a faster session

conditions: a little bit tired (possibly overslept? or just that i slept late), nice and sunny

pralus tanzanie
look - dark dull brown, fair amt of swirling. some bubbles. 8.5
smell - a clean, woody smell, a bit of roast, buttery smell, slight cedary smell, slight planty smell. reminds me of astringent (possibly my association with the smell is directly connected to the taste now), 8.5
taste - astringent, papery, roasty, buttery, jammy, roast cocoa, coffee,a sweetness, a toasted white bread smell, acidity rolls in, nuttyness withastringent bckgd, coffee and dry pasta water finish, stronger roast comes in at end, strong finish, astringency. 8
balance - can't help but say it's a bit strange. esp due to astringency. appropriate levels of acid, sweet and base. just don't match up for somereason 8
texture - good, no big noticeable problems, just seems a bit powdery. 8.5

interpretation - a powerful chocolate in someways, but strange in others. strong roast and astringency really dominate at times, making it seem like a "blindingly" dark chocolte. but at the same time, there are interesting tastes of jam, bread, pasta, etc that don't really seem to match the previously mentioned aspect of the choco. could use some more cohesiveness. 8
summary - roast, astringent, jammy, woody
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domori sur del lago
look - heavily orange tinted. lots of tiny bubbling.
smell - aromatic spice dry exotic (completely my own terms...), deep cocoa, fresh and sharp green note - like leaves of... something, touch of orange liquer, some slight coffee, baked bread, a bit of nuttyness, some slight fermentacious. something that reminds me of cream. 8.5
taste - sweet, gentle, creamy to open, high sweet tones, clear cocoa, roast of coffee, slight breadiness, then this thing.... no what is it...? reminds of coconut but isn't. some astringency comes thru, strawberry?, gentle roasted nut (almond?), strong cocoa finish, cream feeling persists. texture is great. 9
balance - good, i experienced a little acid at the end that really kind of rounded things out. otherwise it as a bit on the sweet side. 8.5
texture - very nice. very "heavy" cocoa sense, but extremely smooth. not like pralus venez that feels a bit unctious. this one is all about the microscopic cocoa. 9

interpretation - a chocolate that's rather "true" to chocolate, but is very light and creamy. texture is great, sweetness is a bit high, but i could be influenced by the presence of a large amt of "sweet" aromas. a little bit of coffee, a little bit of bread, but really felt like rich smooth cocoa wth these somewhat un-identifyable sweet tones. nice. 9
summary - creamy, sweet, cocoa, pure
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valrhona - manjari
look - a cloudy red-orange tinted brown. some tiny bubbling
smell - raspberry, coffee, california pinot, some smoky aspects, something slightly sharp - maybe a fermentacious note, peppery, dried orange peel, sweet vanilla touch. 8.5 (the sharpness dropped the score a bit)
taste - very tart, slight tomato leaf/tobacco, more towards a smoky taste, a characteristic smell of caramelly hard dessert candies, berries and coffee, minty business, sweet, a bit rough ocoa, roasty crackers, slight citrus smell?, hummus, sweet flavors of vanilla and berry and acidic cocoa come thru at end, some "air freshener" sense lingering. 9
balance - sweet. but it is only 63%, so that's to be expected. it's balanced decently for a 60s class choco - a lot of acid to back it up. the base seems to be a bit lacking, but again this might be because of the relatively low cacao percentage. 8
texture - nice. a bit powdery though. 8

interpretation - a bright, action-packed choco. in some areas i feel like there's some "rounding" and mellowing of certain flavors going on, and that some lesser quality elements also sneak in (sort of like this choco was a big "overview" of a couple individual flavor profiles). regardless, the end result is nice, vibrant, and a pleasure to eat in general. 8.5-9
summary - bright acid, bright fruit, smoky, action packed
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theo ivory coast
look - a dull brown, slight reddish purplish tinting, smooth, very little if any bubbling 9
smell - "dry" chalky, sweet cocoa, sharper but low intensity tobacco, sweet and light coffee-ish, reminds a bit of some soap smells, apple skins or soemthing. 8.5
taste - sweet, cocoa essence, savory nutmeg, toasty bread w/slight cinammon?, more light and sweet woody/spice tones, fairly "high pitched", astringency begins to show, getting stronger, soily, cocoa, cinam, astringent finish. dry woody sweet cocoa flavor persists. 8
balance - sweet. barely anything in terms of acid. would have been nice wth a touch of acid, a large drop in astringency and a slight boost in "base". felt somewhat "flat" and sweet. 7
texture - fine powdery sensation. not terrible, but still powdery. 8

interpretation - a sweet and simple chocolate, appealing to the very basic taste of forastero. similar to the domori in some ways, but nowhere near as elegant. astringency, lack of acid, lack of depth keep it from being a much better chocolate. somewhat one-sided in the sweet-spice-woody cocoa flavors. would be nice to have some flavor "twists" in there. 7.5
summary - astringent, sweet, simple cocoa
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tht was a bit of a rushed tasting, but it turned out well. in some ways the time pressure forces me to focus more rather than get absorbed in sniffing something and trying to get every last little aroma out of it. as a "treat", i'm giving myself some pralus venez.

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.

tour d'amedei

it's late, a little bit sunny, cool. fairly excited about the restaurant today.
i feel like some "quality" let's see what i choose.
(looks like i chose all amedei..)

amedei - 6 diff squares

amedei grenada
look - typical murky brown, slight slight purply hints, orange hue also present. good looking texture. 9
smell - ground coffee, slight fermenty, possibly dark berries, a bit of a dried meaty, woody, vanilla, [break], like a marker, spicy flower, cocoa 9
taste - cocoa, vanilla, amedei, slightly overripe plums, low acid, sweet, base, a bit of spice (cinam?), more acid comes out, breads, somewhat metallic and nutty finish. smoky coffee too. 9
balance - nice. a little bit on the sweet side, with lower acid than i expected/wanted. still, very properly weighted by the base. 9
texture - nice, no problems here. possibly a powdery sensation. 9

interpretation - very nice and pleasant, but somehow lacking in life/love. cocoa was really the star flavor, but it wasn't necessarily anything special. it felt well done/well made, but didn't necessarily have that much character for a single origin.
summary - cocoa, coffee, woody
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amedei 9
look - a nice woody brown, slight orange hinting. great texture (back is extremely smooth), some tiny bubbles inside. 9
smell - a light roasty cocoa smell, roasted almonds, a piney or citrus smell, a chalky smell, dried citrus skin, slightly herbal with a touch of potpurri, kinda cardboardy in a clean way 9
taste - delicate cocoa contrasted by bitter, honey and bread, soft fruitiness, a sweetness that begins to permeate, a good strong cocoa, not harsh, but clean.possibly some dried orange skin, roasted nuts, slight coffee. clean and flowery finish with cocoa. very pleasant length. 9
balance - very nice. all elements in balance and subtle. almost didn't notice it even had sweet/acid/base. very good. 9
texture - also nice, a slight fine, powdery feeling. 9

interpretation - really picked up at the end there. for a while it seemed to be coasting primarily on heavy yet clean cocoa and amedei-type flowery elements, but at the end it threw in some interesting flavors of dried citrus peel and nuts, then proceeded to give the more "signature amedei" flavor for the finish. very nice. i'd like to eat it all the time. a bit expensive for that tho. 9
summary - deep-clean cocoa, slight flowers, roasty nut
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amedei chuao
look - a fairly red-heavy brown. extremely fine texture, no bubbling. close to "ideal". 9.5
smell - toasty nut and baked goods, spice, clean coffee, fruit skins, brighter fruit, figs?, clean red wood, spice bread, slight green-ness, vanilla, pan-fried chicken??, cocoa, maybe some lime. 9 (~9.5)?
taste - woody opening, slight vanilla, wow!, jump into this sweet smell... is it honey? berry jam? a fresh california red?, piney and sharp citrus, nutty, crazy roasty nut with clean bbq, reminds me of someone's backyard with lots of fruit trees, touchof soy, prunes, pecans?, sweet fruit and vanilla, creamy nut, some sort of combo of the previous flavors, cocoa and a deeper fruit and honey taste at finish. >9.5
balance - very nice. acid and sweetness are both felt, and both in a pleasant sense. the mathematical balance was very good. base is of course present to a very good degree 9.5
texture - very good. 9

interpretation - this is just a wild ride. i've had a lot of wild-ride chocolates, but usually they have less-than-desirable flavors jammed in there. this is 100% cleaned and prim and proper and just wow. this one is really hard to believe that it's "just chocolate". it's this crazy back and forth with this nutty/clean toasty and the extremely expressive fruit. i could just go on and on. there is such a "story" packed into this chocolate. goes on and on and on. to be honest, i wasn't expecting that. this chocolate woke me up from a sleepy tasting. it makes u wonder if it's even worth trying... (to make some, that is). yeah, it still is... >9.5
summary - extremely expressive fruit, amazingly well controlled, nuttyness. balance. everything. excitement
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(hard to come back down to earth...)
amedei jamaica
look - very similar to 9 in color. maybe a little bit redder, but marginal. minimal swirling, bubbles. 9
smell - woody, soily, herby, more fementacious,soft cocoa, vanilla, a bit of dirt, burnt orange peel, a bit of perfume 9
taste - woody, some heavier spice, dark wine smell, interesting caramel, vanilla develops, more wood and clean fermentacious, dried gooseberries, toasty bread, back to a more papery wood, reverting to coca, slightly astringent touch at finish, a bit of toasted bread. 9~9.5
balance - very nice, acid is present in appreciable amt, sweet is not overpowering. solid base. this is a very "me" oriented chocolate. 9
texture - good, just like the others 9.

interpretation - this one really matches with my idea of how i want a dark chocolate to taste. a fair amt of acid, woody and savory flavors, depth and a little touch of something interesting or unique. i still hold to my belief that this one is particularly comparable to a red wine, and would probably match well if it wasn't for the 30% sugar thing... it has all the elements - a fermenty taste, wood, deep fruit. i'm pleased that i wasn't disappointed after eating the chuao, cause i was going nuts over that. hah. 9.5
summary - woody, earthy, wine-like.
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high power tasting

(i think my senses were fairly sharp today)
fairly hungry. cold, drank a bit of tea (some oolong that david gave me). cloudy and slightly rainy.
today is a good day for a favorite - amedei porcelana

amedei venezuela
look - purply red tinted brown, slight swirling on back, no bubbling. 9
smell - 1st - fruits, grahm cracker, vanil, then light sweet spice, dark dried fruits, slight woody tone, vanilla and baked goods, touch of rubbery, pear, light and clean "soil", [break open], sharper burnt twigs, deeper spice (more towards cumin), onions (browned), powdered dried fruits (is the only thing i can come up with for that smell), maybe roasted tea. 9~9.5
taste - opens with a woody and vanilla tone, red berries, bitterness enteres, banana, slight coffee, sweetness strong, flowery cocoa combo, slightly grahm cracker, sweet and vanilla dominate, then kind of a "flower sandwich", plummy cocoa, woody with oast, slight peaty whisky, extremely "clean" cocoa, vanilla and flowers on finish, develops into sweet clean length. very long. 9.5
balance - sweetness is a bit strong, but everything is definitely harmonious. very solid yet un-heavy base. bitterness was pleasant (only really noticed it at start). acidity played a backstage role to sweetness, but it was definitely there. 9
texture - great, perhaps a very light powderyness. 9

interpretation - a very light but strongly flowery/vanilla-y chocolate. the headstrong sweetness seems to bring out those flavors even more in some sort of feedback loop. if it was that alone, it wouldn't be such an exciting chocolate, but the fruity/clean cocoa flavors (at times i felt like if i ignored the vanilla and other distractors, i could see the "essence" of pure cocoa at the center) really round it out and show off the fact that it's still chocolate. good for sweet moods. a very finessed chocolate. 9~9.5
summary - flowery cocoa, vanilla, sweet, clean and pretty
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amedei porcelana
look - a medium (chalky) brown, somewhat red touch. ultra smooth, no noticeable bubbles. 9
smell - grapes, tomato sauce, coffee, amazing savory aspect. this dark tomato/tobacco sense, roasted tea, mineral sense, fruit skins, amedei essence, [break open], powdery, dirt smell, somewhat like fertilizer on a lawn, cocoa soaked in good balsalmic. very complex. very deep. 9.5
taste - opens with savory, acidic, mushroom and tomato sauce feeling, moves to some pure cocoa, some deep dark fruit, pan fried something in butter, cocoa and undescribable herbal smell, vanilla creeps in for a moment, fades out, something very unique popped in (pine? savory?), black olives???, mature acid, coffee, depth, cocoa softening, amedei signature, balsalmic laced fruit cocoa on finish, goes on and on... 9.5
balance - very nice. really feel the "savory" aspects. weight/base of chocolate strongest, then acid, very slight astringency (after finish) seems to add to effect. 9~9.5
texture - very good. didn't really even notice it had "texture". 9

interpretation - this is a very different chocolate. most chocolates seem to have the taste of flavors "mixed in" with chocolate flavors. however, this one felt like these woody/balsalmic/savory tones were actually inherent to the chocolate flavors -- completele inseperable. it was like this was a special chocolate plant with different fundamental smells. this chocolate is definitely an experience. the way they suppress the fruity and flowery elements is commendable, because it really lets you understand how "savory" and atypical a chocolate can be. bringing out the true nature of it and not trying to hide it was a great move. amazing. 9.5
summary - savory (tomatosauce etc), deep, complex
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pralus venezuela
look - dark brown with orange hints. almost looks "roasty". some bubbling but smooth interior. 9
smell - buttery, cocoa, slightly minty or licorice, roasted almond, cocoa with a minty slant, chicken?, slight red fruit beneath. 9
taste - quick melt, cocoa, nutty, extreme roast, milk, vanilla, caramel candies, savory smells, pan sauteed chicken? (with garlic), more cocoa, silky melty texture, nice acid, cocoa with nutty hints, roast, metallic butter popcorn at end. caramelly length. very pleasant. 9~9.5
balance - excellent. great base, acid in the perfect spot (not shy but not bold), sweetness is held back, but texture seems to amplify a bit 9.5
texture - very buttery and rich feeling. possibly extra cocoa butter? very quick and easy melt, almost "luxurious". 9

interpretation - a roast heavy, savory focused chocolate, with high-temp-pasteurized-milk/browned butter being strong components. texturally very exciting, something i don't see much of in any other chocolates. very rich. great balance (very close to my ideal). a great chocolate to eat (it really was good, but i'm almost "depressed" since i just had "the peak of unique chocolate" before this one) >9
summary - rich, roasty, buttery
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pralus papousie
look - dark brown with ever so slight deep purple hints. some bubbling on surface, interior looks ok. 8
smell - very faint. slight tea, slight red fruit, some plastic-y (pick up from something?), light cocoa, possibly some pineapple (really a stretch here). 7 - (no intensity, not getting much enjoyment from smell)
taste - cocoa, slgith astringency, wax, more cocoa, slight bacony smell, some vanilla at finish, more cocoa. slightly astringent length. 8.5~9
balance - good. everything was present, nothing present in excess. 9
texture - nice. less buttery and rich than the last, almost like they reigned it in for this one. very nice. 9

interpretation - a bit too unexpressive for my tastes. it was like it was too timid to step away from its comfort zone of soft cocoa. not necessarily a bad thing, it's just that it didn't excite me. nothing really stood out. very well poised, but very dull chocolate. 8.5~9
summary - quiet, unexpressive, cocoa
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(quickie for finish)
pralus tanzanie
look - a nearly black brown, chalky (not translucent). some bubbling, odd white chunks. 8
smell - cedary, berry, mint, wood, sllight cocoa. 8.5
taste - uncooked pasta (or maybe it's the pasta water...), roasts, dried cranberries or raisins, acid, off-astringency, vanil, more berry, then cocoa, roasty. astringent length
balance - decent, just thrown out of harmony by astringency. good base, decent acid, sweetness. something just isn't mixing. 8
texture - good, nothing special or too off. 8.5

interpretation - same as the usual (i was tasting a tiny piece at the end of a long-ish tasting so wasn't paying that much attention). 8
summary - roasty, astringent, pasta water
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afterwards i ran thru a bunch of chocolates and had amazingly clear visions of each. hopefully i can record that into longer term memory. man, that porcelana is undeniably deep.

sunny and late

it's late. nice and sunny tho, and i'm pretty hungry. might be a bit rushed on this one since trying to get work done today. let's see what happens


domori sur del lago
look - dull chalky brown, some orange hints, see some odd white speckles below surface, some bubbling
smell - a bit rubbery, some papery, ashy, nut, intersting creamy and woody overtone, smoky. 9
taste - fresh clean smell, slight astringency, roasty n ut, pepper (green?), very interesting woody combined with coffee smell, great txture, lowish acid, somewhat sweet, good base, slightlymaty?, continuation of soft cocoa character, intersting spice, cocoa strengthens on finish, a bit cola like in some way. long strong woody length. 9
balance - nice. a bit sweet, but base really helps to stabilize it. very slight but not strong acid. 8.5
texture - very nice. ultra smooth. a couple random chunks of something tho. minus points for that... 8.5

interpretation - a nice soft fresh and light choco. not a whole lot of weighty chocolatey flavors. particularly characteristic were the woody tastes. very unique. enjoyable overall 9
summary - light, clean smoky, fresh, sweet.
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domori pueromar?
look - lighter brown, slightly dirt looking. orange hints. bubbling.
smell - stewed meats, beans, fermenty, rich soil... kinda like a compost heap but cleaner, some sharp (plasticy) aroma, possibly some dark berries, deep tropical smell. overall a very deep, dark fermenty smell. somewhat fruity. 8.5 (a little sharp at times)
taste - fermenty woody opening, cocoa, soily notes (same fermentacious ones as in smell), really nce acid, amazing texture (ultrafine), good cocoa, some fruity hiding in back, tiny touch of smoky meaty, inexplicable delicous smell/taste combo, long finish of the woody fermentacious. >9
balance - very good. acid, weight, sweetness all in a very pleasant, lively combination, really showcasing the slightly "tart" acidity. 9.5
texture - amazing. one of the finest i've had. feels like eating a science experiment (in a good way). 9.5

interpretation - while strongly fermentacious, really brings out a lot of great "character". acid was really a good play here, and the texture really sells it. if the aromas were a little more delicate i'd be inclined to give it a higher score. however, it really makes u think about chocolate, and that it's a fermented product. kinda wild in a way. dark, extreme, but enjoyable. 9~9.5
summary - fermentacious, rich, balance, great texture
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bonnat chuao
look - rich brown with hints of red. little to no visual flaws
smell - fairly faint, soft light fruit, touch of clean smoky, maybe lemony, slightly citronellal? very very faint. maybe some tea. can't score it. too faint.
taste - ooh, very nice light fruit (fresh blueberries?), another sweet smell, drift to woody cocoa, light flowery natured flavors, nice texture, soft acid, more cocoa (clean and sweet), high toned sweet, slight beany, cinnamony flowery finish. very fresh and clean. lovely. lenght is of pleasant sweet aromas, cocoa. 9~9.5
balance - very good. slightly sweet, but gentle acid is present to give the overall image of a gentle chocolate (matches well wtih aromas). base is nice 9
texture - very nice. clean and fine. 9~9.5

interpretation - extremely faint on nose (i'm possibly a bit distracted), but tastes are delightful. light sweet character runnig around, makes for an interesting journey. good good. 9
summary - soft, faint, delicate, complex
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pralus tanzanie
look - deep dark brown, slightly orange tints. bubbling, odd chunky white things
smell - cedary/citronellal, berries, roasty, burnt woody, pancakes, roasty. 8.5~9
taste - bitter, astringent, sweet aroma (vanilla mixed with citronellal), woody deck (newly built), roasted almond (dark), uncooked dry pasta, dark roasty, vanil, sweet wood, astringent finish, vanilla and woody length. 8.5
balance - decent, a bit sweet, a bit acid. decent base. oddly out of balance tho. 8
texture - reasonable. a bit powdery feeling at times (possibly astringency) 8

interpretation - dark roast, but with some interesting bright spots of citronellal and cedar like wood. also uncooked pasta is very interesting. would like to see a reduction in astringency before rating higher. 8
summary - dark roast, citronellal, astringent
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kinda rushed thru the last one. i really liked the domori, but i may not have been paying close enough attention to pick out faults. either way, great texture and balance. an exciting and slightly wild choco.

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.