Strong, powerful aroma, offering waves of lavender and a fermented fruitiness of prunes and cranberries with plenty of spice underneath. The effect is enhanced by the suggestion of acidity in the flavor, with accenting cedar and lemon in the background. “Interesting†would indeed be an understatement, and for a Dominican, perhaps even doubly so, since this theme more closely resembles that of Sambirano.
Continuing outside the realm of convention, the chocolate tastes almost entirely like Early Grey tea infused with the floral essence of lavender. Turned ecstatically to 11, the volume of these inherently docile flavors is blistering, almost taking center stage completely if not for the piquant and spicy undertones that contribute much needed balance and contrast, until things end decidedly fruity, namely blueberries and something red.
Amano has done a good job at highlighting the intensity of the chocolate, both in terms of chocolatiness and flavor volume, making it clear they were proud of the quality and wanted everyone to take note as well. Despite this, though, the texture is noticeably grainy and slightly below par of industry standards. Although it does take the sheen off an otherwise brilliant flavor the chocolate as a whole is still a resounding success as it not only differentiates itself from everything else on the market but also strengthens the distinction and prominence of the Dominican origin. Applause goes to Amano for creating such a wonderful chocolate.
