Although this bar is given “top billing” in Zotter’s Brazil comparison, it has its thunder rather stolen by its astonishing Amazonia companion – a classic case of being upstaged by the opener. Seen on its own merits, however, it’s an excellent chocolate and clearly one of the best Brazils available – although it must be said that the value of an origin label to a region as large as “Brazil” is minimal – hence the more worthwhile plantation identification. What is undeniable is that this is a thoroughbred fine-bean chocolate all the way: it is self-evident that the flavour profile bears much closer resemblance to fine cocoas from Madagascar than bulk Brazilians. More chocolates like this need to appear – chocolates that challenge prevailing assumptions about the “typical” characteristics of a region and get people thinking more in terms of sourcing than of nationality.
From the moment it is unwrapped, this bar makes clear that it is no ordinary bulk-grade cocoa. The light, red-brown colour is a giveaway, and this can be made more dramatic if desired by comparing it side-by-side with the Amazonia. Meanwhile the finish is a mirror of Amazonia, that is to say, almost absent of major defects. Aroma, though, is comparatively unexciting and fairly basic, mostly raspberry, with a few smoky hints and some woody and mahogany traces. This is a common, familiar pattern – will this be yet another rather generic chocolate with fine overall qualities but little of interest?
Not unexpectedly, perhaps, that raspberry is the first notable aspect of the flavour, but it quickly becomes clear that really the predominant upfront flavour is more floral than fruity, a distinct cast of orange blossom colouring the taste. At this point it’s all rather mild, perhaps partly because of the lower percentage. However, the floral note gradually becomes more insistent, before finishing with the woody and mahogany notable in the aroma. So here aroma is fairly predictive of the flavour, but fortunately the unexpected floral overall impression rescues it from anonymity.
Texture is among Zotter’s best, which means by his standards among the best going, almost perfectly creamy and smooth, and again not easy to achieve at 60%. One does feel that this may have involved a bit of a cocoa butter compromise: while the flavours are nice, perhaps a higher overall percentage, which would have reduced the relative cocoa butter percentage, could have revealed the flavours with greater focus. Nonetheless, they’re not smothered like some bars can be. Overall, this bar could serve as a reference demonstration of what fine cocoa is like, an ideal introduction to the novice. Paired side-by-side with Amazonia, it’s a particularly nice combination, which for the beginning taster makes clear the relative differences between different beans without making one jarringly worse than the other, while at the same time exploding any tendency to group chocolate into overly broad, stereotypical categories which might bias a taster to future chocolate from various sources. This is the Labooko concept at its most inspired.
