Review: Amedei Cru Venezuela

Lindy's Rating: 8.5

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Amedei bar Cru Venezuela region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth with text imprints and scoring, grayish tinge aroma earth, wood, citrus, red fruit, floral, sweet snap hard taste butter, nut (almond, cashew, walnut), roast (cocoa), sweet, spice, fruit (coconut) melt smooth length medium finish slightly sour

Italian chocolate maker Amedei uses cacao beans from individual plantations to make its single origin Cru chocolate bars. Venezuela was made from Trinitario cacao that is genetically more than 85% Criollo (for more information, see our posting about cacao types). The farms from which this cacao was grown are obviously in Venezuela :)

The chocolate was made from 70% cocoa solids, with ingredients of cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. The bar was formed in typical Amedei fashion: scored into ten 5-gram pieces, each with an imprint of the Amedei name and some parallel lines. Sealed inside foil-lined yellow paper, the bar was packaged in their slightly textured paper container with coloring indicating a single origin Cru bar: half black and half yellow in front. The best before date on the chocolate we reviewed was 15 April 2012.

The color of Venezuela was a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). The surface seemed to have a slight grayish tinge, but no obvious bloom. The bar had a hard snap and revealed aromas of earth, wood, citrus, red fruit, floral, and sweetness.

Butter was the first flavor that both Lindy and I tasted. It was soon followed by nut, roast in the form of cocoa, sweetness and spice. We also both experienced coconut in the taste. The nut flavor was primarily almond, but I also noticed some cashew and walnut.

Venezuela had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish left us with a slightly sour aftertaste.

In the U.S., you can purchase Amedei Cru Venezuela online for $7.50 from Chocosphere. In the U.K., you can buy it online for £3.95 from Chocolate Trading Co.