Review: Marou Tien Giang 70%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Marou bar Tien Giang region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, bubbles, adhered bits aroma roast (coffee, smoke), sweet snap hard taste roast (smoke), spice (pepper), fruit (prune), sweet (honey, toffee), earth melt smooth length long finish somewhat acidic, slightly tannin

Tien Giang is one of five regional bean to bar chocolates crafted by Marou locally in Vietnam. Each bar is made with cacao from a different growing region within the country. The other four bars are: Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, and Lam Dong.

The outer paper wrapper of Tien Giang was a beautiful deep blue (and slight purple hue) with silk-screened gold ink lines and drawings. Inside, the large 100 gram bar was wrapped in thin bronze foil-sided paper.

The ingredients of Tien Giang were cacao beans, cocoa butter, and cane sugar. The chocolate had 70% cocoa solids and 30% sugar. The bar was produced in Marou's nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City. The batch number was 306 and the best before date was January 27, 2014.

The bar was scored with diagonal lines, giving pieces of different sizes. The center had an imprint of the Marou logo. The surface was smooth with a slightly uneven sheen. The color was a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). There were some bubbles and adhered bits.

The snap was hard. The aroma was primarily roast, with scents of coffee and smoke. I also smelled some sweetness.

Tien Giang had a smoky roast flavor that tasted initially quite strong. Other flavors that soon came forth included a complex spice with pepper, a fruit flavor that contained prune, and a sweetness that seemed to be a cross between honey and toffee. Some earthiness was also present.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was long, with the flavor lasting over 50 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat acidic and slightly tannin.

Tien Giang won a silver at the Academy of Chocolate 2013 awards.

You can purchase Marou Tien Giang 70% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Marou Ben Tre 78%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Marou bar Ben Tre region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 78% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, adhered bits, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa, tobacco), earth (hay), spice snap hard taste roast (cocoa), earth (hay), sweet (honey), nut melt smooth length long finish somewhat tannin, somewhat acidic

Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat makes five single origin chocolate bars in Vietnam with cacao from different local regions in the country: Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Tien Giang.

Ben Tre was made from 78% cocoa solids (cacao beans and cocoa butter) and 22% cane sugar in Marou's nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City.

The bright green outer paper wrapper had silk-screened gold ink and was held closed by double-sided adhesive. Inside, the 100 gram bar came hand-wrapped in bronze foil-sided paper closed with a sticker of their "M" logo.

The bar was scored with diagonal lines, giving pieces of different sizes. The center had an imprint of the Marou logo. The best before date of this was January 25, 2014, and the batch number was 303.

The chocolate had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The surface was smooth and looked great, even with some adhered bits, lines from the wrapper, and a few bubbles.

Ben Tre had a hard snap. The rich aroma contained roast, earth, and spice. The roast was a mix of cocoa and tobacco. The earth scent seemed closest to hay.

The taste began with and maintained an underlying cocoa roast and earthy hay. Sweetness grew into a strong honey flavor, and some nuttiness developed in the latter half. There was also a hint of sourness.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted about 40 to 50 seconds, giving a long length. The final aftertaste was somewhat tannin and somewhat acidic.

Ben Tre won a bronze at the Academy of Chocolate 2013 awards.

You can purchase Marou Ben Tre 78% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

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