Review: Mast Brothers Madagascar

Lindy's Rating: 7.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 7.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Mast Brothers bar Madagascar region Madagascar plantation Somia cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 71g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $7.00

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with scoring, uneven sheen aroma fruit (berry), citrus, earth, spice, roast snap hard taste fruit (lime, cherry, raspberry), sweet, earth, roast, tannin melt smooth length short finish somewhat tannin

This is the last of the six bars that Michael brought us from the Mast Brothers factory in Brooklyn.

Mast Brothers made their Madagascar bar with cacao from the Somia Plantation in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. The chocolate was made from 72% cacao and 28% cane sugar. The 2.5 ounce bar was scored into 32 small pieces, wrapped in gold foil, and placed inside nice heavy craft paper. The production date of the bar we reviewed was 15 May 2011.

The color of Madagascar was a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317). As with other Mast Brothers bars, the surface was imperfect, with variations in sheen. The bar had a hard snap.

The aromas of this chocolate were citrus and a red fruit that was a berry. In addition, I smelled scents of earth and some spice and Lindy detected a roast.

Madagascar had a typical citrus taste that came in the form of lime, as well as a red fruit that Lindy tasted as cherry and I thought was raspberry. With 28% sugar, the chocolate was, not surprisingly, sweet. As with the aroma, Lindy experienced a roast flavor and I noticed an earthiness. There was also a tannin flavor.

The chocolate had a generally smooth melt. The length was short, at around 15 seconds. The final aftertaste was somewhat tannin.

Overall, we both rated Madagascar a low ***.

You can purchase Mast Brothers Madagascar online for $8.50 in the contiguous U.S. from French Broad Chocolates or for £8.95 in the U.K. from The Chocolate Society.