Review: Marou Ba Ria 76%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Marou bar Ba Ria region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 76% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, bubbles, adhered bits aroma roast, spice, fruit (hint of olive), earth snap hard taste roast (cocoa), sweet (honey), fruit (raspberry, apricot, citrus) melt smooth length long finish somewhat acidic, somewhat tannin

Marou crafts bean to bar chocolate locally in Vietnam. They make five bars, each from cacao of a different region in the country. All of their chocolate contains only three ingredients: cacao beans, cocoa butter and cane sugar. The bars are produced in their nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City (a.k.a. Saigon).

Ba Ria came as a nice, big, 100 gram bar wrapped in thin bronze foil-sided paper (with a sticker of the Marou "M") that was enclosed in a lovely bright orange-red wrapper with gold silk-screen (sealed with double-sided adhesive).

This chocolate had 76% cocoa solids (cacao beans plus added cocoa butter) and 24% cane sugar. It came from batch 304, and had a best before date of January 28, 2014.

The bar was scored in different-sized pieces with diagonal lines and a central rectangle with the Marou logo. The surface was smooth to the touch and had a somewhat uneven sheen. The chocolate was a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. There were bubbles in some of the corners, adhered bits mostly on top, and visible lines from the wrapper. The bar had a generally good appearance in spite of all of these minor flaws.

Ba Ria had a hard snap. The aroma contained roast, spice, fruit, and earth scents. The fruit scent contained a hint of olive.

The chocolate tasted initially of a cocoa roast, but soon revealed sweetness and fruit flavors. The sweetness tasted similar to honey. The fruit was complex. Among the specific flavors I identified were raspberry and apricot, as well as a general citrus.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 45-50 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a long length. The finish was somewhat acidic and somewhat tannin.

Ba Ria was much fruitier than the other Marou chocolates. Of the five, I think I liked Dong Nai best, though Ba Ria was a close second. Here are the other reviews: Ben Tre, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Tien Giang.

You can purchase Marou Ba Ria 76% online for $8.95 from The Meadow or for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Marou Tien Giang 70%

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Marou bar Tien Giang region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, bubbles, adhered bits aroma roast (coffee, smoke), sweet snap hard taste roast (smoke), spice (pepper), fruit (prune), sweet (honey, toffee), earth melt smooth length long finish somewhat acidic, slightly tannin

Tien Giang is one of five regional bean to bar chocolates crafted by Marou locally in Vietnam. Each bar is made with cacao from a different growing region within the country. The other four bars are: Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, and Lam Dong.

The outer paper wrapper of Tien Giang was a beautiful deep blue (and slight purple hue) with silk-screened gold ink lines and drawings. Inside, the large 100 gram bar was wrapped in thin bronze foil-sided paper.

The ingredients of Tien Giang were cacao beans, cocoa butter, and cane sugar. The chocolate had 70% cocoa solids and 30% sugar. The bar was produced in Marou's nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City. The batch number was 306 and the best before date was January 27, 2014.

The bar was scored with diagonal lines, giving pieces of different sizes. The center had an imprint of the Marou logo. The surface was smooth with a slightly uneven sheen. The color was a medium brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012). There were some bubbles and adhered bits.

The snap was hard. The aroma was primarily roast, with scents of coffee and smoke. I also smelled some sweetness.

Tien Giang had a smoky roast flavor that tasted initially quite strong. Other flavors that soon came forth included a complex spice with pepper, a fruit flavor that contained prune, and a sweetness that seemed to be a cross between honey and toffee. Some earthiness was also present.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The length was long, with the flavor lasting over 50 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was somewhat acidic and slightly tannin.

Tien Giang won a silver at the Academy of Chocolate 2013 awards.

You can purchase Marou Tien Giang 70% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Marou Ben Tre 78%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Marou bar Ben Tre region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 78% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, adhered bits, bubbles aroma roast (cocoa, tobacco), earth (hay), spice snap hard taste roast (cocoa), earth (hay), sweet (honey), nut melt smooth length long finish somewhat tannin, somewhat acidic

Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat makes five single origin chocolate bars in Vietnam with cacao from different local regions in the country: Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Tien Giang.

Ben Tre was made from 78% cocoa solids (cacao beans and cocoa butter) and 22% cane sugar in Marou's nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City.

The bright green outer paper wrapper had silk-screened gold ink and was held closed by double-sided adhesive. Inside, the 100 gram bar came hand-wrapped in bronze foil-sided paper closed with a sticker of their "M" logo.

The bar was scored with diagonal lines, giving pieces of different sizes. The center had an imprint of the Marou logo. The best before date of this was January 25, 2014, and the batch number was 303.

The chocolate had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The surface was smooth and looked great, even with some adhered bits, lines from the wrapper, and a few bubbles.

Ben Tre had a hard snap. The rich aroma contained roast, earth, and spice. The roast was a mix of cocoa and tobacco. The earth scent seemed closest to hay.

The taste began with and maintained an underlying cocoa roast and earthy hay. Sweetness grew into a strong honey flavor, and some nuttiness developed in the latter half. There was also a hint of sourness.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted about 40 to 50 seconds, giving a long length. The final aftertaste was somewhat tannin and somewhat acidic.

Ben Tre won a bronze at the Academy of Chocolate 2013 awards.

You can purchase Marou Ben Tre 78% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Marou Lam Dong 74%

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Marou bar Lam Dong region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 74% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle appearance smooth, scoring, imprint, bubbles, adhered bits aroma roast (coffee), earth, nut, sweet snap hard taste roast (cocoa, smoke), spice (pepper), sweet, earth (soil) melt smooth length long finish somewhat tannin, somewhat bitter

Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat crafts five single origin chocolates locally from different regions in Vietnam. In addition to Lam Dong reviewed here, they make chocolate from Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, and Tien Giang.

Samuel Maruta and Vincent Mourou make all of their chocolate in their nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City from three ingredients: cacao, cocoa butter, and cane sugar.

Lam Dong 74% came hand-wrapped in bronze foil-sided paper sealed closed by a sticker with their "M" logo. The outer peacock aqua paper wrapper was silk-screened with gold ink and closed with double-sided adhesive.

The 100 gram bar was scored with diagonal lines that provide pieces of different sizes. In the center was an imprint of the Marou logo. The chocolate was made with 74% cocoa solids and 26% cane sugar. The best before date of this particular bar was January 16, 2014, and the batch number was 288.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431). The surface was smooth, but had several bubbles, lines from the wrapper, and a few adhered bits.

The bar had a hard snap. The aroma was primarily a coffee roast. Some earthiness, a bit of nuttiness, and a sweetness were also present.

The chocolate tasted of roast, spice, and earth. The roast had both cocoa and smoke flavors. The spice included pepper. The earthiness seemed closest to soil. There was also some of the sweetness from the aroma.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate had a long length, with the flavor lasting 40 to 45 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat tannin and somewhat bitter.

You can purchase Marou Lam Dong 74% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Marou Dong Nai 72%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Marou bar Dong Nai region Vietnam plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth, scoring, imprint, uneven sheen, bubbles, adhered bits aroma earth, wood, roast (malt) snap hard taste sweet (honey), roast (smoke), spice (pepper, anise), earth melt smooth length medium finish somewhat bitter, slightly sour

Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, is the first artisan bean to bar maker to craft chocolate in Vietnam made from Vietnamese cacao. Samuel Maruta and Vincent Mourou released their first bars in December 2011 from their small nut-free factory in Ho Chi Minh City.

All of their chocolate is made from only cacao, cocoa butter, and cane sugar. They also make the cocoa butter they use from their own cacao. Marou currently produces five bars, each made with Trinitario cacao from a different region within Vietnam: Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Tien Giang.

Dong Nai So Co La Den was hand-wrapped in bronze foil-sided paper and sealed using a sticker of the Marou logo ("M"). It was then enclosed in an ochre yellow paper wrapper with silk-screened gold ink and closed with double-sided adhesive. Each regional bar has a different colored wrapper. Here's an article about the design of Marou's outer wrappers.

This chocolate contained 72% cocoa solids (cacao plus added cocoa butter) and 28% cane sugar. It came in a large 100 gram bar. I prefer these traditional full-sized bars that have often been replaced by smaller sizes in an effort to lower the price per bar. The Dong Nai bar had the Marou logo imprinted in the center and surrounded by diagonal scoring that gave pieces of different sizes. The best before date was October 25, 2013.

The color of Dong Nai was a medium brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317). The surface was smooth with an uneven sheen. There were some bubbles and bits of adhered chocolate.

The bar had a hard snap. The aroma of the chocolate contained earth, wood, and roast scents. The roast included malt.

Dong Nai tasted sweet, with roast, spice, and earth flavors. The sweetness came in the form of honey. The roast was smoky. I tried to identify individual spice flavors, and the two closest seemed to be pepper and anise.

The chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The final aftertaste was somewhat bitter and slightly sour.

You can purchase Marou Dong Nai 72% online for $9.00 from Chocolopolis.