Rich, earthy cocoa taste, no significant side-flavors. Slight bitterness rings in the upper palate. There is a sharp fall-off in the aftertaste. Not very memorable. 6.8
From the label: "Like many of the Caribbean islands, Haiti's history of growing cocoa goes back to the 1600's. That tradition continued thoughout Haiti's turbulent history. In 2010 Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. This chocolate bar is made by Gerard in his atelier in Kent from the first harvest of cocoa beans in Haiti since 2010. Cocoa is like much of the agriculture in Haiti: small scale farmers have little training to work their crops, resulting in a yield per cacao tree that is 30% of the global average. As Haiti grapples with recovery, improving its cocoa crop offers hope for a better and more sustainable future.
"Gerard took great care in conching and refining these rare beans. The chocolate created is surprisingly gentle for its high cocoa content releasing as it melts notes of honey, chestnuts and wood."
Reviewing my Drafts folder on the blog, I found a draft note from January 2013 on this bar. I may have started the review and not published it, then started a new post in march. Here's the draft:
The bar is thinly molded, giving it a delicate presence on the tongue. The most noticeable flavor is a butterscotch/caramel thread. Very little bitterness, and a short aftertaste. A good bar, but little that is memorable. 7.0
After opening the bar, which I bought several months ago, I noticed the Best Before date of September 16, 2012. Perhaps the bar was not at its peak condition, so take that into account with my review.
From the label:
ReplyDelete"Like many of the Caribbean islands, Haiti's history of growing cocoa goes back to the 1600's. That tradition continued thoughout Haiti's turbulent history. In 2010 Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. This chocolate bar is made by Gerard in his atelier in Kent from the first harvest of cocoa beans in Haiti since 2010. Cocoa is like much of the agriculture in Haiti: small scale farmers have little training to work their crops, resulting in a yield per cacao tree that is 30% of the global average. As Haiti grapples with recovery, improving its cocoa crop offers hope for a better and more sustainable future.
"Gerard took great care in conching and refining these rare beans. The chocolate created is surprisingly gentle for its high cocoa content releasing as it melts notes of honey, chestnuts and wood."
Reviewing my Drafts folder on the blog, I found a draft note from January 2013 on this bar. I may have started the review and not published it, then started a new post in march. Here's the draft:
ReplyDeleteThe bar is thinly molded, giving it a delicate presence on the tongue. The most noticeable flavor is a butterscotch/caramel thread. Very little bitterness, and a short aftertaste. A good bar, but little that is memorable. 7.0
After opening the bar, which I bought several months ago, I noticed the Best Before date of September 16, 2012. Perhaps the bar was not at its peak condition, so take that into account with my review.