Review: Amedei 9

Lindy's Rating: 8.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Amedei bar 9 region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, with text imprints and scoring aroma earthy (musty), red fruit, licorice snap hard taste roast (coffee), citrus, nutty, berry, cream, sweet (molasses) melt smooth length minimal finish faint citrus, slightly acidic

Italian chocolate maker Amedei has made some of our favorite chocolates, including their Chuao, our current absolute favorite, and the only bar both Lindy and I rated ****. The Amedei 9 bar is made from the cacao of nine of their private plantations. Although a blend of multiple cacao varieties from multiple regions, Amedei considers this bar their "family treasure".

The color of the Amedei 9 was a bit darker than most artisan chocolates, though the tempering and surface texture was similar to other Amedei bars. The two aromas Lindy and I both noticed were earthy and red fruit. We clarified the earthiness as musty, but didn't get a handle on the red fruit aroma. I also smelled a licorice scent.

9 had a slow start, taking a while before melting and releasing its many flavors. Eventually we detected roast (which I thought was coffee), citrus (which Lindy experienced as a faint lime), nutty, berry, cream, and a sweetness I noticed as molasses.

Its melt was smooth. Unfortunately, the flavor lasted only a few seconds after the chocolate was gone. Although the final aftertaste was not bitter, this chocolate left a faint citrus taste and slight acidity in the mouth that wasn't as nice as it sounds.

Amedei does not have list prices, but their chocolate bars are typically quite expensive. You can purchase Amedei 9 for $10.00 at Chocolopolis.

After reviewing Amedei 9 and writing this blog post, I looked up the sticker on the wrapper and discovered that this bar won the Academy of Chocolate's 2009 Golden Bean highest award. While this 2010 production of the 9 bar was good, we did not find it anywhere near as remarkable as the 2009 apparently was.

UPDATE: Amedei 9 also won a Gold at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

Review: Fresco 210

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

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

chocolate maker Fresco bar 210 region Jamaica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2010 size 40g ~ 1.4oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture lined with scoring aroma earthy, floral, woody, bread, nut, fruit snap medium-hard taste roast, spice (allspice), sweet (brown sugar), nut, bread, woody melt less smooth length minimal finish acidic, faintly spicy

Fresco is an independent chocolate maker in Lynden, WA, (a small town near the United States border with Canada) that produces small batches of chocolate bars. Each production run uses a different recipe of three simple ingredients: beans, cocoa butter, and cane sugar. Each recipe is based on the origin of the cacao beans, the percentage of cocoa solids, how the beans are roasted, and how the ingredients are conched (i.e., ground down and refined into smooth chocolate) before tempering.

Fresco generously shares much of that information with their customers by identifying each bar not only by recipe, batch numbers, and production date, but also with explicit documentation of the levels of roasting (light, medium, or dark) and conching (none, subtle, medium, long). Of course, they also include the traditional bean origin and percentage of cocoa solids. Fresco has a good web page outlining their chocolate making process.

The 210 bar was made from cacao beans from Jamaica, with 70% cocoa solids, using a dark roast and medium conching. The color was a medium dark brown, with each square lined in alternating vertical and horizontal directions that attracted the eye as ones perspective changed relative to the lighting (please see picture above).

The primary aroma of Fresco's 210 was strongly earthy, but aromas of floral, woody, bread, nuts, and fruit were also present. The floral scent seemed strong to me, but only faint to Lindy. The snap wasn't as hard as usual.

This chocolate had a roast flavor, a spice that Lindy tasted as allspice, nuts, and a sweetness of brown sugar. Lindy also noticed bread and I found it quite woody.

The melt was less smooth that Lindy perceived as almost, but not quite, grainy (perhaps due to the medium conche). Disappointingly for a chocolate with such a delicious flavor, the length was minimal -- gone in only a few seconds. The finish was great, though: acidic with a faint spiciness and no bitterness.

Lindy loved the flavor of this bar and wanted to give it ****, but with only moderate complexity, imperfect melt, and minimal length, she felt she could only rate it ***. Still, it was near the top of her *** ratings and easily made it into the ranks of her ten favorite chocolate bars. I liked Fresco's 210, too, but I didn't find it good enough to break into my ten favorites.

These bars are relatively small at only 40 grams, or 1.4 ounces, which makes them on the expensive side. Fresco does not document a list price for their chocolate bars, but until they run out, you can buy the 210 at Chocolopolis for $7.00.

Review: Hägeland Uganda

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Hägeland bar Uganda region Uganda plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 80% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color dark brown texture smooth aroma strong earthy (mushroom), smoky, spice (not quite clove), hint of nuts snap medium-hard taste earthy, coffee, hints of smoke, ash, and fruit melt smooth length minimal-short finish slightly bitter

This Hägeland Uganda bar comes to us thanks to Phillip (who hosted our recent blind chocolate tasting). He found this bar at a Walmart store.

Hägeland is a Belgian chocolate maker that distributes their chocolate exclusively through Walmart in the United States. The bars are not presently available online, nor in all Walmart stores, and the prices vary by store. I phoned several local Washington State Walmarts until I found them currently available at the Federal Way Walmart Supercenter for $2.28 (usually $2.99).

Hägeland's Uganda bars are made from Forastero cacao beans from Uganda. The color of this bar was a dark brown and unleashed a strong earthy aroma that we decided was mushroom. Other aromas we noticed included a smoky roast, a spice we couldn't quite identify that seemed similar to clove, and a hint of nuts.

I found the taste similarly earthy, but Lindy found the flavor to be more of a roast that she experienced as coffee. We also both tasted hints of ash, smoke and fruit. The melt was average and the length was on the minimal side of short. The final aftertaste was a slight bitterness.

Overall, a good ** bar that we both found more interesting than what we consider the standard of **, the Lindt Excellence bars, and sometimes less expensive, too.

Ranking: Chuao Comparison

Chuao is a region of Venezuela renown for its extremely high quality cacao beans. The cacao trees in the plantations in Chuao are primarily pure Criollo, although there are some hybrid Trinitario as well. In any case, this is supposed to be the source of perhaps the best chocolate anywhere.

For several years, Amedei had an arrangement to purchase all of the cacao beans from several of the plantations there. This exclusive deal kept many others from producing Chuao bars. However, some have managed to do so, and the following is a comparison of the four Chuaos I've been able to get my hands on.

Apparently Pralus recently released a Chuao bar that I hope to buy soon. Based on one image on Pralus's website, it may be made of Trinitario cacao. In any case, I'll post an updated Chuao comparison once we try Pralus's bar.

Notes:

• None of these bars use an emulsifier.
• The color of all the Chuaos were close to the PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken, though two were medium browns and two were darker.
• There isn't a list price for the Amedei or Bonnat, so I used pricing from Chocolopolis for them instead.

chocolate maker	Amano	Amedei	Bonnat	Coppeneur
Lindy's rating	***	****	****	***
Richard's rating	***	****	***	***
cocoa solids	70%	70%	75%	70%
added fat	cocoa butter	cocoa butter	cocoa butter	(none)
sweetener	cane sugar	cane sugar	sugar	cane sugar
flavoring	vanilla	vanilla	(none)	(none)
color	medium-dark brown	medium brown	medium-dark brown	medium brown
aroma	coffee, earthy(musty), hint of coconut	raspberry	earthy(musty, soil), roast, hints of molasses and allspice	plum, sweet, berry
taste	strong blackberry, plum, hint of earthy	initial honey, strong cherry	roast (smoky), blueberry, strawberry	plum, tart, hint of ginger
melt	less smooth	creamy	less smooth	creamy
length	short	medium	short	short
finish	slightly dry	mildly acidic	faintly fruity	tart
size	56g ~ 2.0oz	50g ~ 1.8oz	100g ~ 3.5oz	50g ~ 1.8oz
price per bar	$9.95	$13.00	$9.99	$7.95
price per ounce	$4.98	$7.37	$2.83	$4.51

Overall, Lindy and I would both rank these excellent chocolates (in order from best to very good):

1. Amedei
2. Bonnat
3. Coppeneur
4. Amano

Review: Rogue Hispaniola

Lindy's Rating: 10.0 (previously ****)

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

chocolate maker Rogue bar Hispaniola region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $6.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth aroma initial berry, earthy, sour snap hard taste tangy, berry (cherry), citrus (orange, lime) melt more smooth length medium finish tangy, slightly acidic

This is the second bar we've reviewed by tiny Rogue Chocolatier, and we liked it even better than the first one. We reviewed Rogue Piura in October and I'm already looking forward to reviewing Rogue's other two bars (Rio Caribe and Sambirano) next year.

Rogue Hispaniola is made from cacao beans from a small cooperative in the Dominican Republic. Like the Piura bar, Hispaniola is made from only two ingredients: cocoa beans and cane sugar. The appearance of the bar is simple, too: just a smooth bar of chocolate, without imprints or scoring.

This chocolate gave off an initial aroma of red berries, followed by an earthiness. I also smelled a sourness that I wasn't able to more specifically identify. The taste of Hispaniola was terrific: a tangy cherry with a citrus of orange and lime.

The melt was smoother than average for an artisan chocolate. The length was also a bit better than typical, with a flavor that consistently lasted around 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone; we only wish it was as long as the Piura. The finish was nicely tangy, too, and only slightly acidic with no bitterness.

Hispaniola was another favorite bar for both Lindy and I. That makes two for two for Rogue chocolates being among our respective ten favorite bars.

Review: Guylian Extra Dark

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Guylian bar Extra Dark region West Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 200g ~ 7.1oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown texture text imprints, lines, and scoring aroma molasses, roasted nuts snap hard taste roasted nuts, sweet, ashy melt less smooth length short finish slightly acidic

Guylian is a second generation Belgian chocolate maker that produces primarily chocolate pralines and truffles, and is famous for its chocolate sea shells. They also produce a few chocolate bars, including a no sugar line that uses Maltitol as a sugar substitute. Guylian currently makes only one dark chocolate bar, the Extra Dark. By the way, the company is named from a combination of the founders first names: Guy and Liliane Foubert.

I received the last two squares of a Guylian Extra Dark bar from a friend of mine to whom it had been given as a gift. He wanted to give us an opportunity to try this chocolate that isn't generally available in the US (thanks Edward!)

The Extra Dark appears to be typically distributed in 100 gram bars, but the one reviewed here was a 200 gram bar. According to the Guylian website, the cacao beans used to make this bar are a blend (of probably Forastero beans) from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. This medium brown chocolate had a gray surface, likely due to improper storage at some point during its journey to us.

The aromas revealed by the Extra Dark were that of molasses and roasted nuts. The taste was quite similar, with a less specific sweet, but the same general roasted nuts. I also noticed an ashy flavor.

This chocolate was brittle, and shattered when chewing pieces (again, perhaps related to storage). The melt was less smooth, but not at all grainy. While the chocolate flavor lasted only a short time, there was no bitter aftertaste as the flavor faded away, leaving only a slightly acidic finish.

We both rated this bar **, though Lindy liked the roasted nut flavor a lot, and would have considered a higher rating had there been a bit more complexity to the aroma or taste, a better melt, or greater length.

I couldn't find a list price for this bar, but there was a sticker on the wrapper indicating a regular price of $7.00 (and discounted price of $4.99). For 200 grams, the Extra Dark is inexpensive, roughly the same value as the Lindt Excellence bars, and just as good.

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.