Review: Coppeneur Menavava

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Coppeneur bar Menavava region Madagascar plantation Menavava cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.95

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with picture relief and text imprint aroma roast (smoky), spice, hint of citrus snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa, smoky), sweet (brown sugar), fruit (strawberry, citrus) melt smooth length minimal-short finish slightly tart

Coppeneur Menavava is made from organic Trinitario cacao beans from the plantation of the same name in the Sambirano valley of Madagascar. The added cane sugar and cocoa butter are not organic. The chocolate came in a stylish black package closed with what appeared to be a gray plastic seal stamped with the Coppeneur logo (as if it were wax). Along with the bar, there was a 40-page booklet about cacao, Coppeneur plantations, and their chocolate bars. The best before date on the bar we reviewed was December 2011.

Coppeneur's 50 gram Menavava bar was a single piece without scoring. There was a large relief of a half a cacao pod surrounded by a circular design and an imprint of the Coppeneur logo and name in the upper left. The color was medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015).

Menavava had a smoky roast aroma, along with a spice that neither Lindy nor I could identify. There was also a suggestive scent of citrus that seemed to come and go.

This chocolate gave off an immediate flavor of both cocoa and smokiness. However, that roast flavor soon faded and we were given sweetness (that Lindy experienced as brown sugar) and then fruit flavors, including berry and citrus. The berry seemed to be strawberry and the citrus could well have been lime.

The melt was smooth. Unfortunately, the flavor didn't last long after the chocolate was gone, only a few seconds for Lindy and less than 10 for me. The finish was minimal, with just a slight tartness and no bitterness.

You can purchase Menavava online for CA$5.95 at coppeneurchocolate.com (the North American website for this German chocolate maker). The German website is coppeneur.de.