Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Review: Bonnat Madagascar

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)
Richard's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

chocolate makerBonnat
barMadagascar
regionMadagascar
plantation(blend)
cacao trees(unknown)
year(unknown)
size100g ~ 3.5oz
cocoa solids75%
added fatcocoa butter
sweetenersugar
emulsifier(none)
flavoring(none)
other ingredients(none)
list priceN/A

colormedium-dark brown
PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken
texturesmooth with text imprint and scoring
aromafloral, fruit (prune), earthy, woody, hint of sweet
snaphard
tastefruit (cherry, lime, and more), sweet, earthy, hint of tart
meltsmooth
lengthshort
finishslightly acidic
As the sticker on the wrapper attests, Bonnat recently celebrated its 125th year. Madagascar is one of Bonnat's regionally named bars (and thus made of cacao beans from Madagascar ;)

Madagascar's medium-dark brown color had a reddish tinge, as is typical for chocolates from that region. The shape and texture of the bar were nearly identical to other Bonnat bars, with a central imprint of Bonnat as the maker and Voiron as the city where Bonnat opened its doors in 1884. The scoring provides breaking points for 32 small pieces and one quadruple-sized one in the center (with the "BONNAT VOIRON" imprint). The best before date on the bar we reviewed was January 2012.

The aroma was floral, fruity, and earthy, with occasional suggestions of sweetness. I thought the earthy fruitiness might be prune and also noticed a woody scent.

The suggestive fruity aroma was revealed to be much more complex as a flavor, with cherry and citrus (that Lindy experienced as lime), as well as some other fruit flavors we weren't able to identify. There was also some sweetness, earthiness, and a hint of tartness.

This chocolate had a fairly normal smooth melt and a short length of about 15 seconds. The finish was slightly acidic, which Lindy found slightly bitter. Both of us rated this bar ***, though it didn't make it into either of our respective favorite lists.

Bonnat does not publish list prices, but you can purchase the Madagascar bar online at Chocolopolis for $9.99.

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