Thursday, April 30, 2015

Fruition Peru Marañón 76% cacao

Maple and walnut flavors are evident at the outset, the cacao playing a secondary role. The cocoa starts to assert its authority in the aftertaste, which is quite bitter. The bitterness subsides, leaving the cacao, maple and walnut flavors as the last echoes. 7.2

www.tastefruition.com

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Charm School Chocolate Belize 70% cacao

Fruit flavors pop out, raspberry and cherry. Some bitterness on the aftertaste, but the taste is smooth and clean beforehand. Charming. 8.1

This bar is made in a suburb of Baltimore, my home town. In the 70's Baltimore adopted a nickname "Charm City." When I first saw this bar and that it was from Baltimore, I assumed the name came from the nickname.

The mold for the bar has a nice design, with the bar's logo at the top on one side, and a grid on the other. The bar has a ridge down the middle, leaving the side thin and the center thick, which provides a new mixture of bar thickness.

www.charmschoolchocolate.com

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Blanxart Philippines 71% cacao

This bar also has vanilla in its ingredient list, but it is less on the nose than experienced with the Blanxart Congo bar. However, the combo has an interesting effect, a maple syrup dimension. No bitterness, not really sweet, and some small granularity. 7.2

Blanxart Congo 82% cacao

This chocolate is quite rich in cocoa. It has some vanilla in the ingredients list. The vanilla flavor is noticeable. The aftertaste is fairly bitter, but the overall experience is worth it. 7.5

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Middlebury Chocolates Nicaragua Matagalpa 70% cacao

This bar has a caramel edge to the flavor, bordering on maple. There is some bitterness in the aftertaste, but not excessive. 7.5

middleburychocolates.com