20°N & 20°S

Zotter ~ Labooko Soya & Green Tea

 

Artist: Andreas H. Gratze

 

** Archived notes. 

 

 

Zotter

Labooko Duo bars Lactose Free Soya and Green Tea

Duo flavor bars from Zotter with soy and green tea flavors. Both lactose free for those with special dietary needs.

As mentioned on the packaging, both bars are soy bars with soy powders replacing the milk powders. This would otherwise, qualify as milk chocolate with the lower cocoa percentages and balance of milk solids. And as promised by the Zotter brand, these are organic bars with organic and fair trade ingredients and non-genetically modified soy products. 

 

 

Green Tea

Type: Soy, 30%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Cocoa butter, raw cane sugar, soy milk powder, whole cane sugar, sesame, green tea powder, vanilla, salt, cocoa mass, soy lecithin.

Sample Size: 35g or 1.23oz

 

Appearance: Creamy soft green color, monogrammed molding with signature blown dry ripples on the surface, *broken piece*, small flecks of green tea or matcha mixed in, large chocolate particle pieces on the surface. 

Score: 91

Snap: Light crisp snap, clean break lines, decent snap sound. 

Score: 93

Aroma: Cream and matcha, earthy, dirt, and copper.

Score: 94

Taste: Green tea, matcha, creamy, milky, earthy and dirty, fresh tea, lingering soy flavors, sweet, fruit flavors, possibly strawberries, no cocoa flavors. 

Score: 94

Texture: Hard, long melt time, waxy. 

Score: 82

Tastes like a creamy, milky cup of sweetened green tea. Delicious and not one ounce of real milk in this bar. A little bit of lingering soy on the finish. Clean finish despite the robust matcha and cream flavors upfront. Sweet but not sugary, an excellent balance. And a little bit fruity. I can't tell what kind of fruit I am tasting, but it's got that fruity vibe making an appearance at the finish. Almost like strawberries. 

The texture is the only issue with this bar. It's not soft, it's fairly hard and waxy and doesn't really open up to a quick melt or softer center. It's full flavored, but not silky or creamy in texture. The nose gives off an impression that it might be creamy, soft. 

I recommend this to people who may not be fans of white chocolate. It has all of the hallmarks of delicious white chocolate, the creamy aroma and milky taste without the lingering milk aftertaste. The soy helps make the creamy flavor pop, but also keep it's in check on the finish. It tastes like full earthy green tea and cream and not loaded with sugar. This would make a great introduction to white chocolates despite not being actual white chocolate. A starter chocolate or gateway chocolate if you will.  

**I am not deducting from the appearance based on the broken bit. This chocolate has travel quite a way to get to me and anything could have happened. I noted the broken bit but again, points weren't taken off for that. 

 

Final Score: 90.8

  score
B+

 

 

 

Soya

Type: Soy, 40%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy milk powder, cocoa mass, sesame, whole cane sugar, vanilla, salt, soy lecithin. 

Sample Size: 35g or 1.23oz

 

Appearance: Soft milk chocolate color, up close it's a bit like lightly creamed coffee and a touch translucent, monogrammed logo with signature blown dry ripple marks on the surface, a little ashy, and chocolate particles on the surface. 

Score: 91

Snap: Very firm snap, clearly audible, clean break lines.

Score: 96

Aroma: Soy, tiny hint of astringency, slight hints of nuts, cream, mildly smoky tobacco, and black licorice. 

Score: 94

Taste: Soft cocoa, cinnamon and licorice up front, creamy soy in the middle mixed with the spiciness of the licorice and cinnamon. Soy milk finish. 

Score: 93

Texture: Hard, waxy, a bit drying on the palate, and slightly chalky, long melt time.

Score: 84

 

There is a lot going on with this chocolate. Insanely good snap quality, interesting coffee like color, and the complexity of the nose and flavor make this an odd yet delightful bar. 

The nose smelled like soy and had a tiny bit of tartness or astringency up front, that goes away once the bar has breathed a bit. The cream, tobacco, and licorice dominate giving it a unique aroma. The taste is all cocoa and licorice with cinnamon and cream. Soy completely dominates and rounds out the finish with tiny hints of lingering cinnamon and licorice. 

Once again the texture is the worst part of this. Of all the crazy good things happening with the aroma and taste, the texture doesn't match. It's hard and waxy and a bit chalky. It does open a bit creamier than the Green Tea, but still in the same boat, too hard. 

But what a surprise this turned out to be? So many interesting flavors. I wish I knew which origin or blend of cacao Zotter decided to use for these bars. If they could just manage the texture better, these make for some very good tasting bars. A bit heavy on the soy taste for the Soya bar, but with everything else going on in the flavor, it balances nicely. I do think some milk purists might take issue with that especially on the Soya bar, but not so much the Green Tea bar. It's creamy and milky. As a milk lover and purist myself, I rather enjoyed these. And besides these aren't for the milk lovers anyway. These are for the lactose intolerant. 

Final Score: 91.6

 score
B+

Theo ~ Madagascar 74%

 

 

             

 

Theo Chocolate

Origin: Seattle, Washington

Bean Origin: Madagascar

Type: Bittersweet, 74%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario/hybrid

Single Origin, Bean-to-bar, Organic, Fair Trade cacao.

 

Appearance: Lighter brown color, simple non-monogrammed molding, nicked, *factory lines, matted. Very sloppy.

Score: 71

Snap: Light, airy crisp snap. Not too firm, but decent snapping sound, clean break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: Nice robust aroma. Acidic, dry roasted, coffee, slight hints of tar, deep fruits.

Score: 93

Taste: Extremely bitter, tart, acidic, fruit, berries, inky, bold wood flavors, floral notes, lingering bitter flavors on the aftertaste.

Score: 84

Texture: Slightly waxy, a little drying on the palate, but over all smooth and creamy finish.

Score: 90

 

Very disappointed with how the appearance came out. It should be a lovely glossy finish but instead it's matted and nicked.

*It has the factory lines from the machinery it the chocolate was dispensed from. Click to enlarge image.

Rather dull and boring molding. If you are going to use a simple mold, then it should be flawlessly executed with seamless chocolate and a glossy finish. I will say that I love the color. It's a light brown color. Almost like milk chocolate. It's pretty light for a high cocoa percentage bar. Lovely color.

The snap was a nice light and airy crisp snap. Nothing too overly exciting there, but not bad.

Big full aroma. I love that the most about Madagascar bars. The fulness and richness of the beans. Despite loving the aroma, there isn't a whole lot of depth to it. It's very full and roasted, slight acidic, and coffee and tar notes. There is a deep fruit aroma hiding underneath the roasted aromas. It's there and adds complexity, but is completely dominated.

I like that there is a nice complex flavor to this chocolate, but the lingering bitterness is too much making it taste a bit unbalanced. It's acid and tart, boldly roasted with deep flavors of tar and coffee, There is a bright inky flavor with fruits, floral, but dominated by a huge wood flavor.

I think they do okay with the flavor, it's bit overly roasted, but still presents the wonderful hallmarks of Madagascar cacao. The only issue I have with it overall is the bitterness. It's too much, and lingers too long on the palate. I am not left with a pleasant aftertaste because of the bitterness. Too much acidity too. It's simply not balanced well enough.

The texture is a bit of a mixed bag. It has a slight waxy quality to it, and it dry the palate a little bit but over all was smooth and finished creamy. A half and half texture.

Overall this was pretty underwhelming. Overly bitter, unbalanced flavors, sloppy appearance. Not a horrible bar of chocolate, but certainly not a shining example of America's bean-to-bar producers.

 

Final Score: 85.6

   score
  C+

Mitzi Blue ~ With Love

 

 

Mitzi Blue "With Love," given to me by Angelo Scarnera, from London as part of our ritual trading of chocolate for beer. In Austria this is called "Mit Liebe." I kind of wish some of the products meant for UK markets or US markets kept the German words. At least in this case anyway. Mit Liebe just sounds better.

A bean-to-bar line from Josef Zotter based around a love affair with a car. The Story of Mitzi Blue from inside of the package. Click to enlarge.

 

 

With Love:

A chocolate as beautiful as love. In love? Beloved? Liked? Out of love? In love again? Enchanted and thrilled? As beautiful as love is the unbelievably fine taste of the wonderful Mitzi Blue® With Love, a chocolate able to express in a very romantic way the unique feeling of loving somebody. But love is not only written on the package, this chocolate is made with love. This variety is made with love for lovers, and that is why it looks different. Enchantingly light-coloured, finely conched and – to everybody’s surprise – covered with flowers. Seduction at the highest taste levels, something that may be given with love at any time.

 

With Love is white chocolate with 31% cocoa butter content. It's covered in flower petals of blue corn flowers, red roses, and yellow marigolds. It's very pretty and certainly special enough to hand over to someone you love.

 

Dear Angelo,

I heart you too, homie. Friends fo lyfe yo!

Mit Liebe, Candice

 

 

 

Mit Liebe

 

Type: White chocolate, 31% cocoa butter

Ingredients: Raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, full cream powder, sweet whey powder, whole cane sugar, mixed flowers (roses, corn flowers, and marigolds) vanilla, salt, soy lecithin. (Almonds??)

**Fair trade and organic ingredients.

Sample Size: 50g or 1.76oz

 

Appearance: Circle tablet, shiny back surface covered in pretty flower petals. The front is a simple monogrammed design. Gorgeous almond color. Soft and muted and not yellowish-white.

Score: 95

Snap: Low thud sound, slightly firm snap quality.

Score: 89*

Aroma: Delicate cinnamon toast and cream. Very simple and not much else happening.

Score: 93

Taste: Cinnamon, cream, buttery, slight nutty characters, a bit of a perfume-y character from the petals, but it's softly folded into the flavors of cinnamon and nuts. Distinctive rose flavor though. A blended cinnamon and milky aftertaste.

Score: 94

Texture: Super soft and creamy texture, the petals on the surface are dry, but soften really quickly, fast melt time.

Score: 94

 

*The score on the Snap is adjusted a bit for white chocolate. I factor in cocoa butter content and how thick the bar is. This had a relatively good snap to it, it just had no sound. Which is why is scored a bit lower than what it should have been based on it's feel.

Very pretty bar of chocolate. The color of the white chocolate was a beautiful almond color and not a weird neon white color you sometimes see with white chocolate. Simple molding with beautifully accented flowers all over the back surface.

I was slightly confused by the almonds in the ingredients. It says it contains almonds online, but not on the package. It does have a slight nutty character. It confuses me if I am really tasting almonds or just a natural flavor profile from the cocoa butter and ingredients.

The aroma and taste were fabulous. I am not one who is generally sold on white chocolate, but I don't turn my nose up at it and I will always try it. It smelled and tasted like cinnamon and cream. Awesomely buttery and sweet. It had a little bit of a flowery taste with distinctive rose flavors. It was also a bit nutty with a texture to die for. So creamy and soft. The petals were a bit dry on the palate at first, but it's a small detail considering how soft the white chocolate was.

There was a slight milky after taste that I didn't care for, but It took a few tastes of the bar for that to be present. It's a classic flavor of white chocolate I have come to not like. But again the rest of this bar tasted so good, I was willing to over look the aftertaste this time. It wasn't anything like the Hand-Scooped Black Cherries with Vanilla bar. Plus the cinnamon lingers a bit so it's a milky cinnamon flavor. There were some cloying spice notes towards the end. But again, a minor detail like the milky after taste that wasn't enough to interfere or ruin this fantastic bar of white chocolate.

I recommend this bar for the non-believers of white chocolate. Originally I was going to write that this is a good bar to give to your lover, unless they are a chocolate snob. But I think this will be good enough for the snobs after all.

Final Score: 93

    score
    A-

Zotter ~ Hand-Scooped Black Cherries with Vanilla

 

 

Zotter "Hand-Scooped" Black Cherries with Vanilla. Artwork by Andreas H. Gratze.

 

Black Cherries with Vanilla

Fine Bitter Couverture 60%

A fine dark chocolate that has the air of a chartbreaker. A black-cherry fruit puree and its layer of vanilla-almond nougat are determined to make it to the top.

 

Type: Filled bar, Semisweet 60%

Infredients: Raw cane sugar, almonds, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, fructose-glucose syrup, dried sweet cherries, full cream milk powder, cherry brandy, sweet whey powder, whole cane sugar, vanilla, salt, soy lecithin.

**Fair trade and organic ingredients.

Sample Size: 70g or 2.47oz

 

Major bloom on this bar. I like these Hand-scooped bars, but the chocolate coatings are very temperamental and finicky. This bar was the most bloomed out the three I have tried so far. And they are not past expiration or close to it. I can go as far as to say there may have been a big shift in temperature from transport or where they were bought in London. But I doubt that's the case. I think these bars are just delicate and temperamental.

Smells like cherries and a bit sweet like the kirsch brandy. Just a tad hint of that boozy character, but sweet overall with cherries, sugar, and vanilla.

Very sweet taste. Rich, sweet and slightly tart cherries, sweet vanilla filling, and semisweet chocolate rounding out the flavor. It's nice that the chocolate is at least present for this bar. On the other bars it was there but the fillings in the bar over took the chocolate. Then again, the chocolate is supposed to be an accent and not the main focus. But nice that you can taste it. 

There is a bit if a funky taste on the finish though that I do not like. I am left with a funky milk taste and milk breath. Something is artificial about it. The entire bar tasted good up until the finish. It's a leftover by-product of either too much milk powder in this bar or too much sugar and milk combined. It kind of ruins it for me.

I feel like this could have scored higher despite the bloom and overly sweet content of this bar because it tasted good, but it's the aftertaste that I can't get behind. The cherries were good, the vanilla was strong but good, the chocolate taste on the end was nice, but that finish kills it. It's not often I give something a score like this.

 

   score
 D+

Zotter ~ Hand -Scooped Scotch Whisky

 

 

Zotter "Hand-Scooped" Scotch Whisky with Highland Harvest Organic Scotch. Artwork by Andreas H. Gratze.

 

 

Scotch Whisky

Nobel bitter couverture 70%

The 'smoky flavour' of whisky and the dry acidulous flavour of dark chocolate blend together for that perfect combination.

 

Type: Filled bar, bittersweet, 70%

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, whisky (6%), milk, fructose-glucose syrup, full cream milk powder, whole cane sugar, salt, vanilla.

**Fair Trade and organic ingredients.

Sample Size: 2.47oz or 70g

Highland Harvest Organic Scotch Whisky

 

Nice shiny surface with the blow dried chocolate waves on the surface. A few marks on the surface but probably from the packaging rubbing against the chocolate ripples. Still shiny though and in great shape.

Smells boozy and chocolate-y. A lot like the Grape (Grappa), Cheese and Walnut bar. Smells more like the sweet richness of the chocolate than it does of peaty scotch.

From the Caskstore page about the Whisky:

Deep golden amber color. Buttery caramelized nuts, anise, vanilla frosting, and dried fruit aromas. A soft silky entry leads to a dryish medium body of honeyed nut toast, caramel, honey, and spice flavors with wet grain and delicate mineral fade. A smooth, delicately flavorful, and evenly meshed blend.

Rich bittersweet chocolate and full scotch flavors without being overbearing. Has a bit of scotch esters and some slight peat characters, the buttery quality described on the page about the whisky comes through in a great way and interacts nicely with the sweet chocolate. Definite vanilla, cream, and honey from the scotch. There is a really nice flowery overtone to the bar as well which is either coming from the chocolate, or the scotch's honey notes, or a combination of the two. Either way, its really nice. And a nice nutty character just before the finish. Lot's of flavor profiles going on.

For someone who isn't a big scotch fan, this was very enjoyable. It is was it says it is too, unlike the Bacon Bits bar. Just a creamy center of chocolate and scotch covered in dark chocolate. A nice balance of esters, sugars, butter, and cream. And all organic ingredients including the whisky which falls inline with Zotter's principles perfectly.

 

   score
   A-

Zotter ~ Hand-Scooped Bacon Bits

 

 

Zotter "Hand-Scooped" Bacon Bits bar. Artwork by Andreas H. Gratze.

 

 

 

Bacon Bits

Noble bitter couverture 70%

Contest of nutty flavours. Cracklings roasted in a crispy fashion and then caramelised develop nutty flavours. Hazelnut nougat competes for this nutty taste. Refined with cinnamon and coated in noble bitter chocolate.

 

Type: Filled candy bar, nougat, Noble bitter couverture, 70%

Ingredients: Raw cane sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, hazelnuts (16%), bacon crackling (7%), full cream milk powder, skimmed milk powder, butter, whole cane sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla.

*Fair trade and certified organic ingredients.

Sample Size: 2.47oz or 70g

 

Ashy and bloom-y chocolate coating. Rippled wavy surface pattern from the chocolate being blown and cooled.

Smells like cinnamon and walnuts even though it's ingredients contain hazelnuts. No smokey or bacon aroma. Cinnamon dominates everything even the chocolate.

Hazelnut and cinnamon taste, very sweet, slightly salty with small bits of crispy bacon crackles, soft chocolate coating, soft nougat-like center, and crunchy, sweet, caramelized bacon.

The namesake simply doesn't hold up. It's called Bacon Bits, and while it does have it in there, it's very disappointing with the amount. I expected it to be more loaded with bacon. It's basically just a cinnamon-y gianduja bar with scant amounts of bacon crunchies in it. This cinnamon and hazelnut also dominate the flavor of the chocolate.

I think this bar tastes very good. It's actually really good and it's texture is very nice and creamy with the crunchy caramalized bacon for added texture contrast. But I wanted more bacon. The bacon is also candy-like. Barely any smokey flavor to it at all. But there is a little bit of a salt kick which helps balance out the sweet bar, but not enough though.

I don't know exactly how to grade this bar. For taste it would get a strong B+ or even an A-. But technically since it's called Bacon Bits it should be more bacon-y and that's what you should be left with when eating this bar. But you don't get left with bacon. And while it tastes great, it should be called something like "Cinnamon Gianduja," to more accurately name this bar.

 

   score
  C+

 

Santander ~ Dark Chocolate 70%

 

 

 

Santander Dark Chocolate 70%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario, Criollo blend

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

Sample Size: 2.46oz or 70g

 

Appearance: Large square monogrammed tablet, deep dark brown color, muted, slightly ashy, a few minor and superficial surface marks.

Score: 89

Snap: Firm, crisp snap, nice audible snap sound, clean break lines.

Score: 93

Aroma: Opens up with soft almonds and wood, the same coffee notes as the 65%, then opens up to big peanuts again, sweet honey. All the same characteristics on the aroma of the 65% but softer and more muted. I don't detect the same floweriness or the spicy qualities I detected on the 65%. I tend to find stronger cocoa percentages can be softer on the aroma.

Score: 91

Taste: Peanuts and peanut butter, coffee, sweet sugars up front, then a little astringent when it opens up. Not much else is going on.

Score: 92

Texture: A little hard, mildly chalky, medium melt time.

Score: 91

 

See the review for the Dark Chocolate 65% here.

The aroma had all the same characteristics of of the 65% only muted a bit. But the flavor was a bust. It tasted good, but due to the dominating peanuts and peanut butter tastes, coupled with coffee, it drowned out every other subtlety that might have been present. While I liked the taste, it felt more like I was eating a peanut butter cup in dark chocolate than it felt like eating a nice single origin chocolate. While the 65% had too much sugar, this has too much peanut flavor.

I asked before in the other review of Santander, how much is natural and how much is infused from other flavors around their factory with coffee/chocolate products around? The coffee was much more pronounced in the 65% while this one is all peanuts.

I apologize if this review seems lacking, it just ended up being a lot of the same from the 65%. Just softer and more nutty. I didn't want to make this a verbatim review of the other one. But I put the link for the other review because it does contain more details and will explain a lot of what I meant with this review.

Final Score: 91.2

   score
 B+

Madécasse ~ Rich 70%

 

 

 

Madécasse ~ Rich 70%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario, Hybrid

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

Sample Size: 2.64 oz or 75g

 

Appearance: Simple square patterned, monogrammed tablet, ashy, medium chocolate brown color, smooth surface. Some minor matted marks on the surface.**

Score: 90

Snap: Good strong snap. Nice audible snap sound, clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: Dried wood, soft roasted cacao and huge dried figs.

Score: 95

Taste: Deeply rich cocoa, a bit acidic, bitter, big cedar wood, mild leather notes, cereal grains, and deep in the back of the flavor of this chocolate are cherry notes.

Score: 87

Texture: Medium-hard, dry, long melt time.

Score: 84

 

**I did not deduct from the appearance of the bar based on it's ashy appearance. It's in great shape for holding on to it as long as I have. I am being completely honest about my Madécasse reviews as I have had their bars since the fall. They are not past their prime by any means, they're not close to being expired yet, but it has gone through the winter with me. I didn't expect a shiny bar after all this time. And it shouldn't be taken out on them that I waited this long.

Very simple descriptions on the nose of this chocolate. It was 3 simple things. Dried wood, roasted cacao, and dried figs. The fig aroma was awesome. It was big, but not too big and it didn't push down the other aromas. Well, the other aromas that I could detect anyway. I even pulled out a tin of dried  Turkish figs for comparison, and they were identical sans the wood and cacao on the bar. Simple yet fantastic.

 

It's all bitterness and acidity up front. Mild acidity, but deeply bitter and it interferes with some of the nuances of the flavors. In the middle, it opens up with big cedar wood flavors and cereal grains, some slight leathery notes. But the bitterness and wood flavors trump a lot of the deep and complex fruit notes. There is a cherry presence, but it's buried underneath everything else.

Although I love big wood flavors in chocolate, especially cedar wood, it's a bit much on this chocolate. It's all you really get out of it. The wood flavors coupled with the bitterness of this chocolate makes it taste a bit unbalanced. I could tell that there could be more going on with this chocolate and more flavors wanted to come out and play but the bully's were on the play ground as bitterness and wood.

The texture didn't do it any favors either. It was hard, very slow melt time and dry. It wasn't horrible texture by any means, but if this were softer and creamier, it could have been a lot better despite its dominating flavors.

 

Final Score: 90

   score
    B

Amano ~ Cuyagua 70% Limited Edition

 

 

 

A limited edition bar of chocolate with beans from the northern coastal region of Venezuela. There has been quite a bit of buzz from the "chocolate elite" or the reviewing community about this particular bar. This bar and Amano's Chuao.

It's to be expected though, it's Amano. They are one of the world's best chocolate makers. Their skills in making cocoa beans show their true potential via aroma and taste is simply unrivaled. The dedication and commitment to the farmers and regions where they source their beans is admirable.

 

I hate to cut and paste everything from their website, but this is a very good description as well as personal insights from Art Pollard himself. I find all of it fascinating and want to highlight it here.

Nestled in a little valley on the Caribbean coast the small village of Cuyagua is home to some of Venezuela’s most highly prized cacao. Cuyagua’s plantation is old -- tracing its history back to the 1600’s. Its trees are tall — many twice the height of that found on other plantations. We buy this special cocoa from Cuyagua’s farmers, import it, and using our proprietary and labor intensive techniques transform them into a truly remarkable chocolate. The flavor can be described as being deep and hauntingly rich with wonderful fruit notes of melon and spice. This is an incredible chocolate — one you will treasure and share with your friends and loved ones (if you don't eat it first).

The Chocolate Maker's Notes:

For me, Cuyagua is a very special village and is home to one of my most precious chocolate memories. Not long after we launched, I went to visit Cuyagua’s farmers. Cuyagua is very remote and difficult to get to. I arrived at sunrise and spent the cool morning working with the farmers until their day was done. We crossed the Cuyagua river to a small clearing where they gathered round. I gave each farmer a chocolate bar that we made with their cocoa. They were so proud to see their village’s name on each of the bars.

We passed around one additional bar for each to sample. One old farmer came approached me and said: “This chocolate is like a river.” I thought this a very strange comment and so I asked him what he meant. He looked at me and said: “This chocolate takes you on a journey of flavor to all these wild wondrous places; the flavor goes on and on like a river.”

To this day, I get emotional when I think about this simple farmer. Here in this remote village was a simple farmer who in his heart was a poet. Somehow, our chocolate spoke to his soul and left a profound impression on him. This experience made me realize that we were making something truly special and caused me to redouble my efforts to respect each farmer’s hard work by making the best chocolate possible. It is my hope that this chocolate speaks to your soul in the same way that it spoke to the soul of this humble farmer.

Art Pollard
Founder / Head Chocolate Maker

 

“This chocolate is like a river.” This is a very true statement and I could tell immediately upon opening it and inhaling the aroma. Very complex, so many details and layers.

 

 

Each one of their bars has specific art work as well. This is an oil painting "Cocoa Flower" by Marcia Baldwin.

 

 

[Image via Surf-Forecast.com]

 

Coastal Venezuelan regions are world renowned for having some of the best cacao. But this chocolate is very different for anything else I have had to date from Venezuela. As far as the aroma goes anyway. I have come to recognize key hallmarks of certain regions where cocoa comes from. Coastal Venezuela generally has deep, robust characteristics and more funky, tar, toasted bread, earthy, and sometimes bright green or new wood characters, deeply roasted  or char characters, with deep berries. This of course, is a generalization and is highly subjective. But it's what I have personally come to recognize from chocolate bars being produced with beans from these coastal areas. Rio Caribe being the most intense region. And while this bar certainly has these hallmark tastes, the aroma masked all of that and allowed a nice "otherness" to be presented about this chocolate.

This chocolate however, is like a delicate flower in the middle of all that chaos of palate inundating flavor profiles. Like the pretty cactus flower that grows a brillaint pink on top of harsh cactus needles. More complicated and softer forcing you to find out it's secrets instead of being hit over the head with it's unique profile. Both on the taste and the aroma.

 

Click to enlarge images.

 

Cuyagua, 70%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Criollo,Trinitario, hybrid blends.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole vanilla beans.

Sample Size: 2oz or 56g

Lot #: 3/4/85C

 

Appearance: Square tablet, small squares, monogrammed molding, a bit dusty on the surface, not so much bloom, but more like a mix of sugar dust and chocolate particles all over the surface. A few nicks as well. A medium dark brown chocolate color.

Score: 89

Snap: Excellent snap. Firm, crisp, clean break lines, and nice audible snap sound.

Score: 95

Aroma: Very complex. Slightly roasted aroma, sweet candy, tobacco leaves, mild smoky hints, oak wood, berries, mild hints of pen ink, light almonds.

Score: 97

Taste: Sweet sugars up front, deep and bold bitter cacao, tar, wood, mild coffee notes, complex berries, pen ink, soft and subtle flowery notes, and buttery toast notes on the finish with retro-olfaction.

Score: 96

Texture: Medium hard, medium melt time, and a creamy texture once it gets opened up.

Score: 91

 

I think it's become a running joke now with Amano bars on appearance. I never seem to get the immaculately pretty bars as far as surface issues goes. But I will hold on to the dream of getting a pristine bar. Kidding aside, it's not a big a deal these minor surface issues, but it does prevent a high score on Amano reviews. I have decided against weighted individual scores.

The aroma was a bit of surprise. As mentioned above, it had virtually no characteristics of what I have come to expect from coastal Venezuela beans. So much going on too. I truly believe Amano are masters at drawing out the true potential in chocolate. It had everything on it from sweet, sugary candy notes, to oak-y woods, and tobacco leaves. A bit of some smoky characteristics and and light, sweet almonds. So much going on. I had to sit with it for a while and really let it all sink in.

The taste had more of what I expect from this region. More tar flavors, toast, pen ink, and deep berries. I am struggling to identify the specific berries. Forgive me for being vague on that. But there were nice mild coffee flavors and wood, but most surprising was a sweet and flowery taste hidden underneath all it's layers.

It's quite intense on the palate, yet the flavors are subtle. Some pop out more than others, but usually from what I have noticed about coastal Venezuelan beans, is that it's robust through and through and there are very specific flavors. Usually they are front and center and all of the nuances are harder to detect. This is however, let's everything come out and play. Delicacies and bold flavors alike all share equal footing.

This is why it's unlike anything I have ever had before. The aroma is soft, and gives off this impression of a delicate chocolate, the flavors are bold and complex yet soft at the same time. They show themselves without kicking you in the face. This is why I compared it to a cactus flower. A pretty little delicacy among giant and not so pretty flavor descriptions. It's as if this is the true nature of these regional beans and it should be kept a secret. Don't let anyone know just how dynamic these beans really are, let them think the region is rustic, bold, and unforgiving on your palate. That this is a region for bitter palate adventurers. Meanwhile, the rest of us will covet these glimpses underneath Venezuela's skirt.

Okay, okay, maybe I am romanticizing this a bit too much, but I am very happy with this chocolate. Not since Rogue Chocolatier's Sambirano, have I been this excited about a flavor experience. And not since Amano's own Dos Rios, have I been this intrigued by an aroma. If this chocolate were just a tad softer, I think it would be a damn near perfect representation of highest quality Venezuelan chocolate.

It's just really nice being reminded just how good chocolate really can be.

 

Final Score: 93.6

   score
   A-

Santander ~ Dark Chocolate 65%

 

 

 

 

My first experience with Santander from Colombia. A bean-to-bar producer in the north eastern part of the country, in a state called Santander. With beans sourced from 3 different municipalities, San Vicente de Chucurí, El Carmen, Rionegro and Landázuri.

 

Images via Wikipedia, and Zonu.com.

 

A fair trade company with corporate distribution that focuses on fair treatment to farmers and their families.

Via their website and Compañía Nacional de Chocolates.

• Fair prices and cash payments to growers.
• Permanent attention to maintaining good working conditions for all our personnel.
• Contribution to the wellbeing of workers and their families.
• Support to research and new technological developments at the Company’s agriculture farm.
• Promotion of sustainable and friendly agricultural practices.
• Establishment of a new farm with other sector members.
• Strengthening of cooperatives and growers associations.
• Improvements to growers’ competitiveness and returns, emphasizing sustainable environmental management of crops.
• Active participation in the Cocoa National Council, the Sector’s Policy Committee and the Technical Committees that direct and determine the sector’s future.
• Sponsorship of educational programs in cooperation with the Presidency of the Republic.
• Execution of the educational program “Nacional de Chocolates loves children” in existence for more than ten years.

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate 65%

 

Type: Semisweet, 65%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario, Criollo, blends.

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

Sample Size: 2.46 oz or 70g

 

Appearance: Large squared tablet with monogrammed molding. Deep dark brown, smooth surface with some very minor streaking on the surface.

Score: 92

Snap: Very firm snap, clean break lines, and nice audible snap sound.

Score: 93

Aroma: Opens up buttery, woody, and sweet. Then comes the big peanuts and coffee aromas. At first the nuttiness was a little bit almond-like. Then it opens up and it's all peanut butter and coffee. The coffee is a very rich brew on the aroma, a slight hint of honey and flowers, and a wee bit of spiciness on the aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Sweet, roasted cacao, more sugars, big, flavorful, lightly astringent, fairly bitter for 65%, coffee, peanuts, peanut butter, slight hints of berries and a little spicy character in the center.

Score: 91

Texture: A little hard, medium-fast melt time, slightly creamy when it opens up, smooth texture.

Score: 92

 

I am wondering how much is natural and how much is a bit of forced influence on the aroma with the big coffee notes? They have bars with coffee beans in them and espresso, so how much of those bars are influencing the aroma or is this a natural effect with coffee being grown close by the cacao itself?

Whatever the answer is, I am loving the aroma. It's big roasted coffee and peanut butter. When I first opened this bar, it was very different. Almonds on the aroma with huge sweet butter notes and wood. After about 30 seconds to a full minute, the peanuts on this bar and coffee take over. The coffee is almost a layered effect with the peanuts. You don't smell the roasted coffee at first because of the peanuts, but the finish of the aroma is all fresh, and strong brewed coffee.

I lightly tanked the taste score on this chocolate not because of the flavor profile and character markers, but because of the excessive sugars. There were too much sugars in this bar and they interfered with the flavor profile.

The bar is a bit inundated with coffee which leads me once again to ask, is the coffee a natural effect from the cacao growing close to coffee? Or is it from the factory where the other coffee chocolate bars are made. Based on how roast-y the aroma is and how much it's like brewed coffee on the taste, I am going to say it's from the factory.

Peanuts, and a mix of peanut butter. I realize that sounds strange but it has distinctive peanut flavors and commercial peanut butter tastes. There are some spicy notes in there, and some deep berries, but all of that get interfered with by the sugar, coffee, and peanut flavors.

I think this will be good to melt down in some milk or almond milk for a steamed hot chocolate. It's very sweet, but it does have big flavors that would make for a nice roast-y hot chocolate. It might be April now, but I live in New England. There is still time for a cold night that requires a hot chocolate.

 

Final Score: 92.2

   score
  B+