The Chocolate Note

Amma

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:34:00 +0000

I was very excited to try this Amma chocolate, what with the potential and relatively good vibes that Frederick Schilling had added to some of the earliest Dagoba selections – well, I mean, for its time, you know, long, long ago, when fine chocolate's horizon was yet relatively uncluttered. But now that even your next door neighbor is applying himself to the art of home brewing chocolate in his basement, you will have to use your other next neighbor's common basement experiment, the time machine, to even understand what I am talking about.

So I was interested to see how Frederick's talent would show itself in this new collaboration with Brazilian plantation owner and chocolate maker Diego Badaro, who has himself collaborated with the likes of Claudio Corallo and Pralus. These two formed their own label in Brazil a few years ago, their tree to bar operation Amma Chocolate. So, sounds great so far, right?

But.

Very hard to say exactly how much either one of these fellows is really involved in formulating the recipes at this point, and there seem to be conflicting views, or just too many chefs in the kitchen, because of a rather odd brand of inconsistency.

It's an interesting mystery that the lower percentages work out better, and I do not mean this in the sense of flawed beans masked by more sugar, no, it isn't that type of problem, so what's the deal? With the 30% milk somehow managing to join the top milk chocolates I've tried, this almost seems darker and more complex than some of the so labeled dark milks, normally over 45% cacao. The 50% semisweet is also offering quite a lot on the palate, for its class.

The 60% & 75% were sort of boring, it's like you feel maybe a bit ripped off after buying this high end product for $9 USD per 100g, and the quality feels more like your $5 grocery store brand. They have an industrial tone glossing over something more artistic, like somebody changed their mind in the middle of a project, deciding half way through to scratch the plan and appeal to as many as possible instead, just to be sure to offend no one. Or is it that, as I wondered, another chef suddenly appeared in the kitchen?

Although through careful searching some of the origin's distinction does show up with the 60 & 75, overall they come off as boring, industrial, candy store, lacking in character. While some of the other Amma selections seem distinguished by plenty of character.

And for the in betweeners, the 45% milk was good and it grew on me after a few tastings, but is not really quite worthy of the better attempts in the same class of milk chocolate. The high percentage 85% is again one of Amma's better, but really not a standout as the 50% and 30% are for their classes.

After the first years of playing hard to get, this stuff is now available stateside via At the Meadow.

You can read a fun article about Schilling's history and the beginnings of Amma in this 2007 issue of The New Yorker.

Since, according to that same article, Fredrick is personal confidant to the goddess Xocolatl herself, or at least they are friends on Facebook, I have wanted to support his blog, so it's in my links section. However, he really hasn't done much with this, it seems, but there is the occasional technical nugget, charming meandering, or interesting cacao travelogue.

But there does exist on his site some video proof of the cacao ferment diving, and okay, all right, so they do this with wine and hold festivals around it, but what about that guy's chest hair, man? Ah, but don't worry, all the chocolate made from those beans has long since been consumed. The beans were sourced by some home brewing dude, who co-hosted a party with his time traveling neighbor. Oh, you were at that party? Sorry.

60%
rating: 8

aroma: raspberry, turnip, seaweed, grenadine, peanut butter, yam, mango, cashew butter, watermelon, anise, candied apple, rye, wine

flavor: strawberry, sap, grape, plum pit, earth, gin, pear, peach, wine, almond, amaranth

finish: cognac, ginseng, jasmine, mildew, lilac, olive, banana bread, yogurt, nutmeg, asphalt, honey

50%
rating: 9

I'm going to say that this is the best 50% semisweet chocolate I've yet tasted. It doesn't seem as sweet, and makes the perfect case for the new adage, you can't judge a chocolate by its percentage.

aroma: gardenia, cardamom, plum, paper, mold, quail eggs, tuna, cinnamon, coconut, whiskey, clay, must, tobacco, burlap, Milk Duds candy, sour cream

flavor: powdered sugar, doughnut, almond, milk, caramel, lime, orange, coffee, smoke, mist, green tea, mint, strawberry, anise, caraway

finish: cherry, lava stone, sourdough, tangerine, raspberry, licorice, yam, banana, chocolate cupcake

30% milk
rating: 8.5

aroma: sheep milk, smoke, burlap, caramel, ribbon, banana, papaya, vanilla, mango, malt, chestnut, pussy willow, leather, honey, brandy, walnut, plum wine, cognac

flavor:orange juice, pistachio, yam, bread, walnut, doughnut, Limoncello, flambé custard, cream, blackberry

finish: caramel pudding, carrot, cake batter, oatmeal, lemon meringue, dessert wine, BBQ, Raisinettes candy, clove, garlic, mildew, papaya, yogurt, rum, rose

45% milk
rating: 8

aroma: raspberry pulp, grenadine, molasses, Play Dough, leather, plastic, candy cane, apricot, honey, anise, mushroom, cantaloupe, cinnamon stick, bread dough

flavor: coffee, malted milk balls, carob sauce, artichoke, apple, nougat, daisy, strawberry jam

finish: cashew, candied yam, tree bark, orange, mint, banana, lilac, Whatchamacallit candy bar, wax, kerosene, mildew, olive oil, palm oil

75%
rating: 8

aroma: cherry juice, strawberry gelato, coffee, anise, lime, grass, cigar, turtle, turpentine, guava, sand, olive

flavor: cocoa pudding, grenadine, molasses, almond, plum, popcorn, rum, Starburst Fruit Chews candy, tree bark, leather, dirt, sugar cube, Kool Aid

finish: coffee cake, metal, vanilla, paper, caraway, mint, carrot, walnut

85%
rating: 8.5

aroma: raspberry wine, blackberry juice, pineapple, nectarine, cardamom, coffee, pistachio, grenadine, grapefruit, potentilla, cardboard, mist, marmalade, green grape, almond, chewing tobacco

flavor: mango, sea water, barn, cayenne, leather boots, molasses, fig, hay, reptile skin, clove, paper

finish: spirulina, tree bark, caraway, tile, leather, vodka, licorice, strawberry

Piura

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:24:00 +0000

The significance of cacao growing in the Piura region in Northern Peru is that there can be plenty of white beans in the mix. Zotter claims 40%, Rogue talks about 70%, Bonnat is saying 80%. Rogue also made theirs from one "nano lot" of four bags from the same farm, same drying/ferment cycles, where Zotter, Original Beans, and Bonnat seem to have just gotten some beans from a regular old multi farmer co-op, super old fashioned, I know.

I can see the future, forget about origin or even plantation, but it's about one acre, and eventually only one tree from this acre, the one closest to the stream, and on the west side, and the pod harvested should be only that facing west, nearest the north root of the tree, and that pod comes back only every other year.

I usually get a kick out of the notes on the labels. Makers generally emphasize the "raspberry" character typical of the Piura, and that is in there. But can I just point out that I got chive/onion and yogurt, on every single one of these? Now why isn't "yogurt 'n green onion dip" on on these packages?! Ha ha. No, okay, I'm not really saying that it is the dominant characteristic of this chocolate, just a little piece of trivia for you tasting nerds out there. These were tasted at quite different times, and with no plan in mind to bring them together until that last one, so I didn't even notice that I'd had some chip dip with each chocolate until I put all my notes together. I'm looking for Rogue to hone in on the potato chip tree for their next batch, to complete the ensemble.

Rogue
rating: 9

This was a limited edition of 4000 bars, and quite popular, therefore it looks like it will be coming back again at some point, as the chocolate maker is working on sourcing more beans from that one tree over by the shed. These things take time.

Another chocolate of relaxed elegance, which would seem to be the signature stamp of Rogue.

aroma: tobacco, honey, earth, cantaloupe, tamarind, reptile skin, coconut, animal fur, wheat crackers, ginger, pepper, almond, cigar, caramel, golden raspberry, Asiatic lily, mango, Amazon basin, nutmeg, currant, green pea

flavor: honey, nutmeg, mint leaves, jasmine, plum syrup, molasses, brownie, candy cane, Certs candy, lime rind, Oreo cookie

finish: almond, mango, hazelnut cream pie, salt, orange, cookie dough, hay, spirulina, green onion, yogurt, wood, olive, lemon juice, cherry bark, grapefruit rind, butter, cherry

Zotter
rating: 8.5

aroma: patchouli, mango, canvas, coconut, leather, magnolia, champagne brut, honey, tangerine, Gorgonzola

flavor: raspberry, sourdough, yeasty beer, honey, melon liqueur, jasmine, rye bread, olive oil, plum, lilac, cinnamon toast, pineapple yogurt, cognac, rice wine vinegar

finish: sap, banana peel, avocado, lime, sand, clay, strawberry lemonade, carob, pumpkin, chives, coffee, dirt, cardamom, licorice, fig, plantain

Original Beans

Wasn't all that happy with their launch products, or with their company's ways. But now that their prices have come way back down to earth and they've had some to time to develop, and with changes in the company and what with hearing around the vine they've improved, I gave OB one more whirl and a coupla bucks so I could make this article a quartet.

Well, there is an improvement, in that there are not as many of those weird industrial overlays as with their first, or I mean, their original beans. And I like this chocolate. It's good, I mean, I'm not going out to buy it again or anything, but... Hey, I still don't think that Felchlin is the right choice for this type of bean, as I already pointed out with the Fortunato #4, this is a similarly gentle and subtle cacao, and that is a quality that the Felch just never does seem to handle properly.

rating: 8.5

I like it, it's tasty and good, it's nice. It comes out just a a bit wimpy and boring, instead of somewhat more like subtly distinguished, which seems to be the implied character of this cacao. Though it is rather interestingly limey.

aroma: piña colada, pistachio, carrot, white wine, peanut butter, cashew, seashell, pine nut, yam, apricot jam, palm oil, star fruit

flavor: PB & J on toast, lime, corn syrup, peach, dust, sea salt, red licorice, oak, burnt caramel, fig, bread dough, unripe melon

finish: yogurt, onion, coriander, cinnamon, leather, paper bag, lilac, goji berry, tobacco, pretzel dough, green tea leaves, coral

Bonnat
rating: 9.5

This chocolate packs a chocolaty wallop, yet has a sweetness and plenty going on, it's like a warm summer breeze. The flavor holds bursts of the raspberry and many other fruits and jams, along with a floral bouquet. Persistent aftertaste, the finish of milk and honey, and the wonderful lingering note of raspberry.

aroma: peanut, yam, hazelnut, ginseng, gingko tea, dirt, plum, blackberry, cypress, dew, caramel, banana, raisin, black currant, cherry, fresh grass

flavor: juniper, lilac, sand, cinnamon bark, coffee, Nutella, green clay, chives, chrysanthemum, raspberry

finish: café latté, onion, milk, honey, moss, seaweed, fur, poppy seed, tobacco, leather, Vaseline, Oreo cookie, molasses, white wine, goose liver, smoked turkey

All the hype

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:33:00 +0000

So, there's some ultra rare, ultra wild, ultra exotic, ultra exclusive and ultra cool shit goin' down in the chocolate world, so of course there is some ultra hype, and then guess what, it's ultra expensive. So is it worth it, ultrawise, I mean?

Well, Friis Holm, for example, can only be bought at this one shop in the UK, Chocolate and Love, which can also send you some Duffy's while you're at it. But the thing is, it's going to arrive broken and battered, and quite possibly melted several times, in an underpacked slim envelope which takes two to four weeks to reach any of you overseas from there. (Though I have to admit, this Friis Holm bar does kind of make a fun sort of an abstract face thing, now doesn't it?)

Well that sort of abstract art being not up your alley might not affect the desire to buy it, for we are sincere chocophiles, and love our chocolate, we're freaking serious about this stuff, c'mon, man. Oh, did I mention that it costs $20 USD for a 100g bar of the Friis Holm, and then a minimum of 25 big ones to ship your little packie off to the United States, anyhow. Oh.

So, not worth it, then? Probably not.

Unless, of course, the ultra hype is ultra true, which it ultra rarely is, and it blows your superhuman mind mind totally off the planet, well then it is worth it. Her majesty's ultra secretly the world's most expensive yet slowest mail service. But socialized medicine Rawks, it does! Yes, send me some broken chocolate, and then replace my heart valve for free, once I drop from the price tag. But that's only for a British heart...

Friis Holm

So here is the lay of the land. Friis Holm is made by god. Well, it's almost true, I mean, nature anyway had something to do with it. Somewhere in the Nicaraguan forest, there are little elves foraging around, harvesting your cacao beans, and these creatures have told the makers of Friis Holm that they could only make 250 bars of each of these super select creations, and that they couldn't tell anyone on earth who indeed makes their chocolate for them, because it's elves, and they live in secret.

Or maybe it's, um, lemme think here, Bonnat?

I really don't understand why Bonnat doesn't just make their own dang version of the swiftly becoming ultra hip origin of Nicaraguan chocolates, rather than shove it in this package and then be all uber (or ultra) hush hush. Come on, it's freaking obvious. I mean, the Friis Holm website expressly states that the chocolate is made by a family owned maker in the south of France. Then the chocolate slides out of the pack in what is clearly a Bonnat mold, only the Bonnat logo is missing. Well, duh. But let's bring on the James Bond vibe, oh international chocolate of mystery.

After learning that it was Rob Stenberg's (of Scharffen Berger) original project and idea, that he and SB were on a mission to source these beans, that all that has finally come down now to Xoco, the international mystery is what in the hell Friis Holm has got to do with any of it. And then where does Chocolate and Love come in as the sole distributor? Doubtless the reason you've got to pay so much for it, is not because it's so rare and there are some stiff elf fees to be considered, but because there are fifteen companies in charge of "making" it.

Nicaliso 70%
rating: 9

A pleasant eat-ability factor is a hallmark of both chocolates, and a very interesting evolution of flavor on the palate. The Nicaliso can boast about its rather long and delightful tangerine caramel aftertaste.

aroma: pork chop, lemon meringue, burlap, lime and red wine sangria, robust coffee, green tobacco, mist, smoke, candied apple, iron, clove, unripe papaya, strawberry wine, granite, green melon

flavor: raisin, mango, coconut, banana, rhubarb pie filling, plum wine, butter, tamarind, caramel, whiskey sauce, ginger, guava, yogurt

finish: dried leaves, fog, tomato, rust, grapefruit, carob sundae, oak, moss, tangerine, honey, marshmallow, green grape jam

Chuno 70%
rating: 9

Again a tangerine factor. The Chuno is of a soft and gentle sort, and with a candy vibe, in a good way, like a very good candy.

aroma: grape must, peach Schnapps, champagne soaked raisin, lime, lavender, coconut, octopus, caramel, cotton, pasture, meadow, carob, mango, hay, cherry, cardamom, stones

flavor: coffee, banana, earth, nutmeg, candy, leather, pistachio, tangerine tart, plum wine

finish: bread and butter, tree bark, strawberry limeade, ginger snap, soft leather, cantaloupe, sand, deer meat, bee pollen, clove, fish, eucalyptus, licorice, rubber band

Fortunato #4

So it's onto that other most rare chocolate on god's green earth, the Fortunato Mark IV.

I don't know why, when the Marañón Chocolate people went for a walk, and ended up finding out that there were some trees, which had the same genetics as the thought to be extinct "Pure" Nacional – that they put on their thinking caps, then they tried to discern which chocolate company in the world could help to figure out what to do with such a treasure as they had found, that they then came up with – Moonstruck?!? Oh well, however moonstruck dumb this might make you, in the end the chocolate is made by Felchlin anyhow. That's a reputable chocolate maker indeed, there isn't any bad chocolate going on there, but...

But, but, this really needs to be in the hands of some different smaller batch crafters and masters of the small scale production, Pralus, Bonnat, you know what I'm talking about. A couple of Americans maybe.

Here is some diatribe and a few fun factoids and hype, and contra hype stuff for you to gaze upon at some point, I am not going much further into all the intricacies surrounding this particular hype anymore. Let's just stay on point, which is of course that the world's best chocolate comes from the cacao growing in the wilds of the Marañón canyon, in Peru. There is no better tasting or more rare cacao ever to be had.

So somewhere in the Marañón canyon, there must live yet another band of elves. I might think it could be goblins or else some gnomes, who might be more suited to canyon living, I know. But I thought that considering this is Moonstruck we are dealing with here, they must be elves, since without doubt this has to be Clan Keebler.

But, enough about all of them, let's talk about me for a minute, and my little old opinion of this chocolate.

Plenty of potential here, and though Felchlin is not the one for this chocolate, it does not mean they have done a bad job. Not sure that I have encountered such a thing as a "bad" Felchlin, well, except the result of that unholy marriage of this larger scale confectioner with Original Beans, perhaps.

I would compare this in ways to the Hawaiian chocolate Waiaulua Estates from Dole via Guittard. Lots of implied potential and exciting things, but not realized, again not in the hands of the right party. It's still good, but when the implied class, subtly, and loveliness underneath the current sort of superficial and candy like veneer can become more realized, then we'll be talking.

The innate characteristics here remind me a little bit of some of the Porcelana, and this chocolate does have a mellow sweet character. There is something light and refreshing about this delicate, gentle chocolate.

As to value, when Willy Wonka rolls out his Oompah Loompahs to do the harvesting, then maybe we really ought to think about paying the fee of $12 USD for 56 grams of this "special" stuff. In the meantime, "Violet, you're turning Violet, Violet." As violet as the glittery, glowing purple lettering of the package, as bloated and puffed out as one giant blueberry girl, or as inflated and puffed up as all this hype.

rating: 8.5

aroma: passion fruit, dried currant, parsley, spinach, butter, coconut, marshmallow, vanilla custard, olive oil, sandalwood, Creme de Menthe, green onion, water chestnut, nutmeg

flavor: goat milk, coconut, orange, lemonade, onion soup, molasses, cacao pulp, apricot jam, asparagus, hibiscus, paper pulp, green beans, canned tomato soup, metal

finish: butterscotch candy, cinnamon, alcohol, coffee, almond, peppermint sticks, banana, Burgundy, sand, white wine vinegar, Nutella, yogurt, cardamom spice cake

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate wants to be the Mast Brothers. No, I mean, they really, really do.

Here is a quote from their own mouths, as a reply on their own Facebook page to a question from a blogger named Melody:

We saw a little vimeo video about the Mast Brothers and their chocolate company in Brooklyn. Adam and I were very inspired by the look and feel of their operation, and decided to look into what it takes to make chocolate. After a little research, we began buying and building the tools needed to start making single origin bean-to-bar chocolate. We are having a lot of fun crafting the chocolate, and creating this little business.

"The look and feel," well, they've got that part down, all right. The most obvious example, their package design is practically identical, from the wallpaper wrappers, to the labels on the back, and even the mold and size of the bar is exactly the same, the plain old square mold chocolate. There is even a picture (below, top) on the DT website, which shows them striking poses in black and white, similar in fashion to some of the oft circulated MB photos (below, bottom.) So MB can staring calling DT "Mini me" any time now.

So I'm thinking, when I first saw all of this, "I am not going to like this chocolate very much, it's just going to be another chocolate where 'there is no there there.'" Well, that's not true. It is actually good chocolate, it just isn't great, or even quite as good as the Mast Brothers, who only border on greatness themselves. The chocolate itself does seem very MB influenced also, and MB in turn are very Scharffen Berger influenced, I find. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it's Ye Olde Scharffene Bergere from days of yore, and that is pretty much what we are talking about.

Now these are good chocolates. They certainly are not bad, and they are getting pretty close to being as good as their idol Mast Brothers, and that's a compliment, I think. They are not good enough as of yet, however, to be playing quite on the same field. So they are in the second tier of American b2b makers, but let's say they are at the bottom of that tier, while MB sits at the top of the second tier. The issue with some chocolates in the second tier is, that there are a few chocolates on your usual grocery store shelves which supply better, or at least as good, chocolate experience as you get with these "artisan crafters," and you spend less money. No matter how cool the package, and whether it's more hand made, is this worth it?

In the end, it's not really worth it to be paying $8 per bar for this chocolate, and if you are not local, you've got to order online, and they only send packs of two bars. So $16 and shipping, definitely not worth it. Even if I were local, and could buy one single bar with no shipping charge, I would not pay $8 for this chocolate. I would pay $6 for it, and could see myself buying the 80% every once in while. But even at $6 with shipping, I would probably pass on it at the moment. The chocolates just don't have enough personality for now, and there's lots for DT to learn. But there is promise, and I look forward to checking back in couple of years to see how it's going.

Dick Taylor is into the organic and fair trade certification game, lest you take them for less than certifiable. Their only ingredients so far are the cacao and the sugar. Their current plain origin chocolate offerings come from Sambirano Valley (Madagascar,) and Mantuano (Venezuela.) The Mantuano was not out yet when I ordered these chocolates just a couple of weeks ago, so I went with the two percentages of Sambirano only.

Dick Taylor also likes the look and feel of only offering you your exact choice if it's in stock, like the Mast Brothers do. I told them in the order comments that I want one of each Sambirano or hold the order until available, which is what you'll have to do if you want to be very exact, or you might end up with some flavored bars, or who knows what.

Sambirano 72%
rating: 8

Now when I say the chocolates don't have enough personality, you may think it contradictory that I have so many notes, at least in the finish, here. Well, it took me some searching to find them out, and the orchestration with these chocolates is somehow not yet very sophisticated. In fact, there was something a tiny bit flat and lacking here, I liked the 80% better. With both chocolates, I really don't like the texture.

"Oh, snap! You usually don't go talking about the texture of chocolates, I thought you didn't give a damn about that–" you say? That's true, and I usually don't, but this texture actually bothers me, they've really got to work on that. If I'm complaining, then I hate to Ebertize, but "Your Texture Sucks."

aroma: cigar, sap, plastic, wheat, grass, toffee, licorice, anise, coffee, pineapple, leather, aspirin, banana bread, tangerine, rubber, milk

flavor: rhubarb, green grape, ice cream sandwich, tobacco, goat, hay, barn, plum, lemon, mango, apple, sweet milk, tamale, Swiss Miss pudding

finish: dried fig, lavender, honey, bee pollen, oyster on the half shell, coconut, swamp/marsh, almond, caraway, wood, carrot, paper, tomato paste, paste, glue, clove, cinnamon, wax, mashed potato, pinto bean, lime jelly, rotten egg, surplus store, plastic, fuel, must, oak, bugs, raspberry, orange, ginger snap

Sambirano 80%
rating: 8

As can often be the case with Madagascar origin, a very citrusy chocolate. What I got from this one as distinct from other Madagascar chocolate I have tasted, was a lovely little bit of a mossy character. There were also various fruit seeds in the mix. Otherwise very limey, and with very fresh tobacco tastes during the flavor. The pleasantly lime/coffee aftertaste has a good staying power. If there is one thing I'll miss, in not buying this chocolate again for two years, it will be that moss. Still, it's not enough to make me change my mind about it.

aroma: coffee, moss, raspberry, clay, brown sugar, caramel, malt, corn syrup, dung, cinnamon, mango, papaya, oregano, black pepper, mace, plum, cigarette ash, spirulina, honey, oak, Midori, cement, paper, lilac, juniper, lemon, leather, hot cocoa

flavor: tobacco, pomegranate, vanilla, cantaloupe, sand, granite, pumpkin custard, watermelon seed, orange, rhubarb pie, graham cracker crust, lime, ash, strawberry

finish: sumac, hibiscus, oil paint, chocolate chip cookie, mollusk, lava stone, ginger snap, eucalyptus, sour cream cookie dough, Grape Nuts cereal, vodka on the rocks, burnt orange, brass

Amano Cuyagua

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:00:00 +0000

So this is my new favorite chocolate. I am more interested in this origin than I am in Chuao or Porcelana for some reason, I suppose that puts me in a very small minority. An extremely rich chocolate experience.

There was always something wild and exciting about this origin. Okay, "always" means I've tried a whole two different versions. It seems there was a Pralus somewhere but I missed that one, darn it. I had the Scharffen Berger, and the other was earlier version from Amano.

Well, I thought that both of these spoke of an evocative, unique origin. After that Amano one a few years back, I kept missing that limited edition, which has been gone awhile. So now it's finally back out, and better than ever, I feel. My top choice among Amano chocolates, and a top choice among most chocolates, for me at the moment. I'd also be very interested in seeing some other makers try their hand at this fascinating origin.

rating: 9.5

The one tiny flaw seems to be that the aftertaste doesn't quite live up to the aroma and taste experience.

aroma: grenadine, almond, black cherry, seashell, metal, black licorice, hot cocoa, caraway, leather, tangerine, oak, feather, lime, banana bread, black sands, smelting iron, bread pudding, seaweed, apricot, raisin, cotton candy, turpentine, olive, honey, macadamia, molasses, mandarin

flavor: rum, olive oil, sassafras, melon, pasta, cardamom, 7UP soda, lavender, yam, marshmallow, coriander, coffee, must, roasted plum, baby's breath flower, yogurt, watermelon candy, tobacco

finish: margarita, walnut, barn, wood floor, slightly flat champagne, mango, tulip, leather, green melon, whiskey, candied apple, mist, cologne, duck, fig, anise, lemon balm tea

Madécasse duo

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Well, all right, so I had to revisit this chocolate maker, since I was so struck the weirdness of the last chocolates I had from them. Or else it was because their name kept popping up all over. Actually, it was because Chocosphere put a free sample in my chocolate box, yeah. I wasn't given a choice in the matter. But when I first picked up this small square, I made a little face, but then I did taste it, and found I rather liked it.

So, finding they had a couple of newer products, an 80% and a milk, I thought I'd give Madécasse a try again with those two. That little square was the 70%, and I also found that better than what I'd had before. Well, something's changed over there at Madécasse HQ, or what? New chocolate maker, perhaps? Or maybe those were just some strange batches I got. But I ended up liking this stuff quite a bit, actually.

Hey, I've said it before, I'll say it again, things can change. Why even Green & Black's has gotten a bit better lately, a fact I only noticed in an emergency. A chocolate emergency is when you go out of town for three days, and end up staying for three weeks. Only the fact the you are going to be rotating between just two outfits over a three week period, and they are not even your best colors, is no consideration at all, when you compare it to life's most important things, like the fact that you did not bring any Askinosie. And you are in a small town. Oh boy. Well, I had to grab whatever was available at the local co-op, and once I got sick of Theo, it was Green & Black's being the only remotely decent thing left on the shelves. But I digress, find out how the G&B turned out better than barely decent in a later blog.

80%
rating: 8.5

This chocolate is overall very peachy, and has a long peachy ginseng tea aftertaste.

aroma: blackberry, plum, orchid, sand paper, caramel, leather, skin, old shoe, almond oil, lemon grove, clove, patchouli, dried reeds, anise, oil lamp, watermelon, honey, peanut

flavor: raspberry, peach syrup, autumn breeze, spring rain, coral, chestnut, cinnamon, orange, grapefruit, buttermilk pancake, ash, rubber, tar, strawberry

finish: hibiscus, nectarine, oak leaves, sand, molasses, maple syrup, lime juice, tangerine rind, ginseng, cardamom, peach, poppy seed, lipstick, chives, lilac, walnut, tequila

milk 44%
rating: 8.5

Has a rather sophisticated personality. Mellow and subtle, creamy and candy, yet dark and rich. Late finish reveals plenty of spice. I think I'd place this one in my top 10 milk chocolates. Reminds me of a rich, creamy coffee with spiced brandy, a little citrus zest grated on top, with a little carrot cupcake on the side.

aroma: dry white wine, tropical storm, red licorice, leather, smoke, cream, horse, wet leather, coffee, doughnut, orange, horehound (herb)

flavor: sangria, coconut, cheese, milk, lime rind, orange zest, piña colada, Whoppers candy, onion, olive, lemon, cardamom, paper, tobacco

finish: pistachio gelato, vanilla custard, dry sherry, almond flour, black licorice, beer, salt, whole wheat bread dough, raspberry sorbet, grenadine syrup, grapefruit, pine nut, nutmeg, carrot cupcake, walnut pudding, basil infused lemonade, cardamom, allspice, clove

Artisan du Chocolat

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:49:00 +0000

UK chocolate maker Artisan du Chocolate creates chocolates from liquor to bar, that is, they have somebody else roasting the dried fermented beans for them, and processing them into liquor, and the beans are then shipped to their factory in the UK, and made into chocolate from there. So it's not bean to bar, but one step removed from it. So Artisan does not control their roast, but does manage the recipe blending and conching from there.

So I tried out three of their origins, two of which are more uncommon, Vietnam and Bali. Amano has also tried Bali, reviewed here, and I've also had one recently from Bittersweet, also enjoyable. The third origin was Jamaica, an origin I've generally been excited about, and I've been waiting for some chocolate maker to really create something truly great with it. Did Artisan du Chocolat succeed?

A little background on the unique origin of Vietnam.
Here are some articles about Vietnam Cacao from the World Cocoa Foundation. Vietnam wants to compete on the world market as a major exporter of cacao, and as such will be focusing on high yielding strains. Probable widespread lack of proper farming and fermentation techniques increases the likelihood that the amount of quality cacao exported will be quite tiny, at least for some years. Read about the industrial efforts of Vietnam's rapidly growing cacao industry that are underway here and here.

Vietnam
rating: 8

So , this isn't the only Vietnam origin on the market. There is a Scharffen Berger Vietnam origin, which I will probably have to taste now for comparison, even though I've been sort of boycotting SB ever since they finally sold off the original factory and moved to Industrial Park, USA (via Hershey.) This is unique chocolate which throughout the aroma, flavor and finish, has some flavors that are not easy to pin down precisely.

If I were a tea connoisseur, perhaps, I could name a few of those things in the finish. Instead, I would describe it as a very interesting, earthy ambrosial mix of sort of dark teas with some kind of essential oils of mint and something not quite lemongrass, it's earthier than that. Maybe it's like a honeyed stick tea, or well, I don't know, but it's fascinating. There are some distant fruity/syrupy notes, and something floral, in the aroma that I can't quite name either. That makes for an exciting chocolate for me. Any time you get to have a new experience in chocolate, and with this origin, it's one I've never quite had before.

I'm doing my best to describe in the notes, the taste experiences that I have never had before. Beyond the novelty of the experience of a new origin, and its different and exciting new taste in chocolate, I am not sure how to qualify this chocolate. As can often be the case with a rare origin, is it really that great, or is it just so exciting to get these new flavors, to express this new terroir? So I've done my best to reflect that with the rating. I certainly do think that everyone should try this one, it's unique, and enjoyable. But some of this is a somewhat subtle undercurrent, you might have to take time and have patience to get to know this bar, if it doesn't immediately speak to you, try again. Yes, there can be a few candy notes and some coconut dominance, either of which might be typical of a more simple, mass market product. But do take the time to get beyond this and don't be too quick to judge.

There is a distinctive mint oil sensation that tickles the throat in an almost menthol sensation, in the finish. When I say dried apricot, I mean the bitter/tart part of the apricot without much of the sweetness. The best metaphor I can come up with for some of the unique characteristics of this chocolate is that it is a little bit like eating incense, not in a bad way, in an interesting way.

aroma: coconut, palm oil, orange, jasmine, lilac, macadamia, cherry, gasoline, pear wine, malted milk, pomegranate, red Jello, Hershey, pine cone, maple syrup, leather, red pepper jam, toasted marshmallow, Milky Way candy, caramel, river water, cognac, sunshine, smoked thyme

flavor: beetle, lemongrass, beer, coconut, peach, yogurt, tequila, wintergreen, caramel, hibiscus punch, grape must, Cinnamon, curry, pimento, caraway, cashew, mineral spirits, unripe fruit

finish: birch bark, vanilla ice cream, burnt pistachio, margarine, peppermint oil, smoky black teas, honey, wool, wheat, salt, earth, burnt nuts, burnt teas, maple syrup, corn syrup, vodka, ivory, fire/sparks, menthol, soy sauce, dried leaves, ash, dried unsulphured apricot, cayenne

Jamaica
rating: 9

It's all about an incredible balance. It's all about deliciousness, elegance, and orchestration. It just has a complexity and a loveliness.

aroma: orchid, plum, paper, dried flowers, chamomile, clove, patchouli, ocean, peach, yam, coffee, espresso bean, earth, clay, sand, hazelnut paste, honey, milk, mint, lilac, currant, rose, pine nut, lime, cinnamon, allspice, cocoa pudding, pesto, pistachio, salt, marjoram mace, fruity red wine, caramel apple

flavor: strawberry jam, mango, cashew butter, almond butter, peanut butter, coconut, cotton, squid, seashell, lamb, chives, honey, bee pollen, white wine, pistachio

finish: orange marmalade, honey, banana puree, pear, fig, almond, salt, mayonnaise, quail, shark fin soup, nutmeg, earth, snail, coffee, taffy, angel food cake, gin, crusty bread, must, dirt, mustard, melon, grapefruit, daikon radish, green onion, mint meltaway, orange blossom, sangria

Bali
rating: 8.5

Aroma is very floral, fruit syrupy, and alcoholic, with a hint of the smoky/woodsy. Perhaps that's why it calls to mind that this chocolate, while it may not be near a masterwork of any kind, is very pleasantly candy in a good way, and should make a delightful companion to some outdoor hiking trip, for a refreshing snack. Flavor is not complex, but quite nice. The finish is desserty but a little earthy, and with a tiny hint of spice. Overall, a strong rice wine character to this chocolate, which also has some flowers that rarely get to make an appearance (tulip, daffodil, plus their bulbs.)

aroma: coconut, mango, cinnamon, barley, rice wine, orchid, lily of the valley, espresso, home brew wine, daffodil, tulip, onion skin, honey, potpourri, doughnut, dry mustard, grenadine, honeysuckle, canoe wood, avocado, mint, hot cocoa, grapefruit, tree bark, rust, metal, lavender, peach syrup, lemon-lime granita

flavor: steak sauce, lime oil, green grape, plum, maple syrup ,tree bark, alpine snow, wet stones, banana, toasted almond, thyme oil, caramel, licorice

finish: apricot, rich garden soil, flowering almond, BBQ, cayenne, mace, spring rain, corn kernels, salt, milk, flan, fig pudding, paper towel, cardboard, sesame oil, coffee, anise, straw, mist, green onion

Salt and Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:32:00 +0000

By now you might have noticed that the amount of salted chocolates on the shelves has been steadily increasing over the past few years. Not just the salted caramel filled chocolates which have been around forever, but plain chocolates which simply add some salt, or sometimes add nibs with salt. But this trend has reached the level now that there is even a "salted chocolate maker" in the US, which claims to be bean to bar, and offers only salted chocolates in a variety of flavors.

You might even have thought of trying this combination yourself at home. But is it just any salt, with any chocolate, or do you have to become a total salt connoisseur too, just to figure out what's going on? To make a helpful introduction to the subject, I've had a chat with an expert.

At the Meadow is a gourmet salt and fine chocolate boutique in Portland Oregon, which also carries wine and flowers. The Meadow recently opened up the doors on a New York boutique, so now are coast to coast. Co-owner Marker Bitterman is not only a purveyor but an expert on all things salt, author of recently published book Salted, as well as a chocolate connoisseur. So that makes him the natural candidate for a chat about salt and chocolate together.

Here is what he had to say.

Why salt and chocolate?

My suspicion is that chocolate and salt actually goes way back to the very beginning, it was probably added to various types of chocolate concoctions. For example, as soon as you have milk chocolate, you invite opportunity to put salt in there because salt is such an extraordinary enhancer for the fatty and protein components of dairy. So I think there were experiments in salted milk chocolate a hundred years back when they were first perfecting milk chocolate. It probably goes back even before then. In terms of this new movement, the earliest of the contemporary examples that celebrated the salty chocolate thing was Domori about 13 years ago, with the black sal. It probably started with taking the nuts out of a salted chocolate bar, and leaving the salt in.

Combining salt and chocolate how, and how much?

One approach is to temper your chocolate and then sprinkle the salt on top. The other approach is to combine the salt into the chocolate at the end of your tempering, and pour that into a mold. The salt won’t really melt, because chocolate has so much fat and so little water in it, and the salt isn’t very fat soluble at all. So you can do this both ways, and you really get quite different experiences based on those two different approaches. Of course you could also do a combination, where you pour a little bit of salt into the chocolate, and sprinkle a little on top. All of these choices really do affect the physics of how salt and chocolate and your mouth work together, to experience the flavor.

I tend to think, in terms of quantity, the exact amount will depend on personal taste, but I definitely think that less is more a lot of the time. Unless of course you want to make it about a salty experience, with a tiny square being quite salty. You could put a fair amount of salt in there, and see what happens! (laughs) There is a bar that I know of by a cheaper company, there is a lot of cheap rock salt in this chocolate, it’s actually kind of interesting. It’s a junkier brand, I won’t name their name, but they want to be cool and do salt and chocolate. So they throw a pretty junky couverture and a pretty junky industrial rock salt together! But it‘s just kind of cool, it comes off like this crunchy weird salty chocolate.

Which salts, and which chocolates?

We find the more rustic chocolates perform a bit better than the more refined chocolates. We tried Felchlin Cru Sauvage with about ten different salts, and I was amazed at how much we disliked it. It’s like “Wow! This just doesn’t work!” The buttery, silky, cocoa buttery intense quality of that Cru Sauvage just didn’t work at all with the salt. And then we tried it with much more intense rustic chocolate like Corallo, DeVries, Askinosie, and all of that, and we have been much more impressed! A couple of the more robust, darker roasted, Italian criollos also seem to withstand the salt really well. So these are the rough guidelines that we’ve found. But we’ve also found that a beautiful experiment for a chocolatier to do, is to try a Trapani salt, which is a classic, inexpensive and a fairly harsh sea salt. And then try anything from the Adriatic, like from Croatia, Slovenia, or Italy, where you have these beautiful, sweet, fruity salts. And it is absolutely hysterical how much better those fruity and sweet salts are on the chocolate! The Il Bruco that is sold in our shop has two little bars in it, one with the Trapani salt, and one with Cervia. So you can try experiment without making it at home, if you want.

So we’ve had an amazing success balancing out with either the more earthy or the more fruity salts, which do a much more beautiful job on the chocolate than the spicier or hotter salts. So the Trapani salts, and Himalayan salt is another example of a very bad salt for chocolate, even though I know that there are some very "hot" chocolate bars that use Himalayan salt. Our experience on just straight up pure tastings is that hotter salts do a much worse job. We spend a lot of time talking with chocolate people from all over the country about salts to experiment and play with for their combination, and I believe deeply that there is a lot of nuance in there that you can exploit to have better results. All you have to say on your label is that you use sea salt, but your secret is that you use a certain kind of sea salt, one that’s doing a hell of a job on your chocolate.

Some of the best salts with chocolate

Amabito No Moshio is fantastic, and Noirmoutier fleur de sel. Turkish black pyramid is one of these weird ones that defies explanation. We’ve done blind tastings, for example we had thirty people in here for a salted chocolate class once, and for some reason the Turkish black pyramid was the most popular combination. I do not understand very well why, it doesn’t always turn out that way, but that night it was an extraordinary hit. And that’s also the most popular salt for salted caramels in chocolate. The smoked salts are also very popular with chocolate, because they bring out some of the smoky qualities in the chocolates. It's a little bit of cheating, because you have some flavor from the smoke, but it's kind of a beautiful way of bringing some flavor complexity into the chocolate.

Part II will survey some salted chocolate bars, and share some of my own salt and chocolate experiments.

2B2B or not 2B2B?

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:00:00 +0000

You have noticed I've been reviewing some of the "second tier" American b2b micro chocolate, and I have a few more lined up for you. And now, a break in the reviews for a few more musings in our ongoing discussion about the small batch bean to bar movement.

Within this second tier, we have Fresco, Mindo, Potomac, Escazu, Mast Brothers, Bittersweet. Those I see having the potential to eventually join the top group are Fresco, Escazu, and Mast Brothers. What marks this tier primarily is a certain "basic" quality, but base level fine chocolate should be like this, and is becoming so, because the basics have just gotten so much better. This stuff all still kicks the pants off the leading supermarket brands. It's nice to eat, and very nice to bake with or make some hot chocolate out of. Because face it, you want some high quality chocolate to put in those sweets, but you are having a hard time putting the very top notch stuff in there, aren't you? You just want to eat it. There are a few exceptions, something by the Mast Brothers, I'm torn about whether to eat it or put it in sweets, but I've really enjoyed a couple of their flavored bars, and others were just so-so. With Fresco, it's definitely eating for me, and for a couple from Escazu also. Mindo, below, has become a favorite of mine for brownies and killer hot choco.

This is all going to be exploding exponentially. So it comes to a point where you ask yourself, when is it worth it to buy a chocolate? It's no longer novelty, just because they are new I must get this and try it. Now, a wine connoisseur is not interested in tasting every single wine just because it is new, and this is because wine has been around many long centuries. But, okay, yes, for some people, they do want to taste every single piece of chocolate. Yours truly will even be trying some for the sake of good journalism, and will even be spilling over into the "third tier" realm, oh boy...

It's interesting, five or eight years from now, the average person will know about as much about micro chocolate as they do now about micro beer. That is, they will know of its existence, they will have had some of it, they will have heard of something being made somewhere near their region. I guess it's about another ten or so years after that, though, that we'll have at least one if not several micro chocolates in just about every city, just as we do now for micro beer.

What is the point, and what is the worth? In the very same way that pretty much every region now has its own micro beer, and is proud of it, excited about it, it will be the same way for chocolate. It has a local value. If the locals are saying their regional b2b is the best chocolate in the world, it's partly because, it's true from their perspective, because they haven't had that much good chocolate. And if they are starting from Chocolove, or whatever, then it's the best they've had and that's what they know.

Most people are still not on the bandwagon yet about buying fine chocolate, it's too expensive, and they don't get it yet. Don't get that it's the easiness way to become a connoisseur of something. But they do get all excited about the locavore thing, and then their regional b2b gets all hyped up all over the place, and people get intrigued, so want to buy some of it. So they get all excited and decide to splurge, and think OMG, this is actually good, and not only that, it's actually better than most, if not all, chocolate, this person has had before. But that doesn't often mean they will begin to explore fine chocolate, start compiling a tasting list from Amedei to Zotter. What they will do is get all enthused about this local product, and then they will buy all their default stuff still, or they will check out whatever fine chocolate is on hand at their local gourmet specialty shop, often not much.

This winter I was in Duluth, Minnesota, and visited a candy shop to scope out some bars, there isn't exactly a fine chocolate boutique around every corner in the Northern Minnesota. So I went into the regular old candy shop, and the clerk was a young man of about twenty. I asked him, "Do you have any chocolate bars?" "Chocolate bars, you mean like Hershey bars?" was the response I received. It's easy for me to forget, this is really where about half the people out there are at, not even quite up to a Green & Black's level of knowledge.

Does it make your head spin, when you think on how quickly that will change? Ten years from now, everybody is going to be a chocolate connoisseur, right? And everybody is going to have an opinion, and everybody is going to know that their local chocolate is the best, and then learn one other thing about chocolate, and then out and put up a blog announcing what they know about it. Everyone will know all about chocolate, because they know two things. but hey, that's a lot more things than they know now, and this is fun, and we want everyone to jump on the bandwagon, don't we?

Potomac Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:01:00 +0000

The doors, (or the waterways?) of DC area Potomac Chocolate, another of the next wave of small batch American b2b chocolate makers, have only been open a few months. Potomac is now working only with beans from Upala, Costa Rica. There is something distinctive in here that I can't really name. I've unfortunately not tasted every substance, sniffed every flower, drunk every nectar, to be able to describe each aromatic thing. I sometimes wish I had, or more properly, that I could name for you "that one thingy" all the time.

With that in my mind, I think it's very worthy to try these Potomac chocolates, once anyway, and this week's "that one thingy" is the best part in otherwise "just good" and kind of basic chocolate. There is a tiny bit of an industrial edge here, with some medicinal notes too.

It would be interesting to check back in a couple years from now, and see how Potomac is doing, when they have learned some more craft. As it its, they have barely been making chocolate for six months. In general, that's probably too soon to start selling chocolate, and I suppose that's going to be happening a lot more now. The extremely enthusiastic and/or keen entrepreneurial types sensing an opportunity today, will just try to shove something out there fast.

That being said, it is certainly not to say that Potomac has released a junk product. What with the high quality of even an average home brew being higher than typical grocery store shelf chocolate. Our new b2b scale "basic fine chocolate" is what it is, it's very relevant on a local level, and it is a good thing overall for the state of chocolate and for consumers in general. But much of it is not going to be something the connoisseur or beginning chocolate enthusiast needs to go running out in search of, unless perhaps on a one time basis.

That's true for most of the second tier, or next wave of small batch b2b artisan crafters, they all have something going for them, and the result of their learning process is mostly all good chocolate. But they are not close to masters of their craft, and most of it is not great chocolate. What's so fascinating with all our micro batch producers is each one is different, says something different. If our second wave are not yet wholly distinctive, give them time, some of them will be.

Upala 70%
rating: 8

aroma: coffee, leather, white grape, anise, lime, honey, mint leaves, pistachio, coconut, jasmine, cinnamon

flavor: star fruit, lemon, blackberry, pine nut, peanut butter, coconut, allspice, dried currant, apricot jam, vanilla ice cream, kefir, watermelon, lavender, coconut, sugar cane, nectarine, peach

finish: lemongrass, patchouli, water chestnut, cashew, hazelnut, sap, apple, grenadine syrup, cigarette, anise, seashell, grain alcohol, tomatillo husk, scrambled eggs, rain, Certs mint candy, black tea, vanilla bean, plastic, glucose syrup, frog

82%
rating: 8

aroma: leather, smoke, cherry, yam, potato, peanut butter, clay, walnut, pistachio, tree bark, coffee, cherry, cinnamon, orange, goulash

flavor: molasses, dark coffee grounds, cinnamon, Nutella, ash, red licorice, burnt onion, coconut, lime, lemon, orange

finish: lilac, black cohosh, lemonade, coconut, palm tree, leather, metal, beer, gin, cherry, ginseng, orange Kool aid, ginger, palm tree

Fresco Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:01:00 +0000

One of the things that distinguishes this chocolate maker from the other micro batch producers in an exploding market, is that Fresco Chocolate includes some information about roast and conche times on their website and packaging. They see themselves as fulfilling some role in helping to educate the public about the nuances of fine chocolate, and I think they are doing a pretty good job. I like this idea, and think it could be very useful in helping people to come to understand chocolate as they go along, if they are sometimes provided with this info.

But I don't know, this can be done in such a way as to be gimmicky and annoying, but I think it pretty much works in this case. So I'm wondering if this is, or should be, a wave of the future, or not, in terms of educating people and moving further into our chocolate renaissance. So I don't know if it should be everybody, but I'm glad that somebody is doing it.

Fresco has one pairing here, where the roast and percentage are identical on the very same beans, but only the hours conched differs. There are some other chocolate makers trending toward this idea of offering a pair with one difference. Coppeneur has a limited offering of a pair of Chuao chocolates with the same percentage as well as roast temp and time, in fact they even tell you exactly how long and at what temp, and that is 45 minutes at 125 degrees. Then these Chuao chocolates are are conched for 70 or 100 hours. I did not try the 100 hour, but wrote about my take on their Chuao 70 hour earlier.

Zotter also has a Peru pairing, both 70% with 16 vs. 20 hour conche time. I being a (more or less) less is more kind when it comes to conching, will probably be checking that duo out, and bringing you the report.

One pairing I did try was the Felchlin Centenario Crudo (not conched) vs. Concha (conched,) it was a limited edition blend over a year ago, and while one chocolate was not conched, the other was for 48 hours. It did not say exactly how long the beans were roasted. It was interesting, but I didn't find either chocolate to be tops among Felchlin offerings.

One thing I like about Fresco's approach to all of this is, it's not giving the exact amount of hours, but just a helpful guidepost – subtle, medium, long conche, etc. – which I feel is more relevant for the the new chocophile. If I were just starting out, I would appreciate having, at least once anyway, the opportunity to see for myself exactly what difference it makes between a subtle and long conche, using the same beans, same percentage, etc. That direct experience is more effective than just being told about it.

However, I am not sure it's relevant to slap on a label which says this bar was conched for 50 or 100 hours, without any other information, and without a paired example to compare it to. So I think it's just a marketing gimmick, really, to simply tell how many hours you conched your chocolate with no other context.

Another thing that distinguishes Fresco chocolates, is a slightly original take on some of these origins. I think there is something very pleasant and delicious about these chocolates, yet also gourmet and a bit discerning, at the same time. I think there is something refreshing about Fresco, even if they haven't totally found their niche yet.

It seems to be the Mast Brothers, Fresco, and Escazú are the ones to watch right now, as to who may eventually hold their own alongside prime time American small batchers such as Rogue, Patric, Amano, and Askinosie. It may take them a few more years to get there. But within their own category, as second tier small b2b, I find in Fresco some of my favorites from that group.

209
Jamaica 70%
dark roast, subtle conche
rating: 8.5

Redolent fruits, nuts, yet earthy and a bit smoky, with misty wet forests. Late finish is like a caramel coffee with a slice of banana cream pie.

aroma: birch bark, caramel, mold, lime juice, paprika, chardonnay, ocean spray, bay leaf, yeast, beer, cardamom bread, white wine, oregano, coal fire, pomegranate, grape, must, leather, cocoa powder, musk

flavor: orange, sourdough bread dough, tobacco, finished wood, lemon juice, raspberry, salt, earth, pine, forest, mushroom, dried leaves, cantaloupe, mashed potatoes, sassafras, dried leaves, ginger ale soda

finish: tree bark, chestnut, burnt moss, burnt carrot, ginger, wax, metal, Oil of Olay lotion, whey, olive, currant, clay, white wine, coconut milk, day old baguette, fungus, mold, mandarin orange, bourbon, zucchini, mushroom anise, beef stew, cinnamon, oak, plum, cauliflower

210
Jamaica 70%
dark roast, medium conche
rating: 8.5

The difference between 209 and 210 is simply one of conche time. They are otherwise the same beans with a dark roast and the same percentage of cacao.

aroma: raspberry, currant jam, cardamom bread, milk powder, jasmine tea, eucalyptus, patchouli, beer, lime zest, citron, orange, black pepper, apricot, fig, ocean mist, watermelon, vodka

flavor: butercream, oolang tea, volcanic rock, oak, epsom salt, bagel chips, gravel, asphalt, thyme oil, fresh clay, Sweet Tarts, vodka, plastic, mildew, Rice Dream drink, vanilla, strawberry shortcake, espresso, chocolate cream pie, mold, citronella

finish: carrot juice, wonder bread, marmalade, butter cream frosting, almond, silk, glue, unripe tropical fruits, black tea, tangerine, wheatgrass, marshmallow, sand, oil, lilac, fungus, baked goodies, banana peel, gold jewelry, ocean waves, café au lait, ginger cookie, pepper, forest

211
Ghana 74%
medium roast, medium conche
rating: 8.5

What I liked here were some unusual notes, and I found this more floral than any Ghana origin I can recall. There are flowers but they are not the usual suspects, and some can't be named. Well, I haven't yet smelled every one of the world's flowers, I'm afraid. This is the first time home made root beer and rutabaga have shown up in any of my notes.

aroma: steak, eggs, Worcester, smoke, camera film, lilac, jimson weed, cognac, honey, almond, mango, licorice, olive, anise, seaweed

flavor: sourdough, dirt, tangerine, octopus, caraway, black pepper, tuna, egg whites, chamomile, marigold, forest, allspice, cinnamon, tree bark, honeydew, lime, sour cram doughnut, cherry, caramel, petunia

finish: gin, pollen, leather, ocean, nutmeg, ginseng, rutabaga, vodka, root tea, homemade root beer, buttered popcorn, coffee, beer, onion rings, potato chip, daisy, home brew beer

212
Dominican Republic 72%
light roast, subtle conche
rating: 8.5

All kinds of tropical, citrus and red fruits in aroma, but that ends up being more subdued than I could have thought, with the light roast and subtle conche. Expected fruitier than Carmen Miranda under that circumstance, but well balanced with earthier tones.

aroma: cardamon bread, bread pudding, sweet dough, oak, leather, mint, orange, molasses, strawberry, ginger, grapefruit, pineapple, smoke, coffee, plum, carrot, banana peel, cigarette, lime peel

flavor: coconut, pomegranate, plum, mango, grapefruit, orange, cherry, anise, lace, salt, earth, columbine nectar

finish: kombucha, sandy beach, hay, wheat, white pepper, ocean, mineral, apricot filling, banana pudding, oleander, currant, sea salt, seaweed, spiced rum, clove, lilac, honey, mint, doughnut, sweet pepper jam, caramel café au lait, cantaloupe, lavender

Mindo Chocolate Makers

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Barbara Wilson and Jose Meza are a couple who divide their time between Dexter, Michigan, and Mindo, Ecuador. In 2008, the couple intended to retire and bought some land in Jose's native Ecuador, that was to be a winter home. Well they got bored pretty quickly, it seems, because it became a second career, a restaurant and hostel. This wasn't fun enough either. Then it was time to turn to coffee making, and now to chocolate. The team at Mindo Chocolate Makers has only been at it since 2009, but are already selling their chocolate products to the public.

This is a small bean to bar operation. They get their beans from a local farmer, and these are certified organic. They then take the beans, which Mindo claims are Nacional, to Barbara and Jose's property in Mindo, and handle the fermentation and everything from there. So one step removed from tree to bar. The beans are fermented, dried, then roasted by Mindo, then they are shipped to their Dexter factory and made into the chocolates. The stores on offer are baking discs and slabs, origin bars for eating, the occasional flavored confection, and they even make their own cocoa powder and cocoa butter. What's on offer will vary, as shown on the online shopping cart. I stuck with the two plain percentages, 67% & 77%.

I find something to be sort of cozy, relaxing, and satisfying about these chocolates. That pleasant feel of a home cooked meal, or more like home brew, at some cozy neighbor's or friend's house.

67%
rating: 8

A few subtle funky notes are thrown to the late aftertaste, which otherwise is a pleasantly chocolaty, coffee and vodka affair.

aroma: cherry tree, anise, papaya, raspberry Yoplait, peach yogurt, apricot, marshmallow, ginger, caramel latte, patchouli oil, beeswax, peach pit, pear juice, clove, cinnamon, honey, orchid, coffee, lilac, musk

flavor: earth, roast turkey, columbine, ocean, apricot, corn on the cob, baked potato, homebrew beer, plum, anise, sweet potato, yam, lemongrass, popcorn, juniper, leather, oak, lime, robust sangria with vodka, tobacco

finish: espresso beans, cake batter, ginger, chickweed (herb) papaya, bread crumbs, angel food cake, peanut butter cups, grassy field, Robitussin cough syrup, stale beer, high fructose corn syrup, asparagus, metal, cherry and almond liqueur soaked sponge cake, milk, cheap white bread, paper, nutmeg, green Jolly Rancher candy, papaya, asparagus

77%
rating: 8

aroma: mint chocolate chip ice cream, goat farm, white rice, cinnamon, wheat field, soy sauce, cherry juice, cream

flavor: apricot, turpentine, white wine, rose petal, molasses, Jujube candy, unripe banana, plastic, skin, champagne, prune juice, oil can, burnt rubber, bird feather

finish: clove, bay leaf, anise, dry white wine, carrot, mildew, dirt, bread baking in oven, walnut, ginger snaps cookies, goat cheese, pear wine, cola, agave nectar, black licorice, apple bread, cinnamon, raspberry candy

Bittersweet Origins

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:50:00 +0000

San Fransisco chocolate café Bittersweet opened its doors in 2004, co-founded by Penelope Finnie and Seneca Klassen. For years before that, Seneca was making his own "tabletop chocolate" at home. He decided to take things to the next level and began offering his microbatch bean to bar chocolates on Bittersweet Origins.

Seneca took a moment to chat with me about Bittersweet Origins, and about his current project. He explains he is now involved in this project on a full time basis, and that is cacao farming with his new tree to bar venture in Hawaii. Kokoleka O’Ka Aina is the name of this business, which is Hawaiian language, and translates roughly as "Chocolate of the Land." I wrote earlier about some of the Hawaiian cacao efforts underway, with links to more info. So while Albert Abrams from the early Scharffen Berger team has now taken over the actual chocolate making for the Bittersweet Origins label, Seneca is out in the fields in Oahu each day, tending to his trees. This is where it's all happening, Seneca says, and he takes a less is more approach in the post fermentation process, he explains:

"It's all about what's going on with the trees and in post harvest. Everything else after that, we're all just second fiddle. Afterward, I just have to do as little as humanly possible, and there will be something interesting in there. Sometimes you have to take yourself out of the equation. I find chocolate is very musical. With chocolate, like in music, sometimes the best thing is not to be invasive, but to treat it gently, to discover what's there. To reveal, rather than interfere."

Seneca now maintains two Hawaiian cacao orchards, one with two acres, and one with fourteen acres on the North Shore. The smaller test plot has already been bearing fruit and Seneca has been doing some test batches of chocolate. Harvesting of fruits on the larger orchard will likely not be before spring of 2012. Then there will be a year or two of testing after the first harvest, before a product is released to the public.

Kokoleka O’Ka Aina is an independent label which will release its chocolates without ties to Bittersweet. But it's possible, Seneca says, that if all goes well he may have certain batches on the Bittersweet Origins label, perhaps even in advance of official release on the Hawaiian label.

Current offerings on Bittersweet include Bali, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, and Venezuela. I sampled five of the six currently on offer. The milk chocolates are both dark at 65%, and are heavy on the cocoa butter – 35% liquor and 30% cocoa butter.

You can shop for these chocolates in person, by email, or by ordering over the phone. Bittersweet Origins are not currently added to the shop's online shopping experience, but you are welcome to call in and ask for those, as well as for many other chocolates not currently listed on their website.

Singaraja (Bali) 75%
rating: 8

Bali is typically pretty subtle, and that is part of its beauty. What notes you find, even if you have to search at times, are very interesting, and overall it's just an evocative origin. This one works well. Sometimes I've written pomegranate in my tasting notes, but I don't know if has ever been quite as pronounced as here (in the finish.)

aroma: macadamia, olive oil, cognac, butter, rum, popcorn, anise, honey, yogurt, absinthe, raspberry, wheatgrass, ink/newsprint, lily, caramel, goat cheese, milk, coriander

flavor: ginger, espresso, seashell, hay, coconut, lilac, leather, pussy willow, chlorophyll, smoke, almond, mustard greens, orange, yam

finish: blue cheese, sea, lemon, beer, earth, trees, vanilla ice cream, pomegranate, dust, gasoline, clove, beetles, cat hairball, mist, must, root beer, orange juice, licorice

Singaraja milk 65%
rating: 8

Reminiscent of a delicately spiced coffee with cream. Delicately floral.

aroma: coconut, rum, cherry, marmalade, gingerbread, café au lait, ham sandwich, green grape, cardamom, must, bitter almond, clover

flavor: pomegranate, mango, dust, butter cream, milk, feather, green grass, peppermint chews, fig preserve, grilled cheese sandwich, daisy, wildflower, goat milk, alfalfa, grape, coconut milk

finish: cinnamon, yogurt, salt, yam, balking powder, hay, doughnut, caraway, caramel popcorn, apple, tobacco, coriander, horseradish, plum, leather

Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) 75%
rating: 8

aroma: pumpkin, dried apricot, honeydew, cinnamon oil, wild strawberry, sunflower seeds, blackberry brandy, coconut, seashell, crab, smoke, leather, coffee, orange soda, raspberry, mint, tangerine, must, earth, straw, molasses, animal fur, apple

flavor: bread pudding, millet, milk, vanilla bean, almond, salt, sand, carrot, rhubarb, oregano, river mud, grapefruit seed

finish: baked potato, yam, olive, honey, toasted pineapple, vodka, ham, clove, ginger, jujube, star fruit, oak, jasmine, hazelnut

Puerto Plata milk 65%
rating: 8

aroma: cottage cheese, goat, clove, patchouli, lime oil, red pepper, coffee, cinnamon, fig, Spam, dirt, sandbag, currant, volcanic rock, bird feather, animal fur, rum, paprika, grape, molasses, bread pudding, cranberry sauce, plum, nutmeg, grenadine syrup, honey, Sweet Tarts candy

flavor: oak, lavender, Milk Dud candy, mist, comfrey oil, Jolly Rancher candy, Vaseline, paint primer, anise, metal, chestnut, hazelnut, pineapple, cotton candy, mango, buttercream frosting, whey, honeydew, cherry

finish: custard, caramel, Chardonnay, black pepper, Oreo cookie, cream puff, jasmine, leather, lettuce, maple syrup, cognac, Milky Way candy, daisy, chamomile, vanilla pudding, lemon, sea salt

Sambirano (Madagascar) 70%
rating: 8

What I find interesting here, is that "usual" Madagascan bright fruit/citrus, jam/champagne that usually "pops" in the flavor and often in the aroma, here is somewhat present in both, but really comes out in the late finish. It's like some of the same notes, played differently.

aroma: orange, cardamom, molasses, vanilla, paper, champagne, cognac, allspice, caramel, sucrose, banana, coconut, rhubarb pie, ginger bread, Ovaltine, toasted sesame oil, fig, candied yam, rum, vodka, currant

flavor: coffee grounds, red pepper, paprika, animal fur, leather, mushroom, silver, lilac, lemon, lime, nutmeg, marshmallow, raspberry, autumn leaves

finish: café au lait, banana bread, lamb, autumn mist, spring rain, dirt, apple fritter, fresh parsley, toast with blueberry jam, papaya, watermelon, cotton, bread crust

Tao of Chuao

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Three new names in the game, now that Amedei no longer has exclusive rights to beans from the Campesina. Pralus, Amano, and Coppeneur are the first out with chocolate that can be truly called Chuao, since the Amedei contract ended over a year ago. I'm leaving the new Domori out, since their beans are not grown within Chuao village. You can read more about intellectual property and the Chuao origin here, and find some background info and my reviews of earlier Chuao chocolates here.

For me, the Amano lands at the top of the ratings pile in this Chuao trilogy, but I'm really more excited about Amano's Dos Rios, Guayas, and Cuyagua chocolates. But that probably has more to do with the fact that I am not necessarily the big huge Chuao fan. I'm not one of those that places Amedei Chuao among the world's top chocolates, or even that places Amedei tops among the Chuao offerings.

While Chuao is great and all, and every one of the offerings I've tasted to date is "great" chocolate, well, as Simon Cowell has said, "I'm not jumping out of my chair!" Maybe Chuao can be just a little too candy like for me. I feel it's a great example of an accessible chocolate that still has nice gourmet complexity. I can truly appreciate what everyone is talking about, I must rate it highly, I can see the mass appeal. But am looking for something a tad more challenging than a very pleasant gourmet bonbon. Not that I see anything wrong with that, if I am actually eating a bonbon.

However, I think that there is a little more Tao in Chuao than meets the fungiform papillae. I do believe that Chuao can be more exciting than this. It's such an evocative origin, you can tell this right away the moment you catch an aroma. There must be something magical in those waters, you might say to yourself. Or you might want to wax poetical about how the birds must sing more sweetly there. But then, how does this always end up with me feeling that I just ate a really great doughnut, or a brownie. I don't think its totally endemic to the origin, I think maybe there is something missing here because some of this amazing exotic stuff that's evoked with this origin is always being taken away, somewhere along the line in processing.

Amano
rating: 9

Some signature Amano marshmallow and baked goodies abound in this chocolate, and we have our "usual" Chuao long finish of nutty caramel and coffee. Here, this note is sustained a very long time, with other flavors undulating in currents beneath. Amano can often be the artist of the aftertaste, and here that may be why they end up with the best effort. This time the coffee is infused by a subtle but elegant home made liqueur, and accompanied by a shot of jasmine-melon tea.

aroma: orange, musk, cinnamon, clove, paper, toasted sesame seeds, sand dunes, coconut, mint, grapefruit, honey, walnut, peanut, coffee, tostada, leather, macademia, pistachio, caramel, marshmallow

flavor: Aquavit, cocoa powder, ocean, star fruit, anise, plastic, strawberry, green grape, guava, citron

finish: coffee, mulberry wine, green tea, fig, vodka, Wonder bread, lime zest, egg yolk, sugar doughnut, oak, melon, Thai peanut sauce, soy sauce, coral, chai, black pepper, bread pudding, whole wheat bread dough, molasses, earth, apple core

Coppeneur
rating: 8

Though technically this chocolate was more "notey," I felt it also had more industrial candy like sensations. But it also had some character and a bit of darkness, which I might have expected from Pralus instead. The normally delicate spice of Chuao was here a bit more forward. A bit more on the smoke and leather aspect instead of as much coffee caramel in the finish.

aroma: blackberry, anise, licorice, cardamom, orange Tang, Hawaiian Punch soda, 7 UP soda, red licorice, chutney, pineapple, caramel, herring, pine nut, plastic, shallot, earth, must, seashell, seaweed, mold, carbon paper, coconut husk, corn nut, coffee, almond, macadamia, apple pie, coffee

flavor: red grape juice, pear syrup, pomegranate, guava, banana, grapefruit, lime, mince meat, coriander, cinnamon, clove, snail, agave nectar, onion skin, Sweet Tarts candy, pistachio, goat cheese, oil cured black olive

finish: cognac, coconut, palm oil, coffee, caramel, plastic, rubber band, lemon, bone, salt, guar gum, grease, leather, rum, marshmallow, rust, black pepper, banana, kelp, candied apple, red Jolly Rancher candy, orangina, black walnut liqueur, shellfish

Pralus
rating: 9

Familiarity of Pralus escapes the wrapper in the aroma, yet in spite of his normally darker roast and always higher percentage, the spice remains delicate, true to what seems to be in the nature of Chuao. I found it interesting in fact that the Coppeneur was the most forward in the spice department.

The caramelly nutty coffee through the long finish is again present, this time accompanied by a slice of walnut toast.

I was feeling maybe we'd finally meet a chocolate equal or close to the Le 100 since Pralus + Chuao might equal greatness. Alas, it was not the case. Nothing's wrong with this chocolate, I've said each of these three are worthy. But no, it did not meet any high hopes for another sublime Pralus, or the possibly best Chuao going. Nothing of the kind, here, but still another great chocolate, from a fine chocolate maker.

Here, neither the differences necessarily brought about by Pralus sensibilities, nor the execution of whatever sameness, are quite distinctive enough to place it among the tops for Pralus, or for Chuao. Another pleasant and delightful chocolate in the world, one you still have to use the word "great" about. One that cannot challenge anyone, one that cannot retain a place in the expanding pantheon of the greats in fine chocolate. But then, that almost seems to sum up my reaction to Chuao in general, as it has been worked with so far...

aroma: wood, rabbit fur, currant, strawberry wine, henna, rust, paper, dried apricot, black pepper, anise, oregano, blackberry, hair, mustard powder, Limoncello, tangerine, lava stone, garlic, mustard, sea salt, cardamom cake, dried apricot, tamarind, tobacco

flavor: coconut, NY style cheesecake, raspberry topping, cafe au lait, cheese puffs, orchid, banana, hazelnut skin, pistachio, cherry cordial, black sand, plum, honeydew, grapefruit, leather, mascarpone, Milk Dud candy, peanut butter

finish: pineapple, coffee, honey, apple cider, tapioca pudding, coconut cake, brandy, crystallized ginger, treacle tart, vinegar, brown sugar, bay leaf, white wine, raisin, candied yam, dried cranberry, Champagne, praline, caramel, black tea, artichoke heart, cement, lemon meringue

More chocolate boutiques

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:52:00 +0000

So I've really wanted Chocosphere to not be holding court over the entire chocophilian landscape in such a way as they do, even though they are a good business, and I've never had a problem with them, and they have a pretty good selection. You still want to go out and give these other guys a chance, right? That's why, here are some newer fine chocolate dealers I've tried out for the first time this winter. And a couple that are not new to me, but have only phone ordering available, with no online shopping cart. How do any of these online startups measure up to the shopping experience of the lofty "spheres," and should you order any of your fine chocolate by phone?

Drexelius

In terms of the online only experience, what we're looking for mainly is what can you get here that you can't get elsewhere, (ahem, Chocosphere,) and also of course customer service.

The only unusual things here are Oliver & Sinclair, the American b2b that uses brown sugar, and Don Puglisi, the Sicilian style chocolate. But hey, you may want to pick those things up, while simultaneously getting your usual Taza, Amano, Askinosie orders in.

The day that I placed my order on the web, happened to be the day when the shopping cart system was down. You could go in and put your items in the cart, and go through the whole check out process, but then at the end it would give you some error message, cannot process the order. So I went through that a couple times, then contacted the owner via email. Within a couple hours I got a response, saying that she had just gotten off the phone with the shopping cart software people. Seems they were having severe weather at their base, and this was knocking out their servers, thereby also knocking out who knows how many shopping carts. This did not last long, I was told to try again later in the day, and sure enough it worked. So, well handled customer service, but I cannot say how often something like this happens, whether it's time for some new shopping cart software, or not. If it happens more than once or twice a year, then it is.

For US orders, you get free shipping on orders over $25, and the last time I placed a chocolate order for under $25 was, um, can't think of one. Works for me.

Chocolopolis

Here we had a lost package, and the error was on the store's side, they had allowed the shipper to leave package without signature, and without telling me anything about that, and no shipping notification was sent. Not a good idea. I live in a pretty busy neighborhood in a large city, it's no heavy crime neighborhood, and this hasn't happened before, but this is the way it can sometimes be in the big city, and it got stolen after what could only have been a few hours in a public foyer. I was not out of town, and I never knew a package had even arrived, because I had never received a shipment confirmation email and tracking number.

So I called wondering what's up, they said it had been delivered. They realized their mistake and learned their lesson, and won't be checking that "leave package without signature" box with their shipper, anymore. They will also be sending out tracking numbers via email from now on, they have said. Anyway, so they replaced my package with no problem.

From talking with owner Lauren Adler, I understand that the shop does have some offerings not listed on their website. She says that you are free to call in your order and ask for products, or just make general inquiries and they will be happy to help you. If you just want to deal with the shopping cart as it is, then of particular interest are chocolates from El Ceibo and Fresco. You will have to navigate through a somewhat awkward web store, and find the chocolates by country and so on, there is no way to just see all the brands on one page.

The Chocolate Path

After they stole my famous front page quote, "I'm on the chocolate path," because they knew what a cute name for a business that would make... Naw, just kidding, I don't really know exactly when this shop opened its doors, but let's assume we did not know about one another's existence before the phrase "the chocolate path" occurred to us, each individually, I am sure...

But now for the legalities: Pursuant to the clause jotted down in pencil, and then crossed out many times, in The Chocolate Note-book:

The Chocolate Note does not tread chocolate paths, other than its own; The Chocolate Note does not endorse, promote, or represent in any way, any chocolate path not expressly that belonging to The Chocolate Note, and only The Chocolate Note; Any similarity between The Chocolate Note's path and any other chocolate path, living or dead, is purely coincidental, and is a work of fiction; Any use of The Chocolate Note, implying affiliation with an existing chocolate path anywhere, in this universe, and all I can say is "I am the The Chocolate Note, and I did not approve this message;" The Chocolate Note cannot be held liable for accidental death by chocolate, or serious drinking chocolate injury, sustained during the use of any chocolate path.

Anyways, so yeah, no problems here, at all, just shipped all the right stuff out promptly, no other issues. But nothing really special on their shelves, either, just sayin'. Oh wait, they do have a bunch of raw stuff, or just one second though, their raw page is blank, guess they don't have any of that... Oh wait, they have all this on their website:

"Our mission is to gather together the highest quality dark chocolate products from the sources that are not found at mass market retailers. Often these are 'artisan' providers that produce in small handmade batches for freshness and quality. Some of our suppliers are doing good in their production process, such as supporting the rain forest, fair trade, or organic farming."

So none of it's mass market, or even if it were, at least it's definitely not available at your neighborhood Whole Foods, with the following exceptions: Cavalier, Nirvana, Charlemagne, New Tree, Santander, Guittard, Chocolat Moderne, Theo, MarieBelle. But hold on a second, that doesn't count, because almost all of those products' pages are also empty, so they probably don't even really carry any of that stuff either, they just advertise it on their products page. Maybe this explains it?

"We try to feature no more than 10 lines at any given time."

Okay, that's on the "Dark chocolate FAQs" page, so you can't find it on any of the customer or product information pages, but there is an explanation somewhere in there, for those of you who can make neither hide nor tail out of the website and all its blank pages.

Biagio Fine Chocolate

They've asked me to tell you that if you live in Florida or somewhere that's always hot, you can pretty much just forget about it. They are not into keeping up with the whole hot weather packing thing, so summer's sort of out too. They are also concerned about your time sensitive orders, especially around the busiest chocolate times of the year, like the recent winter holiday. If you've got sudden deadlines, look elsewhere. Otherwise, the Biagio staff is ready to take your order by phone, and they have a product listing on their website (by brand.) But this listing is incomplete, you might want to also check out their twitter updates of new products, which hopefully they will get added to their standard web listing. That's what I did, and how I knew to ask for certain things. You can always ask the helpful staff about what they are carrying.

Here are a couple of less commonly available items I picked up from them recently:
They have their regional b2b dudes, Potomac; they carry Michael Mischer, an artsy bar melter; Al Nassma, the world's only camel milk chocolate; L'Arstian du Chocolat, not the California people chocolatier, but the UK chocolate maker. L'Artisan has the unusual Vietnam origin bar.

My one small criticism is an environmental packaging issue, and though I know they aren't a company set up for shipping, I believe they could do better on this. There were about ten big huge pieces of bubble wrap in the box. Twelve chocolate bars were in this box, nothing else, and each pair of two bars was wrapped in one or two longish plastic sheets. At Chocosphere, Cacao, and At The Meadow, they have shipped me more chocolate than that and used far less packing. Check out the biodegradable corn based packing peanuts, which many of the chocolate dealers I've used are moving toward.

Cacao Drink Chocolate

Cacao opened its doors in autumn 2006, in an ancient time, before everyone and your grandmother was making their own b2b chocolate. At a time when it was still novelty to have on their shelves all these different artisan chocolates, different makers, percentages, origins, etc. In a land before time, before fine chocolate boutiques were becoming "a dime a dozen" as Cacao co-owner Jesse Manis says they are now.

So that's not what makes Cacao unique, and a pioneer, anymore. No, it isn't the fact that they'll be stocking every Bonnat and Askniosie that you could possibly imagine, and keeping them there, at all times, because you need Del Tambo desperately in the middle of the night, and could not easily click and purchase it online at Chocosphere or a host of others these days. No, it's that unique quality of fine chocolate knowledge and service which, from the beginning, they've been incorporating into their milieu.

From the outset, Jesse and co-owner Aubrey Lindley have understood that a big part of what's in store for anyone wishing to go into this business, in a quality way, will be the education of the public. And if Portland is now one of the most fine chocolate educated publics out there, Manis acknowledges, not immodestly, that Cacao has had some part to play in that, through tastings, in house events, and just the daily interaction with the customer.

So what's on Cacao shelves will always be what's interesting now, and not only what will seem the most trendy weird inclusion or styles that one could try, or the newest b2b just because they are new, but trying to keep up with where fine chocolate is truly evolving at this time. They are more interested in collections of things, and a rotating chocolate collection which will reflect quality within growing trends, and an up to date chocolate atmosphere.

They seek to guide you through this landscape, and act as something of a sommelier to their customers, many of whom are regional and are now already hipper than thou, and have some history with the place. This customer relationship extends equally to phone ordering, and many of their phone customers are people who've been into their shop before. They are happy to treat you in the same manner as if you've just walked into their shop, to lead you around, offer advice, answer questions, make recommendations.

So if you can stand not to go the point and click route, just chilax, and order by phone, take a virtual stroll by phone through Cacao, where the staff are willing to help you. If you are in town and stopping by, have a seat in the cafe and try some of the house blend drinking chocolates, rumor has it that customers can sometimes be observed, when utensils can no longer suffice, to be licking their bowls.

Al Nassma

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:45:00 +0000

So the world's first (ahem, only..) is also the world's finest. This is a good thing to know. But what is it? It's a camel milk chocolate.

Al Nassma partners with Austrian mass market candy company Manner to produce these chocolates, which are made in Austria, then molded, tempered, and flavored at the Dubai headquarters. Manner is also responsible for the Choco-lina line of sheep milk chocolates, which I've discussed, here and here.

This really is a product worth seeking out, as it's so unique. It offers not only an additional experience for the connoisseur, but a great alternative in milk chocolate for the lactose intolerant, as camel milk has no lactose. It also has about as many health claims, if not even more, than our own dear friend chocolate. With the two in combination, my guess is we've finally stumbled upon the lost fountain of youth...You can Google its healing properties yourself, Ponce de León.

Here is an interesting story about how one North Carolina resident, Millie Hinkle, is attempting to start a camel dairy here in the US. She is also apparently helping to alter the FDA's milk regulations, now tentatively slated to expand the list of allowable animals to include not only camels, but several others. In the future, you will not ask for milk chocolate, but you will have to be a great deal more specific than this. Would you like camel, cow, goat, reindeer, moose, llama, or donkey milk chocolate? The donkey milk chocolate connoisseurs will wind up with their very own blog – watch out, Chocolate Note!

As to the differences in taste, the first impression from the first aroma was a slightly smoky pungency, and a distinctly floral tone, the latter no doubt coming from the added honey. So since there is a little honey, in addition to the cacao beans, cacao butter, and sugar (but no vanilla,) we are sort of talking about a flavored bar, here. Well, so it's like a hybrid of milk chocolate and something slightly flavored. No question, the honey must necessarily change the flavors and aromas given off. It's a bit like cheating, since the company presents itself as delivering fine dark milk chocolates, and wants these presented alongside others in this category. But of course, it's got the honey in it, so it's a flavored bar, cheaters. But anyway.

A slightly unusual flavor is added to these chocolates, as different from a cow's milk – kind of yogurt, tart, pungent, salty, smoky. The camel milk also seems to have its own slight sweetness to it.

A little bit hard to come by in the US, I've found a source for these chocolates at Biagio Fine Chocolates in D. C., where those of you in the US in cooler climates (or in winter) may order your fine chocolates by phone. They also have one or two other Al Nassma camel milk chocolates, you'll have to ask about the particulars over the phone.

36%
rating: 8

I thought there was something unique and kind of delicious about this chocolate. The flavor was a rich palate of cream, floral perfume, and marshmallow sensations, with the salty pungency from camel milk rounding things out for an interesting bouquet, and this chocolate fills the mouth with flavor.

aroma: smoke, carnation (flower,) lilac, orange, milk, vanilla bean, cotton balls, coconut, crushed pineapple, bay leaf, cake batter, Old Spice cologne, brandy, spiced rum

flavor: grenadine syrup, perfume, salt, vinegar, cinnamon, butter, molasses, champagne, marshmallow, metal

finish: candy cane, brandy, cotton candy, anise hyssop

70%
rating: 8

You must say it's a unique experience for your palate. I'm not sure I'm happy with this "cheating" category, especially when it's at the level of 70%, but how do I know? Maybe this is going to be the next big craze, once Millie Hinkle gets her license and gets to milking, where everybody's doing it, everybody's got to have their own version of honey-camel milk chocolate! The mass market qualities of the chocolate itself cannot hide at this percentage, so it's no great chocolate alongside your other, more typical quality 70% that I would write about, however it's just a kind of distinctive flavor, and looking at it as more a flavored/confection thing, I do recommend trying this out.

aroma: cardamom, vanilla cake, baby's breath flowers, Vaseline, coffee, cider vinegar, dried flowers, marjoram, currant, apricot jam, thyme, lettuce, Himalayan pink salt, lavender, cinnamon, clove, honey

flavor: anise, coffee grounds, salt water, chamomile, sand, palm, lime yogurt, coconut, caramel, leather, mint julep, Almond Joy candy, macadamia, seaweed, rice wine

finish: milk, banana, cigarette, char, ash, grapefruit pith, bay leaf, pretzel, pie crust, gin, cactus, almond milk, white flour, dust storm, granite

Cacao Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:28:00 +0000

Chocolate maker Kristen Hard has been going bean to bonbon down in Atlanta, GA, for a couple years now, and I thought it would be time to finally check out the goods.

I found these chocolates a little revolting, but in some way, strangely compelling at the same time. Part of me that wants to try this again, and another part rolls its eyes pretty heavily at the idea. It's pretty bizarre. I've felt that way about a few other chocolates. A couple from Madecasse, the Bonnat 100%, and one sample of the Bonnat Porcelana. There seem to be problems of over roasting, and perhaps a too high percentage for the origins.

Patanemo (Venezuela) 75%
rating: 4

"Straight up now tell me, do you really want to love me forever, or am I caught in a hit and run?" I guess I don't think there could be a more apt way to describe it... I still don't know the answer to this question, it's sort of awful, but I like it?

sample one:

aroma: candy corn, lipstick, mascara, petroleum, molasses, sand, hair, zoo, cat, monkey, rainforest, moss, fresh grass, dew, bugs, oil can, clay, dirt, Coca Cola, yeasty beer, almond, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, chalk, eucalyptus, hay, chamomile, ginger, gasoline, incense, pumpkin, tar pit, mucous

flavor: poop, make up brush, cacao husk, coconut, paper machee, mango, coconut, artificial perfume, grapefruit peel and pith, old peppermint candy, old butterscotch candy, wheat grass, honeydew, stale fruit juice, prune, hay field

finish: moldy raspberry, cosmetic, oak, blackberry, orange, burnt spices, caramel, vanilla pudding, leather, mint, sand, mud, whey, old industrial candies, manure, mango, ocean spray, thyme, public bathroom, burnt rubber, burnt toast, old bread crumbs that sat at the bottom of toaster a long time, rubbish, salt

a different batch of this same chocolate:

aroma: honey, molasses, oat, old pantyhose, ocean waves, oregano, orange, stale cheap perfume, lilac, coconut, rum, cinnamon stick, liquid nitrogen, red licorice, rum, barf, Almond Joy candy, nougat, candy cane factory, Wonder Bread, vodka, metal, tar, oil, rust, banana bread, raisin, poppyseed, ceramics, clove, pretzel dough, ginger ale soda, oak

flavor: anise, peppermint breath spray, burnt coffee grounds, cocoa pudding, sugar doughnut, caramel, jasmine, peanut butter, dust, yam

finish: Godiva, mushroom, gasoline pump, fig jam, red Jello, green grape jelly, nutmeg, orange, seaweed, currant

Hispaniola 75%
rating: 4

Here we see we are less plagued by the above problems, but they are all still there, in much smaller force. These chocolates should not be thought of as lacking interest.

aroma: walnut paste, egg pasta, curry, currant, gas pump, whey, vanilla bean, anise, nutmeg, clove, black sesame seed, caramel pudding, banana puree, brie, black licorice, leather, papaya juice, coffee, ocean, beach, salmon, whiskey sour, chestnut, mint, pine nut, spinach pesto

flavor: pineapple, honeydew, carrot, tortilla soup, soy, leather, black bean sauce, chicken enchilada, molasses, rice vinegar, pina colada, gasoline, puke, rum, bourbon, cognac, rice wine, mint jelly, candy cane, fish sauce, old perfume, molasses, Worcester, Cinnabon

finish: champagne, cognac, beer, sparkling lemonade, tar, blue cheese, lime juice, vanilla Ice cream, green apple vinaigrette, peanut, smoked fish, absinthe, coconut, jasmine, deep sea, garlic, wild honey, Coca Cola, nutmeg, old fashioned candies, vodka

They make some bonbons, here's a picture, why can't we just skip a rating, you see how this is going to be, don't you? After all, Kristen is using the same chocolates above to make her bonbons. One thing I didn't like, the small drawing that came with the box of truffles is too small, with accompanying hard to read tiny handwriting. This is a guide to the chocolates, but they are hand drawn and hard to figure out, so if your palate is not mega sensitive like mine, you might not know what in the heck flavor you are tasting. The website has descriptions, but no photos of the filled chocolates. I really liked that almond nougat one.

Aloha!

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 01:00:00 +0000

So far Guittard makes nearly all chocolate from the rather scarce Hawaiian beans, but there is one smaller producer making from tree to bar on the islands. Which one takes home the golden pineapple (and I do not mean Dole!?)

But yes, Dole does play a part in our Hawaiian tale, as the underwriter of the Waialua Estates chocolate (top photo.) Guittard makes the chocolate for them, and there is a little tiny Dole pineapple in the corner box for a sure stamp of quality. Well you may think that it's such an easy contest, between the big, bad, nasty mass market corporation and the smaller batch producers, but could you be wrong?

I'm sorry to report that it's true, Guittard is making a much better chocolate here, than what is produced by Original Hawaiian Chocolate. OHC is making its money off of tourists and all the locals who are just bowled over by the hype and local interest of having the cacao that is grown and made right there in their very own Hawaiian paradise. And OHC will continue to make money off this, so let's not feel too bad here about hurting any small batcher's business. I am here to tell the truth, and to protect you, the readers, from throwing money down the drain.

I had to order this OHC chocolate, so you won't have to; I had to pay $8.50 for one freaking ounce of this stuff, so you won't have to; and I had to pay twenty big ones for shipping from the islands to mainland, so you won't have to. Their customers are the tourists and locals who do not know chocolate, and OHC themselves do not know chocolate either, but they will be able to support their families off of this business for years to come, probably! But you do know chocolate, or you want to learn about it, so you can skip it, and save up your money for some real quality stuff – like, Guittard???

Well, no, that's not what I am saying either. So Dole has Guittard making chocolate under the brand Waialua Estate, and Malie Kai has Guittard making it under their own brand name.

The deal is, there isn't a lot of cacao to be had from Hawaiian soil as of yet. There are some minor issues, and it's not always easy to get land for cacao when Dole seems to own so much of it. There are some efforts underway to try and introduce cacao as an industry for Hawaii, and time will tell how well they may be able to deal with the apparent setbacks.

So here are my ratings and notes for each of the selections I've tasted.

Original Hawaiian Chocolate dark 60%
rating: 5

OHC feels safe at 60% for both "dark" chocolates, but the sugar does nothing to mask whatever the inherent problems seem to be, or the lack of artisanship. The OHC chocolates are grown on the Big Island, which is a different terroir than Waialua, on the island of Oahu.

aroma: allspice, mace, gasoline, grease, oil, cardamom, coffee, banana liqueur, meringue, Juicy Fruit gum, dirt, black pepper, star fruit, coconut, dust

flavor: steak sandwich, nutmeg, honey, chlorophyll, smoke, apricot, currant, blackberry, banana bread, maple syrup, char, wood, yam, ginger, tar, toffee, sausage McMuffin, orange zest, caramel, tobacco, red licorice, paper, sand, salt, glue, split pea soup, oak leaf, fur, green leaves, farm

finish: cardboard, leather, lemonade, oregano, pepper, cactus, basalt, asphalt, paper, strawberry, Nilla Wafers, dirt, shoe polish, granite

OHC criollo 60%
rating: 7

More complex, almost getting a tiny bit of character going on, but no orchestration, and ultimately, it just doesn't add up, something's missing. Like a lot musical notes, but not playing any harmony.

aroma: milk, peanut butter, anise, honey, oat seed, coconut, palm, peppermint, mango, tropical fruit grove, lily, walnut, water lily, orchid, iron, gasoline pump, jasmine

flavor: honey nut cereal, caraway, lavender, seaweed, garlic, espresso, goat cheese, oat, hay, tobacco, sourdough, rye, bread dough

finish: horse, manure, anise, barn, holly, leather, rum, oregano, must, myrrh, lilac, sea breeze, mint leaves, ocean, caramel, Saccharin (artificial sweetener,) pine, curry, oyster shell, milk powder, raisin, cinnamon, licorice, Tab cola, prune, Whoppers candy, something spoiled or rotten, lemon, fish, juniper, alcohol, cheap perfume

OHC milk 38%
rating: 6

aroma: Fig Newton, gasoline, cardamon cake, salt, oil, bay leaf, basil, vinegar, heather, fresh grass, caramel, dried herbs, patchouli, nutmeg

flavor: Dairy Queen, marmalade, milk, anise, grapefruit, cigar

finish: coffee, honey, cantaloupe, ice cream, ink, black licorice, almond, goat fur, whey, goat milk pudding, apricot jam, grapeseed oil, aloe, jojoba oil, petroleum, vanilla bean, ocean, coffee, suntan oil

Waialua Estate 70%
rating: 8

aroma: orange, candy, Hershey Kiss, cognac, cherry, Oreo cookie, carob powder, white wine, bay leaf, metal, peanut butter, almond, orchid

flavor: hazelnut, coffee, pomegranate, cranberry, hibiscus nectar, orange, olive, pineapple, tangerine, egg yolk, apricot jam, cinnamon, oak, honey, eucalyptus, molasses, ginger, crème anglaise, wintergreen, vanilla custard, mango

finish: fresh pineapple, grapefruit juice, carrot, walnut, toffee, maple syrup, rum, leather, coconut, green grape, coffee, diamond

Malie Kai
rating: 8

Oahu's Waialua Estates again supplies some beans for Guittard, with a different company name, and different percentage, I think?! Neither the website nor the package tell the percentage! Er, um, wait a second, I mean – oh, that's right!! We don't need to know what percentage this is, indeed, as we have been told that this is the "rarest cacao on earth!" That's all we need to know.

aroma: pine, orange blossom, sassafras, molasses, coconut, wood, tar, turpentine, vodka, rum, mandrake, eucalyptus, pomegranate, strawberry, magnolia, earth, ginkgo tea, peanut oil, tobacco, anise, butter, tangerine, chestnut, licorice, marshmallow

flavor: candy, chewing gum, green grape, melon liqueur, honey almond, carrot juice, peach, raisin, raspberry, lemon, pear wine, blackberry jam, banana, fig, rum, coconut, oatmeal, tapioca, oak, prune pudding, mango

finish: bread dough, earth, salt, herbal teas, rum, nutmeg, patchouli, snail, pineapple, ocean breeze, caraway, malted milk, sesame seed, toasted peanut

In spite of what could be termed the "Guittardification factor," which I hope can be a shorthand for what I needn't say more about, I've still had to give these two "something special is going on there" chocolates an 8. I'm reluctant that the ratings are so high, and I'm reluctant that they are so low. Like some wonderful exotic ambrosia, with a little bit of Hershey bar melted into it. Clearly there really is some magic in those Hawaiian waters. Just hope some "real" micro batch producers may get their hands on some of these precious beans.

By the way folks, The Chocolate Note is now on Facebook, and I look forward to meeting some of you over there.

Zen and the art of chocolate writing – a FAQ?

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 04:39:00 +0000

Why is it so difficult to write about chocolate?
Somewhere cryptically hidden away in these paragraphs, is the answer.

What the hell are you on, are you making up, or merely hallucinating those notes?
I do not care to take drugs, but I am pretty weird, and poetical like. I have a sensitive nose and palate. I do not enjoy smelling cat pee in a pillow as soon as I get near it, when no one else can smell it, or maybe they can detect it very faintly if they dig their nose in and inhale very deeply. In a house where a cat has not lived for many years. (Time for new guest pillows, don't you know about dust mites anyways?!? This is gross, who the hell have I been visiting? You know who you are!)

Sometimes the notes can be a teensy little bit metaphorical, but mostly "literal," except it isn't quite literal to say I have tasted cat pee, or shit, but I think we can all imagine what they taste like from their smell. (For an explanation of metaphor, see this clip from Il Postino.)

If you ever see "moon beam" in my notes, this might be a metaphor. If you see this, it translates, roughly, to "Fucking incredible chocolate!" "This is taking chocolate to the next level, a work of art!" or, alternatively, "Oh, woow!!!"

Why did you never swear before?
Read Puritanical No More.

But I never get all these notes when I eat the chocolates you write about, WTF?
Well, I don't expect you to find each of these notes as you taste your chocolate. Because:

1) Each batch, each harvest year, even each bar, of the very same chocolate with the same recipe from the same maker has different nuances.
2) Each person's palate is different, and picks up some things more easily, and others not so much.
3) It can take months and years to carefully train your palate.
4) I am a supertaster, with the benefit of #3.
5) I am #4, who is very distinctly and carefully tasting each morsel for the purpose of writing about it, writing down every single note I can possibly pick up out of the chocolate, after one, or sometimes two tastings. If I just chomp through a chocolate, not paying much attention, I'll possibly perceive more impressions than those who are not quite #3 or #4, but still not nearly as many as when I am doing #5! But normally I just taste chocolate in a way meant to savor, somewhere between such a careful review tasting, and the chomping.
6) Even if you are #3, #4, and #5, you may still not get all the same notes I do out of the same bar of chocolate, because of #1 and #2.

But, for the love of God, why?!
1) It's FUN!!!
2) Some people like to refer to something like this as they learn to train their palate, seeing if they can find some of this stuff in their chocolate.
3) Chocolate makers find it amusing to see such notes about their chocolates.
4) Fellow chocophiles also #3, and may also like comparing their own tasting notes with another's.

Another thing is that there are other sites which describe, rate, or even critique chocolate. Some give ratings, others general impressions, but nowhere do you have a chocolate connoisseur who opens up their their tasting note journal to share that with everyone. Chloé Doutre Roussel gives a few glimpses of hers in her book The Chocolate Connoisseur, that's about it.

Sometimes the review sites give a general idea, like describing the chocolate as nutty, floral, or fruity, or occasionally include a few of the dominant notes, and give the order in which these aromas present themselves. I have never done that yet, neither summed up nor presented this with any order. If I write raspberry first on the flavor notes, it doesn't really mean that was the first note I got. I sometimes give a petite summary to guide in some kind of chocolate description, but my rationale behind leaving such generalizations out of the mix for the most part, has always been to let each chocolate simply speak for itself – it's evocative rather than informative, perhaps. And such detailed notes help one to see into the complexity and artistry that can be a truly fine chocolate.

Do you eat chocolate all day long?
No. If Chloé is thought to be eccentric because, among other things, she will only taste four chocolates at one tasting, then I am winning the eccentric contest. I will only taste four in one day. I need a lot more time in between each one, if wanting to give a true evaluation of the chocolate, and generally for the greatest enjoyment of the chocolate. But I really enjoy a Felchlin Arriba chip pancake at breakfast, every now and then. I do not eat chocolate every day.

Why would you, or anyone else, take chocolate so seriously?
In this emerging paradigm of vastly increasing foodie awareness, we seem to be gravitating toward a better relationship to food, therefore to our bodies, and our own planet, and...and our relationship to aesthetics, to nature, to pleasure, enjoyment, abundance, and passion means that...and it's all very sophisticated stuff, really.

Why aren't you going nuts over Fair Trade chocolate, isn't that the only way to truly be a good person?
Hmmm, if you change someone from a slave into an indentured servant, did you make their life better? Possibly. But did you do the "right" thing? Hmmmm...Metafore...
Although there's no immediate and easy solution, why not try this on for size, it has a couple of useful links, to at least get your foot in the door on a complex topic. In short, yes, it is a preferable thing to buy Fair Trade/Rainforest Alliance chocolates rather than other mass market chocolates, but in the fine chocolate world, we should theoretically be, for the most part, further away from most of the dirty rotten aspects of the chocolate industry, and many fine chocolate makers are paying well above Fair Trade prices. So don't eat such crap chocolate, thinking you are saving anybody by refusing all premium chocolate because it does not bear the Fair Trade logo. Nah, just get some Amano, and know you are on the right track... Sustainability will be another matter entirely, though, affecting every aspect of cacao production in this world, and requiring at least its own lengthy blog post, if not deserving an entire blog devoted all to itself.

Are you a snob? Do you only ever eat the best chocolate on the earth?
Yes. But I like malted milk balls. But only the best, which so far seems to be Koppers, but I know it's still an insult to chocolate everywhere. I can't help it, though, like, I mean once or twice a year... So if you find some "naked" malted milk balls, please let me know. Do you think they would go better with Askinosie or Taza? Oh, hello there, new readers! All those who surfed in here looking for naked+balls+chocolate, please feel free to pull up a chair! Whatever your intentions with chocolate, it should probably be the best fine chocolate available, right? Read on.

Why can't you just publish your big list of chocolate bars, so I can see the rating you gave for every chocolate you've ever tasted?
Not much fun.

You have a lot of candy brand names in your tasting notes, is it because you eat lots of candy? Is chocolate a candy?
No, I very rarely eat candy. But as a true foodie, I would like to sample the best of everything/anything, and a gourmet candy can be a great, once in awhile treat. I like certain kinds of sweet pastries and desserts, just not with chocolate in them, normally (unless they are made by me,) because I'm too much of a snob and cannot eat Ghiradelli, et al., desserts.

I ate those candy brands in my youth, and the taste is indelibly stamped upon me, so they show up in my notes, I guess this is taste memory. We can thank all those companies who stamped me with these tastes, for a growing diabetes epidemic, and I recommend that you wouldn't therefore eat too much candy. That doesn't mean it would be bad to have some once in awhile, and here is my favorite candy blogger. If you're a candyholic, it's not too late to switch to fine chocolate. Fine chocolate is not really a candy, well, except for the lower percentages, (below 60%) then it's gourmet candy. But I do consider pretty much all bonbons, no matter how good the couverture is, no matter how artisan the chocolatier, to be gourmet candy.

Most choco-heads are always talking about snap, texture, appearance, melt, and all of that – why don't you do it, are you pretty much uncool, then?
It doesn't mean that I don't find that aesthetics are important, they are, and truly can be married to a gourmet food experience. But one reason is that chocolate may be closer to an elixir or an ambrosia or hybrid between these things and a food. With an ambrosia, one seeks the effects, one seeks resonance, and does not critique based on the texture or snap of the mixture, but perhaps on the overall effect. An elixir may taste good, but even that isn't necessarily the primary name of its game, now, is it?

How much of a feeling of that place, that terroir, that forest, etc., did you get? How much did you get a "true" chocolate "high?" How does this resonate? How are are the notes orchestrated, this to me is a matter of aesthetics, when it comes to chocolate, rather than, how well did it snap. I don't see anything wrong with those things, but to me, snap, texture, appearance, all of these are part of the package, and not so much of the goodies inside. Back on the food side of chocolate, texture can certainly play its role with food, as can presentation, but my vote goes to the chef who conjures up the most magic and artistry within the dish, even if another did the texture and appearance "better." Which one got in there and communicated best with the ingredients, learned, listened, and brought out their essential nature. That's what I'm interested in, and that's what aesthetics mean to me.

One other thing goes back to the different styles like Mexican vs. European. Which one of these is really chocolate? Europeanists are saying then, that all these texture and snappy things, which can apply only to a European style chocolate, are the true nature of chocolate its very self, and should rule the universe. I say that's bullshit. Newsflash, folks. Chocolate has been a drink for the vast majority of its history, and the uber refinement is a development from the last century. Does that mean that until the conche was built in the 1870s, that there was no such thing as chocolate, or as great chocolate? Truly ridiculous. In my opinion the refinement of European style chocolate is often quite overdone, to the detriment of a "real" cacao experience.

What is the best chocolate you've ever had?
It really isn't a mind game to say that it does change. As you grow in connoisseurship, your own tastes can change, also your mood may change. You may not "like" a certain chocolate as well today as you could tomorrow. My favorites change, as do my moods, and my experience with chocolate continues to grow. Some that I really continue to have at the tippy top are Rogue Hispaniola, Grenada Chocolate Company (but which one changes,) Pralus Le 100%, Corallo raisin cacao liquor soaked.

But why is it just these few things on some special, artsy fartsy yet not quite the besty list?
Only Goddess knows, there's no accounting for taste.

Okay, well, if you really wanted to get all like that about it, you'd have to have categories, Something like the Academy Awards, different chocolates for different categories.

Best yummy yummy chocolate, best work of art, best 100%, best batch of such and such, best cross between the yummy yummy and the artistic chocolate, best of the most accessible to the masses yet still a work of art, best milky milk, best dark milk, milk that seems like dark, most "interesting," most subtle, best inclusion, most successful exotic inclusion, best of this or that origin, or plantation, or for minutiae ad infinitum, best use of the note "lilac" ha ha ha, etc... And how are you going to compare all these against one another in a linear fashion?"

(best bean potential mind blowing thing so far tasted, best new chocolate maker, but not yet realized...chocolate makers which seem to have the best relationship to the goddess of cacao, best chocolate in a comedy or musical...) Well, now, wait a minute! They do have chocolate salons with awards and things, and they do have some of these categories, so why are you asking me, why should it be any different for my own personal "awards show?"

That's bullshit, because you named some that means that there really are only five or six best chocolates in the world! You're just being foofy and intellectual and wasting your time over thinking chocolate.
Um, no... My own personal favorites, are not even those I've rated the highest, often times.
Well, okay, I might be doing that.

Then what's the story with your ratings? Aren't some chocolates better than others.
Yes, and some of it's subjective. Here is some sort of pyramid to give an idea of my own personal opinion about the makers, but hey, others' pyramids may differ. But most connoisseurs who've been around long enough, can agree that the top two tiers belong somewhere in the top two tiers, probably. In our changing fine chocolate climate, even my own pyramid can be in flux, and chocolate makers can improve, or companies change hands and can get worse.

Although in truth, there can be no linear pyramid from best to worst in artisan foods produced at the highest levels, I make an effort to make some guideline to that effect, to give readers some rough idea, and to generally pursue intelligent conversation about chocolate. So for my updated Chocolate Note pyramid we have at the top: Pralus, Bonnat, Askinosie, Patric, Rogue, Felchlin, DeVries, Corallo, Amano, Taza; in the next pyramid level, I would include: Michel Cluizel, Amedei, Theo, Grenada, Domori, Black Mountain, Mast Brothers, Valrhona, Escazu. Although there can be something tricky about even these levels, and there could more subdivision within that, it gets quite complicated, and all of this is partly subjective. Certainly there are those who would suggest it's an outrage not to have Amedei and Valrhona at the top of the list.

Even so, there are some other companies, whose chocolates I personally may much prefer to taste than most anything by Valrhona, but they are companies who may not have been around long enough yet, and/or tried enough different origins to have cemented their own place, but for now are placed tentatively on the second level. Namely, Kallari, Republica del Cacao, Cacaoyere, Madecasse, and most of these are toward mass market-ish. The third level has some of the better mass market makers, companies such as El Rey, Santander, Guittard, Green & Black's and some others, who belong in this rung that is still above the bottom one, which is the Callebaut/Schokinag/Belcolade realm, and that is the entry level of what can be technically termed "fine chocolate."

Add to all of this the different styles of chocolate, Mexican, European, Modican (Sicilian,) and then we are also mixing mass market, somewhat smaller, and the truly microbatch producers, to make this "master list," so it's quite a complicated affair. Comparing a Felchlin to a Taza, or a Cluizel to a Black Mountain, can truly be comparing apples and oranges.

Besides even all of that, it's all going to be influenced by personal preference, the abilities and tastes of your own palate, how many fine chocolates you've tried, how many years you've been at it. When you've developed a certain level of connoisseurship, you can have your own "pyramid," and I only provide one of my own as a general guideline, and to give an idea of where one who has a depth of understanding with cacao, has reached an opinion, and as it's my job as a critic of fine chocolate to make some of my ideas known.

I've alluded earlier to Corallo and DeVries can claim a small corner at the top of the pyramid, since, in my own opinion at least, it is they who have so far been able to become the most intimate with Ixcacao, the Goddess of Cacao. To go on and enumerate further whose next and the next one after that, what's the point, it's all my opinion and could change. The point is that there are at least fifty "best chocolates in the world," so now go out and try them all!

But what are these fifty chocolates you spoke of, can you just give me the names?
Holy cow, that was just a... Okay, never mind, can we drop this, already? Hint: Why not just start with the chocolate makers in the top two tiers, chomp your way through those, and then drop us a line when you find out which ones you like best.

Why are your highest rated chocolates not always your own personal favorites?
When I give a chocolate the highest rating, that does not necessarily reflect what is my favorite, any more than a given four star movie might be film critic Roger Ebert's favorite. It isn't because I agree with him every time that I sometimes read him, nor is it that our tastes are the same, since I have learned there are certain movies that Ebert just doesn't "get" or aren't his taste. No, it's because he's just such a good writer, that I enjoy reading his columns from time to time. So it's on his blog that I have learned that he rates his movies according to what he thinks the filmmaker is trying to achieve.

Therefore, if someone is trying to make the best darn Barbie movie the world has ever known, and now has met that goal with flying colors, then Ebert will give Barbie Goes to Hollywood four stars. ("It's everything you would want from a Barbie film, and more!" No, that's lame-o, and Roger would never say anything like that. Well, I suppose I could do a real live mock four star Barbie film review, à la Ebert, if you really wanted me to, or if Ebert personally requested it, but I digress.)

But even though it got his four star rating, I don't think that Roger ever feels a need to witness again Barbie's trials and triumphs in this amazing journey of self discovery, or that he will be filing the DVD away in his personal favorites library, right? Or is he going to be going around to all his friends with, "OMG!! You must check out Barbie!!!! You haven't ever seen a Hollywood saga until you've seen this one!!" talking about it at parties, endlessly raving on twitter, etc.? Um, no...

So it's a bit like that for me. Do I think they've achieved all they can with this chocolate, considering what I may know of bean source, their own potential, and what they may be going for, here?

Why the hell is it so difficult to write about chocolate?
Beats me.

Can you stop swearing now, you've made your fucking point about how uncool it is to have certain words be a taboo, how incredibly dumb it is, and get back to the subject of chocolate? Yes.

Is this post one of those g-d self indulgent, cutesy blog thingies, which every blogger must post, as written in The Handbook of the Mother of all Blog Guidebook's Rules, or does it have relevance?
Yes.

Do you like chocolate better if it's been sent to you for free?
No chance. I don't guarantee a positive, or any review, upon receipt of chocolates.

How much of what you've written about on the blog has been a free sample? Why don't you tell us when it's been free?
About one third. I haven't indicated which ones, because it does not matter if they sent it to me for "free" or not, it has not influenced my review.

Why do you say mean things sometimes about a chocolate? Haven't you ever heard "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?" Isn't life too short for actually learning something true or meaningful about chocolate, or being able to discriminate, or for discussing chocolate or anything openly, or having honest opinions, or being assertive about that, or for criticizing anything ever, at all? Can't we all just get along, visualize organic raw Fair Trade certified whirled peas with chocolate on top?
Nope.

Is there slavery in chocolate? What can I do?
Now here's a good use for all those niceness concerns. Yes, there could be slavery involved in chocolate from some mass market companies such as Hershey, Nestle, Mars, Cargill, ADM, Cadbury, Kraft, and others. Don't buy their chocolates, it's not nice. They are supposedly doing a bit of clean up on this over the past few years, but still have not met all goals and there are problems. Read more here. In addition to slave labor, these companies are sometimes being sued or investigated for various things such as fraud or price fixing. Aside from this, it's just lucky for me that I will continue to receive offers for product giveaways on the blog, because they are all really, truly, 100% Chocolate Note fans, all just wanting to share the Chocolove.

But, I can't stop buying from those companies completely, my business/taste buds/childhood memories depend on them, is there anything else I can do?
Feel guilty.

Where is your tasting wheel?
I thought it might be fun to have one of those, and so I started creating one, and got about 85% done with a pretty and colorful little wheel, but trashed the project, as I'm not sure we should even be using such categorizations in discussing chocolate. This model came from the wine world. The language of chocolate needs to be evolving, and I don't think we've quite hit on "it" yet, the best way to discuss chocolate. But here I've discussed some tasting things and offered some other people's tasting wheels, just for fun.

Then how should we be discussing chocolate?
It is a six million dollar question.

And that's it, are you so passive aggressive, or naive, or insightful or dumb, or zen wannabe that you cannot give any better response than that?
Yep. Well, okay, maybe one idea is to discuss it more as musical orchestrations?

Why aren't you writing a book about fine chocolate?
Get with the new media. This is it. If it's good, why should it be taken less seriously when it's not on dead trees? Of course, a blog does have a certain personal and different tone about it than a book might, but a lot of the same info, mind boggling chocolate insight, and other stuff is there. I've been contacted by a publisher who wanted me to write a book for them about chocolate, but they did not consider The Chocolate Note as a sample of my writing about chocolate?!? I did not offer them any other.

Why should I pay more for a luxury chocolate? Is high price a sign of quality?
Well, not everyone can become a wine connoisseur, because many can't afford to buy the best wines in the world, over and over again, until they've tried hundreds of the best wines the world can offer. But with high end chocolate, most can afford to do that, even if you had to spread it out over some time, it's over a fraction of the time that it would be if you had to spread it out for wine. Chocolate is arguably the most affordable gourmet speciality with which to gain connoisseurship.

Unfortunately price tag does not directly reflect quality. Sometimes companies are overcharging for their product, and marketing hype can confuse you about which are the better chocolates to spend the money on. Which is part of why certain blogs exist. So in the sidebar here, "fine chocolate makers" links are the makers whose chocolates I can recommend, and "shopping fine chocolate" links are the dealers I can recommend. Then refer to this and other review sites to figure out which ones you'd most like to try.

Is high percentage always better than low?
No.

Is Forastero always inferior chocolate?
No.

Is dark always better than milk?
No.

Is white chocolate really a chocolate.
Yes. No. Well, I've covered that here.

Is microbatch always better?
No.

Is mass market always bad?
No.

Is fine chocolate low fat/a miracle drug/an antioxidant laden elixir/a manna from from heaven for all that ails you?
You can't believe everything you read.

How about raw chocolate?
Can we discuss this another time?

Is there a diet version?
No.

Is it vegan/gluten free? How should I store my fine chocolate/How long does it last/What do the dates on the packages mean?
You must read packages or contact makers to discover all about your food sensitivities. Covered some of that here.

Is Chuao or Porcelana always better than anything else?
No.

This is just chocolate we are talking about here, how can it be so complicated, how could it change, how can one batch be different from another?
Same as wine, cheese or beer or any other gourmet speciality. If it's a well made fine chocolate, then it's just that simple.

I have loads of chocolate questions that aren't answered here, should I email them all to you in alphabetical order?
If you'd like, why not leave comments here, in blogs related to what you would like to ask. Or why note post general questions as comments to this general FAQ post?

Your ratings confuse the heck out of me, how can you give something an 8.7, and then talk about how banal and pandering to mediocrity it is?
Sometimes it's just that you can't keep a good cacao bean down, no matter how much you mess with it.

That's why it's so complicated to write about chocolate...

You've really outgeeked yourself this time, haven't you?
Oh, yes.

Is this the longest blog post anybody has ever written about chocolate?
Probably.

Latest from Patric

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:38:00 +0000

Patric Chocolate released some new bars a few weeks ago. I've promptly checked them out, and was quite pleased with the results. We have a 70% bittersweet blend, an inclusion bar titled PBJ OMG, and a 60% milk. Peanut Butter and Jelly is what PBJ means, and for those who have not yet been on the internet, OMG means "Oh my god!" So the rough translation of all of this is, "Oh my god, it's Peanut butter and Jelly!" So what we are talking about is actual added peanut butter for the inclusion, and the berry "jam" is supplied by the Madagascar chocolate's bursts of berries and fruits. Although one may first feel skeptical and wonder, OMG IS HE GG (going gimmicky) OR WUT? (as I have done.) But you may conclude in the end, as I have done, that OMG, it's really PB&J! I really thought it was a fun and delicious treat. By the way, you need to get your PBJ bars by year's end, seems it's a limited edition.

I really enjoy Patric chocolates, and Patric really enjoys plummy/jammy/red fruity, yet smoky, nutty chocolates that feature intense blasts of berries, citrus, and other fruits. So it makes sense that he's the one to come up with the PBJ bar, with these natural bursts of fruit complementing the added roasted and salted peanut butter. Coming to a new Patric chocolate tasting, expectations are high, and we hope to find the customary complexity and interest, and above all, that great orchestration. These latest three creations do not disappoint.

70% signature blend
rating: 9

aroma: sand, plum, coffee, dried cranberry, caramel, mahogany, fig, mushroom, iceberg lettuce, carrot, radish, grapefruit, apple cider, pine nut, lemonade, raspberry, onion, orange, dried currant, coffee, oak, tequila, earth, minerals

flavor: butter, plum, banana, olive, hazelnut, smoke, pomegranate, nectarine, fig pudding, orange, cantaloupe

finish: peppermint, licorice, cotton, nutmeg, coriander, patchouli, sand, salt, honey, rhubarb Big Red chewing gum, frozen orange drink, whey, cocoa powder

60% signature milk blend
rating: 9

aroma: Grand Marnier, tobacco, cow milk, Mountain dew soda, cherry wine, red licorice, cafe au lait, banana cream pie, Milk Duds candy, sweet grapes, sugar crystals, taffy, strawberry chewing gum, hair, lilac, cherry lollipop, yogurt, papaya, ash, almond, cocoa pudding, syrup, smoke, molasses, goat, Oreo cookies, must, Starburst Fruit Chews

flavor: peppermint, peanut butter, honey, grilled cheese sandwich, rice pudding, grape juice, coffee, coconut, green onion, nutmeg

finish: grasshopper (drink,) burnt caramel, pretzel, hazelnut, craisin, vodka, lime, dandelion, espresso, meadow, banana puree, fig, Kahlua, whiskey, rooibos tea, ginger ale soda, black tea, black currant, hot buttered rum, raisin, olive, oat, plum, marzipan

Escazú

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:03:00 +0000

North Carolina native Hallot Parson makes the chocolates, and Danielle Centeno of Venezuela turns them into filled chocolates, so it's a bean to bonbon operation in Raleigh, North Carolina – Escazú Artisan Chocolates. Both Danielle and Hallot were trained as chefs, and the two met while working at the same restaurant, then later they both fell in love with chocolate. A trip to Costa Rica marked the date of Hallot's decision to become a chocolate maker, and this place called Escazú became the namesake of this business, which opened in 2007.

Naming DeVries as a main inspiration, Hallot set out to create a uniquely flavorful chocolate that would appeal to his gourmet taste buds, and in this he seems to be succeeding. The unique chocolates that are the result of this vision are successfully combined by Danielle to make a memorable selection of truffles.

The pair are pumping new life into the bean to bar scene with their chocolates that combine so well with flavors in confection, and yet each one – from the single origin bars to the truffles and flavored bars – also offers a distinctly chocolaty experience.

Off to a great start, and with potential yet to be fulfilled, should Danielle and Hallot both continue to evolve as artisans, and to further carve out that unique niche they seem to be heading toward, it seems to me they will surely become a force to be reckoned with on the American chocolate scene. One thing that could help to reach that niche and further enhance the direction they are going, is to bring some of the nascent earthy and raw qualities out a bit more, they at times do get lost among the flavored confections, but are a cornerstone of what seems to cut this chocolate apart from other similar chocolates. I would also like to see Hallot take on some more origins, get somewhere outside Venezuela and South America for starters. Unless he really is going to hyper niche and specialize in all things Venezuela, and try to blow our minds with startling new possibilities with a familiar territory. No mean feat, but maybe he can pull it off. I personally see Java as something that could complement the style and profiles he seems to lean toward.

Goat milk 60%
rating: 9

It takes a bit of doing, but this chocolate did it, blew my mind. This and other chocolates from Escazú are good examples of what stretches the boundaries and the imagination, to what is possible in this brave new world of chocolate. This goat milk chocolate is an intriguing experience, a good and snappy exercise for the taste buds.

aroma: wheat, hay, honey, alcohol, summer meadow, strawberry, tar, oak forest, piña colada, caramel, nougat, whey, leather, pomegranate, milk, olive, perfume, fresh grass, almond, cinnamon stick, sea breeze, cherry cordial, wheatgrass, tobacco, dried leaves, mint, lemongrass

flavor: mocha, brown sugar, green onion, lime jelly, mango, toffee, orange, tapioca pudding, Oreo cookie, banana cream, café au lait, peanut butter pudding, turpentine, peppermint, butter, vanilla ice cream with cherry on top, tangerine, molasses, malted milk

finish: cocoa pudding, hazelnut spread, nut cake, buttered rum, cardamom, coffee cake, banana yogurt, tree bark, earth, fresh green sap, cinnamon, brownie, whiskey, sour cream doughnut, almond meal, potato pancake, salted cracker, falafel, wheat germ

Ocumare (Venezuela) 73%
rating: 8.5

Made Ocumare interesting for me again. Well, Ocumare most always has "interest," that's one if its defining characteristics, but I'd become a little tired of what's already been said with it anyway. Here is a beautiful complexity in an interesting orchestration. The medley of fruits of all kinds (roasted, fresh, preserved, unripe, cooked,) comes out well balanced with several other layers.

aroma: rose cream, buttercup, jasmine, olive tree, red licorice, eucalyptus, paper, molasses, marmalade, ginger, plum, mango, dirt, sassafras, banana, green melon, many kinds of fruit rind, pear, ocean spray, lime juice, seashell, crab, anise, lavender, heather, oak, caramel

flavor: wintergreen, palm tree, leather, patchouli, satin, honey, oregano, cinnamon, feather, clove, anise, apricot jam, worms, earth, pollen, gold, metal, pine nut, rye, cardamon, banana peel, anise, fig cookie, cookie dough

finish: marzipan, vodka, beer, very dry red wine, cocoa pudding, green banana, white wine, cooking sherry, ocean spray, bitters, cherry juice, pomegranate, almond, bitterest lime rind, milk, olive oil, rice wine, grenadine, grapefruit, caramel, graham cracker crust, light champagne, grass, mollusk, must, dirt, mushroom, fig, apricot and roasted pear jam

Carenero Superior (Venezuela) 81%
rating: 8

Fruity, smoky, musty, floral, nutty; but also a very chocolaty take on this origin. Not tops among the other Escazú offerings, but a rather nice chocolate, it's distinctive, and one I'd enjoy tasting again. At the first, it doesn't seem to cut a striking impression, but has a sort of sneak up on you factor, it grows on you. The finish goes from leathery to apricot jams and plum preserves, with plenty of dried and fresh herbs and spices mixed around.

aroma: cherry, smoke, must, musk, banana, orange, oregano, meat, fig, coconut, turkey, sassafras, melon, hay, pineapple, cologne, whiskey sour, breath mint, syrup, pearl, jasmine, honeysuckle, rose, oak, leather, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, oat, juniper

flavor: clove, cherry wine, grape must, almond, mocha, spearmint, spring meadow, Milk Duds candy, hay, brown sugar, dirt, cardamom, bird feathers, anise, salt, patchouli, caramel, milk molasses, pomegranate

finish: vinegar, freshest tobacco, honeydew, marshmallow, lime juice, salt, graham cracker crust, granite, earth, raspberry, ginger, black pepper, olive juice, vodka, apricot, plum, grenadine, unripe fig, parsley, whiskey sour, burlap

Costa Rica 65%
rating: 8.5

If there is one word for this chocolate, it's delightful... or maybe it's delicious.. er, no wait, De-Lovely?

aroma: goat milk, red licorice, wintergreen, chlorophyll, black licorice, caramel, cardamon, soy sauce, wheat, black pepper, goat fur, alcohol, watermelon rind, lime, cherry, rabbit fur, maple syrup, pussy willow, cinnamon, pomegranate, coffee, hazelnut, red wine, straw, rose, lavender, peanut, ginger, olive oil, nutmeg

flavor: peanut, coconut, lavender, oak, rose, vodka, carrot, jasmine, milk, parsley, hay, shitake mushroom, cantaloupe, wheat field, yogurt, rice wine, vinegar, tangerine, grapefruit, walnut, Sweet Tarts candy, taffy, pine nut, white wine

finish: Beer, vanilla, milkshake, bread pudding, rice milk, ginger, hazelnut milk, yeast, caramel, cocoa pudding, crêpes, whipped cream, gold jewelry, egg custard, orange smoothie, carrot juice, gummi candy, Big Red chewing gum, molasses pudding, anise, oatmeal raisin cookie, basil pesto

The above are the four single origins currently offered in the Ezca line. Of the flavored bars in the Escazú line, I sampled the sea salt 67% and the pumpkin seed with guajillo chili 74%, and found both to be nummy and somewhat memorable. There is just something about the distinctive quality of all chocolates made by Escazú, there isn't one I wouldn't look forward tasting again.

The bonbon flavors change seasonally. I sampled the mint, tamarind habañero, 74% blend, dulce de leche, strawberry balsamic, coffee, 81% Carenero, and lime chili. With truffles such as these, with flavors so strongly to the fore, to yet have so much sense of the uniqueness and chocolatiness of the chocolate sounding clear notes on top of it all, it's an interesting achievement. Danielle enjoys using local dairies and highlights local, seasonal ingredients such as the regional muscadine grape, and other fruits and preservers from the area.

Tasting highlights include strawberry balsamic (for me, the best example of this flavor combo yet,) tamarind habañero (bringing a unique twist to the crowded and uber trendy field of pepper ganaches,) mint (incredibly fresh seeming as straight from the garden,) and the lime chili. The habañero and chili were two of the best hot pepper chocolates I've tasted to date.

The truffles are sold locally at the Raleigh retail store front, and you can purchase the bars from the Ezca and Escazú lines on the website, where you'll also find info on where to buy these chocolates at a growing number of retail locations across the US.

Musings on an American chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:27:00 +0000

Turns out, this is sort of a "Notes from the American bean to bar scene," part II. There are three new Theo bars, well, they're not really very new, but new to my grocery store, and new to me, that I thought I'd check out. I planned to only write about them, but after the chewing of the Theo chocolate was done, I still couldn't keep my mouth shut, so I'll chew the fat with more dish on today's scene. But it really isn't just about America, it's about the whole chocolate atmosphere, and where things are going, it just so happens a lot of it is taking place, for the time, in the US.

Now, I love Theo, a Seattle based company. I am their fan, and in fact have already stated that I wish them to become the new de facto chocolate, replacing a position now held, in the esteem of many, by Valrhona and Scharffen Berger. I've already given more than my two cents on those two (good) fellas. But we're still actually working on getting people to replace Callebaut, or even to upgrade to that in fact. When they do go beyond Callebaut, it's usually Valrhona. I find it all quite boring, like I'm going to taste the same chocolates in every restaurant. It's either Callebaut, Valrhona, or total crap, a paltry selection. That's part of the reason I don't eat many chocolate desserts in restaurants, and the other part is, I basically prefer the main course of chocolate itself, rather than bonbons and pastries. But I do enjoy all of those things as well sometimes, I'm just picky about it.

It's funny, I am still told by some chefs and restaurateurs, when inquiring as to their house chocolate, that they use Callebaut, because it, or Belgian chocolate in general is, the best in the world. Sometimes I give them my card, or tell them about my blog, but I usually don't say to them, you know, "Callebaut is a big joke" or anything like that, unless they ask for my opinion, which they sometimes do. And I give it, but I still don't tell them that it's a joke, but I, um, get my point across, somehow. Except, now, shoot! This means all of those I have talked to have now just found out what a joke it really is by reading this blog with my real opinion, well darn it, and you try not to hurt anybody's feelings! But now I've really gone and done it even more, I just forgot that Callebaut has lately put me on their mailing list in earnest! Since I know they added me because they scour every single word of my blog, ~~deluded~~ assured they will find infinite praise, now I must feel bad, or something. Well, shucks, you just can't hide the truth.

The fact is, it is neither the Swiss nor the Belgians who are making the best chocolate in the world. That is being made right here in America, and in France and Italy. Those are the leaders, in terms of which countries have the greatest number of excellent fine chocolate makers. In this, I see Theo as filling the position of, something like a "standard fine chocolate" in America. The one great Swiss chocolate maker, Felchlin – now this I could not complain about in the restaurants – but even that would get boring after awhile, if nobody used anything else. There is no danger of that, though, Felchlin is expensive, and most restaurants are not (yet) willing to pay that much for the high quality.

So all of this being the case, I'd like to see something more like Theo as a standard in restaurants, if there is to be a standard. There is something more full bodied, and with guts and character that can stand up to the flavors and sweeteners in restaurant goodies. There is always something robust about Theo.

But who might end up claiming this standard American fine chocolate title, instead of Theo? If marketing can tell the tale, it may be, thanks to the marketing "genius" out there ~~corrupting~~ blowing everybody's mind, well it looks to be TCHO. Now TCHO has become one of my more recent twitter followers, and apologies, folks, as I don't tweet worth a damn! But they do not care about that, no, they do not care about anything, even, as I've observed, not so much about chocolate either. What they care about is marketing. If I'm their mortal enemy, they give a hoot! Following every bloody blogger in the chocosphere is good, it's positive PR karma, man, and it will come back to you. The company is owned by a rocket scientist, and hence they are no dummies, and have seen the writing on the wall, and the wall reads "Any press is good press." Now they've finagled me into writing about them once more, see, it works, doesn't it?

I am writing about this again because I am worried. The fact the TCHO may come to represent, somehow, "American fine chocolate," on the sort of mass market level that we are discussing here, that bothers me. Because we could expect from their success, well, could they bring the standards of fine chocolate production down with them? Could they create a chain of events, attracting more and more of un-artisans/good marketer types into the fold, to take over the field and fill up the public mind with their goodies, becoming a standard? Original Beans, an early example? It all just sort of reminds me of Samuel Adams vs. the real micro breweries.

By the way, Theo now sells a chocolate and beer pairing kit on their website. Pairing chocolate is all the rage, these days, first it was with wine, now beer, cheese, and just general food. To eat chocolate correctly in the future, you are going to have to be prepared to match it with everything. You are going to have match it with your cigarettes, your furniture, and your lifestyle. If your chocolate doesn't pair well with your sweetheart, or your Schnauzer, well then, goodbye to them! Note to the kids: not that I smoke the ciggies, no I would never, because then I can't taste chocolate!

I am sure we won't be tasting yogurt in the not too distant, without a tasting wheel accompanying each little container. "This new lime yogurt really has a sassy citrus kick with strong dairy notes, and hints of freshly mown grass, and goes well with Christopher Elbow bonbons, but only the hazelnut, marzipan, and lemon creme. Please do not insult the intelligentsia by pairing with other. Please do not make us inform the C.I.A (Chocolate Intervention Alliance) on your behalf."

But seriousness, folks, I do think pairing is all fun and games, and can add to the chocolate experience, but do also feel it's going to get a little crazy out there real soon, and really just very hypey. Between the TCHOs and the buzzwords and the pairings – can't wait.

Speaking of the micro beer angle, here's an interesting thing. In my home state of Minnesota, it is now legal to sell your home brewed beer out of your garage. Yes, what you need is a license, and you can make your beer and sell it all to the public, right there from your own home. You don't have to go through a distributor or a restaurant, no, it means that John Q. can come by your house and buy your beer from you, that simple. This portends some very interesting things for micro chocolate, don't you think?

Micro chocolate will one day even be home crafted way down South in Alabama. But I'm afraid you'll be hard pressed to find any decent local micro beer to pair with your nice and cozy Sweet-Home-Alabama-brewed chocolate, since in that state even the brewing, let alone selling, of beer at home is still a felony. If it has to be Sam Adams, then may I humbly recommend that you stick with a Callebaut pairing, after all, it's been said of both that they are the best in the world.

In the end, I am not too worried, after all, I think it's TCHO that's actually going to go down instead, and not fine chocolate. I am just a bit nervous right now with the results I see from their massive marketing campaign, all the boutiques I see carrying their wares, all the people who are buying this because it has tasting wheels and all kinds of gimmicks all over the packaging. Pretty confident that the tide is on our side, but yet a little leery that these companies will be like Hydras. Maybe when you cut off one head, two more will spring up its place. Either way, whether in writing about them I am truly giving them what they want, the good-bad press, or helping to cut off one of the Hydra's heads, perhaps I should not write of them again. Best to be on the safe side.

But all of this talk of a standard chocolate aside, I think the real secret for the restaurant industry, in choosing chocolates, is to change the chocolates used, say seasonally or on whim, and/or use different ones for different dessert creations. I'd like to have Pralus in the dessert at one restaurant, Taza at the next one, Grenada Chocolate Company in yet another one, and Cluizel next door, and so on. Or if you really want to get on the real artisan bandwagon – each dessert should call for its own very specific chocolate – change your menu, change your chocolate. But this would have to involve quite a bit of chocolate knowledge on the part of the pastry chef – or the creation of a new career for some chocophiles like me? Which chocolate should you use in this dish? Yes, I think that this, and many new careers will be born thanks to our new chocolate world. They already do have chocolate sommaliers in a few places in the world, and more will follow, but that is for the customer. Who is going to consult with the pastry chef and pick out the exactly right chocolate for each chocolate dessert on a menu? Too esoteric about now, perhaps, but something to think about, you chocophiles out there.

In the quickly changing chocolate climate, I think all of these things will be appealing to more and more chefs, who see themselves truly as artisans. Restaurants who truly want to be hip will be doing something more like this, and I am sure that soon they will be adding plain chocolate tasting selections to their menus, wonder how long that will be? And how long before that all becomes weird and bizarrely hypey and annoying, too? Until you just want to go full circle, and just go and buy a nice piece of micro chocolate out of your neighbor's garage, and sit out on the curb and savor it, far from pretension's glare.

On to the Theo reviews.

Dark 70%
rating: 8

Now I don't think that this blend is at all the best chocolate Theo has to offer (to see those, go here) but it is a good chocolate, if not terribly special. What I do like about this chocolate, is that it has the quality of being able to tease some, to gently coax them into getting acquainted with the darker side of chocolate. Because at first, the aroma and flavor would have you believe this is a very good candy bar, it's malted milk, and gooey gooey treat like sensations all across the board, that you might even think was more like 60%. But not long after the immediate aftertaste, there is an interesting sudden drop off into the rich sourdough, bitter, coffee, leathery, and smoky side of chocolate, that just has a dusky quality that you might think would be coming from an 80% or above. So this isn't' the great connoisseur's chocolate, or even so memorable on any level that most chocophiles who've been around really need to try it. But I think it's a great candidate for those who are needing that coaxing, and those who are more at the beginning of their chocolate field trips. It is a good chocolate, no one will hate it, and it's accessible, both in terms of flavor profiling, and availability in grocery stores.

aroma: oak, cherry, cypress, mango, honey, espresso, coconut, jasmine, lime, almond, rye, sassafras, grass, cinnamon stick, black pepper, grapefruit, grape, oregano, salt, Oreo cookie, Grape Nuts cereal, oat, mango

flavor: raisin, wood, coffee beans, horehound herb, mint julep, lemonade, café au lait, Whoppers candy, chocolate milk, cappuccino, yeast, oat flour, ginger ale soda, banana, raspberry, carrot, watermelon

finish: buttercream frosting, clove, fresh spearmint, tobacco, licorice root, vodka, over fermented bread dough, almond butter, vanilla bean, muddy water, toast, Raisinettes candy, hazelnut, leather, whiskey, oak barrel, pistachio, ginger snap cookies, coconut, ocean, burlap, melon liqueur, coffee cake, sourdough, nutmeg, citrus rind, beer, rubbing alcohol, must, musk

The 45% milk was really just a nice, milky-milk, but with subtle undertones of some very full bodied espresso and a few other of the more sophisticated accents. So it's kind of my new favorite, as far as the milky-milk variety of chocolate goes. Sort of a "milky-milky plus guts" selection, without leaving the milky camp, but without going very far into complexity either. 8.5

I also tried Theo's 70% mint chocolate, and found this a very good entry for when you just want a nice piece of mint chocolate. It may not be winning awards as the best mint & chocolate combination on the planet, but as far as those in bar format, easily available, priced nice, and still a fine chocolate, well, I do think it is the best. 8.5

PS
You may wonder how an article about a standard fine chocolate in America would be without any mention of Guittard. Well, looks like we're going to have to have a part III, then! Since Guittard, the American equivalent of Callebaut, has infiltrated Caribou Coffee, and then there's the whole Starbucks/Hershey thing. You can see, it's material enough for yet one more blog on the subject!

DeVries Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:38:00 +0000

Well, this article isn't only about American bean to bar maker Steve DeVries, it's about Italian microbatcher Claudio Corallo, and the whole small batch artisan movement, in a way, that's why there are just so darn many words below. But truthfully, I'd have devoted as many words to just DeVries alone, if I'd had a chance to get an interview, and to taste more chocolates. But I did not on either count, for reasons made clear below.

Steve DeVries has been a very influential figure in the fine chocolate world, and particularly in the American small batch movement. He set up shop before any of these little whipper snappers ever dreamt of making chocolate. He has mentored many now in the field. He is looked up to greatly as the pioneer of small batch in America.

And how does this chocolate taste, is it just that he got there first, or is this stuff any good?

Well, simply put, it's the best. DeVries and Corallo have set the bar, toward which everyone may aspire. In the long run, the bar will rise, the chocolate renaissance is so new, it surely may rise a long way from here some years down the road. Why, there are a few dozen tinkering in their basements right now, who might even be reading this, who will one day rise to fame, maybe even raising that bar themselves.

Beyond those couple dozen who may become the most distinguished, there are thousands out there tinkering, and we may look forward to a fine chocolate-filled relatively near future, an explosion. The other day I was in a new brewery/pub in Duluth, Minnesota, and was speculating with a friend about how many years it will be, when will we see, in nearly every city, a bean to bar fine chocolate maker? Fifteen to twenty, I am guessing, but even in five, there will be a bunch more than now. They'll emerge from these basements, now made aromatic with the flavors of their creations, and share their own new aromas with the world.

So far, though, with the hundreds of fine chocolates I have experienced, still nobody has gone beyond what is in my mind the Corallo/DeVries dynasty. And as the thousands of tinkerers turn to the dozens, perhaps one day hundreds, of successful, and good and truly artisanal fine chocolate makers, these two will be remembered as some of those very first masters to look back upon, and to thank.

(By the way it was Carmdoy Irish Pub on Superior street in downtown Duluth, if you must know, and the beer was fantastic.)

Back to our subject of Mr. DeVries and his chocolate.
But wait, I'm afraid, at this time, that you cannot get any DeVries chocolate!

Too bad. But I've had to do a story anyway. I had been waiting, both to get a chance to speak with him personally, and for the chocolates to become available once again – for you to purchase, and for me to review more of. You see, Steve's mother is terminally ill, at least that's the best info I can get so far, and so the chocolate production is on hold. You used to be able to order the chocolate exclusively through the DeVries website, it never was carried at Chocosphere or the like, but now you just can't get any of it, anywhere. But leaving out a piece about the DeVries chocolate phenomenon, well it's just remiss, it must be here on The Chocolate Note.

So I'll present my review, and must say I have only tasted three of the five bars DeVries had offered. These three were more than enough to convince me of with what I was dealing. Mastery of the art. However, my ratings might seem, to some, in contrast to this statement. It was to be another blog, to discuss any distinction between what is my "favorite" bar, and what is the"best," or to what do I give the highest rating. But since the ratings here may seem slightly out of context with my assertion that DeVries has reached about the pinnacle of what can expected so far in this fine chocolate world, a little explanation.

An art critic may view a new exhibition, and may review it, giving the best possible representation of how she feels it is an achievement in art, and what the artist has to say individually. But will it be her favorite art, even if she gave rather high praise? Not necessarily. She might not even want, or feel any need to ever look upon it at any time in the future. But she has given her best judgment based on her knowledge of art, and her experience as a critic, to represent what may be going on there. I feel that way, and here is an example. Rogue Chocolatier: for the Jamaica I gave a 9.3, for the Hispaniola an 8.9. Which one is my favorite, well, it's the Hispaniola, this is one of my all time favorite chocolates, and I've learned that is true for many chocophiles who have tried it. It just sits in my brain, in my memory, telling me how much it would like to be eaten again, and I eventually agree, it's time.

But no matter how many times I've indulged this little nagging sensation, I've always stood by my 8.9 rating. This could be better, a better achievement of art, a better representation of these beans, a better example of what Mr. Gasko can do. Jamaica was better in these categories, but I never felt any need to try it again, but was glad to have experienced it one time.

In some ways, you could say that I consider Rogue and Patric and all of those, to be virtual punks and amateurs, if truly compared side by side with DeVries, or Corallo. However, that seems funny, doesn't it?... because I've given the former higher ratings than the latter two. Hmmm... What to put down in words to make it plain, well, it's the, you know, je ne sais quoi and all that, I suppose. Even if, technically things might not always come out exactly right, or whatever flaw may be with the beans, their handling, or roasting, or who knows, that je ne sais quoi does come through. And perhaps I do sais quoi, and it's that, well there's nothing to say but I can sense that mastery, I know it's there, I take this chocolate, and all the things that did go right with it, very seriously. As an example of the right direction to go with chocolate perhaps.

Now it's true that each of the microbatch producers has each their own strengths and weaknesses, has each their flair, style, innovation, technique, and that's all part of the beauty of it. It's like, they are all pretty much equal, Askinosie, Rogue, Amano, Patric, Mast Brothers, etc., and all pretty much at the top of the craft, for now, pretty much alongside Bonnat, Pralus, Domori, Amedei. But it's all very pretty much, isn't it... In some ways I would put these "American crafters" (is that a Mast Brothers tm??) alongside the Bonnat, the Pralus, etc., in other ways, I would say they have another thing coming if they think they have really achieved that level. Except, that there is a little something extra, I just throw a couple of extra points at those masters Corallo and DeVries, and they are somewhat more weighty points, and slightly skew the scale, putting them into their own category, in one important way, beyond any of the aforementioned chocolate makers.

My ratings are given based on what I think is possible in fine chocolate now, with ten being the highest I can imagine anyone currently known to me – with current methods, and with any beans currently known to me – right now capable of producing. That bar will change, and I'm looking forward to it. A ten now, isn't the same, I'm guessing, as ten will be for me, say twelve years form now. So perhaps the simplest way to put this, to make clear what distinguishes Corallo and DeVries from their peers, is that they are the ones whom I fancy most capable of producing tens. The elusive ten, which I have yet to award.

And now this means of course that I've got to do a piece about Corallo, I've already gone on and on about its high quality, so it will be pretty short. Also Felchlin, there's anther one that is awfully and ridiculously missing from this blog, isn't it, mon dieu.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's all in the orchestration, folks. Unbelievable orchestration is what DeVries brings. Here is my review:

Costa Rica 77%
Rating: 9.5

Subdued, dark, bitter notes with intermittent high pitches of fruits.

aroma: dirt, tar, plum, mango, cacao nibs, banana, margarita, lemon, sassafras, lime, oil, café au lait, champagne, mushroom, grape soda, peanut, cantaloupe, Pop Rocks candy, molasses, ginger, lime jello

flavor: pomegranate, cherry, palm tree, orchid, almond, vodka, plastic, muddy stream, blackberry, cocoa powder, chalk, cinnamon, coconut, caramel, Sweet Tarts candy, crystals, orange, clove, blueberry, honey, nutmeg, lemonade, wood, gasoline, Oreo cookies

Finish: tree bark, carrot, coffee, salt, fish, marshmallow, cherry Lifesaver's candy, walnut, chestnut, seeds, melon, caraway, bread dough

Costa Rica 84%
Rating: 9.5

I file this one among the top aromas, just a fruity jungle of intoxication.

aroma: mountain rain, blackstrap molasses, dew, mist, olive, orange, anise, cherries jubilee, pussy willow, hay, milk, dust, mildew, banana, lemonade, apple, Fig Newton bars, Milk Duds candy, goat milk, onion, chewing gum, plum wine, caramel, honeydew

flavor: tarp, bees, olive juice, honey, lime, nectar, metal/coins, maple sugar, earth, cantaloupe, cigar tobacco

finish: oak, dry sherry, mint, caraway, apple juice, cinnamon, resin, Oreo cookies, licorice, dried figs, ocean breeze, milk shake, leather, clove, cognac, moss, bark, turpentine, dried dates, carrot, breadcrumbs, apricot, fig-plum tart, caramel, honey melon pudding, custard tart, raisin liqueur, cherry jam/wine/juice

Dominican Republic 80%
Rating: 9

For quite a while, other than Cluizel's masterpiece, Los Ancones, DeVries' was about the only Dominican Republic origin going. This origin now being the "it" flavor of the month category, it is amazing to see the inundated market with every bean to bar trying their own special stab at it. also interesting to compare and contrast what's out there with the "originals." With most of the current offerings being on the decidedly overtly fruity side, interesting to note that such a different character was offered in Ancones and DeVries 80%. Smokier, mustier, more vegetal, just earthier. Just too bad that I didn't get so sample the other DeVries DR for comparison, or the third Costa Rica available at the time.

The aroma intoxicates, but the flavor is a strange mix, not quite in a good way for me. A powerfully musky chocolate, which comes on sweeter in the late aftertaste.

aroma: caramel apple, apple strudel, chocolate cookies and cakes of many kinds, honey, lemon, lime, honeydew, almonds, cherry, wine, molasses, maple sugar, milk, plum, tangerine, raspberry, hazelnut, macadamia, chocolate cream pie

flavor: banana, caraway, liquor, plum, cherry wine, dust, beef jerky, burlap, smoke, seaweed, cow hide, grass, candy

finish: grape must, olive, mint, peanut butter, dirt, mud, seaweed, raisin

I had also tried these nib clusters, which are incredible. It's caramel covered roasted nibs, dipped in chocolate. With most treats containing nibs, one requires very little to suffice, the nibs being intense enough to put off eating very much. But this concoction here, just has a scrumptious quality which attempts to override the impulse to stop at any point, until you might see yourself eating the whole bag, and then wanting more. What? It's a small bag... Actually the website alludes to this very likelihood, and I'll just say it's not false advertising. So if and when Steve DeVries should open up shop again, and offer his goods to the public through his website, you would be better off buying two of this, and of everything...

Mast Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:50:00 +0000

As a follow up to my last mention of the Mast Brothers, here is a tasting of their current limited reserve, Patanemo, Venezuela 81%. At this point I've tasted several different flavored bars and this is the second plain origin I've tried. I keep getting the impression they are influenced by Scharffen Berger, both in terms of the profiles, and in that there can still be that sense of candy, in a good way, blending in with some very interesting flavor characteristics and some complexity. It's like (older/"real") Scharffen Berger, only up a notch. Since I last wrote of these chocolates, greater online ordering options have become available, you may now order Mast Brothers' current offerings in packs of ten direct from their website, or a variety of individual selections from this retailer.

Patanemo limited 81%

rating: 8.5

This 81% is not very bitter, so for those who generally stay at 70% or below, try this one out, you may enjoy.

aroma: buttermilk, bitters, candy corn, white flour, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ, vanilla, honey, newly polished shoe leather, anise, fresh beef broth, candied yams

flavor: honeycomb with wax, burnt sugar, tallow, licorice (red and black,) honeydew, parfait, Sweet Tarts candy, Dairy Queen, marshmallow, cotton candy, butterscotch, omelet, espresso au lait, white sugar on the tongue

finish: cantaloupe, coney isalnd hot dog, butter brickle, watermelon, peach cobbler, bird seed, butterscotch dipped Dairy Queen, lemongrass, turpentine, wheatgrass, wet grocery bags

I also very much enjoyed this Madagascar 72% with coffee beans, a new favorite flavored bar of mine. Quite a delicious elocution of flavor and contrast. For fellow Twin Citians wanting to try these chocolate, they are carried locally at France 44 (wider selection at the Edina location.)

Olive & Sinclair

noreply@blogger.com (Casey) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:17:00 +0000

Nashville bean to bar maker Olive & Sinclair does things a little differently than the other kids on the chocolate block, being from the Southern United States, where they love their brown sugar, they use this ingredient in place of white sugar to make their chocolate from the bean. Like many among the growing landscape of micro batch American bean to bar crafters, O&S, the "Southern Artisan" chocolate maker, omits vanilla and soy lecithin, but then adds their own twist to the game with this brown sugar.

Molasses and chocolate, it's actually a flavor combination of which I am somewhat fond. Blackstrap molasses, that is, but this isn't that. It's brown sugar. There are some different ways of making brown sugar around the world, and some are "natural," but in the US the standard brown sugar isn't. Here, it's pure white fully refined and bleached sugar, with a little molasses added back into it. So I am no fan of either one, both white sugar and brown sugar are ultra refined products, and the fine chocolate companies who still use the white sugar are just about the only places where I would ever eat it. Some, particularly the small batch chocolate makers, are switching now to the less refined organic type sugars. It would be my own preference that no chocolate maker would ever use the totally refined white sugar. So although I may not approve this choice of brown sugar for various reasons, I also don't approve the choice for white in any case, so we are not singling anyone out.

So do these chocolates "just taste like brown sugar?" Well, yes, in a manner of speaking, and it does take some getting used to in order to get beyond that and seek out the other flavors. But there are some interesting things to enjoy here.

As long as we know on which ground we stand, confectionery, I rather enjoy this stuff. If Olive & Sinclair wants to invent "brown sugar chocolate," then let them feel free to create a new genre! This is the chocolate renaissance, after all, and we can only expect more of this. Much of it will be crap, but I would say that is not the case with O&S. It will be interesting to see how the public responds to it. My guess is that many will receive it quite well, and perhaps be introduced to fine chocolate through a combination that feels safe and familiar. Brown sugar and chocolate, just like a cozy and comfy chocolate chip cookie from childhood. And there will be hardcore enthusiasts who will say that O&S is really not making "pure" bean to bar chocolate, to which I am sure they will answer, "But the oft used vanilla also imparts flavor, does it not?" And they will certainly have a point there.

If we call these treats, it's almost like "bean to bonbon," like those (few) who make chocolate from the bean to make directly into filled chocolates, only this is bean to flavored confection, as in the bars with inclusions and such. Nothing's wrong with that, then eh?! So long as we are to call it by what it is – a confection – and this is an interesting one, so go and get some to try.

Because of the brown sugar inclusion, I must consider these chocolates as flavored bars, and most of you have noticed I've stopped giving ratings for flavored bars. But since we've got a new genre here that is sort of 50/50 hybird of confection and bean to bar, in navigating this new territory of "brown sugar chocolate," I'll give some semblance of a rating as a guide post, and put these into the 7.5-8.5 category. Again, that rating is for a confection, or for brown sugar chocolate.

My samples included two plain origins, the 75% Dominican Republic, and the 67% Ghana, as well as the salt & pepper, cinnamon & chili, sea salt, and cacao nibs. I enjoyed the DR 75 more of the two origins. My favorites were the cinnamon & chili, and the salt & pepper, either of which I would happily try again.

It's also tricky for me to post my tasting notes with the "plain origins," but I'll include them for the curious. To be taken with a grain of brown sugar. I'll just leave the notes "brown sugar" or "molasses" out of them, you can assume they dominate. Naturally many of the other notes gravitate toward the cookie and desert aisle.

Ghana 67%

aroma: pineapple, walnut, papaya, milk, almond, brownie, coffee cake, orange, banana, rum raisin cake, peanut oil

flavor: cherry, salt, tropical fruit cocktail, rubber, peanut butter cookie, vanilla, patchouli, strawberry, oil can, lime, orange marmalade, bird feathers, cocoa pudding, fruit cake, carrot cake

finish: cookie dough, mango, lemonade, vodka, pomegranate, earth, grapefruit, Swiss Miss pudding, cigarette ash, bread pudding, old wine, oatmeal raisin, concord grape, Nilla Wafers, milkweed, rum & Coke, petroleum, caramel

Dominican Republic 75%

aroma: peanut butter, mint julep, Jujubes candy, mango, Orange Julius, coconut, wheatgrass, lavender, juniper, olive, lime, peach, turpentine, boot leather, ylang ylang, oleander, oak leaves, cotton, earth, clay pot, sassafras

flavor: banana, oat, mint, lemon, grapefruit, carrot juice, cream, anise, cookie dough ice cream, orange marmalade, wheat, Oreo cookie, goat milk, green onion, vanilla, espresso, rice pudding, tapioca, raisin, soap, cherry pudding, keefir

finish: lemon zest, shallot, coffee, crème anglasie, pear liqueur, red licorice, bread dough, graham cracker crust