Review: Bonnat Équateur

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Équateur region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, scoring, text imprint, slight scuffing, slightly uneven sheen, tiny bubbles aroma roast (tea, cocoa), earth, floral, sweet (honey), fruit (fig) snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), sweet (caramel, honey), fruit (berry, fig), tannin melt smooth length short finish somewhat tannin, slightly sour

French chocolate maker Bonnat makes single origin Équateur with cacao from Ecuador. The ingredients and proportions are Bonnat's typical ones: 75% cocoa solids (cacao beans plus added cocoa butter) and 25% sugar.

The big 100 gram bar was scored into 32 small pieces around a central block with the "BONNAT Voiron" imprint. It came wrapped in foil-sided wax paper inside a paper sleeve. The best before date was August 2013 (Lot A).

Équateur had a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface of the bar was smooth with slight scuffing and a slightly uneven sheen. There were some tiny bubbles present. Unfortunately, it arrived broken (along the second vertical scoring line, as seen in the photo above). The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma consisted of roast, earth, floral, sweet and fruit scents. The roast was a combination of tea and cocoa. The sweetness smelled of honey. The fruit seemed to be a dried fruit, most like that of fig.

The chocolate tasted of earth, a tea roast, sweetness and fruit. The fruit flavors included berry and fig. I tasted both caramel and honey in the sweetness. There was some tannin present as well.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving Équateur a short length. The finish was somewhat tannin and slightly sour.

You can purchase Bonnat Équateur online for $8.45 in the U.S. from Chocosphere or for £4.95 in the U.K. from either Chocolate Trading Co. or Mortimer & Bennett.