Sunday, August 3, 2014

Fresco Peru 225 and 226 70% cacao

These Fresco Chocolates are from Peru, and share a medium conche and 70% cacao content.  225 is a Light roast, while 226 is a Dark roast.

My first impression of 225 is "tangy" -- a citrus pop followed by cherry sweetness.  As with many 70% bars, the bitterness is low, and the aftertaste tapers smoothly. 8.1

With 226, the tangy note is less while the sweetness is increased. Rather than cherry, it comes out with a orange citrus effect. The label refers to flavors of roasted nuts and berries. I can see the latter, but I am not tasting nuts. 8.3

For these bars, the roasting level does indeed bring out different flavors, but the experience with both remains excellent. The basics of cacao sourcing and other processing steps produce a consistently high-quality product.

1 comment:

Steve said...

From the label:
"This fair trade, organic cacao comes from a cooperative of small farmers in the San Martin region of Peru near the town of Bellavista, along the Rio Hualiga River.

225: "Gentle drum roasting step develops flavors of citrus and berries. After stone grinding to achieve the ideal texture, a low temperature conche further refines an array of fruity and floral notes with an underlying chocolaty finish."

226: "Our slow, dark drum roasting develops flavors of roasted nuts and berries. After stone grinding to achieve the ideal texture, a low temperature conche further flavors of chocolate, roasted nuts and coffee."