Askinosie's Soconusco bar

I started the new year at the beginning of the alphabet with Askinosie's Soconusco bar made from Mexican cocoa beans. This is the first bar I have ever tasted which is made from Mexican beans. The rich history of Mexican chocolate had me excited for something new.

This bar is extremely dark, even for a bar with 75% cocoa content. The bar was beautifully molded and tempered. The shine was beautiful as was the snap when a piece of chocolate was broken off. The flavor from the bar came slowly but powerfully when I first tasted it. I knew immediately that this would not join my list of favorites. The bitter and sour tastes were difficult to describe but a heavy taste of bread was noticeable each time I put the chocolate in my mouth. As struggled to find words to describe the sour, bitter, unpleasant flavor that your are left with once swallowing the chocolate I finally realized that it was similar to bile.

I had a thought that the off flavors may only exhibit themselves once the chocolate was swallowed and my hypothesis was confirmed when I let an entire piece of chocolate melt in my mouth without swallowing. I swirled the creamy chocolate around my mouth and tasted mild coffee notes and bread again.

Next week is a newer bar from Scharffen Berger. I am ready to give this local producer (who has been owned by Hershey since 2005) another chance.