Fresco 211 Ghana 73%cocoa

Fresco 211 Ghana, Medium roast, medium conche.

Rich chocolate base, some nutty notes. Low bitterness, minimal aftertaste. Enjoyable, though not remarkable. 7.7

That completes my survey of the various Fresco bars, with various roast and conche processes.  My conclusions?  Looks like I like the medium and lower conche process better, and the dark roast better than the medium roast (none of the bars were made with "light" roast).  I generally really like Madagascar origin cocoa, but those rated lower with medium roast and long and medium conche.

The only other Jamaica origin bar I've tried was the Amedei I Cru Jamaica 70% cacao bar, which I rated fairly highly at 8.0.  The two Fresco Jamaican bars also were solid 8 tastes.  The highest rated Fresco bars were the two from the Dominican Republic, and I have more experience with cocoa from that country.  However, two were rated in the range of 6 (Mast Brothers Dominican Republic 81% cacao at 6.2 and Dagoba Conacado Dominican Republic 73% cacao at 6) and two were rated 8 or higher (Rogue Chocolatier Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) 70% cocoa at 8.3 and David Bacco Chocolatier Elvesia Dominican Republic 74% cocoa at 9.2)

Certainly manufacturing processes directly lead to one's taste experience with chocolate bars. I can see how the changes used in the Fresco series had effect with same-origin cocoa and how similar processes had differing results with different-origin cocoa.  So if you are thinking of making your own bars from cocoa beans, be ready to try different processes in order to find the best results.

Fresco 213 Domincan Republic 72% Cocoa

Fresco 213, Domincan Republic. Dark roast, no conche

The material from Fresco Chocolates describes a conche of "none" as "primitive, natural, pungent, not appropriate for all cocoa, exquisite for some.  For this bar, it resulted in "exquisite" and not at all "pungent."  It has very subtle flavors (possibly some cherry), low bitterness and a very pleasing aftertaste.

The "tasting instructions" on the bar says "Break off small pieces, smell aroma, do not chew, let melt on tongue." When I taste a chocolate, I always taste in this manner, but I also like to try a piece chewed, as this gives me a very different perspective. For this bar, though, the complexity and subtlety is lost when chewed. Follow the instructions!  9.3

Fresco 209 and Fresco 210 Jamaica 70% Cocoa

Fresco 209, Jamaica. Dark roast, subtle conche

Great burst of flavor on initial taste. The taste is reminiscent of walnut and sage.  The aftertaste is fairly strong and bitter, but the experience is not diminished.  Very interesting and complex bar.  8.5

Fresco 210, Jamaica. Dark roast, medium conch

The flavor burst is reduced with this bar. There is a more constant flavor level, from initial taste through after taste.  The sage is dialed up, the walnut dialed down. The aftertaste is less bitter and more complementary. 8.9
 
Bar 209's label indicated it was "created" on September 6, 2010, and Bar 210 was created on September 17, 2010.  Both bars have a "Best By" date of September 2012.  So I tasted these bars while they were still in "best" condition, but I doubt that they would be any less good in October.  I wonder how this date was chosen?  If a bar is kept in excellent preservation conditions, what would be the expected length that the bar can remain in "same as new" taste condition?

Fresco 215 and Fresco 216 Madagascar 74% Cocoa

215 Madagascar. Medium roast, medium conche

The citrus flavor is slightly more prominent. The bitterness is reduced, though still present. The clean aftertaste is maintained.  7.9

216 Madagascar. Medium roast, long conche

Citrus undertone, some bitterness. Clean aftertaste.  7.7

The difference between these two bars is very subtle. I like the medium conche better, as the flavor is more prominent, but I certainly like 216 bar too.