Friday, December 27, 2013

Review: Marou Tien Giang 70%

Richard's Rating: 6.5
chocolate makerMarou
barTien Giang
regionVietnam
plantation(blend)
cacao treesTrinitario
year(unknown)
size100g ~ 3.5oz
cocoa solids70%
added fatcocoa butter
sweetenercane sugar
emulsifier(none)
flavoring(none)
other ingredients(none)
list priceN/A
colormedium brown
PANTONE 19-1012
Dark Brown
appearancesmooth, scoring, imprint, bubbles, adhered bits
aromaroast (coffee, smoke), sweet
snaphard
tasteroast (smoke), spice (pepper), fruit (prune), sweet (honey, toffee), earth
meltsmooth
lengthlong
finishsomewhat 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.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Review: Marou Ben Tre 78%

Richard's Rating: 7.0
chocolate makerMarou
barBen Tre
regionVietnam
plantation(blend)
cacao treesTrinitario
year(unknown)
size100g ~ 3.5oz
cocoa solids78%
added fatcocoa butter
sweetenercane sugar
emulsifier(none)
flavoring(none)
other ingredients(none)
list priceN/A
colormedium brown
PANTONE 19-1431
Fudgesickle
appearancesmooth, scoring, imprint, adhered bits, bubbles
aromaroast (cocoa, tobacco), earth (hay), spice
snaphard
tasteroast (cocoa), earth (hay), sweet (honey), nut
meltsmooth
lengthlong
finishsomewhat 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.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Sale: Taza 20% off sale

Taza is running their annual Cyber Monday sale today and tomorrow for 20% off everything at their online store.

Enter CYBER20 in the "Coupon or Promotional Code:" field during checkout and click the associated Apply button to receive the 20% discount.

This is the largest discount offered by Taza, so now is the time to take advantage of their best prices of the year. The sale ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, December 2nd.

Taza ships to the United States and Canada. Additional shipping information can be found here.