Review: E. Guittard Chucuri

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Guittard bar Chucuri region Colombia plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.89

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with signature imprints and scoring aroma sweet, roast (smoke), floral, hint of vanilla snap hard taste sweet (butterscotch), floral (rose), herbal (mint), tannin, fruit (melon), hint of nut melt smooth length medium finish tannin

E. Guittard made single origin Chucuri with Trinitario cacaco beans from the San Vicente de Chucuri Valley in Santander, Colombia. This chocolate had 65% cocoa solids (including added cocoa butter) and additional ingredients of cane sugar, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans.

This two ounce bar was scored into 12 pieces, each with the E. Guittard signature imprint. The chocolate came wrapped in brassy-colored foil inside a paper cover. The best before date on the wrapper of the bar we reviewed was April 2012.

Chucuri had a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317) color. The surface was smooth, with a few tiny bubbles. The bar had a hard snap. The aroma of this chocolate was sweet, with a smoky roast and obvious floral scents. I also smelled a hint of vanilla.

The taste of Chucuri first gave us a butterscotch sweetness. We tasted an unusual rose floral flavor, along with a herbal mint. Lindy also noticed tannin, and I experienced a melon flavor and a slight nuttiness.

The melt was smooth. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. Lindy tasted a flash of bitterness before the finish. The final aftertaste for both of us was tannin.

Overall, while not as wonderful as the magnificent Colombia bars of Santander or Domori Teyuna, Chucuri is a good single origin chocolate from that area and better than Pralus Colombie.

You can purchase Guittard Chucuri online for $3.89 directly from Guittard or for $3.35 from Chocosphere.