The definitive Ecuador Arriba. With a strongly characteristic nature, it might inspire mixed feelings in those who shy away from the assertive Arriba presence, but all others will be very pleased. Not only does this bar show how it’s done for this bean, it shows how it’s done in the extra bitter class. A study in letting the bean shine through while maintaining just enough sweetness that it’s not austere.
Just as one expects from an Arriba, this bar displays the textbook purple-black colour, an extreme darkness that you can see through the wrapper (something of a chore to remove, in a case of poor packaging). The bar itself is a bit unevenly moulded and has some bubbling, but is finished to a superb temper. The aroma shouts Arriba with every breath. It prevails over you with mighty blackberry presence and with that slight woodiness that is almost as if you’d just trampled through a bramble patch in the middle of a wood. There’s not much complexity here, however, it’s the single-bean character that is coming to the fore.
The flavour is a display of balance and superb interpretation. First it has a burst of delicate strawberries and cream, and then it kicks into high gear with a powerful chocolatey wave accented with pecan traces. There is some decided bitterness here, coming not just from the low sugar but also from the bean type itself. But the small amount of sugar counterpoints the power and allows the chocolate to avoid a flat, uninspiring presentation.
The texture is likewise superb, as one expects with chocolates of this percentage where low sugar and high cocoa butter prevent anything from interfering with a very creamy melt. It’s also super-smooth, fairly typical for Slitti. However, in the past Slitti has had a reputation for being somewhat mild and passive in flavour – unassertive chocolate for those not looking to be assaulted. Not so with this bar which is everything Slitti usually is not – assertive, bold, and powerful – just what one wants from the Arriba bean.
