What started out as a joke, ended up with the actual product in my hands ready for review. 

I casually saw the folks at Dick Taylor tweeting about this new bar they just packed up and that it had black mission figs in it. Well, you know I love chocolate, but I also love figs. So, I jokingly said you need to send some of that to me ASAP. To my surprise they said they would! I said my eternal words to live by, "I am just kidding if you're just kidding. But I am serious if you're serious." 

They were serious and it was delivered to me a short while later. I actually forgot I gave them my address and to see it arrive was a really nice surprise. It also came at a good time after that hectic Pralus Chuao review that shall now remain in infamy. Nice gestures that end up smoothing out your day.

It's important for me to point this out because I am eternally grateful to anyone who views this blog or my opinions worthy enough to send their products to review or just to try.

 

The name Dick Taylor comes from a blend of both the owners and chocolate makers names. Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor. Two craft furniture and boat makers who took some of the same basic principles of creating and crafting woodwork into creating and crafting chocolate. That explains the gorgeous packaging. 

 

As most of you already know, several months ago, we completely re-tooled our whole entire package from bar mold to wrapper. We slipped this in under the radar and have never really explained the concept, so here goes. 

Our idea is to have a continuing series of sketches highlighting different crafts.  We chose our first illustration to highlight a craft that is near and dear to us, the craft of a Shipwright.  In our minds the pinnacle of wood-craft is boat building.  The complex, and constantly changing curves of a boat hull represent the greatest challenge to the woodworker.  It is amazing, that even to this day, most wooden boats are built almost entirely by hand.  Even the most complicated of machines can't shape the changing bevel on the edge of a plank or the face of a sawn frame.  Patience and care must be taken to fit all joints water tight.  It is not a fast process.  We feel like much of the patience required to build a boat carries over to the chocolate making process.  We don't rush the process, often repeating steps if they are not done right the first time, scrapping an entire batch if we are not proud of the product.

We also selected the ship yard illustration because of the rich and complex history of ship-building in Humboldt Bay. It ties us to this place we call home. In San Francisco, the lumber schooner the C.A. Thayer, was built here on Humboldt Bay, along with countless other great ships used to carry lumber up and down the west coast.  It is one of the last remaining west coast lumber schooners.

Our idea is to roll our new illustrations every so often to continue to highlight this idea of craftsmanship that we hold so dear.

 

Their website and style reminds me of the Mast Brothers in Brooklyn. I hope they don't mind the comparison as they are artisan chocolate makers and hipsters that I happen like very much. 

 

 

Black Fig

70% Ecuador Chocolate with Dried Black Figs

 

Type: Filled, Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Nacional or Hybrid

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, black fig. All organic.

Sample Size: 2oz

 

Appearance: Nice signature custom molding with a monogram. Very detailed and fine. Shiny glossy finish, dried figs on the backside with a little bit of superficial chocolate crumbles or remnants from molding. 

Score: 93 

Snap: Firm, crisp snap, nice and audible. Crumbly break lines. 

Score: 91

Aroma: Bold aroma, Smelled a bit like beer right out of the package, pen ink, slightly medicinal, tar, smoky, sweet, earthy, very mild fig. 

Score: 92

Taste: Bold flavors of tar and pen ink, berries, cocoa, sweet, tangy, sweet dried figs and wine-like flavors from the figs, bitter, wood, biscuit, toast, very mild and slight hints of cinnamon from retro-olfaction.

Score: 93

Texture: A little hard at first, but overall good smooth texture, quick melt time, creamy once it opens up, and nice chewy dried figs.

Score: 91

 

This is very strong chocolate from start to finish. From it's design, packaging, flavors, and aroma. 

It's design is awesome. I love the signature molding and how intricate it is. But I do think that's what gave way to all the left over bits on the backside of the bar. That's really insignificant though. The finish was glossy and a nice deep dark color. The figs were gorgeous to look at on the back. You could stare at either side and be happy. I do think the molding might be why the snap was a little crumbly too. But the snap was firm and crisp. 

The aroma was very big. It smelled like beer right out of the package which is good for a beer lover like myself, but the chocolate's original aromas were so big that the dried figs barely influenced it at all. Just a little bit if you really head this bar to your nose and inhaled for a little while. 

The flavors were also very robust and big. Like the aroma, there was huge pen and tar aromas. It opens up sweet and then gets tangy and bitter and has big wood flavor. Once the chocolate has melted away a bit, you get lovely biscuit or buttered toast flavors and very subtle hints of cinnamon. The figs adds a nice dried wood flavor of their own and some wine-like flavors. But I have to say, the figs very much get lost on this robust chocolate unless you have a good piece that you get to chew on long after the chocolate has melted. Perhaps some stickier dried Turkish figs might be a bit more appropriate for the strength of this chocolate. 

The chocolate is so full on flavor and aroma that the figs add very little to interact of marry well. Unless you prefer a smaller fig taste, I think they need to be a bit bolder or the chocolate needs to be tamed a tad bit more. It does leave some nice lingering fig tastes on the finish, but that's after the chocolate has melted away. 

The chocolate to me is like beer. It's funky, it's bold, and it's very complicated. It has a lot of descriptors that some might not find exactly appealing, but after awhile you come to appreciate them. It teaches you a lot about roasting and fermentation and sometimes regional hallmarks.

 

Final Score: 92

  score
 B+

 

Leonidas ~ 54% Dark Chocolate with Nibs

 

 

The obvious missed joke from the previous Leonidas post as pointed out by my best friend, Gavin.

THIS IS CHOCOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!!!

 

Hey, it's not my fault that the movie 300 and Gerard Butler for ever changed the landscape of Spartans and the name Leonidas. Perhaps Urban Dictionary can help put things in to perspective. Sparta. Maybe not 3 and 4. But definitely 1 and 2. 

Tonight we review in Hell! 

 

 

Tablette with Nibs

 

Type: Filled, Semisweet, 54%

Bean Varitetal: Unknown

Ingredients: cocoa paste, sugar, cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, and soya lecithin. 

Sample size: 50g or 1.76oz

Lot #: 041511101

 

Appearance: Thin bar, Greek monogrammed tablets, mild scuffing on the surface, bumpy nibs on the underside of the bar with some air bubbles on the surface and a slight wavy pattern from filling on the back surface. 

Score: 89

Snap: Good snap, medium firm with a medium snap sound. Slightly crumble break lines. 

Score: 89

Aroma: Dry, chalky, citrus/lemons, mildly floral, very subtle aroma with some very slight hints of coffee.

Score: 89

Taste: Sweet, lemony, very subtle and soft cocoa flavors. Some lingering wood flavors from the cocoa nibs.

Score: 82

Texture: Very smooth texture, creamy chocolate, medium melt time, nice crunchy and crispy nibs. 

Score: 93

 

This was fun to eat. It's very sweet without being too cloying from the sugars. It's a semisweet chocolate, but the sugars do hold back a lot of it's potential. The interesting flavor is all of the lemons. Not sure where that is coming from, but it's big. It's really only flavor characters. Sugar, lemons, and cocoa. 

Again, the texture is good. Very smooth and silky, and nice crunchy nibs to break it all up. Not bad for basic commerical Belgian chocolate bar. It gets points for excellent nibs and good crunch. I am curious about the strong lemon flavor. But overall this is just basic commercial semisweet chocolate that scores a little bit above average for it's techinical marks.  

 

Final Score: 88.4

  score
 B

 

Leonidas ~ 70% Dark Chocolate

 

 

Leonidas

 

Belgian chocolate makers since 1913, with nearly 100 years under their belt. I found them on just about every corner while I was in Brussels, and a location in Bruges. It's hard to tell what exactly might be good quality Belgian chocolate in these cities as they are completely inundated with bad tourist chocolate every where. But most of the recommendations I sought online, mentioned Leonidas more than once. Leonidas is a truffle/bon bon/praline shop who happened to carry bars of chocolate. And the shop I stopped in was very clean and pristine. You would be surprised at how many shops are overly kitchy and the truffles in the display cases are poorly attended to. That was not the case with Leonidas. 

 

 

A preemptive fingers crossed moment:

I am hoping that this is fairly good for bar chocolate. Their specialties are pralines. Also it's a long standing Belgian chocolate maker that commercialized. This happens quite a bit with a lot of old Euro chocolate makers. It doesn't have to be head-over-heels amazing, I am just hopping for really good. As a personal admission for the sake of reviewing, I haven't been all that thrilled with Belgian chocolate. There are some shining aces in a sea of tourist chocolate like Laurent Gerbaud and Pierre Marcolini. But a lot of what you find is mass produced garbage. I would like to find some gems in the middle of the commercialized chocolate of Belgium. Neuhaus has some single origin bars that are actually quite fantastic. I am hoping for something along those lines. 

 

Let's find out if the recommedations were right.

 

Tablette Noir 70%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: cocoa paste, sugar, low-fat cocoa powder, soya lecithin.

Sample Size: 50g or 1.76oz

Lot #: 051311101

 

Appearance: Thin bar, 6 squared, Greek monogrammed tablet, very slightly muted surface but an over all shiny surface, very slight surface scratches, deep dark brown color, and some swirling patterns on the back of the bar. 

Score: 90

Snap: Nice firm snap, medium snap sound, very clean break lines. 

Score: 92

Aroma: Soft and subtle aroma. Very smoky and rich with almonds and tobacco. 

Score: 84

Taste: Cocoa-y, sweet, almonds, coconuts, buttery, no astringency and very slight lingering bitterness on the finish. 

Score: 85

Texture: Very smooth, creamy, medium-soft, quick melt time. 

Score: 94

 

This is really not bad at all. I got exactly what I was hoping for. A nice rich and cocoa-y bar of chocolate. Really great texture. Silky smooth and fast melt time. Nice coconut and smoky tobacco flavors and lovely almonds. This is melting chocolate I think. I am thinking this is what you'll want to break up into a mug and pour scalded milk over. This could also be great middle of the work day chocolate. When you are not having a hard day, but you really could use a chocolate break. Save the more exotic chocolate's when your facing a deadline.

The only gripes I have about this bar is that they could have used less sugars. It's pretty sweet and really tones down some of the natural flavors. Without having an origin to work from, I am guessing this is Ivory Coast or Ghana chocolate. It has a lot of the hallmarks I have come to recognize on African origins. Not to mention they're common origins for commercial Belgian chocolate makers. 

Final Score: 89

 

  score
 B

 

Pralus ~ Chuao 75%

 

 

This review comes with great regret. Great regret that I bought something this expensive without some background information and great regret that I was let down by it when it comes from a chocolate maker with huge respect in the industry. Maybe it's a fluke, maybe it's a one off with my bar, maybe it's just me because I find Chuao to be largely overrated. But regardless of the reasoning, this was a major disappointment for technical marks. 

Francois Pralus has a very long standing history in the chocolate industry as being one of the best chocolate makers in the world. I have been meaning to get more reviews on to this blog of their products. Consistently they have been making world class chocolate and have been leaders in the single origin lines of chocolate. This is one of the few times I have felt actually duped by a brand name of chocolate. That's saying a lot with Pralus' reputation.

I think chocolate makers are really pushing the limits of "rarity," regions, and packaging. These prices are just unreal and the quality simply doesn't match the price. Sometimes I don't care how far you had to trek into the wild jungles to forage for that rare bean/genetic varietal that no one else is using. I just want it to taste good and not cost me my first born child.

Chuao beans of Venezuela, porcelana beans, criollo beans, cut-the-head-off-6000-snakes-in-the-jugle-to-get-to-these-beans..... Most of it is bullshit, and I think we're really wearing out Chuao beans and holding them up in high regards that it may not necessarily deserve. I am not saying it's all for naught and that we should throw in a towel for this region. There are people who have done the region justice with some amazing bars. But overall, I just think it's over done now and 100% overrated and over priced. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't been that impressed. I think there are other regions of Venezuela that deserve much deeper exploration and attention. I am sure many chocolate makers will dismiss this with convoluted facts about the Chuao region, but as a consumer I am here to tell you that so far, I think it's overrated. 

 

Via their website:

To the west of Caracas, Venezuela, accessible only by boat, and after several miles of winding road and uncertain is a mythical place: Chuao.

This small village is famous for generations for the purity and quality of the cocoa growing there.Bordered on the north by dense tropical forests to the south by the Caribbean Sea, this isolation ensures a pure criollo hybrids and some unique. An exceptional, ancestral knowledge, a traditional drying ground before the front of the church have made this the most sought after cocoa in the world and the best. The tiny production makes it a rare product that we are proud to present. 

This chocolate is balanced by acidity and bitterness, woody, robust.

 

I rolled my eyes at, "accessible only by boat," part. While I am sure that's true, I bring back my orginial point. Who bloody cares if it's not all that? 

Click to enlarge images.

 

 

Chuao 75%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 75%

Bean Varietal: Criollo hybrids.

Ingredients: 75% cocoa, sugar, pure cocoa butter, GMO-free soya lecithin.

Sample Size: 50g or 1.476oz

 

Appearance: Lighter brown color, rich and orange-ish hues, square tablet with monogrammed molding. Very scratched and scuffed surface with no indication why. The package was not damaged and it was flawless wrapping inside the package. It would have had a nice shiny surface if not for the major scuffing. Also, very sloppy manufacturing marks on the underside of the bar. 

Score: 55

Snap: Good, deep firm snap. Excellent snapping sound. Crumbly break lines. 

Score: 87

Aroma: Virtually no aroma whatsoever. Nothing but dried raisins and a slight bit of dried wood that barely hangs on as soon as it's exposed to air. There was literally nothing else. 

Score: 65

Taste: Sweet sugars, very bitter, berries, astringent, tart, lemony, bold and dominating wood flavors, slight hints of lingering passion fruit. Longer lingering finises of tar and roasted cacao.

Score: 89

Texture: Very smooth texture, medium melt time, creamy texture. 

Score: 93

 

I know why people revere this region. It's flavors are immensely bold and complex. But everything else about the total package with Chuao beans is a total let down. Especially with this bar. 

The appearance is simply unacceptable. There is no visible reason for those scuffs. They pretty much packaged it like that. It's beat up and it totally takes away from it's gorgeous color and what would have been a shiny surface. Not to mention the very sloppy fill lines on the back of the bar. It's just not good quality for the price, reputation, and the excessive packaging. 

The snap quality was great. Good sound, and very firm snap. Just some crumbling with the break lines but a very minor issue there.

I am really surprised at the absence of an aroma. Too bold to too faint, it's not a good thing for me. I want to smell it's richness. This smelled like an old wooden box that had dried raisins in it for the last 5 years. Two notes and that was it. Nothing else came through and I was disappointed. 

Flavor wise it's huge but it's all over the place. It had some complicated notes to it, most intriguingly were the passion fruit notes. But all of it is completely dominated by wood flavors. Anything remotely interesting that comes up is dominated by tree and wood flavors. While it's hugely rich on it's flavor, it's not very well balanced. It's also astringent and deeply bitter. The bitterness and sugars seem more like they're fighting. Good berry flavors get annihilated very quickly as well. You're left with lingering char flavors and very little nuanced retro-olfaction flavors. 

The last remaining factor was it's texture, which I found to be great. Really nice and smooth. Creamy with a nice medium melt time that allowed the flavors to hang on and not quickly melt away or disapate. Texture and flavor are the only thing holding up this particular bar. And while some may say that's the only thing that matter, it's not in this case. This bar suffered from so many technical flaws it's a little embarrassing.

Again, it's with great regret to write so strongly against a major chocolatier. But this bar was truly absurd. The boasting of the rare region, the gorgeous albeit gratuitous packaging, the horrible scuffing, the complete lack of aroma, the almost single note flavor..... It's time to stop touting Chuao as this coveted region and really work these flavors to find a better balance. Otherwise, I will just go take a tree branch and chew on that for free instead of paying $12.95 for 50 measly grams of overrated chocolate. 

The price, however, is something to talk about. It's not Pralus' fault how retailers mark up their products. One store in particular is notorious for putting an outrageous mark up on their products. I am sorry Formaggio Kitchen. This isn't about railing you guys, but you know $12.95 is absurd pricing. Other retailers are charging $8.95. Even that is excessive for only 50g. Now you see why I am being extremely critical of the conditions this bar of chocolate. For $13 or $9, this thing should have been covered in gold or made to look like it was. Having said that, no one twisted my arm into buying this bar. I bought it based on Pralus' name alone. I should have done more research for a blind purchase. But with an excellent track record, how could I have known this bar would have been so grossly overrated?

 

Final Score: 77.8

 

  score
 C-