a very lively tasting

nice and sunny after a cloudy day. slightly overslept. decent focus. hungry.


pralus venezuela
look - a fair brown with orange tinting. good smoothness, some small bubbling. 9
smell - nutty butter, slight vanilla, grahm cracker and slight fruit (berry), slight bay leaf, touch of raisin, maple. cedary touch. i feel like i'm smelling different things than usual. 9+
taste - sweet soft melt, roasty peanuts, cocoa, nice hot chocolate (all very early impressions), after the hot choco, some caramel-type burny, then metallic butter, amazing texture, roasty thing, tree bark, faint vanilla, smoky finish (possibly sometoasted sesame mixed in with pure cocoa) 9+
balance - very nice. sweetness is perceived strongly, but a fair amount of acid to back it up. base is nice. 9
texture - so rich. depending on your preference this can be good or bad. i really like it. so fine, so smooth. the richness really makes this chocolate stand out. 9.5

interpretation - a rich and pure chocolate. very expressive of pure cocoa tones. roasting is fairly strong. the way the richness and sweetness counterbalance the roast is 'masterful'. makes for an eye opening experience instead of being a one-sided roaster. really fun to eat. i need a truck full of this stuff. 9+
summary - rich, roasty, pure cocoa, buttery
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amano cuyagua
look - very light brown - heavy red-orange hue-ing. smooth on the whole, some tiny bubbling
smell - sharp red lumber, tobacco, slight fermentacious, dried blackberries, incense, leather (another interpretation for the fresh tobacco smell), vanilly-potato, 'forest fresh' soap, peach? 9+ very exciting (a little bit off with fermentacious, but still ok)
taste - tomato plant, sharp geen leafy taste, different fruit, incense, black tea, cigar, fragrant... trop fruit, woody (fresh lumber), more tobacco heavy cocoa at finish. very faint astringency. 9
balance - quite nice. a bit on the sweet side, acid was not prominent enough to take attention away from sweetness. good base. 9
texture - very nice. smooth, slight rich feeling. clean and light in some ways. 9

interpretation - a strong, character-filled chocolate. really exciting plant-characteristics that makes one remember that chocolate comes from plants. in some ways it's one sided because the tobacco flavor dominates, but my perception of that flavor changed again and again thru the whole experience. definitely a chocolate to get you "pumped". very slight flaws (faint fermentacious, astringency), but easy to overlook because of the power and character of the choco. 9+
summary - powerful, tobacco, slight sweet, character-filled
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michel cluizel - maralumi
look - a light, dull brown with orange hues. fairly smooth 5g square.
smell - sharp bright curry, raisins, vanilla. cumin and... red chile?, cinammon?, (it was like the sweet smelling curry powder i have), plums, roasted nut, light caramel toffee. 9+ very exciting
taste - dry roasted nut, smoky, peanut-sugar-rice-cracker, dried fruit, acid, caramel, more trees, cocoa, red tart fruit, savory (spicy) flavors at finish. 9 (intense)
balance - sweet as expected (for a 64%), but with a lot of mature acid to back things up, it really makes it feel rounded. base is kind of drawn out by acid and sweet, makes the whole experience intense. 9
texture - very very nice. fine, clean, smooth, rich. not as oily as venezuela (then again, not much is...) 9.5

interpretation - a fiery chocolate. a lot of sharp, spicy flavors mixed with fruits. just a lot of excitement. barely feels like chocolate. a very intense exploration of extra-fragrant cocoa. makes u feel the "tropical" nature of the cacao plant. 9
summary - spice, fruit, excitement, sweet, acid
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pralus - tanzanie
look - a deep brown with slight purplish tinting. fair amount of bubbling
smell - faint fruit, light woody (cedar) smell, relatively faint (compared to others in this tasting), dry leaves, slight cocoa, mushroom? 8 (fairly faint, nothing that clean and exciting)
taste - donut, dried red fruit, very interesting tea smell, cocoa, tainted by astringency, plantiness, burnt leaves, more donut, choco, roast. dry finish. 8 (it's a shame that the astringency comes at the end since it skews my perception of it as a whole)
balance - decent. slight acid, sugar is felt but doesn't feel rounded, base is disconnected and astringent 7.5
texture - slightly grainy. 8

interpretation - sort of a 'drab' chocolate. shows some interesting character, but doesn't have life. like it's not really that "into it". lower the astringency (most impt) and step up the brightness or boldness of one of the flavor components, and it would be a very exciting chocolate (like the others) 8
summary - faint, asringent, slight fruit, tea, cedar
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a very lively tasting. the tanzanie at the end kinda threw cold water on the whole thing, but it was good because it helped put the excitement brought by the other 3 into perspective. they each bring their own excitement in very different ways. the pralus (ven) via texture and very powerful yet controlled roast, the amano with its wild-plant and tobacco smells, the cluizel with its spice and fruit and roast and acid. what an incredibly diverse world chocolate is...

a little post-drinking chocolate

a little cold but nice and sunny. excited about today. did some drinking yesterday


amedei toscano black 63%
look - a light cloudy brown. very very slight orange hinting, extremely smooth 9
smell - grahm crackers, berry jam, slight touch of coffee, some caramel. smoky wood chips, mashed strawberries, slight bay laurel hint, vanilla. like the air fresheners people put in cars (the paper ones), 9 (delicious smelling, somewhat simple)
taste - a bit smoky, sweetness, tree bark, smoky cocoa, fruity elements, kind of tart-honey. slight acid comes in, grahm cracker with roasty bean element, purer "cocoa" with vanilla, some sort of custard, fruit jam, fruity and vanilla aftertaste quite strong, though fades somewhat quickly. 9
balance - sweet, but not overly so. (63%) pretty impressive for that cocoa level. acid is secondary, but supportive. base is present in solid amt. 9
texture - good, if not slightly powdery. 9

interpretation - this is a solid 9 chocolate. very good in every respect. simple, clean, fruity. expresses the excitement of good cocoa and vanilla. easy to understand. 9
summary - fruity, vanilla, smoky wood
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amano cuyagua
look - a very "clear" orange-brown. quite light. very good back, some slight bubbles inside 9
smell - dry peppery (nutmeg?) tobacco, skunk, clove, vanilla, dried citrus skin, 9 (excitement)
taste - smoky tobacco, some clean bitter, vanilla coasting in, sweet perception, more tobacco, vegetative, spice (clove etc), a sim. smell from sharffenberger jamaica (the crunchy one), medicinal plant, slight astringency (was lurking thru the whole thing) appears at end, more tobacco and woody flavors. 9
balance - quite good. not so aware of acidity, but certainly inside the range of "well balanced". somewhat sweet feeling at times, possibly amplified by vanilla. 9
texture - very nice. rich yet not oily, and still has a foundation of cocoa to "feel". 9~9.5

interpretation - a very interesting and plant-feeling chocolate. a lot of tobacco, smokyness, vegetative and spice flavors. quite exciting. a little dampened by astringency at finish, but otherwise a great time. very bright and expressive of flavors. 9
summary - tobacco, spice, planty, slight sweet
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pralus papousie
look - average brown, slightly dull in color but good shine, fair amt of bubbling. 8.5
smell - peaches, dried citrus skin/peppery aspect, papery, glue-cocoa, very faint 9
taste - cocoa and minty expession, more cocoa ( a bit "impure"?), banana, roasted nut, slight bitter, roasted elements, cocoa and the odd pralus herbal tea sheen. that lingers on fiinish. 8.5
balance - nice, everything's in check. acid present in slight amts, base very fulfilling, sweetness never overpowers or comes into spotlight.
texture - good, a good balance between rich and weighted super-fine powder. 9

interpretation - definitely a very "cocoa" chocolate. it just seems that the pralus roast overcompensates in some cases, and tnds to stretch flavors in directions they weren't intended to be sent in. little "blips" appearing here and there that are really more a result of roasted cacao than they are a result of the individuality of the chocolate. it also seems to give it these little "sharp edges" (that's what i see in my head anyways) regardless, this chocolate was enjoyable, just simple. 8.5
summary - simple cocoa, subtl, soft roast
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pralus colombie
look - dark brown, slight ashyness. no noticeable bubbling. 9
smell - white pepper (not sharp), dried meats, waxy crayon, toasted bun, herbal (oregano?), woody aspect, very slight yuzu, something savory. nice, interesting, exciting. 9
taste - off pwderyness, astringency, a candylike nutmeg, mcdonalds hamburger, more spices, toastyness, spice (nutmeg), vanilla spice and roast combination at finish. 8
balance - a bit hollow feeling. sweet and base present (with astringency) but no acid to give it more life. 8
texture - grainy-powdery. 7

interpretation - again, an interesting attempt. aromas were very enticing, but texture and balance just couldn't follow thru. spices and savory elements really made for a "different" kind of chocolte, but unfortunately the rest wasn't up to par.8
summary - unique white pepper, spice, bad texture, balance a bit off.
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return of the sun

nice and sunny after a few rainy days. a little chilly, but no problem. very ready for a good tasting.


bonnat chuao
look - a reddish waxy tinted brown. very smooth, negligible bubbling 9
smell - slightly fermenty but sweet aromas, maybe berry like, acidity, beans, spice (sweet like clove), like some srt of leather, a very high toned sweet, like fresh fruit, slight nut butter, faint touch of coffee, woody (clean) notes 9 (fairly light)
taste - rocky soil flavor,roast comes next, black tea, fruit jam (dark and red), cocoa begins to expres. failry clean but with some woody tones. berries with solid cocoa backdrop, mild and maple-y, some very soft coffee drifts in, back to woody cocoa, very light astringency. length of very honest cocoa
balance - nice. acid nicely complements sweet so that neither stands out too much, good satisfying amt of base. astringency at finish somewhat disappointing. 8.5-9
texture - excellent. sometimes a slightly "powdery" sensation. 9

interpretation - a soft and subtle choco that really expresses simple cocoa flavors in many ways. berries and tea kind of drift in and out, but woody cocoa tends to be the backdrop for the whole experience. well rounded, but so subtle it's prob best enjoyed when in a more sensitive mood. 9
summary - soft, woody cocoa, faint fruityness.
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amano cuyagua
look - also light and waxy, slightly more of an orange brown. very smooth texture. 9
smell - smoky, herbal, smoked meats?, a nutty fermentacious with dark soil, oregano, a toasted bready, tobacco, almost a plastic smell, a dark jam, smoke. >9
taste - tomato leaf, sweetness, vanilla, cocoa emerging, turns to acid and slight bitter, fine cigar, old wooden chest, more cocoa, a slight fermentacious hinted tobacco with a very interesting tongue sensation. sort of a mix of acid and tannin and spice. wood and spice and pecan. fades quickly, leaves a bit of astringency/dryness (could be residual from prev choco). soft vanilla drifts in on finish, also some tobacco >9 (excitement factor)
balance - very nice, a pleasant, rounded/mature acidity to match the savory tobacco, and to prevent the choco from feeling at all sweet. great base. 9
texture - also very good. not ultra creamy, but clean cut. 9

interpretation - a really strong and exciting chocolate. very powerful. smoky tobacco, complemented subtly by vanilla, lots of woody and even some fermentacious which seem to lean more towards "complete" fermentation (like a very mature compost heap). just exciting all around. lots of intsensity. there are of course areas to improve (making vanilla more subtle etc), but really fun to eat. lively. >9
summary - lively, tobacco, woody, vanilla
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amedei toscano black 70%
look - a fairly "pure" brown, darker than the prev 2, smooth. 9
smell - black and smoky wood, spice, ground sesame, grain, slight waxy, slight fermentacious honey, flowers, wood (esp wooden model airplanes), slight bitof spice, some bread. somewhat rem. of jamaica (amedei), sweet tone. >9
taste - honey spice, pure cocoa, savory bean, sauteed smells, more of the honey spce, back to cocoa again, a good aciddity, nicely scented wood, roasted nut, soupiness, wood and spice seem to close it off. deeper chocolate and faint red fruits on finish, continues. also a slight astringent feeling. more dry and woody than astringent. (again, could be passed on from earlier) >9
balance - similar to last one in that it has a lot of "mature" acid and not a lot of "sharp/cleansing" acid. really helps to merge the tastes of the base and the sweet. very good balance levels. 9.5
texture - good. i might have detected a little powderyness. 8.5-9

interpretation - a dark, yet clean and honey like chocolate. kind of reminds me of acidic honey with a bit of spice, cocoa. the "depth" of flavor/body is really what makes this chocolate. connectivity of the acid/base/sugar makes it very much a "sophisticated" seeming choco. excellent. 9~9.5
summary - balanced, dark, honey, spice
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pralus colombie
look - a dark and dull brown, very slightly purple-red tint. on this piece, surface looks good 9
smell - buttery, slightly caramel,fresh fruit, yogurt (on melted part), interesting herbal or dried grain, some interesting fruit (mixed in with yogurt), slight vanil, pencil, cocoa 8.5-9 (yogurt slightly strange)
taste - begin with cocoa, go to roast, astringency kicks in, delicious nutty roast, grain, crunchy crystalline texture (odd),roast and cocoa develop, slightly sweet, plain donut, cocoa with interesting fruity kick, kind of a spice or something, very interseting. roast really shows on length. 8.5-9
balance - nice, but a bit lacking in that mature acid that i had grown accustomed to in the prev 2. also a bit on the sweet side. base was there but wasn't fully "connected" due to low acid 8
texture - not good. the crunchy "microcrystal" feeling was not pleasant. had to try not to think about it to enjoy the choco. 7

interpretation - a roaster with a twist. these interesting butter/grain/unique fruit (kinda feels like a dried tropical one) smells keep the interest high. the roast is as always, quite pleasant. fixing the balance and the texture on this one would make into something very enjoyable, esp with that flavor profile. 8
summary - roast, butter, interesting fruit, sandy texture
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i think i might like chocolate. yes, it's certain.
not much to say about the tasting that i haven't already said. each chocolate really fits a particular mood. this chocolate stuff really is its own little universe.

the beginning of winter

cold an rainy. i can really feel "the winter" coming. i'm actually wearing a shirt today!
i'm excited, and i wanna taste some newer chocolates. this is bad though. it means that i won't have many "new" and exciting treats to look forward to (if i've already tried everything...)


domori sur del lago
look - a dull deep brown. slight swirling, but good internal texture. 9
smell - light smoky, somewhat fermentacious, roasty nuts, chalky smell, somewhat perfumy, cocoa, dried coffee, 8.5
taste - slight bitter element, cocoa opening, begins to give off creaminess, sweet smelling coffee, sweetness, nuttyness, a fermenty (cleanish) taste, toasty bread, cocoa and coffee finish. a sweetness thru the whole thing. 8,5
balance - ok. a bit on the sweet side, with not much acid to round it out. base was present, so no problems there. 8
texture - very nice. (except for a random crunchy nib-bit) 9

interpretation - a mild one for domori. no outrageous smells. a lot of clean and sweet. some coffee, maybe nut. a very fresh feeling chocolate. sweet as well. kind of cream-like in a sense. easy eating. 8.5
summary - cream-like, sweet, coffee, fresh
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pralus colombie
look - a deep blackish brown. very slight swirling. no noticeable bubbling. 9
smell - faint, slightly citrus peel, tea-like, butter, tangerine, slight twiggy smell. 9
taste - powdery, fresh citrus, develop into nuttier cocoa, very interesting fruit (can't name it), interesting sweetness, toasted tortilla, vanilla, fresh fruity cocoa, roast lingering in back, slight astringency, more sweet flavors at finish, 8.5
balance - ok, a bit on the sweet side as well. not so much in terms of acid, fairly "open" (not so much base feeling) 8
texture - powdery. no doubt. very distracting. had a "watery" feeling as well where things weren't really holding together well. 7

interpretation - fruity and bright, but texture and balance are disappointing. had some very interesting, unique flavors i haven't seen before, but it was just overshadowed by the wateryness, the sweetness and especially the powderyness. i don't remember this from the last time i had it. too bad. 7.5~8
summary - fruity, fresh, sweet, powdery, watery
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amano cuyagua
look - a very light brown, some whitish tinting. very smooth looking. 9
smell - tobacco, fermentacious, rem of scharffen berger (the chunky one), smoky, rubbery, birdseed, styrofoam packing "s", hardware store. honestly a bit odd... 8.5
taste - sweet liquer aroma, eases into slightyl fermenty tobacco, vanilla, more tobacco, kind of savory essensce, black tea, more tobacco on finish. 9
balance - quite nice. i'm perceiving the sweet strongly today, but there was a subtle acidity that supported the choco. 9
texture - very nice. 9

interpretation - a very character-filled choco. a lot of tobacco, some "fermentacious". really interesting. would like to explore momre with larger piece. 9
summary - tobacco, fermenty, character
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pralus tanzanie
look - dark blackish brown with purple hinting. some odd white chunkyness... 8
smell - slight woody, baked spice cookie, cocoa, astringency hint, orange, 8.5
taste - the pasta, tea, astringency, raisiny-wine character, no, more like a sticky balsalmic, flat cocoa, milky oddness, astringency. 8
balance - not bad, but astringent and somewhat disconnected. 8
texture - reasonable. 8.5

interpretation - another interesting one. a lot of uniqueness, but lacks any sort of finesse or harmony. needs work to be "good". 7.5-8
summary - astringent, fruit, spice, woody, pasta
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today was problably one of my worst days for focus, so i wouldn't recommend taking any of the reviews i did today very seriously.

a new chocolate!!

today's conditions: very hungry, cool, cloudy. well slept and not overslept. focused.
i feel like opening a new choco. let's see what all the fuss is about. time to try amano's cuyagua


pralus papousie
look - a dark, rich brown with red-orange hints.some bubbling. 9
smell - cherries, cranberries, pomegranites (one of those 3), slight browned butter, metallic, a bit more roast, blueberry, slight bit of woodiness, 9
taste - lsight berry, roasty, bitter, vanilla, woody, smooth cocoa flavor, roasty elements, slight fruitiness, silky melty texture, roast nut at finish. slight vanilla, length of vanilla and cocoa with a very slight bitter element. 9
balance - very nice. everything was aligned. almost don't even notice that it has "aspects" that could possibly be out of balance. however, slight bitter at finish throws things of a tad. 9
texture - excellent. rich, velvety, smooth. great melt

interpretation - a balance focused "pure" chocolate. really not a lot to it other than chocolatey and roasted elements, with very slight hints at fruit. the balance is really the star here. excellent. 9
summary - balanced, cocoa, gentle, great texture
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amano cuyagua
look - a light, almost milky brown. slight light orange tint. slight bubbling, texture appears to be quite fine. 9
smell - incredibly smoky, peaty, tobacco, sharp green planty, a bit of a stink... mushroom?, smoked cedar (smells like a smoke shop), vanilla, a nutty element (roasted sunflower?), perhaps a tomato sauce element. 9 (very intense)
taste - some light tobacco, tomato plant leaves,sharper tobacco, light vanilla, spices, acid and sweet very balanced, base slightly lacking, developing more into vanilla and softer flavors, cocoa, baked goods, vanilla, crissp acid, great finish (clean and bright tobacco, coffee, slight caramel, vanilla). sweet touch at the end. lingers, continuing to show of tobacco. 9~9.5
balance - very nice. perhaps a tiny bit lacking in the "base" elements, it's really matched in terms of acidity and sugar. justwhere i like it to be. woud like a tiny bit more weight to it, but certainly not bad. 9
texture - very good. didn't notice anything off (wasn't paying much attention). 9

interpretation - feels like smoking a big fat (sweet) cigar. (not that i do that...). very intense. i was a bit worried that some of the sharper smells on the nose would interfere with the taste aspect, but they were much subtler when eating. the opening really speaks of tobacco and not much else, but in the middle, much softer elements seem to develop (somewhat strong on the vanilla). the finish was really excellent, a big explosion of sweet tobacco and other harmonious elements. a bit sweet, and very loud and showy, yet in a clean way i could really appreciate. there is a sense of purity that i like about it. maybe a point off here and there for too much vanilla, but on the right track. 9~9.5
summary - tobacco. great, harmonious finish. sweet.
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amedei toscano black 70%
look - a deep brown with ever so slight red tinting. tiny bubbling on interior. 9
smell - slightly smoky, very strongly tree-bark ish, soily, dark feel, scented wood, honey, red fruits lurk, clovey, cinammon?, acidic smells, balsalmic vinegary?, olives (the pickled kind, blACK), (refined and dark). 9
taste - reminds of middle eastern food, hummus, a woody and spicy feel, honey, very interesting "powdery" floral, very solid base, slight acid, sweet is stronger, like powdered dried red fruits (pomegranite), slight vanilla, nutty richness. exciting finish that switches from woody honey to a smoky cocoa, then lingers with vanilla and flowers (and cocoa). >9 (wow, amazingly long length)
balance - good. really enjoy the weight of this one. a very strong chocolatey presence. the sweetness slightly overpowered the acidity, but that's ok. still all within balance. perhaps u could say just a bit of a "sweeter" interpretation of the chocolate 9
texture - very nice, possibly a tiny bit "micrograiny". 8.5~9

interpretation - a really nice expression of dark with a lean towards woody and honey-like flavors. a sweetness prevents it from becoming too serious, and also helps to accentuate the honey aspects. tends to remind me of a california pinot with a "dark" lean. sweet, but with great complexity (although i guess you couldn't call this a fruit bomb). 9~9.5
summary - honey wood, dark, sweet (very long finish)
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pralus tanzanie
look - a fairly dark brown, hints of deep purple. lots of bubbling and swirling. 8
smell - cedary impact (citronellal?), lessens to some woody berries, a minty essence, lemony tartness, cocoa, a bit of roast, dryness (pasta), (wow, i've never smelled some of these before in this chocolate. maybe i'm a bit "creative" today) 8.5
taste - dried pasta, coffee?, papery or woody, bitter emerging, more pasta, somewhat vegetative, nutty, slight leafy (possibly citronellal), challah (jewish slightly eggy bread), dry finish, somewhat astringent. 8.5
balance - decent. astringent at finish seems to disturb my perception of a whole of it. however, i feel like it had strong base, and certainly an acidic element, but some how they didn't align properly. still, the weight was pleasing in that sense. too bad for the astringency. 8
texture - decent. powdery sensation. 8.5

interpretation - a dark and astringent chocolate, but much more rounded than something i might dislike. had good weight to it, plus acid which helped support weaknesses (like astringency). fairly cocoa oriented in flavor, but cedary and dried pasta smells accentuate. interesting, but not something you can fully "relax" to. 8
summary - dried pasta, cocoa, astringent
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to go on a bit of a tangent, i kind of feel like (the good) pralus chocolates really put you "at ease". really relaxing, easy to approach, fairly rich, easy to understand flavors. on the other hand, amedei has this "tension" about their chocolates. this winey aspect that makes you pay attention. all of the characteristics tend to be sharper and more in focus. i suppose each is suitable for a particular mood.
today's new chocolate (amano) was very exciting. it was certainly far from perfection, but it really opened my eyes and caused me to perceive subsequent chocolates slightly differently. i've heard so much praise about it, in reaction i somewhat lowered my expectations intentionally, which actually made for a pleasant surprise. much more intense than i would have imagined, the nose almost turning me off to the chocolate. but the taste proved me wrong for judging too soon. very cool.