2007年10月31日水曜日

the low-key showdown

today's conditions: pretty hungry. semi-cloudy. slight allergies to something. kinda tired.
it's a battle of the low-intensity chocolates. i only realized that now. at least the low-key chocolates anyways.


bonnat chuao
look -
nicely red-tinted. very smooth, no bubbling 9.5
smell - tart/sharp vegetative, slightly smoky woody, light minty berries, touch of cinnamon-like spice, soft slightly savory cocoa, peach pie, very slight pizza (oregano) smell, 9
taste - cocoa comes up first, slight pleasant bitter, smoky (somewhat like the theo), sweet desserty flavor (arg, caramel?), berries (blue), smoked salmon (more the smoky part, less the fishy), roasty flavor, sweet but backed up by weight, slight citrus zest, herbal cocoa, sharp tartness at finish, a bit smoky finish. coffee lingers in along with slight bitter. length very pleasant cocoa. quite long. 9
balance - very nice. a bit on the sweet side, with acid playing a very backstage role. base is very solid though, and is accentuated by some bitterness. 9
texture - very good. a slight powdery sensation 8.5

interpretation - a very mild, low key chocolate that really explores the range of what vanilla-free chocolates can taste like. while being subtle, still brings in a very wide range of flavors, makes it quite exciting to eat. a good chocolate when looking for a challenge (in terms of exploration). i like. 9 (maybe 9.5 on a good day)
summary - subtle, expressive, wide variety of smells.
-------------------------------------------------------------

domori - sur del lago
look -
earthy ashen brown. slight tiny bubbling. 9
smell - fresh, green, cedary, burnt wood, creme brulee, a high-toned sweet with low fruitiness (probably best described as a spice, maybe clove?), a crusty pie, slight chalky smell, blue cheese ketone, fragrant flowery soap, fresh bright sweet cocoa, nuttyness, 9
taste - nice glue-smelling cocoa, dry high peppery, creamy light, richer nutty taste coming in, sweet, low to no acid, slight fruitiness peeking in (cherry), creamy light, toasty, very light coffee, bitter comes in at finish, caramel, bready sensations, long somewhat smoky cocoa finish/length. 9
balance - a bit on the sweet side. there was definitely plenty of creamy "base" to back it up, but the complete lack of acid made it appear sweet. pleasant in its own way.
texture - very nice. creamy, smooth. (might have been a random nib chunk) 9

interpretation - a light, fresh and creamy chocolate. no vanilla means very easy to pick out the "high, sweet" smells that are sometimes obscured by vanilla. very interesting in that it was not very fruity. in some sense, i kinda feel like this is a very "one sided chocolate". i have this image in my mind of something all built up on one side with th other side open, but it's done very well. all light, creamy and sweet. the lack of acid sort of works to pronounce this. really interesting. 9
summary - light, creamy, sweet, low acid.
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus papousie
look -
dark brown with slight red tints. fairly smooth, but some ugly bubbling 8
smell - somewhat pineapple, somewhat peanut, soft cocoa, slight brown butter, kind of a raspberry powder, other faint fruits, vanilla, extraordinarily faint. 8.5
taste - buttery sensations, slight roasty almond, cocoa, fish pan fried with butter, rich sensations, bright tropical sensation, really ultra riche and creamy, great acid level, slight fruity cocoa, senbei, slight bitterness creeping in, fruity cocoa and roast nuts finish it off. a sharper cocoa sensation on the length, slight burnt grain flavor, length evolving into cocoa. 9
balance - near perfect. everything was aligned to my preference. all elements present (sweet, acid, in equally strength, with a touch of bitter here and there. 9.5
texture - really nice. if it wasn't for slight astringency at end, my memory of the texture would be more positive. but it's very rich and creamy. 9

interpretation - true cocoa flavor only slightly accented by vanilla, but the real excitement with this chocolate is the balance. the balance and texture. it's just so well aligned. not necessarily a very expressive chocolate, but a very very tasty "eating chocolate". no need to think, only feel. a winner in that sense. 9~9.5
summary - cocoa, great balance/texture, rich
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus tanzanie
look -
a dirty tea brown. some ugly white chunks, odd surface. 8
smell - plasticy, herbal, toasted english muffin, cocoa, fresh cut wood of some sort, slightly fruity, 8~8.5
taste - like uncooked pasta, astringency jumps in, berry sensation, kind of a gluey-cocoa, sweet, vanilla emerges then disappears, woody flavors, tartness emerges, tea?, bitter cocoa, some slight plasticy, powdery sensation, astringent cocoa finish, length is of roasty cocoa. 8
balance - decent. i felt some acid this time, but in general somewhat lacking in a "fullness" sense. 8
texture - ok, but astringency gives a more powdery sensation than expected. 8

interpretation - the uncooked pasta sensation is really quite interesting. in general a bit of a strange choco, with non-standard semi-savory elements. makes for a fun ride, but astringency makes it less than perfect. 8
summary - pasta, berries, astringent, herbal.
-------------------------------------------------------------

it's a wonderful life

2007年10月29日月曜日

cleaning house

a little bit sleepy, nice and sunny, good temperature. getting hungry but not incredibly so.


guittard - ambanja
look -
very vibrant orange brown. smooth and no bubbles. 9
smell - soft cocoa, bacon (1st impression), sweet spice (nutmeg? clove?), like sharp wood, durian, white/black pepper mix, toasty, vanilla, (jasmine rice). 9
taste - soft cocoa, vanilla, sweet spice, chestnut paste?, slight acid, somewhat sickly sweet, slightly off bitterness, perfumy woody, vanilla, slight coffee, wood-like length. 8.5
balance - on the sweet side. acid was present but not very strong. odd bitterness detracted from overall taste. 8
texture - very nice. very smooth, rich. 9

interpretation - an interesting woody and spice (and vanilla) centered chocolate. very soft, great texture. would have been up there with the greats if it wasn't so sweet and it didn't have teh slightly off bitter taste in teh middle. other than taht, enjoyable as a relaxing chocolate. 8
summary - wood/spice, vanilla, soft, great texture, odd bitterness
-------------------------------------------------------------

guittard - chuchuri
look -
fairly dark brown with polished-woody colored tints. smooth, almost no bubbling 9
smell - bright poppyseed paste, sharp candied lemon, vanilla, toasted bread crust, nutmeg (bright somewhat painful sweet spice),plant-like sharpness, cocoa. (these are all exciting to see in chocolate, just way too sharp and somewhat unpleasant). fresh apples. 8
taste - interesting. bright mustard to open, sharp poppyseed smell, very odd bitter, very sweet, soft, whoa bitter getting stronger, the taste of a sandwich with poppyseed, slight fruitiness appears and tehn hides (fresh apple), creamy-sweet-vanilla-poppyseed, bitter. length also bitter.astringency appears. 7
balance - sweet. low acid provides for little backbone, base is present but sweet is overpowering. bitter present from midway on, seems to get stronger. 7.5
texture - very nice. smooth and rich. 9

interpretation - a wacky chocolate. bitter running thru most of it is very unpleasant. but the sea of fresh and bright aromas really expands the possibilities of chocolate. sweetness is overbearing. a very unforgettable chocolate, but in a somewhat regrettable way... 7~7.5
summary - bitter, poppyseed/nutmeg, sweet (and just plain crazy)
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look -
deep brown with black sense to it. bubbling, swirling, chunkiness. 8
smell - very roasty, slightly lumber woody, dark berry jam, kind of a heavier spice, a soapiness, dried red chinese date skin, 8.5
taste - heavy cocoa, berry jam sweetness, pleasant bitter, fried japanese potato croquette, a bit of a glue-like sell, coffee's bitterness, slight twiggy smell, savory sell, some roast, finish of bitter and astringent coffee/vanilla/roasty wood. 8
balance - very good weight to it, a bit sweet feeling at times, acid seems present, just a bit of a lack of harmony. the astringency at the finish really makes it feel a bit discombobulated. the bitterness is pleasant, but the astringency is not. 8
texture - despite appearance, very nice. perhaps a slight powdery sensation due to astringency. 8.5

interpretation - dark and deep, with a fairly simplistic cocoa feel to it. at times interesing flavors dip in (spice, dried dates, even fried foods), but in general a dark roaster. astringency at finish makes this a lot less exciting than it could have been. with just the bitterness, it's a pleasant dark experience. astringency kills it. 7.5~8
summary - dark roast, astringent finish, bitter, heavy, some fruit jam
-------------------------------------------------------------

theo - ivory coast
look -
a dull ashy brown. slight bubbling. 8.5
smell - spice (clove), fresh peppery, slight sesame, wood, slightly toasty, green bright fruit, 8.5
taste - sweet, clear (not much base or acid), toasty cocoa, odd bitter emerging, spice, more spice on roasty cocoa, continuation of prev flavors, powdery, smoky, astringent and clovey finish. 7.5
balance - sweet. not a lot of base to back it up so it ends up feeling kinda watery and hollow. acid is also almost nonexistant. astringency to boot. not so pleasant. 7.5
texture - a bit powdery. slight crunches at times. 7.5

interpretation - a cleaned up version of very basic chocolate. it'd be a lot nicer without some astringent elements (and a "strange bitter") which i perceive as fault(s). otherwise it's a great exploration of spice oriented forastero cocoa. high sweet notes, woodyness. enjoyable in that sense. i'd say it's a work in progress... 7.5
summary - watery-sweet, bright sweet spice, woody, astringent
-------------------------------------------------------------

i guess you could call this tasting "house cleaning". i don't have a very good impression of any of these chocolates, and sometimes i just feel like "getting rid" of ones i'm not that fond of. so today was one of those days. i did good. there's a lot of excitement and promise in the guittards, i just think they need to get a handle on the astringent aspects as well as toning down some of the more headache-producing aromas. but i feel like some really good chocolate COULD be made from what they've already accomplished.

2007年10月27日土曜日

saturdays make good tastings

conditions: a little rainy, not too cold. dark. hungry.


domori sur del lago
look -
a dull dark brown. some tiny bubbling. 9
smell - mild cocoa, mild soil, slight fruit (maybe strawberry), coffee touch, some "creamy" smell, very very faint meaty smell, 8.5
taste - opening of dry dirt, fresh tropical note hiding, fresh wasabi smell, nuts clean light cocoa, slight fresh pepper, good texture, fair acid, a bit woody, high "creamy" taste, possibly a "dry" trop fruit,finish of cocoa, hidden candied lemon peel, 9
balance - good. base is supportive all the way, sweet never really seems to overpower. acid seems slightly lacking, but it gives it a "dryness" that goes very well with the "creamy" high notes. 9
texture - very nice. has this "micropowder" feel to it. 9

interpretation - a fresh, light and clean choco. doesn't really dip down into the typical darker chocolate flavors, making it very interesting to coast thru those high notes (without vanilla to get in the way). 8.5~9
summary - light, fresh, "creamy"
-------------------------------------------------------------

amedei ecuador
look -
a deep brown with very slight hints of redness. some tiny bubbling 9
smell - a bit of wine, some balsamic, rather acidic, slightly fermentacious, dried fig, blackberry, woody/honey at tail, tart fruit impression, slight wax, spicy wood - like a live plant u might find in a garden, [cracked in half] this herb... rosemary but softer (maybe actally eucalyptus), blueberry, (something slightly off too like rotting fruit) 8.5~9
taste - cocoa and soft vanil opening, sweet at first, move to the herby, posibly eucaluptus, slight fermentacious, wet wood, some fruit and vanilla, amedei smell (kinda boquet like), slight acid, quick whiff of mustard, soft cake-like smells, more of the woody, amedei like finish, slight ly caramelized, a touch of coffee, add a nutty element for a long finish. 8.5~9
balance - i liked it. good acid to back up sweetness (which was a little strong at first). base is present to support. 9
texture - very nice, no noticeable problems, possibly a tiny bit powdery if i think hard about it. 9

interpretation - a very "interesting" chocolate. not 100% in my "like zone" in terms of flavors. some fermentaciousness, herbal characters show that this choco is willing to deviate from the ultra-flowery/vanilla standard of amedei. kind of untamed in a sense. still, those are put in their place by firm wood, dark red fruit and vanilla flavors. kind of a battle between the two. 8.5~9
summary - dark fruit, woody, fermentacious. (long finish)
-------------------------------------------------------------

(orange)
michel cluizel - conception (venezuela)
look -
a softer brown, with very slight orange tints. slight bubbling on surface. 9
smell - piney, caramelly, sweet fruit, mexican food, mint, slight reminder of bacon at tail, potpurri, cinnamon, [crack open] soap, some szechwan spice, slight acid, some vanilla 9
taste - cocoa, sweetness, acid all open, cruise into a rich nutty flavor, some dry cocoa, vanilla, caramel popcorn, milky sweetness, sight wood amongst caramel, vanilla creeps back in, some smoky now appears, nutty (like pecan maybe) slight touch of coffee as nearing end, sweet/tart/base clean finish. coffee and slight planty smell linger on finish. 9
balance - a bit on the sweet side (66%), but base almost manages to hold it up. almost. acid present is very pleasant. 8.5
texture - very very smooth and rich. 9~9.5

interpretation - not as complex or explosive as i would have expected from the smells. really an enjoyable journey thru all that caramelized action, fruit, cocoa and vanilla. acid is really appropriate. makes for a very "full" experience. that's the feeling i often get from cluizel. a very full, well rounded experience. this one in particular had a nice acid edge that expressed itself in the flavors as well. 9
summary - acid, caramelly, cocoa, rich, rounded.
-------------------------------------------------------------

valrhona - manjari
look -
a "chalky" brown. i guess it has some white tone to it. some very tiny bubbling. 9
smell - chocolate, slight berry, vanilla, sweet metallic smell, raspberry?, croissant, orange liquer, faint incense, waxy 8.5
taste - nice acidity, a bit of some sharp smoky cocoa, settles into a sharp caramel with possibly orange peel influence, frosting-like orange liquer, minty interjection, round, red fruit (from acid), vanilla too, tart cocoa powder, more sharp caramel, then coffee, a dry toasty cocoa length. ever so slightly astringent at finish. (addendum - some "potato" tastes, goes together with smoky) 8.5
balance - nice. despite low cocoa content does not seem to be all that sweet, possibly due to acid, but possibly due to slight bitterness. 9
texture - good. slight powdery feel at times. 8.5

interpretation - acidic, from the start, really expresses fruit and cocoa well. caramelly things drift in and out thru the whole thing. orange and red fruit kind of go back and forth. has a lot of character for a choco produced at this scale. a bit rought in the smoky/slightly bitter aspects, but can be overlooked. feels very "smoothed" the same way a river pebble is smooth. maybe not any particularly astounding or "new" elements, but what's there is balanced and pleasant. 8.5~9
summary - polished, fruity, acidic, slight smokyness.
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus tanzanie
look -
dark brown, black tints. some ugly bubbling, chunkiness. 8
smell - berries (jam),light coffee, something herbal..., possibly pickled ginger,
taste - bitter, the pasta taste, dry cocoa smell, herbal, slight slight charred almon, plain cocoa powder, lighter minty herbal smell, kinda green planty, more cocoa and planty smells, richness to texture, blance decent a bit astringent, woody, more of the woody pasta, a kind of offensively simple cocoa, continues on for astringent finish. 8
balance - not so hot. a bit sweet, a bit bitter. sort of like it has two very strong poles, but not much in the middle. 8
texture - pretty good minus the astringency. also there was some random distracting chunk of something in there. 8

interpretation - astringent, roasty and fairly plain choco. simple in a sense. kind of herbal/plant-like in it's cocoa smell. not the soft sweet stuff of the domori, or the fruitiness of the cluizel. wish it wasn't so astringent. 7.5~8
summary - roasty, herbal cocoa, astringent.
-------------------------------------------------------------

that was a very enlightening tasting. i found a way that helps me focus my sense of smell. sensitivity is slowly increasing, and that makes enjoyable chocolates all the more enjoyable. if i were to give a favorite for this tasting, it'd prob be the cluizel. it was fiery to the smell but performed solidly on the taste. i would usually lean towards an amedei, but ecuador is particularly fermenty and medicinal, and i wasn't exactly happy with that. domori would be up there too (possibly #2), i just think it's a bit too soft and a bit too gentle to make a strong enough impression to beat out cluizel. but a fresh and clean vanilla-free chocolate is always welcome.... i was also surprised at manjari's quality for the price level. a good, enjoyable eating chocolate.

2007年10月25日木曜日

simple variety

conditions: hungry. nice and cool, sunny morning. a little bit rushed, had some difficulty concentrating


pralus tanzanie
look -
dark roasty brown. bubbling and chunkiness. 8
smell - chocolate wafer cookie, slight berry, some light coffee, more berry, slight mintiness, fruit tea
taste - cocoa and some sharp bitter tastes at opening, roasted pleasant smells, vanilla creep in, richer tastes, pasta like smell, slight tobacco for a moment, reminds of a pumpkin custard, acidity kicking in, dry astringent roast takes over at finish,length of that and cocoa, a bit of peaty whisky. 8.5
balance - reasonable, but astringency throws things off. it's as though all the proper elements are present (acid, sweet, base) but the astringency and occasional bitterness kind of throw everything out of whack and make it imbalanced. 7.5
texture - decent, but a bit grainy. 8

interpretation - a very roast centered pralus. astringency can be considered interesting, but ends up just seeming like a flaw, esp when it distracts and throws things out of balance. 8
summary - roasty, astringent, dark berries on nose only.
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus papousie
look -
brown with slight orange tint. lots of ugly bubbling/swirling/lumpiness 8
smell - vegetative - kabocha with skin, tea, vanil, some musky flower, roasted seed, very cocoa-y. roast, buttery, cocoa, sweet kabocha smell.
taste - slight sweet, good base, cocoa, vanila, tiny bit ofmushromy, cocoa, some kabocha with skin, buttery, rich, some roast nut (maybe pecan), onderfully rich and balanced, not over-buttery, long enjoyable cocoa, extraordinarily clean and focused. 9
balance - near perfect. weight really sells this choco. almost like eating nothing at all. 9.5~.... 10??
texture - very nice. rich and smooth with a lightness not present in venezuela

interpretation - a very simple choco. very simple. mostly just cocoa for aromas. but the balance and the "stability" of it a are really remarkable. eating it is a long drawn-out experience in straight chocolate with no interference. very interesting (in the way it has no variety or development!). 9
summary - balanced, smooth, cocoa. pure.
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus java (couverture)
look -
rich dark brown, swirling, tiny bubbles 8.5
smell - slightly woody, meaty, some mint, touch of cumin?, buttery choco,
taste - coffee like, roasted twigs, blendy, very even acid, some fruit notes pop up (dark, pruney kind of), metallic butter pralusroast, butter pastry, end of roasted burnt popcorn, slight sweet. mild coffee with mostly roasty blend on finish. 9
balance - nice. sliggghtly sweet. other than that, very balanced. 9
texture - very smooth, felt somewhat rich. 9

interpretation - somewhat lacking in intensity and character, but some very nice balance and texture. a good, easy chocolate. 9
summary - simple, blendy, roast.
-------------------------------------------------------------

theo ivory coast
look -
chalky brick brown. fine looking, some tiny bubbling 9
smell - beans, sharp smell, chalk, slight roasty, dry smell, light with some fruit elements, maybe a bit of blue cheese element,
taste - sweet, bpowdery, chalky, indian spice, roasty, vegetative, bitter, somewhat like a deodorant, some more spice, something starchy. 7.5~8
balance - not so great, acidity not found, base is low, astringent and bitter quite noticeable. also a bit sweet. 7.5
texture - so so. a bit powdery 8

interpretation - feels "real" in some sense, but just no finesse or balance. a lot of dry sensations, a bit strong in certain spice or vegetal smells. not so great. 7.5~8
summary - dry, imbalance, spice
-------------------------------------------------------------

domori sur del lago
look -
tree-bark brown. lots of tiny bubbling, no major surface probs tho 9
smell - roasted sunflower seed, mild cocoa, slight woodyness, dry smell, creamy (coconut?) smell, bread crust, slight soil, 8.5~9
taste - light creamy aromas, cocoa nibs, fruit - maybe pineapple, rich cooa, back to light and creamy, blue cheese, creamy texture, good balance with slight acid, feels light, possibly a tiny bit dry in some sense, (not unpleasant), very light touch of coffee, mild/clean cocoa, slight soilyness at end, more creamy sensations/aromas. not properly identifyingthem, but very light and pleasant 9
balance - nice. a bit on the sweet side, possibly lacking some base. acid plays nice background role, but not quite up to the sweetness level 8.5
texture - very smooth. in an odd way, a bit "dry" preventing it from having the "richness" of the pralus (esp venez/papousie) 9

interpretation - very pleasant, creamy and light experience. any cocoa present was very clean. a tiny bit of soil-factor adds interest to the cocoa. all in all, very light and slightly fresh. a bit lacking in "roundness", but very nice considering just cocoa and sugar. 9
summary - light, creamy, fresh
-------------------------------------------------------------

i'm finding the pralus papousie very impressive in that it's so simple, yet so well executed. i'm also becoming a big fan of the domori. if it was only a little rounder. although, maybe that's what makes it so attractive -- that it has its own unique personality

2007年10月23日火曜日

two new chocolates!

slightly cloudy, fairly hungry. hopefully not so hungry as to interfere with tasting
two new chocolates!! this should be exciting...


pralus tanzanie
look -
(same as usu) brown brown, bubbling, a bit of chunkiness 8
smell - berries, slight cocoa, nice berry jam, peach pie, slight vanil?, toasty leaves, (seem to be picking up a lot of the sweet, fruity aromas) 8.5
taste - biter, plain cocoa powder, fruity jam on choco pancakes, brownies, evolves to lighter and softer berries with cocoa, coffee emerges, roasty leaves, vanilla touch, coffee and bitter astringency continue, dark bread, finish mostly of cocoa and dried leaves, length is decent, but nothing new (same as tastes). a bit more astringency lingering at back of throat 8
balance - reasonable. astringency kind of throws things off, brings out sweet and bitter-astringent elements, hiding acidity. body is also somewhat subdued. feels a bit out of balance. 8
texture - seemed decent, a slight "powdery" sensation may have been due to astringency

interpretation - a decent chocolate with strong cocoa feeling. it's just that the astringency tends to throw things off. kind of feels incomplete in the sense that there are some nice powerful cocoa flavors, but the finnesse of a good finish is lacking 8
summary - roasty, cocoa, berry jam, astringency
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus papousie
look -
dark brown, fine looking inside but backside has tons of ugly bubbling and swirling. 7.5
smell - faint flower, faint mint. somewhat of a doughy essence (very faint smell), strawberry?, reminds me of a tea cafe, very mild, a touch of cocoa, like a raspberry tea? 8~8.5 (too mild to really get any enjoyment)
taste - light vanil opening, cocoa, some bitter, tea flavors, fairly rich, vanilla and cocoa, very pleasant light combo, a little worried about stange bitter lurking in back, extremely balanced and round. vanilla and cocoa on length. gently fades. (still continuing!) 8.5
balance - very good. very harmonious. acid, sweet and base all seemed to be present in equal amounts. very soft, allows for enjoyment of extremely subtle tastes 9.5
texture - very nice. felt velvety and rich, but not as "overly rich" as pralus venezuela

interpretation - a bit too subtle on the flavors and aromas, but the taste balance was dead on. that is, except for the extraneous odd bitterness. not even sure if that was somehow carried over from the last one. either way, thatprevented this tasting from becoming a nine. 8.5
summary - very mild cocoa/vanil, great balance, soft
-------------------------------------------------------------

amedei - toscano black 63%
look -
brown, hinting on the lighter side. smooth, tiny tiny bubbling 9
smell - very fruity leather smell, wine, beany, vanilla, smoke, slight licorice possibly, sweet high note, (cracked choco open) very flowery fruit [sim to vanil + strawberry], olives, slight herbal touch, touch of pepper, powdered dried raspberry (if that existed). 9~9.5
taste - weet, soily-treelike, vanilla, flowery, touch of coffee? hazelnut?, red fruit, ambrosial honey, acid tucked away but present, slight breadiness, sweetness very powerful, a bit of smoky whiskey, finish continues with that flavor (along with a sweetness), length continues with long notes of vanilla-flowery-fruit (somewhat signature-ish of amedei) 9
balance - just a bit too sweet. made it tough to focus on the other flavors of the chocolate. everything was still somehow balanced, acid supporting in the background, with good base to hold it all up. 8.5
texture - nice, possibly a tiny bit powdery. 8.5

interpretation - a nice flowery and fruity chocolate. somewhat "simplified" (more subtle flavors lost) due to high level of sweetness. that's really my only complaint. i really would have liked to have seent the flavors i was getting on the nose when i was tasting it. regardless, very pleasant, and not too mild.
summary - sweet, vanilla/flowery/fruity, bold
-------------------------------------------------------------

amedei - trinidad
look -
slight orange-red tint. tiny bubbling. 9
smell - minty, somewhat "exotic smell" (clove, flowery trop fruit), a bit of vanilla, soil, kind of vegetative, a little bit sweaty leather. really kinda lost here. there's a dominating smell of something dry woody maybe? exotic spice? wet driftwood?, dried prunes, (cracked open at this point) lavender, sweet vanilla, pineapple?, honey, spice, 9
taste - interesting woody opening, dried prune, winey dark fruit, honey, sweetness emerges, woody, acid now developing, a little bit dry in this fruity sense, a bit soily, woody cocoa, slightly potpurri, slightly coffee and vanilla on finish, as well as original fruit. long length of dark things. 9
balance - felt a bit off the mark, but not bad. all of the elements were present, i just can't say it was harmonious. acid shooting out at times, other times sweetness overpowering. 8~8.5 (i'm only being harsh because amedei has a high standard)
texture - fairly powdery. 8

interpretation - very interesting with a lot of character. "mysterious" woody and dried prune flavors drift in and out, giving it a dark feeling without actually having any typical roasty dark chocolate aromas. if i associated a color with this, it'd be some sort of transparent black, if that makes any sense. black because of the "darkness" of the flavors, but transparent because it wasn't heavy or roasty chocolatey. 8.5~9
summary - dark, mysterious, dried fruit/wood
-------------------------------------------------------------

(green one)
michel cluizel - los ancones (saint dominguez)
look -
orange tinted wood-brown, very fine looking. 9
smell - the meat in mabo dofu, spice mix, slight sweet tone hiding, cinnamon?, one other smell i can't pin down (kind of minty kind of smoky kind of dill-like), [crack open], munster cheese, fermenacious cocoa, roasted peanut 9 (very lively)
taste - sweet, slight vanilla, spice, mabo tofu, slight nutty, flowers/fruit, more roast nut, slight caramel, a little bit pencil lead, really really nice smoky chestnut, blending to gentle cofee, (realy getting exciting now),sweet roasty nut, coffee caramel on length. very nice. 9.5
balance - very nice. a bit on the sweet side, but base really evens things out, and of course there is acid to spare (this being cluizel and all) 9
texture - very good. 9~9.5

interpretation - amazing. i really like this one. really fits my personality. savory spice character, roast nuts, chestnut. the ending was really superb. this is definitely my favorite cluizel. possibly my favorite of this tasting too. this one is wild and exciting like mangaro, but rather than a fruit bomb, it's very focused on aforementioned flavors. (if only he cut the sugar just a tad...) 9.5
summary - exciting, spice/nuts/creamy, a bit sweet
-------------------------------------------------------------

wow, the ending of the michel cluizel (los ancones) was really an eye opener. i remember having liked that chocolate a long time ago, but now i know why. very enjoyable. i don't want to eat anything for a while...
as for the others, trinidad was fun and intersting, but not necessarily one you could relax to. toscano black was a bit mild in the sense that it felt like a generic amedei - pleasing but doesn't deviate from norm. pralus papousie was a bit soft and subtle for me. i'd like to give it another tasting before i rate it too harshly.

2007年10月21日日曜日

after a 107 mile bike ride

the next day. a little sleepy (from all that good sleeping). sun is shining, makes me feel great. like it's california or something.

--------

guittard - ambanja
look - light chestnut brown, no bubbles, smooth 9

smell - dried papery smell, kind of beany, a little nutmeg, slight smoky, some vanilla, like the sweet potatoes at the soul food place, more vanil, 8.5
taste - milky vanilla, sweet cocoa, slight coffee, develops stronger, blakcberry, woody, mild, sweet, lowish acid, some uncleaninliness at the back of throat, finish also somewhat bitter, faint, length cuts out. 8
balance - ok. sweet, slight acid to back up, decent weight. i guess my feeling is that a chocolate this sweet deserves a litte "weightier" acid 8
texture - very nice. smooth and rich melt

interpretation - a good mild chocolate, fairly sweet. clean in most senses, just a bit odd on the back of the throat. enjoyable gentle smells, although vanilla seems to dominate. good. 8~8.5
summary - mild, sweet, vanilla
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look -
blackish brown, heavy bubbling, odd little chunks
smell - fruitstand, particularly grapes and berries, herbal candles, dried raspberry, choco, slight coffee. fairly faint. wax. 8
taste - dried pasta, cocoa, bitter, develops to cofe, fruit (berries), bitter, tea l(dark, cocoa, slight mint, roasty, roasty length. cuts out after a bit to leave bitter taste behind. 7.5~8
balance - on the bitter side. decent weight, but low acid. sweetness not too evident due to bitter. just seems a bit confused. 7.5
texture - decent. a bit powdery feeling, but the random chunk gives it minus points. 7

interpretation - a fairly roasty approach to a so-so quality cocoa. i think it was managed well, and negative elements were subdued, but couldn't be eliminated. bitter was a bit strong, but variations on bitter and roasty theme kept it interesing, as well as the occasional fruit. balance was off. 7.5
summary - roasty, bitter, imbalanced, slight fruit
-------------------------------------------------------------

pralus - venezuela
look -
a very "straight" brown. minimal bubbling, smooth texture. 9
smell - brown butter, slight sesame, minty or dill, like pasteurized milk, apricots, slight vanil, some herbal?, roast, 9
taste - rich and smooth, roast, the butter smell, slight minty, dark roast nuts, toasty, acid comes in , slight fruity, mettalic sheen (minty?), roasty finish, slight pleasant bitter at end some vanil, good lenghth of roast and slight vanil, milk. 9
balance - very good, acid playing a background supporting role to the sweetness. good solid weight. bitter present in avery pleasant form. fairly harmonious. 9
texture - excellent. rich and smooth. so rich, really. 9.5

interpretation - a rich and smooth texture for a very roast-focused chocolate. but the roast isn't some plain old harsh burnt feeling, but a very pleasant butter/milk sensation. texture really really adds to the enjoyment. the only thing more i could ask for from this chocolate is a bit of variety on the taste. otherwise excellent. 9
summary - rich, butter roasty, very smooth
-------------------------------------------------------------

domori - sur del lago
look -
kind of a chalky brown, decent bubbling, swirling. 8
smell - light fresh green, coconut?, toasty, piney? no, a bit of swimming pool, a nice nut, 8.5
taste - fresh green bitter, (interesting contrast), somewhat creamy, cocoa, slightly meaty, a bit of soily mushrooms, slight fruit on finish, a bit dry. length is a bit odd. 8
balance - good, but seems a bit low on acid. a bit of a "light and dusty" chocolate due to that. 8
texture - chunkiness. other than that extremely fine. 8

interpretation - interesting chocolate. a lot of fresh tastes which were enjoyable. creaminess too. was a shame the texture was ruined by the chunks
summary - creamy, fresh, lightweight
-------------------------------------------------------------

i have no idea why i have such a bias for the pralus venezuela. it's not necessarily the most delicate or complex chocolate. maybe it's that it's so "soothing". plus those really "unique" flavors of browned butter. maybe that's what i really want in a chocolate, or at least it's a flavor i strongly associate with something of that color, so when it fits my expectations, i'm pleased.

all across the world

nicely hungry, a slight bit tired. sun is shining. good conditions overall for tasting.
-----------------------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look -
dark brown - significant bubbling, bad texture, odd white things (like little sugar crystals?)
smell - flowery with a bit of berry, like some good oolong, slight herbal or plantyness, a bit of meaty cocoa, malt ball smell, cranberry, blueberry jam, 8.5
taste - light cocoa astringent start, some roasty, watery pasta, slight caramel, coffee, fruity with meaty component, nutty roast, slight acidity peeks out, bitterness hangs in, woody and roasty length, seems to fade somewhat quickly. 8
balance - reasonable. sweet and bitter + astringent tend to dominate, but with a slight acidity that sort of gives it this "hollowed out" feeling. interesting. 8
texture - ok, a bit rough 7.5

interpretation - decent chocolate, just a bit hollow. also doesn't relly come thru on the promises that the smell gives off. where is the fruit? i guess it's in there, but it's not nearly as pleasant as the smell, probably due to excessive roasting and astringency. 7.5~8
summary - roasty, hollow, astringent, berry smells
-------------------------------------------------------------


amedei - toscano black 66%
look -
a medium brown with a purple-red tinge. fine looking texture, tiny bubbling 9
smell - very woody up front, somewhat... winey or grapey, some sharp aroma - possibly fermentacious, vanilla, beeswax lies beneath, a bit of hazelnut, kind of milk chocolatey, some raspberry, slight soil beneath. 8.5~9
taste - sweetness, cocoa and vanilla opening, slight honeyed accent, shifting into acidic phase, some red berry fruit, toasty coffee, woody cask, gentle honey-like tastes, nice level of acid, sweetness also prevailing, a bit of toasty, a vanilla and woody length, turns slightly bitter. perfumy length really lingering 8.5~9
balance - a bit on the sweet side. base was present to support sweet > acid balance. pleasant
texture - very good, possibly a tiny bit of powdery feel

interpretation - this one loses a few points for not being bold enough. i feel like it was pretty timid, never really ventured out to show anything off. i guess that's the point of these blends tho. still, i could have used more excitement. regardless, winey/woody tastes complimented by honey/perfume is hardly something to complain about. amazing lenght. 8.5~9
summary - mild, sweet, woody/fruity, slight honey/perfume
-------------------------------------------------------------

michel cluizel - mangaro (madagascar)
look -
a lightish brown, not much in terms of red. some slight bubbling 9
smell - (smelling loads of fruit after opening the wrapper) rich fruity, cocoa and meaty smells. smoke, red fruit, vanilla, fertilizer, peanutty, tropical fruits, somewhat of a plasticy, orange, significant acid, the woody peel of some fruit-- what is it??, slight minty hiding in back, cherries? 9
taste - sweet and tart, caramel and fruit at opening, develops cocoa, nuts, fruit, fairly tart, guava, pineapple, meaty cocoa, more pineapple, slight dustiness in cocoa, more caramel, fudge tasting, tart, vanilla, red fruit on finish. also some interesting nutty(pistachio?), some whisky. very intersting finish, lingers for some time. 9
balance - sweet and tart. very lively. a good base as well. 9
texture - very good. 9.5

interpretation - an intense experience with loads of "high intensity" fruit. really gets in your face with it. acidity, fruit (esp tropical) and meaty cocoa are all very strongly imprinted in memory. really powerful. not much finesse, but i guess u can't have both. personally, if it was a tiny bit less sweet, this would be up in my favorites. a really fun-filled, exciting chocolate 9
summary - intense, exciting, acidic, tropical fruit, meaty cocoa
-------------------------------------------------------------


lindt - ecuador
look -
dark brown withreddish tinge, some tiny bubbling 9
smell - strong perfumy, woody, vanilla, cinnamon, a very blendy smell, apple cinnamon cake, possibly cloves, vanilla, green tropical fruit, very intense, somewht simple in that way 8.5
taste - significant bitter, roasty and spice smells, slightly burnt feeling, strong nutty wood sense, kind of nutmegggy, a bit flat (sweet and bitter only), more nutmeg, bitter/astringent roasty touched finish. 6.5-7
balance - so so. no acid for support. lots of bitter. 7
texture - not really any problems. 9

interpretation - this choco is wack. from teh smells you'd expect something smooth and round, but that's not the case at all. loads of bitterness and astringency await in the mouth. not to mention the flavors are far less refined when actually eating it. very strange. not a big fan, despite interesting smells. 6.5~7
summary - nice spice aromas, off taste.
-------------------------------------------------------------


(this tasting may be a bit rushed, not to mention awful bitter left behind by prev choco)
domori - sur del lago (venezuela)
look -
dark brown with slight red tint. tiny bubbling present in large amt. quite an appetizing color actually 9
smell - nutty, roasty smells, slight fermentacious, very interesting... marker?, pretty low intensity, a little bit of stink, some leathery tree branches, peppery maybe, 8
taste - peppery, blue cheese, bitter, fermenty sweet, coffee, pineapple? odd cocoa nib, creamy, interesting fruit, amazing texture, like a gently cheese, light sweet cocoa finish. 9
balance - quite nice. a little bit of acidity, mostly sweet countered well with base. 9
texture - amazing. perhaps my favorite. however, the random crunchy bit of cocoa nib is a big minus. if it wasn't for that, this texture would be in the 9.5~10 range

interpretation - very interesting. i like it. development all over, especially the light slightly fruity and fermenty flavors. creamy as well. texture is really great. i have no idea what the random woody nibs are doing in there. a thoughtful choco, and a refreshing change from vanilla and fruit heavy chocolates. 9
summary - interesting fruit/fermenty, very nice texture, random cocoa nibs.
-------------------------------------------------------------

i was very impressed this time by domori. glad i picked up 2 from chocosphere's bargain basement! lindt was disappointing. amedei... was a gentle one. cluizel was firey. a very "all over the board" tasting

2007年10月15日月曜日

discovery of the poppyseed paste chocolate

in relatively good condition for tasting, a bit sleepy and slightly "down", but should be ok....


pralus - tanzanie

look - dark brown, bubbling, lumpiness on back surface 8
smell - 1(berry jam, vanilla), 2(dried green japanese tea), 3(herbal, slight cocoa), 4(peach), in general fairly fruity 8
taste - floury, doughy cocoa, bitter/astringent, reminds of pasta water, meaty, dried plants and herbs, somewhat nutty, roast, choco cake, slight woody finish. roasty cocoa lingers 7.5
balance - decent. a bit "hollow" - a lot of astringent, some bitter, as well as some sweet. sort of a lack of coordination 7
texture - fairly good, felt grainy at times possibly due to astringency 8

interpretation - roasty and astringent, nose being somewhat different than taste. there were some decent hints and expectations of fruit on the nose, yet the roast, herbalness and astringency hid any fruit that might have been tehre. a bit odd really... 7.5
summary - fruity nose, astringent roasty taste
-------------------------------------------------------------

valhrona - gran couva
look - brown-brown-red (sort of like NNW). fine-looking texture, tiny bubbling noticeable, but smooth overall 9
smell - 1(vanilla, beaniness, very slight fermentacious) 2("toasted" leaves), 3(coffee beans) 4(cooked lentils) 5(fermentacious, burnt popcorn) 6(domori) 7(cracker) 8(very slight pepperiness) 8
taste - slight beany, random trop fruit at opening, vanilla, fermentacios, carpet, beaniness, smell found in german white wines, more vanil and beany, slight coffee, roasty, reminds me of this park i went to when iwas a kid. fades to the carpet-like beany finish, some vanilla hinting. 8
balance - sweet, but in balance. "weight" seems to be the main counterbalance to the sweetness. little noticeable acid. 8.5
texture - very nice, smooth and "rich" feeling - 9

interpretation - somewhat simple in its tendency to lean towards fermentacious, beany and vanilla. tended to take those 3 aspects and play variations on the theme thru the duration of it. pleasant, but there's a bit of this "offness" that hides in the fermentacious (the carpet smell) - 8
summary - beany, vanilla, fermentacious. sweet.
-----------------------------------------------------------

michel cluizel - maralumi (papua new guinea)
look -
a solid brown-red. smooth, but some bubbling on back. texture looks very fine - 9
smell - 1(middle eastern spice, fruit), 2(toasty, cocoa powder), 3(burnt something - indian something - possibly the daal), 4(slight honey), 5(vanilla, some desert flavor), 6(that's it! it's slightly burnt dried chilis), 7(dry nuttyness -roasty), 8(a bit of a meaty cheesy stink, slight acid smells), 9(nutty baked good) -- 9
taste - slight cocoa vanil, roast emerges, nutty meatiness, gripped by the sweet/acid meatiness, toasty nut, bitterness, a fruit paste, vanilla, fruit laden cocoa, bitter twang, roast some coffee, roast of chilis, slightly spice cakey, long long finish of meaty fruity cocoa. 9
balance - very nice. sweet, but acid and base and bitter all come together to make it a very balanced experience. acidity was definitely intense. 9
texture - really good. can't say anything bad about it. 9.5

interpretation - a very exciting choco. not so delicate. i'd say pretty fire-y. esp since it has all these meaty characteristics. lots of variety, development, acidity. just really a fun one to explore. it's hard not to give it a 9. (it's just that i think about the amedeis that i've given 9s, and they're very different). fine, it gets a 9 for excitement
summary - exciting, lively, meaty, fruity, spice (indian)
-------------------------------------------------------------

guittard - chuchuri (colombia)
look -
brownish brown-red. smooth looking, only tiny tiny bubbles 9
smell - 1(poppyseed - like in a poppyseed cake. i can't believe i didn'tfigure this out before) 2(poppyseed with a twang of lemon rind) 3(possibly nutmeg, vanilla), 4(some fruity hint) 5(intense intense) 6(slight lime) 7.5
taste - cool, sweet, candy-like, poppyseed, lemony, piney, bubblegum, slight bitter, sweet, low acid, candy , continues, bitter astringent at finish, poppy seed finish. some unpleasantness. 7.5
balance - very sweet, plus sharp astringency not so pleasant. 6.5
texture - very nice. smooth. 9

interpretation - just too weird for me. it's kind of nice, but just the way it's so candy-like turns me off. the poppyseed is certainly interesting, but can't u show me anything else? the bitter astringency at the end definitely kills things
summary - sweet, candy-like, poppyseed, astringent
-------------------------------------------------------------

theo - ivory coast
look -
dark brown with fairly light reddish tint. slightly grainy looking, tiny bubbles 8
smell - soapy, chalky, dry cocoa, some unexpected spice (clove like, maybe nutmeg), cocoa, slight fruit and vanilla hints, but mostly the prev stuff 7.5
taste - opens cocoa-y, bitter, banana-peely, slight grainy, sweet, cocoa, roasty, dry nutty, finish wth some coffee, length is of bitter cocoa 7.5
balance - not so great. a bit hollow and watery (low to no acid, sweet and bitter/astringency present without much "weight" to back it up) 7
texture - ok, a bit powdery-feeling in parts. 7.5

interpretation - just a so so chocolate. it has its moments when it surprises with a little spice or a little fruit on the nose, but the taste itself doesn't really bring anything that impressive. nice to have a bitter choco every once in a while tho. 7.5
summary - simple, bitter cocoa, coffee. hollow
--------------------------------------------------------------
so, i htink we all know what my clear favorite from this tasting was. it's nice to have been tasting a lot of these chocolates over time. perceptions change a bit as time passes, brings out new ways to view the same smells, like the chuchuri.
i actually had a revelation when i was eating this poppy seed paste pastry. i said - damn, this IS chuchuri. then when i tasted the chuchuri again today, it was confirmed. interesting how there are many ways to interpret the same smell, but also that the mind tends to come up with "substitutes" when it can't remember the "true" smell.
so i guess my smell memory is very slowly improving.
time for a little taste of the lagavulin 16 i picked up yesterday (i can taste it already in my head). and yes, it is before 10am.

2007年10月13日土曜日

saturday morning

somewhat overslept, fairly hungry, 940 start.

---------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look - dark brown, some bubbling, some weird white thing 7.5~8
smell - somewhat corned beef, slight mushroom, blue/blackberry jam, slight woody/cedary, slight flowery, 8
taste - watery pasta, cocoa, astringency, slight meaty, roasty nut, more cocoa, some bitter, ending of coffee with slight caramel hint, length fades relatively quickly, but has pleasant toasty cocoa 8
balance - sweetness and back of the throat astringency dominate. a bit odd. acidity underplayed 7
texture - ok, felt like may have been slightly larger grains than usual 7.5

interpretation - a bit bitter/astringent, roasty but no exciting or fine characteristics. 7.5~8
summary - roasty, astringent, some fruit
--------------------------------------------

pralus - venezuela
look - a brown brown. smooth, some bubbling inside 8.5
smell - stinky, butter, cumin like tacos, popcorn, meaty, slight soapy element, 8.5~9
taste - caramelly? minty? swift change to raost, popcorn, mettalic butter popcorn, some roastd nut behind the ig roast,buttery, thick melty delicious, in balance, toasty bread, some meaty tastes, so rich, rich cocoa and roasty finish. good length of roasty butter. still going with nuttiness 9~9.5
balance - very nice. fairly harmonious. perhaps on sweet side if anything, but hardly noticeable. bitter somewhat present 9
texture - excellent. so smooth and rich. one of my favorites 9.5

interpretation - a simple chocolate in that it doesn't have a wide range of flavors, mostly intense roast and those flavors that offshoot from that. however, still very enjoyable, not to mention that the texture really really sells this choco. pure simple enjoyment 9~9.5
summary - roast, nutty/butter, rich, great texture
---------------------------------------------------------------

(upper mid)
amedei - venezuela
look - very dark brown, minuscule bubbles. reddish tint. 9
smell - flowers, base soil smell, fermentacious, vanilla, wood, grape-skin thing, fruity flowers, like plums, slight incense 9.5
taste - sweet, flowers (chrysanthemum?), wow spiced woody, vanil, sweet, light pretty cocoa, more very light aromas, acidity in back, some woody elements again, powdery mouthfeel at end, clean cocoa mocha taste, sweet finish length. faint length of light sweet vanil, etc 9~9.5
balance - good, a bit on the sweet side, but i suppose that was intentional considering the floweriness of the choco 8.5~9
texture - nice. a bit powdery at the end, but other than that great 8.5~9

interpretation - sweet and flowers, some spiced refreshing woodyness. really exciting light choco. there's certainly a weight or a body anchoring it, which makes for a well rounded experience. really nice. really pleasant. not what comes to mind when u think dark chocolate 9~9.5
summary - light, sweet, flowery, rounded
---------------------------------------------------------------

bonnat - chuao
look - a brownish brown with very slight redness. slight bubbles, smooth 9
smell - a light peppery, very faint mushroomy (could be imagined), slight vegetative, light nutty, slight coconut, pine coney, slight slight flower, 8.5
taste - cocoa, slight bitter, slight fermentacious, acetic kinda smell, berry, toasty, more bitter, light glue like sensation, slight sweet nutty,good and weighty, slight bittery, some dried herbs or maybe chinese tea, more cocoa, slight frutiness, cocoa lenght, bitter sensation somewhat unpleasant, tea like. long finish, but bitter or something is messing it up 8
balance - good. very subtle and low key. nothing really stands out much, except for some slight unpleasant bitterness 8
texture - good. no problems really 9

interpretation - bitter aftertaste is killing it. a very subtle, non-commital choco. every time u think it's going to open up in a direction, it corrects itself and centers around soft cocoa. nice in that way, if only bitter wasn't lingering. 8~8.5
summary - very faint, subtle choco, bitter
---------------------------------------------------------------

all in all, this wasn't such a "sensitive" tasting. too bad, esp since i tasted some truly great chocolates. i really got a new appreciation for amedei venezuela's floweryness.

2007年10月11日木曜日

a different technique

after reading some interesting stuff from amano's "tasting guide" section, i decided that i'd try a different method. this time, rather than chewing, i just broke the piece into manageable sized chunks and let it melt slowly. it was nice since it was easier to pick out the flavors due to the slow progression. i think i may do this for future tastings as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look- dark brown, slight red tint, decent amount of bubbling, backside shows a lot of unevenness. 8
snap- good 9
smell - spiced wood, berry jam, banana peel, slight minty?, honey, some cereal, roast 8.5
taste - bitter coffe, the pasta taste, buttery taste, cacao, meaty taste, something savory - onion soup?, sweet jam, cocoa, toasty bread, slight bitter, astringent, cakey, toasty astringent finish 8
balance- so so. acid is occluded (which is ok), but astringency is too powerful. bitter also present, making interesting, but something feels lacking. sweetness pops into veiw a couple times, but it's not supported 7.5
texture- pretty good. somewhat hampered by astringency. 8

interpretation- roasty, and astringent. flavors are bitter and somewhat savory to start, then a little bit of sweet jam and cocoa show up, but are again overshadowed by roasted tastes in the end. not so delicate. 8
summary- roasty, astringent, somewhat imbalanced
------------------------------------------------------------------

valhrona - gran couva
look- brown/ dull brown, little to no bubbles. 9
snap- good 9
smell - bean like roastiness, slight fermenty, dark soil, pound cake, toasty cracker, possibly poppy seed, slight vanilla, some peachy, 8.5
taste - light nutty choco, a bit of roast, a bit fermentacious, vanilla, deep liquer, slight grahm cracker, more fermentytouch of coffe now, fruit, little more trop fruit amidst mostly coca, a bit more cofee, slightly fermentacious finish. leads to long taste. 8.5
balance- decent. too sweet. but acid and very slight bitter are present in appropriate amts. base is present, supports well 8.5
texture- very nice. a slight richness to it 9

interpretation- a fairly dark-flavored, but light intensity choco. most interesting were the subtle fermenty notes thrown in, as well as the contrasty, sweet grahm cracker and vanilla. fairly steady throughout the whole range. 8.5
summary- light roasty, grahm/cocoa, slight fermentacious
------------------------------------------------------------------

lindt - madagascar
look- light red brown. one or 2 tiny tiny bubbles. good sheen. 9
snap- good 9
smell - toasty grahm crackers, maple syrup, cinammon?, vanilla, waffles, (extremely intense), slight mushroomy, very slight radish, 8.5
taste - cocoa, slight bitter, vanilla, sweet graham cracker, buttery, baked good, odd bitter, somethng at back of throat, baked, chocolatey, slight vegetal, odd bitterness. 7
balance- decent. very sweet. lower in perceived acidity. bitterness is fairly unappealing. decent foundation/base. a bit discombobulated 7.5
texture- very smooth, very pleasing 9

interpretation- extremely powerful nose, hinting towards lots of sweet, baked tastes. particularly maple syrup things. however, taste is different. once past opening of grahm cracker etc, odd tastes seem to persist, including an off bitterness. does not come thru on promise of smells. 7.5~8
summary- maple syrup, powerful nose, off tasting bitter element
------------------------------------------------------------------

theo - ivory coast
look- dark brown with red and black tints. some very small bubbling, but in general smooth surfaces. 8.5
snap- good 9
smell - potpurri, dense, chalky, dark roasty soil, trop fruit, (all on first sniff!), tight smell, raddish feeling, somewhat headache inducing, powerful. 7.5
taste - start with light toasty, cocoa, bitter bitter, move into chalky, then light pleasant toasty bread, baking soda, light fruit backgd, toasty, sweet slightly powdery, dark forastero taste, slight red fruits, toasy bitter and chalky at end. length is somewhat toasty and bitter. 7.5
balance- on the sweet side, with fairly "unaligned" bitter and astringency. not well balanced 7
texture- a bit grainy, dry tasting 7

interpretation- not very delicate. more intersting than a supermarket "dark chocolate", but still has some mean characteristics like the bitterness and astringency. the slight fruity touch makes it intersting, but definitely nothing special. not overpowered by vanilla, so at least get a chance to taste the choco itself. not so great tho. 7 (as low as 6.5)
summary- dark, chalky, bitter, astringent, un-aligned sweet
--------------------------------------------------------

amedei - toscano black 70%
look - dark brown with reddish orange hue. smooth looking, extremely tiny bubbles in some parts 9
snap - nice, slightly soft, but that's 5g squares for u 9
smell - dark cocoa, peanut butter, roasty, a bit of soil, tree bark, beeswax candle, fruit - peach, grapeyness, new shoes, beans, orange and spice, slight vanilla, other red fruit, just amazing how incrediby complex yet clear the smells are 9
taste - cocoa and spice opening, grapey, savory, beeswax/honey, trees, mmm, rich, fruit, somewhat subdued, cocoa, toastyness, some forastero-like, rich cocoa, very dark "perfume", rich heavy texture, chocolate croissant at finish, then lengh of slight fruitiness with toasty bread? 9~9.5
balance - excellent. heavy in weight, yet not bitter or astringent. acid supports sweetness, but neither is prominent due to solid weight. feels very "chocolatey" 9~9.5
texture - very good. possibly some slight graininess, but probably just the "weight" 8.5

interpretation - excellent excellent. thoroughly a chocolate. beeswax and honey a nice touch. fruit is present but does not overpower the cocoa and toasty flavors. everything contributes to a dark chocolate that doesn't have a bitter/astringent edge. rich. beautiful. 9~9.5
summary - dark, honey, rich, clean (no bitter/astring), slight grapey
---------------------------
to do- differentiate between bitter and astringency

not such a great tasting day



i feel like my sensitivity/concentration were low. but whatever, i'll post anyways. (btw, this actually occurred 2 days ago). the theme of this tasting was 65% stuff i have, plus first real tasting of the gran couva bar i picked up (for way too much money, 600 yen, but whatever. real chocolate is rare in tokyo)

------------------------------------------------------------------

pralus - tanzanie
look - dark, slight bubbling, a bit "grainylooking"
smell - slight dark berry jam, dried leaves, a different fruit?, coffee sharpness, kind f a sndy wheaty smell, cocoa, more odd sharp sandy smell
taste - chocolate with a bready lean, coffee, fruitiness hangs thru the whole thing (berries), slight minty spot appears, more cocoa, more coffee, something intersting that's in between. cuts off quickly, leaves somewhat bitter aftertaste. sweet > acid << style="font-weight: bold;">balance - not so great, leaving a decent amount of noticeable bitter, esp in the aftertaste, where it also turns astringent
texture - ok. felt a bit rough, but may have been the effect of the astringency.
interpretation - 8
summary - dark, somewhat rough, roasty, burnt berries ------------------------------------------------------------------
guittard - ambanja (madagascar)
look - light brown, slight reddish hue. almost looks like a milk choco
smell - a lot of fruit (fairly red), some meatiness (like a dry sausage). nutmeggy, chalky, toasty. waxy candle smell, a bit like potpurri,
taste - candyness (sweet, vanil), roasty kind of... nutty, somewhat peppery, woody smells, nutmeg, very insteresting blend of smells, fairly fruity smell, (can't pick out what), some cereal at the end.
balance - fairly sweet. acid is present to back it up, but my overall feeling was that it was too sweet. decent amount of base gives it good body, but nothing too special.
texture - very nice, no noticeable problems

interpretation - too sweet, some slightly "odd" aromas - kind of candy like, not that attractive to me. that in combination with the dominating sweetness turns me off. 7.5
summary - sweet, fruity, complex, candylike
------------------------------------------------------------------

valhrona - gran couva
look - a very "brown" brown. looks to be very smooth, no ripples or bubbles
smell - toasty coffee, vanilla, grapey skin smell, woody, very slightly fermentacious, minty in a way, maybe clovey, reminds of a bar of soap
somewhat vanil, new car, fermentacious, deep dark smell/taste, roasty, sweet, flowery soap, great texture, thick, roast with vanilla in it, slight coffee toasty on finish. no astringency, slight bitter
balance - very nice. a bit sweet, but the base seems to support the sweetness well. acidity is not pronounced, but definitely present
texture - very good. smooth and rich, somewhat weighty feeling

interpretation - there may be a bit too much vanilla use, but beyond that, nice in its "gentle darkness". enjoyable. still dark-feeling at 64%. nowhere near as acidic as cluizels, yet not flat and sweet like some other 65% range chocos. 8.5
summary - soft, dark, vanilla, toasty
------------------------------------------------------------------

guittard - chuchuri (colombia)
look - brown with a toasty black look
smell - whoa, strong lemon candy/ bright nutmeg, extremely sweet, green aromas, tropical flowers maybe?, slight clove, intense bright aromas, potpurri, cola, reminds of minty bubblegum,
taste - nutmeg, honeyed something, toasty, cocoa, candied apple or lemon, caramelly?, more intense sweetness, bright candy flavors, fade to a nutmeggy toasty smell
balance - a bit off. way too sweet. some base. astringency fairly present. acidity feels relatively low
texture - good - melt is a bit slow, but there don't seem to be problems

interpretation - way too intense, way too crazy with the nutmeg/candy tastes. amazing that it's only chocolate, but it needs to be toned down. tastes like eating some candy made for people on acid. (by people on acid) 7
summary - intense, nutmeg, sweet
------------------------------------------------------------------
i have more respect for the valhrona. decently balanced.