Hello, my name is Jake, and I am a chocoholic. If there is a 12 step program out there.....I don't want it! I was at a drug store and bought all the crappy chocolate I could find. Every now and then you need a reminder of how mass manufactured chocolate tastes. The first of my "remember what you used to like" picks comes from Holland. Ever heard of Dutch processed cocoa? That means they are chocolate masters.....right?
WRONG!
This chocolate comes in "Pastilles," or little, round hockey pucks of brown stuff. The chocolate has an extremely dark color and an almost gray shade. When sniffed....the bar smells like candy. That candy smell displays itself immediately in the mouth. Before the chocolate begins to melt you can taste only taste the vanillin (artificial flavor...much cheaper than real vanilla.)
Once the chocolate melts things get worse. The flavor is flat, showing no sign of tartness or life in general. Bitter, burnt, and scary like a snufalupagus on crack (I just made that up) are three ways to describe this chocolate. This is why people don't like dark chocolate. This is why people think 75% cocoa content is too much. Low quality beans roasted to the point of death. Maybe the gray hue was actually ash?
If you work for Droste and wish to call me to complain about this review....don't.....just make better chocolate.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Pralus Republique Dominicaine
I was so excited to see a new Pralus varietal available on chocosphere.com (where I buy most of my chocolate.) While they are some of the most expensive bars around, usually around $10 a piece, each one is very distinct. Almost every bar from Pralus contains 75% cocoa but not one exhibits a strong bitter flavor most associate with high cocoa content.
While I personally feel Pralus makes some of the best chocolate in the world there are some who feel differently. A local chocolate does not carry any Pralus due to the chocolatier's inconsistency. I didn't fully appreciate their complaint until I tasted this bar.
Pralus Republique Dominicaine had a very light color, almost like milk chocolate. The bar broke without a sharp snap and I began to fear the worst. The bar smelled of caramel with a complexity that gave me hope the flavor of the bar would compensate for the lack of firmness.
Once I bit into the bar the weak texture was immediately evident. The bar did not snap, it crumbled. The soft, grainy texture was about as bad as I have ever encountered. While the texture was sad, the flavor was a thing of beauty. A gentle sourness guided me through movements of flavor. Beginning woody, the bar had hints of liquorice and end of mouth that reminded me of chinese plum sauce.
While the room temperature texture was poor, the bar melted like a dream.
I like this chocolate coming out France. If the bar were firmer it would be spectacular.
While I personally feel Pralus makes some of the best chocolate in the world there are some who feel differently. A local chocolate does not carry any Pralus due to the chocolatier's inconsistency. I didn't fully appreciate their complaint until I tasted this bar.
Pralus Republique Dominicaine had a very light color, almost like milk chocolate. The bar broke without a sharp snap and I began to fear the worst. The bar smelled of caramel with a complexity that gave me hope the flavor of the bar would compensate for the lack of firmness.
Once I bit into the bar the weak texture was immediately evident. The bar did not snap, it crumbled. The soft, grainy texture was about as bad as I have ever encountered. While the texture was sad, the flavor was a thing of beauty. A gentle sourness guided me through movements of flavor. Beginning woody, the bar had hints of liquorice and end of mouth that reminded me of chinese plum sauce.
While the room temperature texture was poor, the bar melted like a dream.
I like this chocolate coming out France. If the bar were firmer it would be spectacular.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Scharffen Berger - Tome Acu
My past experience with Scharffen Berger chocolate has been less than stellar. I have found most of their bars to bitter or uninteresting while those around me praised them as some of the best they had ever tasted. I pushed my past experiences out of my mind as I tried to give this new bar a chance. I was encouraged by the following facts:
A. This is the first bar from Scharffen Berger that claims to be single origin
B. They list the batch size (might just be marketing....for all I know 120 cases is a normal run for Scharffen Berger)
C. A brown box that seems to say "Look at me....I'm artisan!"
Here are my thoughts....and a process you can follow to enjoy the nuance of chocolate for yourself.
1. Look at the chocolate - The bar was lighter than what I would expect for 68% cocoa content (That could be due to light roasting, high cocoa butter content, or something else)
2. Smell the chocolate - The bar had a gentle sweetness without any toasted or darker notes (My family laughed at me 2 years ago when I told them to smell their chocolate before eating. Bar after bar had the same "chocolaty" smell.....and then we smelled a bar made in Poland. The smoke smell was overpowering. Sorry Poland....no chocolate awards for you this year.)
3. Break a piece off the chocolate - The bar broke clean and showed a slightly grainy texture (look for a nice clean break and a smooth edge)
4. Put a small piece in your mouth and either don't chew or only chew a few times - The immediate taste of vanilla appears and then disappears quickly as the chocolate first hit my mouth. As the bar melted a pleasant sourness with a cream cheese taste kept me thinking of chocolate cheesecake.
5. Swallow the chocolate and pay attention to how the flavor changes as you swallow - The bar left me with a nice burnt caramel.
I really enjoyed the latest offering from Scharffen Berger. I look forward to more from their "chocolate maker's series." I just had a thought.....why is this bar the "chocolate maker's series?" Are other chocolates from Sharffen Berger from the non-chocolate maker's series? The accountant's series? Is that why I didn't particularly like them? Who wants chocolate made by a sheep herder???
Since my birthday is coming up my wonderful wife bought me a bunch of chocolate from Chocosphere.com. The first bar from the lot that I will try is a new offering from Pralus, one of the finest chocolatiers in the world.
Boo Yah Chocolate!
A. This is the first bar from Scharffen Berger that claims to be single origin
B. They list the batch size (might just be marketing....for all I know 120 cases is a normal run for Scharffen Berger)
C. A brown box that seems to say "Look at me....I'm artisan!"
Here are my thoughts....and a process you can follow to enjoy the nuance of chocolate for yourself.
1. Look at the chocolate - The bar was lighter than what I would expect for 68% cocoa content (That could be due to light roasting, high cocoa butter content, or something else)
2. Smell the chocolate - The bar had a gentle sweetness without any toasted or darker notes (My family laughed at me 2 years ago when I told them to smell their chocolate before eating. Bar after bar had the same "chocolaty" smell.....and then we smelled a bar made in Poland. The smoke smell was overpowering. Sorry Poland....no chocolate awards for you this year.)
3. Break a piece off the chocolate - The bar broke clean and showed a slightly grainy texture (look for a nice clean break and a smooth edge)
4. Put a small piece in your mouth and either don't chew or only chew a few times - The immediate taste of vanilla appears and then disappears quickly as the chocolate first hit my mouth. As the bar melted a pleasant sourness with a cream cheese taste kept me thinking of chocolate cheesecake.
5. Swallow the chocolate and pay attention to how the flavor changes as you swallow - The bar left me with a nice burnt caramel.
I really enjoyed the latest offering from Scharffen Berger. I look forward to more from their "chocolate maker's series." I just had a thought.....why is this bar the "chocolate maker's series?" Are other chocolates from Sharffen Berger from the non-chocolate maker's series? The accountant's series? Is that why I didn't particularly like them? Who wants chocolate made by a sheep herder???
Since my birthday is coming up my wonderful wife bought me a bunch of chocolate from Chocosphere.com. The first bar from the lot that I will try is a new offering from Pralus, one of the finest chocolatiers in the world.
Boo Yah Chocolate!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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.
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.
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