For several years, Amedei had an arrangement to purchase all of the cacao beans from several of the plantations there. This exclusive deal kept many others from producing Chuao bars. However, some have managed to do so, and the following is a comparison of the four Chuaos I've been able to get my hands on.
Apparently Pralus recently released a Chuao bar that I hope to buy soon. Based on one image on Pralus's website, it may be made of Trinitario cacao. In any case, I'll post an updated Chuao comparison once we try Pralus's bar.
Notes:
- None of these bars use an emulsifier.
- The color of all the Chuaos were close to the PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken, though two were medium browns and two were darker.
- There isn't a list price for the Amedei or Bonnat, so I used pricing from Chocolopolis for them instead.
chocolate maker | Amano | Amedei | Bonnat | Coppeneur |
Lindy's rating | *** | **** | **** | *** |
Richard's rating | *** | **** | *** | *** |
cocoa solids | 70% | 70% | 75% | 70% |
added fat | cocoa butter | cocoa butter | cocoa butter | (none) |
sweetener | cane sugar | cane sugar | sugar | cane sugar |
flavoring | vanilla | vanilla | (none) | (none) |
color | medium-dark brown | medium brown | medium-dark brown | medium brown |
aroma | coffee, earthy(musty), hint of coconut | raspberry | earthy(musty, soil), roast, hints of molasses and allspice | plum, sweet, berry |
taste | strong blackberry, plum, hint of earthy | initial honey, strong cherry | roast (smoky), blueberry, strawberry | plum, tart, hint of ginger |
melt | less smooth | creamy | less smooth | creamy |
length | short | medium | short | short |
finish | slightly dry | mildly acidic | faintly fruity | tart |
size | 56g ~ 2.0oz | 50g ~ 1.8oz | 100g ~ 3.5oz | 50g ~ 1.8oz |
price per bar | $9.95 | $13.00 | $9.99 | $7.95 |
price per ounce | $4.98 | $7.37 | $2.83 | $4.51 |
Overall, Lindy and I would both rank these excellent chocolates (in order from best to very good):
- Amedei
- Bonnat
- Coppeneur
- Amano
Nice comparison! Amedei Chuao is still my all time Top Favorite too. The Pralus Chuao is awesome too when you can get your hands on it. There's also a Valrhona Chuao if you can find it.
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