Review: Fresco 221 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 221 region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 45g ~ 1.6oz cocoa solids 69% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, earth, roast, wood, dairy snap medium hard taste earth, roast (coffee), fruit (lime, blackberry), sweet (brown sugar), nut melt smooth length medium finish somewhat acidic, slightly bitter

221 is one of the four recipes that Rob Anderson used to craft Fresco chocolate using cacao from Papua New Guinea. We've already reviewed the other three: 219, 220, and 222. Fresco makes all of their chocolate in a nut-free environment.

All four recipes contained only two ingredients: 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. 219 and 222 were made with a light roast, 220 with a medium roast, and 221 with a heavy roast. 219, 220, and 221 went through a medium conche; 222 was made with no conching.

221 came in Fresco's new 45 gram size, wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. It was formed into their standard shape: scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. This particular bar was missing its production and best before information, but it was likely produced in September 2012 with a best before date of two years later.

This heavy roast chocolate had a slightly different color from Fresco's other Papua New Guinea bars: a medium brown Puce (PANTONE 19-1518) color rather than the Fudgesickle of the other three. Like the others, this bar looked great other than having small bubbles in the corners of some pieces. The snap was medium-hard.

Similar scents were present in the aroma of 221, but again in a different mix, with fruit, earth, roast, wood and dairy. Among the four, 221 had the strongest roast scent, and I couldn't smell any vinegar at all in this aroma.

Initially earthy, the taste of this chocolate quickly revealed a strong coffee roast. The coffee flavor grew sweet with the taste of brown sugar. Fruit flavors of lime and blackberry then came forward, along with nuttiness.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was acidic, but slightly bitter.

Although I liked this heavy roast 221 the least of the four recipes, it was still a good chocolate, and interesting to taste side-by-side with the others. 221 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Review: Fresco 220 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 7.5

chocolate maker Fresco bar 220 region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 45g ~ 1.6oz cocoa solids 69% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, wood, dairy, earth, roast, hint of vinegar snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (blackberry, lime), nut, roast, sweet, acidic melt smooth length medium finish acidic, slightly sour

This year Rob Anderson experimented with dozens of variations and settled on four recipes for crafting his newest chocolate from Papua New Guinea cacao. Each of them (219, 220, 221, and 222) varies based on roast and conche. Fresco makes their chocolate in a nut-free environment.

All four recipes used 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar, with no other ingredients. 219 and 222 were made with a light roast, 220 with a medium roast, and 221 with a heavy roast. The first three went through a medium conche; 222 was made with no conching.

The 220 bar came in Fresco's new 45 gram size, wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. It was scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. The production date was September 10, 2012 (bar 192 in batch #220-12-038). The best before date was October 2014.

220 had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color nearly identical to 219. The bar had small bubbles in the corners of some pieces, but otherwise looked great. The snap was medium-hard.

The aroma contained scents similar to 219, with fruit, wood, dairy, earth, and vinegar. However, not only was a roast scent clearly present, but the overall aroma smelled more strongly woody and the vinegar was merely a hint.

After an initial earthiness, the chocolate tasted of blackberry, strong lime, nut, and roast. 220 tasted substantially sweeter than 219 even though the sugar content was identical. I also experienced acidity.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor didn't last quite as long after the chocolate was gone, roughly 20 to 25 seconds, though it remained in the medium range. The final aftertaste was acidic and again slightly sour.

Although I prefer the lighter roast of 219 to 220, this bar was yet another great chocolate from Fresco. You cannot yet purchase Fresco 220 online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Review: Fresco 219 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 219 region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 45g ~ 1.6oz cocoa solids 69% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma fruit, wood, dairy, vinegar snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (citrus, lime, blackberry), roast (cocoa), nut, sweet, sour, acidic, wood melt smooth length medium finish acidic, slightly sour

Fresco created four different chocolate recipes using Papua New Guinea cacao: 219, 220, 221, and 222. All four were made from 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. They vary based on how they were roasted and conched.

219 had the same light roast as 222. It differed from 222 in that it was given a medium level of conching.

The chocolate came in a small 45 gram bar scored into 10 pieces, each lined either horizontally or vertically. The bar came wrapped in gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. The production date was September 1, 2012 (bar 278 in batch #219-12-037). The best before date was October 2014.

The color of 219 was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431), slightly darker than 222. The bar had tiny bubbles in the corners of some pieces, but otherwise looked great. The snap was medium-hard.

219 had an aroma containing fruit, wood, dairy, earth, and vinegar. It differed from 222 in that it was much less earthy and I didn't smell any olive.

The flavors in the taste included earth, fruit, roast, nut and wood. The fruit flavors I tasted were citrus, lime, and blackberry. The roast was a mild cocoa. It was also sweet, sour, and acidic.

The melt was smooth. The length was medium, with the flavor lasting between 30 and 35 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was acidic and slightly sour.

Overall, while both are terrific, I slightly prefer 219 to 222. The melt of 219 is smoother and while it lacks just a little of the strong fruit taste of 222, I like the added cocoa and nut flavors. Fresco 219 won a gold award in the single origin category at the Northwest Chocolate Festival.

Fresco 219 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

International Chocolate Awards 2012 Winners

The World Final of the 2012 International Chocolate Awards took place last week in London and the results have now been published. Here are the winners in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category (with cacao origin).

Overall Winners
GOLD: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
SILVER: Pacari 70% Piura-Quemazon (Peru)
SILVER: Amano Cuyaga 70% (Venezuela)
SILVER: Amano Chuao 70% (Venezuela)
SILVER: Michel Cluizel Los Anconès (Santo Domingo)
SILVER: Domori Guasare (Venezuela)

Special Awards
GOLD Chocolate Maker: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Growing Country Chocolate: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Directly Traded Cacao: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Organic: Pacari Raw 70% (Ecuador)
GOLD Best Cacao Source: Pacari 70% Piura-Quemazon (Peru)

You can see the full results here on the International Chocolate Awards website.

Review: Fresco 212 Dominican Republic

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 212 region Dominican Republic plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 40g ~ 1.4oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (plum, raisin), roast (smoke, malt), sour, nut, wood snap medium hard taste roast (tea), sweet, fruit (berry, plum), earth, sour, tangy melt smooth length medium finish somewhat tannin, slightly sour

212 is one of two single origin prototype chocolate recipes still being made by Fresco with cacao from the Dominican Republic. Chocolate maker Rob Anderson used a light roast and subtle conche in making 212 (you can read more about his process on their website). In contrast, he used a dark roast and no conche to make 213 (here's our review from January).

His formulation for 212 contained 72% cocoa solids from cacao beans and added cocoa butter and 28% cane sugar. The chocolate was made in a nut-free facility.

The small 40 gram bar was scored into 10 pieces, each lined either vertically or horizontally. It came wrapped gold foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box. The bar reviewed here was created on November 22, 2011 (one of 437 bars in batch #11-024). The best before date was December 2013.

212 had a medium-light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The bar had small bubbles in the corners of about half the pieces, but otherwise looked great. It had a medium-hard snap.

The chocolate had an aroma containing earth, fruit, roast, nut, and wood. The fruit included plum and raisin scents. The roast had scents of smoke and malt. 212 also smelled somewhat sour.

The taste began with a tea roast and then sweetness and fruit flavors were revealed in the form of berry and plum. An underlying earthiness was present. I experienced the taste as sour and interestingly tangy as well.

The melt was smooth. The length made it into medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat tannin and slightly sour.

In comparing the result of this recipe to that of 213 that we liked so much, I found I slightly preferred the brighter and more tangy flavors of 212 to the heavier roast of 213. 212 won a silver in the Americas semi-finals of the 2012 International Chocolate Awards.

You can purchase Fresco 212 online for $7.00 in the U.S. from Chocolopolis or Cocova.

Review: Fresco 222 Papua New Guinea

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Fresco bar 222 region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2012 size 45g ~ 1.6oz cocoa solids 69% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture lined, scoring, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (hint of olive), wood, vinegar, dairy snap medium hard taste earth, fruit (citrus, lime, blackberry, cranberry), sweet, sour melt smooth length medium finish acidic, somewhat astringent

Based on maker Rob Anderson's suggestion, we reviewed a new bar of recipe 222 this week. Because it was made less than three weeks ago, we have the opportunity to review this chocolate while it is still extremely fresh. In about three months, we'll update this review with a second perspective after the chocolate has aged.

This is the first bar we've reviewed with Fresco's new packaging that better highlights roast and conching strategy used in making the chocolate. They also increased the bar size from 40 to 45 grams. Fresco continues to make all of their chocolate in a nut-free facility.

Fresco made four recipes using single origin cacao from Papua New Guinea: 219, 220, 221, and 222. They only varied in roast and conche.

222 was a single origin bar made with 69% cacao beans and 31% cane sugar. There was no added cocoa butter. This formulation used a light roast and no conching. It was the only recipe that had no conching.

This chocolate came in the new 45 gram size. The bar still had a nearly identical shape: scored into 10 pieces, each lined either vertically or horizontally. It came wrapped in silver foil-sided wax paper inside a paper box that was wider than the previous ones. The production date was September 14, 2012 (bar 152 in batch #222-12-039). The best before date was October 2014.

222 had a medium-light brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. As typical for Fresco, the bar looked great other than having bubbles in the corners of some pieces. The snap was medium-hard.

The aroma was earthy, with additional scents of fruit, wood, vinegar and some dairy. I also smelled just a hint of olive.

The chocolate tasted earthy and strongly of fruit. I experienced the citrus and berry fruit flavors primarily as lime, blackberry, and cranberry. The taste was both sweet and somewhat sour.

The melt was smooth, but on the less smooth side. The flavor lasted 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length, nearly making it to long. The finish was acidic and somewhat astringent.

Overall, this is the best Papua New Guinea bar I've tasted since Michel Cluizel Maralumi 64% two years ago. Unfortunately, I can't compare them head to head at present, so I'm not sure which I like better. I look forward to tasting the other three Papua New Guinea bars that Fresco recently released.

Fresco 222 is not yet available online, but look for it soon at Chocolopolis.

Northwest Chocolate Festival Notes

I spent nearly the entire weekend at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, visited with chocolate makers and people in the field that I already knew, met some others for the first time, attended half a dozen classes, and picked up several bars that we've not yet reviewed.

The new bars to review over the next several months include some from Dandelion, Dick Taylor, Fresco, Kallari, Lillie Belle Farms, Nova Monda, Raaka, and the two recent award-winning bars from Pacari.

One of the people I met this year was a new bean to bar chocolate maker from Los Angeles, Nicole Trutanich. She anticipates launching her first four single origin bars next year under the name Bar Au Chocolat. Watch for them on her website.

Lindy joined me Saturday morning and took a few pictures to share with you.

maker Rob Anderson of Fresco
teaching a class
Dandelion chocolate bars
as displayed at their booth

some of the confections for sale
from Chocolopolis
maker Mott Green of Grenada
staffing their booth