Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cacao Sampaka La Joya Mexico 70% cacao

Rich, complex flavors throughout this bar.  It starts with an overture of sweetness, then rapidly shifts to a strong citrus taste.  Some echoes of cherry announce themselves and stay through the end.  The aftertaste is clean but persistent.  A wonderful experience.  9.2

The Cacao Sampaka bars come in two pieces.  The overall weight is 100 grams (3.53 onces), making each bar 50 grams.  The bars are full sized and stacked on top of each other, separated by a paper membrane.  This makes them thinner, which likely improves the experience of eating the bar.

I purchased this bar and its colleague, Cacao Sampaka Xoconusco Mexico 70% Cacao, at Fog City News on Market Street. It is one of the well-stocked chocolate stores in San Francisco that I occasionally visit. These bars caught my eye as bars I had not tasted before, so I grabbed them and headed to the checkout.  No prices were posted, but hey, it could not be more than $12, could it?  Yes, it could.  The price was $14.95 each, which I believe is the most I've paid for a bar (certainly on an absolute basis, not entirely sure on a weight basis). Given my reaction to and evaluation of these bars, they may be worth it.

1 comment:

Steve said...

From the label:
"The gentle acidity of the white criollo bean is followed by notes of raisin and prune. As the intensity lessens, note the aftertaste of tobacco and liquorice."