A light looking bar with some burgundy notes, suggesting a medium roast. The thin 50 gram ‘half’ bars snap with a thud rather than a click, but appear well made and moulded with an elegant, if fancy, design.
Aroma is liquorice deep fruit, some cocoa powder, nut skins and pleasant light cream.
The bar is lightly made, melting quickly with fruit, then sugar, then fruit. Quite delicate with a background of saccharin sweetness. Melts coolly, leaving soft ginger and mulled wine on the tongue.
A chocolatey end, which is a little powdery, but this is very typical of criollos. Also some biscuit and light tannins.
No doubt a well made couverture and a well made bar. Sprüngli’s version leaves behind some of the earthier ground notes detectable in the source couverture, as direct from Felchlin. This is either from the moulding, or helped by ‘shelf time’ allowing the chocolate to settle.
A good, palatable Venezuelan, with some rich complexities balanced with delicacy, though the overall effect is a little sweet. Light and easy to eat, should be widely liked but does lack a little excitement.
