Review: L'Amourette Carenero Superior

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker L'Amourette bar Carenero Superior region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $5.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth, glossy, scoring, text imprints, bubbles aroma roast (coffee), earth, sweet, wood, floral spice, fruit (blueberry) snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa), sweet (honey), earth, wood, fruit (blueberry, cherry), vanilla melt smooth length long finish somewhat sour, somewhat bitter

French chocolatier Andre V handcrafts bean to bar chocolate in San Francisco as L'Amourette. L'Amourette began selling chocolate bars this year, and makes three unflavored single origin Venezuela dark chocolate bars. The cacao they use is fair trade, and L'Amourette is in the process of having their chocolate bars certified.

The ingredients of Carenero Superior were cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cane sugar, bourbon vanilla beans, and soy lecithin. The chocolate contained 75% cocoa solids, but the added cocoa butter was not made from the same cacao beans. The generous 100 gram bar was scored into ten substantial pieces, each with an imprint of the L'Amourette name inside a stylized heart. The bar came wrapped in black-sided foil inside a paper box. The best before date was November 2012.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown color that was closest to Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431), but darker and browner. The surface was nicely smooth and glossy. There were some tiny bubbles present. The snap was medium hard.

Carenero Superior had a complex aroma that included a coffee roast, earthy and woody scents, sweetness, something floral, spice, and a fruit scent that smelled to me like blueberry.

The taste began with a sweet, earthy, cocoa roast before revealing woodiness and fruit flavors including blueberry and cherry. A vanilla flavor was also present. The sweetness reminded me of honey.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted a remarkable 40 to 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a long length. The final aftertaste was somewhat sour and somewhat bitter.

I was impressed by this new chocolate from L'Amourette, and at only $5 for a 100 gram bar, it may have the lowest price per ounce on our Best Chocolates Overall list.

You can purchase Carenero Superior online for $5.00 directly from L'Amourette.