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. 

Fresco Chocolate

Rounding out the bars I picked up during my visit to Cocova in July are two bars by Fresco Chocolate. What caught my eye about them was information on the bar about how they were made. Both bars are from Madagascar, and they were made in December of last year. The label also shows the type of roast and conche of the beans. Roasting was "medium" for both bars, but the coaching was "medium" for bar 215 and "long" for bar 216.  This will allow me to see what the different conching levels make to the taste of the bars.

What is "roasting" and "conching"? Visit the Fresco Chocolate website for a lot of great information on the chocolate making process: www.frescochocolate.com: Making Chocolate

After returning to San Francisco, I made a visit to my go-to store, Chocolate Covered, and found four more bars from Fresco. This will give me additional dimensions on which to compare and experience how these bars were made. I'm looking forward to it!

Chocolat Bonnat Madagascar 75% Cacao

Some citrus flavors underlie the taste, quite typical for a Madagascar origin chocolate. The bitterness is well balanced, with a mild aftertaste. Pleasant, though not exceptional. 7.7

This is another bar that I acquired during my visit to Cocova in D.C. There were several bars from this brand there, so I selected the Madagascar origin bar, a favorite of mine.

$11.50 / 100 Grams

www.bonnat-chocolatier.com (French)

I brought up the manufacturer's site in my Chrome browser, and it offered to translate it from French to English. Agreeing, the page came up with the text translated -- pretty well. It's a good option when a site does not have an English translation of its own.

Vestri I Classici Amargo 81% cocoa

Rich in cocoa, and a resulting bitter start, middle and end. The aftertaste is long and bitter. There is some cherry underneath this most prominent thrust. 7.0

In early July I visited Washington, DC for the Atlas Summit. During my stay I found a chocolate store that appeared to have some interesting products, Cocova. It is located near DuPont Circle, so I took Metro over and walked the few blocks to the store. It was hot! I was slightly concerned about the product I might buy, that it might succumb to the heat. Fortunately, my focus is on dark chocolate, which stands up pretty well to high temperatures.

The store was a nice relief for the heat. It is small, and located below ground level and well air-conditioned. There was good variety in the store, though not as extensive as my favorite stores in San Francisco.

The Vestri bar was by far the nicest packaged of the bars on display, but the price was high! $15.25 for 75 grams (2.6 ounces). I had not heard of this brand, but I had great experience with other Italian brands, so I thought it would be worth a try. My evaluation is that it is not worth the price.

www.vestri.it

Recchiuti Chocolate Art Piece

On one of my occasional (okay, regular) visits to the Recchiuti store in the Ferry Building, I noticed something different -- they called this a Chocolate Art Piece.  Which made me wonder, was the goal a delicious work of culinary art with a fresh aesthetic? Or was the visual impact the real focus, with the chocolate serving only as the convenient substrate?

You can judge the visual impact for yourself from the picture.  There were many available for purchase, all unique.  They reminded me of tie-dye clothing, but I imagine that they were made by spinning the chocolate and dripping the colored material on it.

As for the culinary part, my conclusion was that it was secondary.  The taste was okay, but not outstanding. I felt a little odd eating an artwork.  I would think that you would need to at some point, unless your plan is to frame it. Just don't hang it on a wall that gets sun!