Review: E. Guittard Quevedo

Lindy's Rating: 6.5

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Guittard bar Quevedo region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 65% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.89

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with signature imprints, scoring, scuffing, bubbles aroma floral, roast (cocoa), sweet, fruit (banana) snap hard taste floral, roast (tea), sweet, nut melt smooth length medium finish slightly acidic

Quevedo was a single origin chocolate bar made with Nacional cacao from Ecuador by E. Guittard. This bean to bar chocolate contained 65% cocoa solids (beans and added cocoa butter). Other ingredients were cane sugar, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans.

The two ounce bar was scored into twelve pieces, each with the E. Guittard signature imprint. It came enclosed in brass colored foil inside a paper wrapper. The best before date on the bar we reviewed was February 2013.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth, but had scuffing and some tiny bubbles. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma consisted of floral, roast, sweetness and fruit. We experienced the roast as cocoa and the fruit as banana.

Quevedo tasted floral, with a roast in the form of tea, and sweet. The tea flavor lacked the usual associated tannin. The sweetness was nicely less strong than we expected from a chocolate with 65% cocoa solids. I also noticed some nuttiness. Lindy described the flavors as muted, but I found them mild rather than muted.

The melt was smooth. This chocolate had a medium length, with the flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was slightly acidic.

You can purchase Quevedo online for $3.89 directly from Guittard, or for $3.25 from Chocosphere.