Review: Daniel Les Origines Trinidad 65%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Les Origines Trinidad 65% region Trinidad plantation Oropucce cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 9g ~ 0.3oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, lined, imprint, bubbles aroma floral, fruit, earth, roast snap hard taste fruit (berry), sweet, earth, nut melt smooth length short finish somewhat tannin

This is the other chocolate I received from my friend Edward (thank you!) from Les Origines line of bars of Vancouver chocolatier Daniel le Chocolat Belge. Yesterday, we reviewed Sao Tome 70%; today, we'll review Trinidad 65%.

As you can see on their website, Daniel makes a large variety of chocolate confections (truffles, etc.). I do not know what chocolate maker they use for these bars.

Trinidad was made from Trinitario cacao beans from the Oropucce Plantation near the river of the same name in Trinidad. The ingredients of this chocolate were cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla. It contained 65% cocoa solids.

Each 9.4 gram bar was lined and imprinted with the word "Chocolette" (the spelling of which still strikes me as odd). It came wrapped in gold foil-sided waxed paper inside a paper sleeve, and six tiny separately wrapped bars were sold per single box. There was no production or best before date.

The chocolate had a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface was smooth, though the sheen was slightly uneven on the outer rim. There were bubbles in the raised lettering, as well as on the bottom border. There was also a bit of extra chocolate hardened on the bar on the right edge. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma of Trinidad was floral, with additional scents of fruit, earth and roast.

The chocolate tasted of fruit that took me a while to identify as berry. A strong sweetness was present, along with more subtle earth and nut flavors.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was somewhat tannin.

After reviewing Trinidad, I compared it to another chocolate with the same origin, Bonnat Trinité, and although they were not similar, I had given them the same final rating. Overall, I slightly prefer Trinité, even with it bitterness.

There is no list price for individual chocolate bars, but the box of six tiny bars was priced at CA$5.45.

Review: Bonnat Trinité

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Trinité region Trinidad plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma floral, roast (coffee), earth (must), hint of sweet snap hard taste citrus (grapefruit), roast (smoke, coffee), earth, nut, bitter, hint of sweet melt more smooth length short finish bitter

Bonnat Trinité was made from cacao beans from Trinidad. They probably used Trinitario cacao beans, but I did not get any confirmation of this. Trinité was a typical Bonnat chocolate, made with 75% cocoa solids from cacao, cocoa butter, and sugar. Formed into their traditional 100 gram bar, with the "BONNAT Voiron" imprint in the center and scored into 32 other pieces around it, Trinité was wrapped in silver foil inside a white paper sleeve. The best before date was July 2012.

This chocolate had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color and a hard snap. The aroma was a combination of floral, roast, and earth. We didn't identify the floral scent, but agreed that the earth was a must. I smelled the roast as that of coffee and also detected a bit of sweetness.

The taste included flavors of citrus, roast, and some earth. Some bitterness was also present, as well as a hint of sweetness. The citrus revealed itself over time as a yellow grapefruit flavor. I identified the roast as smoke and coffee. Lindy also tasted a roasted nut.

Trinité had a melt that was more than just smooth. However, Lindy found a hard, crunchy granule in each of the two pieces she tasted. The flavor lasted only about 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was bitter, and not just a little.

You can purchase Bonnat Trinité online for $7.85 in the U.S. from Chocosphere (though they are temporarily out of stock) or for £4.95 in the U.K. from Mortimer & Bennett.

Review: Valrhona Gran Couva

Lindy's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Gran Couva region Trinidad plantation Gran Couva cacao trees Trinitario year 2009 size 75g ~ 2.6oz cocoa solids 64% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price $7.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma roasted almond, smoky, sweet snap hard taste sweet (brown sugar, caramel), roasted nuts (almond, hazelnut) melt smooth length medium finish fade

This is our second review of the Valrhona Gran Couva bar. It was the first bar I reviewed upon starting this blog three months ago. This review is based on our experience of the same production year, 2009, during our recent blind chocolate tasting.

The medium brown color of the Gran Couva appeared somewhat different under the incandescent lights of the dining room of our host than it did under the fluorescent lights of my office. I've come to realize that even using PANTONE colors is problematic as they differ based on lighting conditions. So, please be aware that our color descriptions are typically determined under fluorescent lighting.

The Gran Couva had a nutty aroma of roasted almond along with a smokiness. Other scents noticed by our blind tasters were sweet and hints of vanilla and grass. The taste of this chocolate was dominated by flavors of sweetness and roasted nuts. The sweetness was clarified as brown sugar and caramel; the roasted nuts were clarified as almond and hazelnut. Flavor hints of nutmeg, some sort of liquor (perhaps bourbon or whiskey), grass, and pear were also detected.

The melt was smooth, the length in the low 20 seconds range, and the finish was a pleasant fade without noticeable bitterness. This chocolate profile is similar, but not identical, to our original review.

Both Lindy and I were much more aware of an excessive sweetness this second time around. She lowered her rating from **** to *** and we both lowered this chocolate in our overall rankings (dropping off Lindy's current favorite 10 chocolate bars, but remaining on mine).

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

UPDATE: As of 17 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $6.99 from Caputo's.

First review: Valrhona Gran Couva

Lindy's Rating: 9.5 (previously ****)

Richard's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Gran Couva year 2009 cacao trees Trinitario region Trinidad size 75g ~ 2.6oz plantation Gran Couva cocoa solids 64% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price $7.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy surface aroma nutty, floral, bark snap hard taste rich, roasted nuts, toffee, caramel hint of tobacco melt less creamy length medium finish slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Valrhona Gran Couva

Note: updated 28 October 2010, so Lindy could taste and add her perspective. Also added PANTONE color.

This Valrhona Gran Couva was my golden ticket bar. I picked it out as my favorite among a tasting of about half a dozen Valrhona chocolate bars. The rich nutty chocolate flavor is wonderful. It's too bad that it doesn't last forever, and that the finish isn't as pleasant as the taste.

The melt of this bar is creamy, definitely beyond smooth, but not quite as creamy as the Amedei or Coppeneur Chuao chocolates. Lindy tasted multiple sweet flavors, including toffee and caramel.

Note that this review may be slightly distorted, as I opened the bar three days ago and tasted for the review from the half remaining this morning.

Please send any suggestions for improvements to content or format. Thanks!

UPDATE: As of 17 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $6.99 from Caputo's. We also have a more thorough and recent review of Valrhona Gran Couva.