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.

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.

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.

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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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to do- differentiate between bitter and astringency

amedei - single origin vs blend - random selection

i have a lot of pralus tanzanie that i got from chocosphere when they had it in the bargain basement, so i tend to use that as my standard (so i know how far off from "centered" i am when i'm tasting).

in general, i feel like it's "watery" in that there's some aspect of the body that's lacking, but is well represented in the base/bitter area as well as sweet. some acid, but somehow they don't align very well. i usually pick up fruity jam smells, as well as coffee/roast, plus this thing i sometimes call "dried pasta". not really sure what it is. there's probably a better descriptor out there. anyways, starting with my "standard" here it is:

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pralus - tanzanie
look - very dark blackish. slight bubbling. 9
snap - good 9
smell - red berries, slight wine, some low turmeric type spice?, no, more cinammony, berry pie, low cocoa, sllight coffeeeucalyptus type lemony thing, 8.5
taste - choco, slight coffee, biter, buttery, nutty , cocoa, slight banil, posibly berry at end, wash out to dusty, kind of a pasta like thing 8
balance - a bit "dry". leans towards bitter/astringent, with some sweet to support, but acid is lacking. "weight" is not very present, so it doesn' have a solid foundation. relatviely weak. 7.5 - 8
texture - good, but nothing fantastic. some possible graininess, astringency detracts

interpretation - a bit dry, somewhat imbalanced and fairly chocolatey choco. nothing relly standing out on the taste. was surprised not to find the berries which were so prominent in te smell

summary - dry, choco base, slight fruity.

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(upper right)
amedei - jamaica
look - farily dark brwn, not much redness. slight swirly, some tiny bubbling - 8.5
snap - good 9
smell - oregano, meaty, grape skin, very distinct smell, something almost seafood like, changing to vanil/flowers, slight soft fruity cocoa, leather (possibly the distinct smell), slight pepperyness, more vanil, slight "sweatyness" 9
taste - some vanil, change quickly to soil, nice wood, interesting citrus skin?, amedei style grape skin, continues with fruity, some slight woody accompany, fades like that, some vanil. long finish of woody 9~9.5
balance - very nice. acid nicely compliments sweet, all set on a solid foundation of choco(not so bitter, but rather weighty) 9~9.5
texture - quite nice, very pleasing, smooth coat and melt. 9

interpretation - slightly woody, fairly fruity, reasonably heavy on the vanilla. some soily, more savory smells being present counteracts the vanilla (or vice versa). in general quite flavorful and balanced. 9 (possibly reaching 9.5 on days where i really feel like a woody/savory choco)
summary - balanced, woody, fruity, soily
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amedei - toscano black 70%
look - also quite dark, but a slight touch of redness. tiny bubbling 8.5
snap - good 9
smell - like a tomato sauce (w/onions), deep smoky but soft smell, like something in a pasta, crazy, slightlymore typical "smoky forastero" smells, those tend to dominate after a while. they're very soft compared to other smoky-chalky-forastero. some fruit - peach?? at last minute 8.5
taste - slightly grahm crackery, vanil, savoryness, bitter/base somewhat dominating, decent acid, slightly woody, more vanil, smoky, beans, very dark berry smell, sweet, somewhat cloying taste, cakes, charred wood, some kind of honey essence, bitter finish, complex, slight coffee honey combination, 8.5~9
balance - very nice, leans towards bitter with foundation, acid is slighly lower key, causing sweetness to play a considerably more prominent role. (brought out by vanil as well). good, but maybe not for me? 8
texture - very nice, relatively smooth, possibly some chalkiness. 8

interpretation - a fairly "dark" chocolate, but with the dark sort of "turned down" into something soft, and outshined by vanilla. very itnersting. usually dark-type chocos seem to present way too much power in the dark part, so u can't really enjoy it, only "feel" 8.5~9 (wide range due to dependence on mood)
summary - soft dark, soft smoky, vanilla
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(lower right)
amedei - madagascar
look - similar in color to the last. extra-tiny bubbles, not many 9
snap - good 9
smell - mushroomy cream sauce, slight fruit, then really developing into acidic red fruit, possibly cranberries, vanilla, (reinterpretation - mushrooms could be soily), berry smell has slight fermentacity to it. 9
taste - cocoa, soft baked smell (possibly sim to lindt madagascar), oery nice bal, developying into somewhat flower, pssibly lghtly roasted nut, slight fruity, gentle, smooth, vanil, slight grape skin (first sharp thing in whole choco!), finish becomes slightly coffee. really creamy and soft choco
balance - very nice. very very nice. hard to notice that you're even eating. sweet and very non-bitter "base" play major roles, only very very slightly overshadowing the acid. the key is that the acid never really "shows" itself, it simply supports the roles of the other 2. extremely harmonious 9.5
texture - very good. felt like eating creamed clouds. hah. 9

interpretation - very gentle, very subtle chocolate. however, also creamy and expressive. not trying to hide flavors so much as it is just trying to bring them to an appreciable intensity, so that the chocolate really becomes an equal showing of the balance and texture with the flavors. very exciting, very calming. 9.5 -- solid, no doubt.
summary - balance, gentle, creamy
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so, as you can see, it seems that the single origins do have more character than the blends, not to mention that madagascar kicks ass. you could say that jamaica is an acquired taste due to savory/leathery/woody lean, but madagascar can be appreciated by anyone who likes softness and balance. the black 70% was interesting, looking forward to trying that again. felt like a very polished forastero based choco.