20°N & 20°S

Chocolats Oliver ~ Pure Origine Ghana

Chocolates Olivier Pure Origine Ghana

I have virtually no information about this chocolatier. Their website contains no information about them except for a few products they are selling and the fact that they are located in Toulouse, France. The store that I bought it from in San Francisco called CocoaBella, also has no information about them on their website.

I love the packaging. It's eye popping. The darker hues of the first picture don't do it that much justice. The bright yellow against that turquois blue draws you in.

The only bit of information I found on Chocolat Olivier was from question someone asked over at seventypercent.com back in 2007 and answered from a moderator on the site named Masur.

Too me it looks like they are using single origin couverture from Barry Callebaut. I'm sure you're familiar with their chocolate.
A quote from Chocolats Olivier website:

quote:

---

Chocolats Olivier was purchased in April of 2005 by Franco-American brothers Alain and Alexander Beret and American business partner James Fairbanks. Since its purchase in 2005, Olivier has reached beyond its regional borders of Toulouse to expand its sales into the United States, Russia, United Arab Emirates and Europe.

---

Regrettably their price is too high in Sweden. 7.5 Euro for a bar is far too much I think. I'm sure the American business partner is in it for the money.

http://www.chocolatsolivier.com/

I have no idea where this person got their information from, because it is not on the Chocolats Olivier website. Maybe more information was posted was two years ago, but it's not there now. It's a bit presumptuous to call some out as only "in it for the money" without presenting all the facts.

I don't know what the prices were like for this chocolate two years ago. Today they are priced at €3.80 and not €7.50. I am not an expert on the Euro, taxes, or importing in Sweden, but to crassly blame the American as only being out for money without facts to back it up is tacky.

Back to the chocolate. Whether they use Callebaut chocolate or not, the beans are from Ghana. No indication on what type of beans they use, but most of the beans coming from Ghana are Forastero. The package claims 100% pure cocoa butter.

 


 

Pure Origine Ghana

Bean Varietal: Unknown, but mostly likely Forastero.

Ingredients: 70% cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, natural vanilla.

Type: Bittersweet, though the packaging claims this is a mild semisweet.

Sample size: 100g or 3.5oz


Appearence: Deep rich color, smooth simple molding, shiny finish.

Score: 93

Snap: Excellent crisp snap. Not too loud, but clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: Big hazelnuts as soon as I took it out of it's package. Big green tobacco leaves, soft and rich roasted cocoa aroma, a little smokey with a big berry aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Initially it starts of green and a little woody, like the way wood smells when the tree has first been cut down or all the bark peeled back, mildly spicy once it begins to open, very low acidity and zero astringency, deep rich, and robust cocoa flavors, flowery tea flavors towards the end. Very clean finish. Lingering hints of leather on the back end.

Score: 95

Texture: Very soft, medium melt time, very smooth and creamy.

Score: 95

This was gorgeous chocolate. I just wish I had more information about them. The chocolate was fantastic. I especially love chocolates that have low acidity and astringency. This was very smooth, and very easy to eat. This particular bar would make for an excellent bar to start someone out with as a beginner or to give to someone who has very sensitive palate.

Final Score: 94

score
A-

Michel Cluizel ~ 1er Cru de Plantation "Mangaro"

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Mangaro"

As part of a set I bought in San Francisco at CocoaBella in the SOMA district. CocoaBella had many interesting bars. My only regret is that I didn't buy more of a range from Cluizel. You can read about the first bar I reviewed as part of this set here: Maralumi.

Madagascar is my favorite region to date for cocoa beans. The beans carry main hallmarks of descriptive characteristics such as bright, citrus, Cedar wood, and clean. But each bar I have tried has had distinctly different characteristic which has set this region apart for me such as nuttiness, rubber or tar, mint, and melons. The most curious of all, are the bars that have the vodka characteristics. One bar I tried from Rogue Chocolatier even had a little bit of the esters or heat from the vodka notes. It was unbelievable. I simply find Magagascar beans to be the most interesting.

From the package:

Located on the island of Madagascar at the heart of the Indian Ocean, in the rich valley of the river Sambirano, this plantation flourishes on the land of a former mango tree forest. The beans of these cocoa trees have enabled me to develop a highly flavoured chocolate, blending aromas of exotic fruits, delicious flavours of honey spice cake and acidulated hints of citrus fruits.

1er Cru de Plantation "Mangaro"

Bean Varietal: Unknown, but possibly Trinitario.

Ingredients: Cocoa, cane sugar, cocoa butter, Bourbon vanilla pod.

Type: Bittersweet, 65%

Sample Size: 3.5oz or 100g

Appearance: Standard signature molding, smooth, slightly dulled appearance, but relatively shiny, deep dark brown color.

Score: 94

Snap: Dull snap, fairly audible, but not sharp.

Score: 87

Aroma: Immediately after opening, the aroma was nutty like macadamia nuts, and buttery. Lightly smokey, tobacco leaves, soft wood, reminded me of a dresser drawer or a wooden chest but soft and aged a few years. Very mild hints of jasmine, green mangoes, mild lemon-y citrus notes.

Score: 96

Taste: Soft flowery, lightly woody taste that opens into bright, tangy citrus flavors, acidic, astringent, more soft wood notes follow up and smooth out the astringent effects, nutty, little bit of interaction between soft mangoes and cherries. Cherries are present first, then soft mangoes round it out. Soft lingering bitterness.

Score: 95

Texture: Soft, smooth, creamy texture, with a clean, dry finish.

Score: 93

This was a fairly amazing experience in chocolate. Once again Madagascar beans have proven to be my favorite. This chocolate is all about soft and bold. Soft notes in the beginning, then big bold characteristics come forward, once again the softer more subtle notes come back to round everything out.

I must say though, this wasn't as smooth as I would have hoped for. The different contrasts in flavors on this bar went in succession leaving for an excellent taste experience, but the acidity was big and sharp which left the experience a bit uneven. The lovely aromas, beautiful wood and mango notes on the taste are responsible for a higher score.

Final Score: 93

score
A-

Michel Cluizel ~ 1er Cru de Plantation "Maralumi"

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Maralumi."

I bought this in San Fransico at CocoaBella in the SOMA district. I was visiting San Francisco for a food conference and made it a point to pick up some chocolate before I left. Sadly, I didn't have time to do the chocolate tours of San Francisco and do tours of Sharffen Berger or Ghirardelli. But leaving with French chocolate I haven't had before, more than made up for it.

Michel Cluizel has been widely regarded as one of the world's finest chocolatiers. Hailing from the Normandy region of France, he opened his first shop in 1981 in Paris. He began his journey with chocolate in 1947 Normandy, France with his parents who were pastry chefs beginning their own chocolate creations. 

There is a Michel Cluizel: you can see him, with an ebullient smile, on his corporate website. In 1947 his parents, pastry chefs Marc and Marcelle Cluizel, decided to venture into the world of fine chocolate. Fascinated by the chocolate business, Michel became an apprentice and has been making fine chocolates—which soon became exceptional chocolates—since 1948. Today, assisted by his four adult children, the chocolate shop that began in a small town in Normandy is now a global enterprise. More than 6,000 chocolatiers and patissiers use his couverture* and sell his chocolates. Yet, while many shops sell Cluizel products, there are only two Cluizel stores: the original, on the Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, and, since a year ago, a store in New York City.

[Via: Gourmet Food - Michel Cluizel Chocolate - The World's Best Chocolate - Product Review - THE NIBBLE Gourmet Food Magazine  Karen Hochman and Peter Rot 2006]

Cluizel sets high standards for his products.

In 1999, after one and a half years of research, Michel Cluizel prohibited soya lecithin, a natural emulsifier, from all his chocolates. Soya lecithin was in fact introduced to chocolate manufacture in 1957 and is commonly used to facilitate the mixing of chocolate ingredients. As a known perfectionist, Michel Cluizel already used the purest ingredients in his chocolates, cane sugar (not beet sugar) and Bourbon vanilla bean (not extract or vanillin) so the aim to purify his chocolates further by not including this particular ingredient was a step closer to perfection. Real chocolate in its finest and purest form.

[Via: The Chocolate Traveller]

Purest form of chocolate and highest standards of production, but do not scoff or turn your nose away from those who do use soy lecithin. It's very common in chocolate making. The absence of soy lecithin is one way to guarantee no genetically modified ingredients and reduce the presence of added allergens.

Soy lecithin is used in conventional chocolate to replace all or part of the cocoa butter added, by acting as an emulsifier. An emulsifier links the molecules of the various ingredients together. Soy added to chocolate changes the texture with regard to fluidity and brittleness. Cocoa butter is the most expensive ingredient used to make chocolate, whereas soy lecithin is less expensive, and less of it is needed. Adding soy lecithin makes conching (stirring) much easier, and reduces considerably the time needed for this operation. Less electricity is needed when soy lecithin is added to chocolate, and chocolate makers can use regular equipment as opposed to high performance equipment.

           [Via: Soy Free Sales]

A single origin bar, more definitively, one specific plantation Maralumi from Papua New Guinea.

To better understand what this means specifically here is a great description of single origin terms from The Nibble.

• Single Origin Cacao, also known as origin cacao, pure origin cacao and monorigin cacao, refers to cacao beans grown in one particular area or region,or the chocolate made from these beans (which can be called called single origin chocolate).
• Grand Cru Cacao is is a marketing term referring to single origin chocolate, coined by Valrhona when the company launched the first single origin bar in 1986 (Guanaja 70%, a mixture of beans from South America.
• Premier Cru/Estate Grown Cacao is also a marketing term. What Michel Cluizel calls 1er [Premier] Cru chocolate, where the beans come from specific plantations, is called Estate Grown by Valrhona. To add to the confusion, in the wine industry, from which this terminology is taken, a Grand Cru wine is better-quality than a Premier Cru wine. But the reverse is true given these chocolate definitions: Cluizel’s 1er Cru chocolate, which is single estate, is of higher quality than Valrhona’s Grand Cru, which is only single origin—and that origin, e.g. “South America
  
  ,” can be extremely broad compared to a single estate on one island.

This is a single plantation, couverture* chocolate bar. This doesn't mean that the same rules of single origin tasting do not apply. You will taste distinctive trademarks of the beans from the regions they come from, but this just means one specific estate has a higher quality of beans from the specific region.

*Couverture    (COO-ver-tyoor)    is    professional-quality chocolate that is used for tempering and making bonbons, truffles and chocolate bars, or enrobing other confections.

[Via: Gourmet Food - Michel Cluizel Chocolate - The World's Best Chocolate - Product Review - THE NIBBLE Gourmet Food Magazine  Karen Hochman and Peter Rot 2006]

Papua New Guinea sits right below zero degrees on the equator. Optimal growing conditions for chocolate, as 20°N & 20°S of the equator are the borders in which the worlds best cocoa is produced. 

As described on the package:

The island of Papua - New Guinea, off the coast of Australia, is an unusual origin for cocoa. A superb Maralumi plantation lies close to the East coast producing refined beans that greatly appealed to me. They give this mellow chocolate slightly roasted and spicy flavours, fresh notes of green bananas and acidulates flavours of red currants prolonged by charming aromas of Havana tobacco leaves.

Try not to let the generic flavor profile influence your palate. Taste first and then evaluate whether your palate detected the same notes or not. Taste is subjective meaning your palate is unique and just because certain notes are detected from someone else it doesn't make them right and you wrong about what you're tasting. But be advised that there is usually a general consensus of what flavors are commonly found from each region.

I personally jump right in, smell the chocolate, evaluate it, taste it, and complete my own notes. Then I will research what is typical of the region or what others have noted about the particular chocolate to see where my palate is in conjunction with theirs. I am trying desperately not to remember anything more than the basic flavor profiles of certain regions as to not influence my palate.

1er Cru de Plantation "Maralumi."

Bean Varietal: Unknown, but most likely is Trinitario as that bean varietal is common for Papua New Guinea.

Ingredients: Cocoa, cane sugar, cocoa butter, bourbon vanilla pod.

Type: Bittersweet, 64%

Sample size: 3.5oz or 100g

Appearance: Soft, muted, but deep brown colors. Not very shiny, but smooth design and molding.

Score: 92

Snap: Clean break lines, but a dull, low thud sound.

Score: 79

Aroma: At first it was very soft and delicate nose nutty almost peanut-y. But then it opened up more with mild hints of tar, big fruit intermixed with a slight flowery perfume aroma, big tobacco leaves, roasted cocoa, and blueberries. Hints of spicy, cinnamon aroma was present as well.

Score: 94

Taste: Upfront, bright berry fruits, big honey notes, orange blossom, sharp and tangy but not too astringent, bitter with undefined edges (not rounded and comes in and out), wood, tiny hints of banana and orange blossom from retro-olfaction. Mild lingering astringent after taste that was slightly present in the initial tasting, but more so on the end of the taste.

Score: 97

Texture: Smooth and soft, quick melt time.

Score: 95

Although the flavor of this chocolate are straightforward and meet you immediately upon tasting, it's complicated chocolate. The bitterness is very apparent on this bar and comes out about midway through the melt. It doesn't jab you in the neck with it's presence, but very apparent and in your face.

The gorgeous honey notes were my favorite part of the tasting. I wrote orange blossom down twice because I detected it in the beginning, and then the bitterness berry flavors overtook the palate. Through retro-olfaction it was once again present with banana notes.

It's a shame about the snap quality which really drags the average down for this particular chocolate. Without knowing the percentage of cocoa butters used, it's hard to say if this was an intended effect or not. Reading about Cluizel, soft textures are a hallmark. The chocolate broke in clean lines, but again was a dull and low thud for a snap versus a decisive and direct snap sound.

Despite the score for this chocolate which may seem less that stellar for a such a world renowned chocolatier, it's only the snap that is indicating that score. This was fantastic over all and very much deserves the world class reputation it has. Once again a real thinking chocolate that demands respect.

Side Note:

I am quite sure the lower score of this particular chocolate will garnish a lot of either disagreement or mistrust in my reviews as the mass produced Villars Chocolat Noir 72%, received a higher score than this world renowned single origin producer. The fact of the matter is I rated one higher than the other and it was not based on the quality of bean. Clearly Cluizel, is much better in quality, but in subjective matters, I enjoyed eating the Villars a great deal and frankly, I was more surprised with it than I was with the Maralumi. I went into this knowing that the Cruizel would be world class, but the results of the Villars, were much more surprising than I had thought. It was a surprise factor in the end, and not a class factor. A minor technicality is the cause of a lower score for the Maralumi bar.

Final Score: 91.4

score
B+

Mast Brothers ~ Dark Chocolate 75% + Fleur de Sel

Mast Brothers Chocolate Brooklyn, New York.

Take a second to marvel at their gorgeous packaging. Each bar has a different and eccentric package pattern. I love the way they look.

[Image via Lovely Package]

Lovely Package has good collection of images with their various products and packaging. They also have way better photography than I do giving much better justice to these special chocolate wrappers.

A collection of Mast Brothers Bars were sent to me from my good friend Shane Welch, brewer and owner of Sixpoint Craft Ales. Shane has used Mast Brothers cocoa in his beers before and raves about their chocolate. Shane and I also talk a lot of shit to one and other be it politically or in general. That's what home slice's do. He demanded that I try the Mast Brothers chocolate after I proclaimed my love for Italian Chocolatiers. Then one day in the mail, a wonderful package of beer and chocolate was delivered to my door.

From their website:

The Brothers

Rick Mast culled his culinary craft in heralded New York City kitchens such as Gramercy Tavern, Soho House, and the Outermost Inn on Martha's Vineyard, and under Jacques Torres at his Manhattan chocolate factory. A classically trained musician, Rick plays piano and is an amateur banjo player.

Michael Mast, prior to handcrafting chocolate, spent many years in finance for independent film and television in New York. Making chocolate was a disciplined an studious hobby. In recent years, her has combined his love for cocoa, travel, and photography with trips to Central America and Africa.

The Mast Brothers are located in Brooklyn, New York making artisanal chocolate bars. These are hand made bars with cocoa from Madagascar, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador.

Upon receiving their bars, I immediately sent a request for information. How much cocoa butter, why soy lecithin? I indicated my connection with Shane Welch, hoping that would lend some credibility. I heard nothing back. That only means I have minimal information to go on as far as where the beans come from for each particular bar. I know they use single origin beans, but I am not sure of the varietals. Each bar lists ingredients, but not cocoa origin or varietals.

They do have a blog and a Facebook page, but I didn't know that they had those pages when I reviewed this chocolate.

Upon reading their Facebook notes, they seem to do a lot of beer and chocolate tastings. Men after my own heart due to the nature of my beer background. Not to mention when I used to teach beer and chocolate tastings when I worked at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Ma. That's where my chocolate journey began.






Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate 75% + Fleur de Sel

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Sample size: 2.5 oz

Type: Flavored Bittersweet 75%

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

Appearance: Slightly knicked up, but that won't reflect on the score. I believe that came from shipping. Shiny, and simple molding. Slight streak through the bar as if blooming may have begun to occur.

Score: 87

Snap: Clean snap with clean break lines, good snapping sound.

Score: 94

Aroma: Smokey, tobacco, slight roasted cocoa, a little earthy, fruity, berries.

Score: 95

Taste: Salt is the first thing that comes through, but then dissipates as it is not blended through the bar. It's actually quite soft and not overbearing. Adds a nice balance to the bar.

Cocoa has big berry taste, low acidity, no sharp pangs in the neck. Takes a while for the flavors to open up due to slow melting. Smokey tobacco notes, flowery lavender and ginger notes mixed in with berry and smoke notes. Lingering tartness and bitterness at the end when the chocolate has completely melted.

Score: 97

Texture: Dry, hard texture, extremely slow melt, but opens and becomes creamy as it softens though the melt. The salt is delicate and not coarse, it is not gritty, and smooths itself away quickly.

Score: 92

I am guessing that this particular bar was made with the Venezuelan beans. The big berries and smokey nose indicate that that may be where the beans came from. Probably Forastero bean varietal.

The sea salt was excellent for this bar. A nice balance to the sweet berry flavors. The sea salt was sprinkled on lightly, and was not overdone and not too coarse to interfere with the texture.

Very pretty chocolate.

Final Score: 93

score
A-

Amano ~ Madagascar 70%

Amano Artisan Chocolate.

An artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate maker from Orem, UT. The Salt Lake City area in Utah. Their name means "hand made" in Italian. 

The have a solid FAQ where they explain in good detail why they do the things they do. For instance why Salt Lake City?

We believe that the high altitude and dry weather of our location aids in the flavor development process, just one of the many things that allow Amano to create a superior chocolate. It is worth noting that Amano is located at 4,441 feet (1,454 meters) above sea level — higher than many of the Swiss chocolate makers, this makes Amano one of the highest-altitude chocolate manufacturers in the world!

They answer honesty if they are Fair Trade, which they are not. And they answer if they are Kosher, which they are. They answer some really good questions about their operations and about some basics of chocolate.

Please read their FAQ here.

They even have a very detailed guide to tasting. I have had that tasting guide listed on my sidebar since I started this blog. I came across their notes in doing my own research on how to taste chocolate. It is a great read on how to taste chocolate.

This chocolate bar came to me once again by trade with my friend Emily Shartin. I was very excited because I had another go with a Madagascar bar from the Sambirano Valley.

After trying Madagascar chocolate from Rogue Chocolatier, I am happy to say that this was exciting for me. I really enjoy Madagascar beans. They are very unique, and for me at this moment in time, I find them to be the best that there is.

Amano backs up their chocolate with a single origin guarantee and how to tell if other chocolate says it is Single Origin but really not. Here is a quick list of what to look for.

Labeling:

-If the chocolate is labeled or marketed as a single variety bar, it does not contain chocolate from beans from other variety -- unless clearly labeled on the chocolate's packaging.
-If the chocolate is labeled or marketed as originating from a specific origin or uses the name of a particular origin, it may be assumed by the consumer that it is from that origin unless it is explicitly labeled otherwise on the chocolates package.
-If the chocolate is labeled or marketed as being from a specific variety of bean, unless specifically labeled otherwise, it will not contain any other varieties of bean.

They also discuss cross contamination as well as the effects of cocoa butter from different beans.

Amano Madagascar 70%

Lot #: 3/4/66

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

Bean Varietal: Venezuelan Criollo cultivated in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar.

Type: Bittersweet 70%

Sample size: 2oz or 56g

Appearance: Very light in color. It is a dark brown, but far lighter than most bittersweet bars. Looks almost like milk chocolate. Not very shiny, slightly chalky. Good molding.

Score: 92

Snap: Excellent snap. Nice audible snap, clean break.

Score: 99

Aroma: Big rubber aroma, smokey, mild roasted bean notes, Slight hints of black pepper, mildly fruity. Rubber notes make all other aromas hard to pinpoint.

Score: 87

Taste: Tangy acidic notes, very delicate flavors, very mild bitterness, bright citrus notes in the beginning, slight hints of wood become present in the middle of the chocolate opening up, roasted beans, tart berries, a very slight vodka note once the berry flavors open up, but not ester-y or alcoholic hot.

Score: 95

Texture: Hard and bit crumbly if bitten into, very slow melt, not very creamy. Smooth melt, with zero grittiness.

Score: 79

This was a great bar, but overall not as good as the Rogue Madagascar bar. The rubber aroma was too dominating for other aromas to come forward. The light creamy milk chocolate appearance was fantastic, but still a little chalky looking and not shiny. I was least impressed with the texture, it's almost too hard. But being hard gave way to a great snap quality.

The flavors are delicate and much more subdued than I expected. Bright citrus flavors are to be expected with Madagascar beans, but this bar seemed like it was holding back. I still appreciated the delicate nature of this bar from it's color and taste despite all that is to be expected.

Most curious were the vodka notes again. They were present only briefly when the berry notes began to surface. This one had no boozy heat on it, but the flavor was distinctly vodka. I need to research more on what causes this effect on Madagascar beans.

Final Score: 90.4

score
B+

Askinosie ~ San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador 70%

The second bar of chocolate sent to me from owner Shawn Askinosie. As mentioned in the review of Davao, Philippine 77%, I was sent samples from Askinosie after reviewing the Soconusco 75% bar. Since the previous two reviews mention a lot about Askinosie, I will just jump right into the review of this chocolate bar.

Askinosie  Springfield, MO.

Askinosie San Jose De Tambo, Ecuador 70%

Bean Varietal: Arriba Nacional

Type: Bittersweet 70%

Choc-o-lot # 030309

Sample Size: 85g or 3oz.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, organic cane juice, cocoa butter.

From the website:

70% Cocoa Beans from San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador (this includes 2% Askinosie cocoa butter that we make with the same beans). Your actual batch may have a slightly different amount because we experiment with texture (you will find the details by entering your Choc-o-lot # in the bottom left of the screen). Other companies don’t usually disclose the amount of cocoa butter, but we do.

30% Pure Cane Sugar

San Jose Del Tambo is located in Ecuador near the Andes Mountains. No map this time but a description from the website give some details.

San Jose Del Tambo, at least 200-years-old, is situated in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. It is said that the Quechua Indians used this little village as a resting place before journeying further into the Andes. At Del Tambo, the hills rise sharply until the tops are obscured by low-hanging clouds. The Rio de San Miguela, a fast-flowing river, along with just the right climate provides the land for some of the best cocoa in the world. The centuries famous Ecuador Ariba flavor is found in these beans.

Appearance: Smooth and shiny deep dark brown, black-brown in coloring, with standard Askinosie molding.

Score: 94

Snap: Good snap sound. A little more subdued than the Davao, Philippine 77%, but still top notch snap with clean break, no crumbling.

Score: 93

Aroma: Big lavender and jasmine nose, honey, spicy, mild tobacco notes, slight hints of tar.

Score: 99

Taste: Lightly bitter, low acidity, very delicate flavors despite big full body, lavender and jasmine tea, honey, hints of orange peel, extremely mild hints of green bananas, subdued and muted wood and cereal grains from retro-olfaction.

Score: 95

Texture: Smooth, hard mouth feel, very slow melt, big body once it's fully opened up, finishes very dry on the palate, it nearly wipes the slate clean with a drying effect.

Score: 75

Upon smelling this chocolate, the word sexy comes to mind. Very feminine with the big honey, jasmine and lavender nose, but the hardness from the texture doesn't match the aroma. Once this chocolate finally melts a little on the palate and opens up the taste is big, but again feminine with low acidity and beautiful lavender notes. It finishes clean on the palate.

I gave the texture score a lower number, because it's too hard, and takes almost too long to open up. The aroma and the eventual flavor of this chocolate is beautiful but is almost trapped by an extremely slow melt time on the tongue. This would be fabulous if it had softer edges to match it's soft flowery nose and taste. Soft and faster melt time.

Arriba Nacional beans are very interesting but I am not entirely sold that they are my cup of tea. They are the forth group of beans, a cousin to Forastero. They have no bitterness while their cousin Forastero has big bitterness. But with it's big spicy, flowery nose, the taste is so light and finishes super clean. I think I like the chocolates with more robust flavors. This is a chocolate meant for those who want to take it easy with their bitter chocolates.

Final Score: 91.2

score
B+

Askinosie ~ Davao, Philippines 77%

[Forgive my shoddy photography. The shiny, waxy packaging made it hard to snap a pic with out a gleam so I tried angles. I am not a professional photographer and you can clearly see that.]

A while ago when I first had the idea of reviewing chocolate, I reviewed a chocolate bar from Askinosie. I had this put on my other blog Pork Chops & Chicken. I also write about beer and food. When I realized what I was doing after these first reviews, I decided the chocolate reviews would need a focus and home all on their own. That's when I created 20°N & 20°S.

I had met Shawn Askinosie before, two or three years ago at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Someone finally had the brilliant idea to invite a chocolate maker to a beer fest. I have been teaching people for years how to pair beer and chocolate at a place called Formaggio Kitchen. I have even hosted beer dinners featuring chocolate in every course. Shawn also happens to be a BeerAdvocate! That's my husbands website and whom I manage and organize beer festivals for in my real life.

Based on my review of their Soconusco 75%, Shawn sent me more chocolate to review. One of them was a single origin from the Philippines.



Askinosie Davao, Philippines 77%

Askinosie is located in Springfield, MO. USA

Bean Varietal: Trinitario

Type: Bittersweet 77%

Choc-o-lot #:  011909

Sample size: 85g or 3oz.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, organic cane juice, cocoa butter.

From their website: 77% includes 1% cocoa butter (that we make with the same beans) 23% organic sugar.

Davao is in the southern most region of the Philippines.

From their website:

The first cacao brought to Asia in 1600 was grown in the Philippines and we are the first chocolate maker to export Filipino cocoa beans in nearly twenty-five years. The beans used to make this tantalizing bar are very exclusive, making the Davao, Philippines chocolate bar uniquely exotic. There has never before been a single origin bar from the Philippines.

Appearance: Deep brown color. Slightly muted and not as shiny as expected. Classic Askinosie molding.

Score: 92

Snap: Excellent snap sound. Clean break.

Score: 97

Aroma: Green was the first thing that came to mind. Super green and fresh scent. Pineapples, green mangoes, roasted cocoa beans, *fresh laundry smell.

Score: 99

Taste: Acidic, bitter, bitterness gives way to slight tropical fruit character, citrus, then a clean almost purfume-y laundry taste. Like the way fabric softener might taste like based on the way it smells, not unpleasant, but curious tasting. A tiny bit of rose petals, wood, and mango mixture.  Retro-olfaction has leather, and more flowers from the perfume taste. The after taste ends with a little bit of tar and smoke.

Score: 85

Texture: Smooth, and creamy once it begins to melt down a bit. Slow melt time.

Score: 93

Freshest smelling chocolate I have ever smelled. I am disappointed in it's high acidic content. Jabs you in the neck. I wanted to give this a higher score than what it got, but I am bit unforgiving when it comes to too much acid content. It's a shame really because the flavor does open up brilliantly with that perfume, flowers, wood, and tropical fruit characters.

This is a thinking chocolate. It is very peculiar, but still very solid.

*There was a bit of that same laundry freshness on the nose but I couldn't quite identify it until I tasted it.

Final Score: 93.2

score
A-

Rogue Chocolatier ~ Sambirano 70%

Rogue Chocolatier from Minneapolis, MN.

Bean Varietal: A blend of single origin Venezuelan Beans Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero cultivated in the Sambirano Valley, Madagascar.

Type: Bittersweet 70%

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, Sugar, cocoa butter, Tahitian vanilla

Sample size: 60g or 2.12oz

The Sambirano Valley is located north of the island facing Mozambique.

Madagascar falls perfectly within the 20°N and 20°S parallel. The optimal region around the equator in which cocoa beans are produced.

[Image via Guittard]

This was given to me in a trade. Thanks once again to my source Emily Shartin of Formaggio Kitchen. We trade chocolate for beer festival tickets. (In my other life, I manage and organize the BeerAdvocate.com beer festivals.) I think it's a great trade off for the both of us.

Appearance: Flat bar with no molding or any significant patterns. Shiny, smooth, and dark brown in color. Not black-brown, but more a rich deep brown. I am giving this a bit of a high mark for it's simplicity.

Score: 96

Snap: For such a thin bar, I expected more a decent snapping sound. It produced more of a thud or a pop than a good snapping sound. It did snap clean however, and not crumbly.

Score: 89

Aroma: Soft roasted cocoa beans, a tiny, teeniest hint of mint, a slight hint of nuts. Very subtle aroma. Rubbing the bar between my fingers to open up more of an aroma releases a big of a tangy aroma.

Score: 94

Taste: Acidic, bright, citrus, grapefruit, wood, vodka esters through retro-olfaction (breathing back into the mouth), low bitterness, and bright berry fruit such as blackberries cherries.

Score: 99

Texture: Smooth, creamy, short melt time in the mouth.

Score: 98

I have never had anything quite like this before. Vodka esters? And bright acidity, but no sharp reactions in the neck. This is incredible chocolate. I enjoyed this a lot. Based on this one bar, I will be doing a lot more research into Madagascar chocolate.

Upon further reading of what is typical for Madagascar cacao, this bar has all the classic hallmarks including vodka, citrus acids, and wood. I picked up big wood on this bar but couldn't recognize which kind of wood. Cedar is what is classic about Madagascar chocolate, though I didn't recognize the wood to be cedar. I am completely hooked and hope to explorer more Simbirano bars. In doing research on the region I saw that a ton of chocolate makers have a Simbirano bar. 

Final Score: 95.2

score
A

Maglio Origine

Maglio is an amazing company from Italy. Maglie, Italy in the Pugia region. (The Heel of the Boot.)

I received this collection last Valentine's day from my husband and another one a few months later from my friend Emily Shartin who works at Formaggio Kitchen. I used to work there as well once upon a time where I was first exposed to some amazing chocolate.

Maglio, for me, has been a long time favorite chocolate producer. I openly admit and will admit through out my blog, that I am enamored with Italian chocolate producers. The way they care for the beans they produce and the way they process the cacao that leave no sharp pangs for too much acidity that hit you in the glands in your neck when eating their chocolate. I find most Italian producers to be world class. There is a bit of a bias towards the nation in an overall manner, but I am still fair about my reviews for tasting.

All of these samples are single origin chocolate tasting mini bars. Single origin doesn't necessarily mean the the same bean varietal, but mostly it means the region where the beans come from. All are bittersweet chocolates with the exception of the Papuasia which is a milk chocolate. 

[Click Images to enlarge.]

  
Each sampler comes with 6 samples of minibars. Although the sample starts with their Crue de Cacao, It's a 65% cocoa percentage while the second in line is the Papuasia is 36%. I started with the Papuasia when I reviewed this collection.

Papuasia 36% Pure Origin Milk Chocolate. Bean varietals:  Criollo and Forastero from Java.

Appearance: Pale brown color. Yellowish, almost golden in comparison to what is considered a normal milk chocolate. The pale coloring makes it appear delicate. This is the first time I have seen a chocolate this pale barring white chocolate from the equation. 

Score: 97

Aroma: Spicy, rich, buttery caramel, big tobacco, cream, big vanilla, and hints of hazelnuts.

Score: 90

Snap: There was a moderate pop to this minibar. I expected this to be soft an give a subdued thud, but it gave off a good enough snap and broke evenly. Milk chocolates tend to be softer and usually won't produce clean breaks or snapping sounds. This one did.

Score: 89

Taste: Like the nose, buttery taste, vanilla,  caramel notes, soft and delicate cocoa notes. It mostly tastes like butter, milk, and finishes up with light a cocoa taste. Very delicate cocoa that is almost overwhelmed by the milky, vanilla content, but strong enough to hold on and linger on the palate. The aftertaste is a bit like a milky caramel.

Score: 94

Texture: Soft, creamy, smooth, and melts fairly quickly on the palate, but not too quickly.

Score: 98

This is unique chocolate. Such low percentages of cocoa, yet strong enough to stand up to the milk content. I am admittedly not much of a fan of milk chocolate, but this is so unique tasting, I could have little bits of this daily. It's almost confusing eating this. You know it's chocolate but it smells, tastes, and has a lingering aftertaste of buttery caramel. This is a very unique and delicate taste of milk chocolate.

Final Score: 93.6

score
A-

Crue de Cacao 65%. Bean Varietals: Unknown. Blend of single origin beans from Guayaquil, Caracas, and Ghana. Semisweet.

Appearance: Shiny, deep, dark brown color. Cocoa nibs appearing on the back of the minibar.

Score: 98

Snap: Clean snap, decent snap sound.

Score: 94

Aroma: Deep powdery cocoa notes, big fresh tobacco notes lightly fruity, hints of berries, spicy characters. This chocolate too was almost overwhelmed by the big tobacco aroma. It gets more points than the Papuasia because the milk wasn't adding to the tobacco nose. This was fresh tobacco despite how big the aroma was.

Score: 90

Taste: A little spicy almost peppery right in the beginning, then it evens out to almost nothing, until the chocolate begins to melt. Then light fruit-forward berry notes, slight herb taste before the nibs. Nibs have a slight woody and toasted taste and are a touch bitter. Nibs also have a slight strawberry hint. Hints of blueberries from retro-olfaction. (The art of exhaling back in your mouth during tasting.)

Score: 96

Texture: Smooth but lightly chalky, gritty, crunchy nibs. Slow melting in the mouth.

Score: 93

Crue, Cru, or Grand Cru usually means the best of. This offering from Maglio is a good example of that principle with the blending of high end single origin beans from three different chocolate producing nations. This is a very smooth chocolate despite the crunchy nibs mixed in. It has a lot going on by way of nose and taste. Many different elements going on from the big tobacco aroma, to berries and pepper tastes. This is for serious chocolate lovers to sit back with and spend a little time analyzing.
 
Final Score: 94.2

score
A-

Santo Domingo 70% Bean Varietals: Dominican Republic Criollo and Forastero. Bittersweet.

Appearance: Deep, black-brown color. Shiny and smooth.

Score: 95

Snap: Nice clean break.

Score: 97

Aroma: Roasted Cocoa, tobacco leaves, tar, rubber, caramel .

Score: 92

Taste: This changes in big ways on the palate. In succession sweet, to bitter, then Earthy, with a barely there roasted taste. Sweet, complex, and deep berry flavors, then more bitterness. The bitterness is reminiscent of grapefruit bitterness. A light trace of black pepper and cinnamon give a spicy taste. Roasted coffee notes about two minutes after with retro-olfaction.

Score: 94

Texture: Very slow melting. Exceptionally smooth.

Score: 98

This is a a complex, yet straight forward chocolate. The nose is very simple, but the flavors evolve right in your mouth making each stage distinguishable. The pepper and cinnamon taste is so delicate you need to really search to find it. There is more of a warming sensation that indicates the black pepper and then you taste the pepper but it's very subtle. 

Final Score: 95.2

score
A

Ecuador 70%. Bean Varietal: Arriba Nacional, a forth species, related to the Forastero bean. Bittersweet.

Appearance: Smooth and shiny. Deep dark, brown color.

Score: 93

Snap: Clean snap, but low thud sound.

Score: 87

Aroma: More big tobacco aromas. Roasted cacao notes, a tiny bit of dried fruits, oats, but almost nothing else comes through.

Score: 89

Taste: Upfront bitter taste that lingers through the whole experience, creamy texture but not a buttery or creamy taste, subdued dried fruits with a minor amount of sweetness that doesn't stay or very long, and tobacco leaves. Finishes with a little tartness and lingering bitterness, but otherwise unremarkable. That or it's so delicate it barely registers on my palate accept for the bitterness and the acidity.

Score: 90

Texture: Very slow melt, finishes clean on the palate and not cloying due to a lot of residual bitterness. The bitterness lingers, but not the creamy texture. It almost has a drying effect on the palate.

Score 94

This wasn't all that great after the previous tastings. It's certainly unique that that has this ability to be so big and yet have no complex characters at all. It's bitterness though is nearly palate killing but the tartness doesn't jab you in the neck. It's very bitter, but unassumingly bitter. The tartness and bitterness wipe out any chance for the roasted qualities, or dried fruits to make a viable presence. The bitterness and tartness also block the lingering after taste from any cocoa butters from settling.

Final score: 90.6

score
B+

Cuba 70%. Bean Varietal: Criollo from Cuba. Bittersweet.

Appearance: Rich, dark brown chocolate. Not black-brown like some of the others in this collection.

Score: 96

Snap: Good clean snap. Little bit of a subdued snap, but more stable than the others.

Score: 94

Aroma: A slight roasted character, a little bit floral, and fruity, cherries and yes more tobacco, but significantly less than the others.

Score: 97

Taste: Spicy, sweet, opens into bitterness but mixed with big sweet characters, roasted coffee, very slight hints of licorice and cinnamon, bright cherries lingering on the back end of the palate followed by more roasted coffee notes and a slight nutty character.

Score: 98

Texture: Smooth, slow melt. This one needed time to melt in order to understand all the complexities of the chocolate.

Score: 96

This one has been my favorite so far. It's sweeter, and more complex. You have to wait for this one to completely open, and then wait a few minutes after it's gone to get the full effects. It makes you take your time with it. I like that. It also has a lot going on with big cherries, and roasted coffee and nuts. It even toys with you with the hints of cinnamon and licorice. Those are just the effects of the roasted and bitter characters playing with the sweet and tart notes.

Final Score: 96.2

score
A

Africa 75%. Bean Varietal: Unknown but their origin is from Tanzania. Bittersweet.

Appearance: Deep, dark, black-brown color. Not as shiny as the other offerings.

Score: 91

Snap: Good snap, clean break.

Score: 98

Aroma: Coffee, yet again more tobacco leaves, nutty, toffee, buttery, caramel. There are some slight berry notes hidden in the aroma, but the tobacco aroma is a bit over powering.

Score: 97

Taste: Deep, bitter cacao, smooth around the edges, low acidity meaning low tartness, subtle leather taste, tobacco leaves, French roast coffee, tar, ash, red wine grapes, and macadamia nut taste from retro-olfaction.

Score: 98

Texture: Very slow melt and very smooth, but hard and not enough cocoa butter to soften more of the edges. The longest melt time in the group. 

Score: 96

This is by far the most complex of the varieties in the sampler pack. You wouldn't even know you were 75% cacao unless you read it in the label. The absence of sugary sweetness is your only real indication that it's extraordinarily bitter chocolate. But it's so smooth around the edges, the bitterness does not overwhelm the palate. Lots of rich flavors that in this chocolate that take their time to reveal themselves. It's vary smooth, but not as creamy as I would like it to be. Just a bit too hard. The flavors found in it more than make up for the texture.

Final Score: 96

score
A

All in all this is a spectacular sampler of world class chocolates. I didn't like that all of the samples had big tobacco aroma. It just became too same-y after a while and made it difficult to pick up more subtle nuances, but it didn't impact the different flavors on each sample.

The Maglio Origine pack would be the perfect gift for a chocolate lover. Or the perfect sampler pack for tasting groups.