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
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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)
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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
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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
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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.

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.

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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.

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)

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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
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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
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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
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i have more respect for the valhrona. decently balanced.