The beans are from a small farm in the Piura region.  The beans are white, giving the resulting chocolate a paleness that looks like milk chocolate, though it has no milk.  There is a rawness to the odor – a pungent greenness, with a slight hint of melon, that smells of a freshly-halved cacao pod.  The bar itself is smooth and satiny with a denseness that leaves no room for bubbles or flakiness.

Getting to the heart of it:  There is a nice snap to the chocolate, which shouldn’t be surprising in a Pacari bar but, somehow, is, because of the paleness.  The bar is creamy and smooth, with just a slight stickiness that is pleasant, rather than cloying.  The opening note is sharp, evoking, again, a rawness, though this is not a raw bar.  There are notes of dried fruit, raw cocoa beans, citrus and, towards the end, nuts, all tumbling over each other on a wave of chocolate flavor that persists throughout and for a while after the other notes have faded.  There is astringency in the finish, which builds with each bite, and a slight burning in the back of the throat.

Overall:  This is my new favorite Pacari bar (edging out the Raw 70% by a slim margin – rankings will get even tighter when Pacari’s Nube comes out).  The complexity of flavors and the smooth texture are the best of both worlds, for me.  It was a little sweet for me, but overall, I enjoyed it every much.  I look forward to the launch of the bar, so I can stock my chocolate cupboard!

The post Pacari Piura 70% appeared first on Seventy%.

The post Pacari Piura 70% appeared first on Seventy%.

Getting to the heart of it:  I didn’t expect much snap with such a thick bite, but there is some toothiness to it, even at the center of the tablet.  Because of the thickness, it’s tempting to chew it, rather than let it melt.  The melt is chunky and slightly powdery.  There is a slight astringency (and a tingling, which is unusual to me) to the bar that lingers long after the chocolate is gone, finishing with a slight burn.  There is a lot of fat in this bar, which inhibits the flavor and experience.  It tastes a bit like brownie, but not particularly fudgy and not overly sweet.  Though there is vanilla, in the form of Bourbon vanilla beans, in the bar, there is no strong vanilla flavor.

Overall:  This bar is not complex at all.  There is chocolate and astringency and the flavor is muted by fat.  Going back to the package, the nutrition information indicates that 10g of the 40g serving are from sugar (to be expected in a 75% bar) and also that 18g are from fat.  I think this bar shows some promise and that it would benefit from less fat, to showcase the natural flavors of the cacao.  As it is, it would make a great transition bar, for people interested in moving to single origin chocolates.

The post L’Amourette Carenero Superior 75% appeared first on Seventy%.

Getting to the heart of it:  I didn’t expect much snap with such a thick bite, but there is some toothiness to it, even at the center of the tablet.  Because of the thickness, it’s tempting to chew it, rather than let it melt.  The melt is chunky and slightly sticky.  There is a lot of fat in this bar, which inhibits the flavor and experience.  It is not overly sweet, but there isn’t a strong cacao flavor, either, again, probably due to the high fat content.  There’s a hint of green in the flavor and a slight nuttiness.  Towards the middle of the bite, the astringency kicks in hard, burning the back of my throat, but it’s a short burn – interesting more than unpleasant.  There is vanilla, in the form of Bourbon vanilla beans, in the bar, but, as with the Carenero Superior bar, there is no strong vanilla flavor.

Overall:  The chocolate flavor in this bar is interesting, more so than L’Amourette’s Carenero Superior.  There is a distinct flavor arc, from fat to raw cacao beans to nuts, with some astringency, but, again, the flavors are muted by fat.  From the package, the nutrition information indicates that 10g of the 40g serving are from sugar (to be expected in a 75% bar) and also that 18g are from fat.  The blurb on the back of the box also states that the beans are “hand selected” Rio CaribeSuperior; I’m not sure why that is not stated on the front of the box.

The post L’Amourette Chocolat Noir 75% appeared first on Seventy%.

The post L’Amourette Chocolat Noir 75% appeared first on Seventy%.

Getting to the heart of it:  I didn’t expect much snap with such a thick bite, but there is some toothiness to it, even at the center of the tablet.  Because of the thickness, it’s tempting to chew it, rather than let it melt.  The melt is chunky and slightly powdery.  There is a slight astringency (and a tingling, which is unusual to me) to the bar that lingers long after the chocolate is gone, finishing with a slight burn.  There is a lot of fat in this bar, which inhibits the flavor and experience.  It tastes a bit like brownie, but not particularly fudgy and not overly sweet.  Though there is vanilla, in the form of Bourbon vanilla beans, in the bar, there is no strong vanilla flavor.

Overall:  This bar is not complex at all.  There is chocolate and astringency and the flavor is muted by fat.  Going back to the package, the nutrition information indicates that 10g of the 40g serving are from sugar (to be expected in a 75% bar) and also that 18g are from fat.  I think this bar shows some promise and that it would benefit from less fat, to showcase the natural flavors of the cacao.  As it is, it would make a great transition bar, for people interested in moving to single origin chocolates.

The post L’Amourette Carenero Superior 75% appeared first on Seventy%.

The post L’Amourette Chocolatier Carenero Superior 75% appeared first on Seventy%.

Getting to the heart of it:  The bar is soft, with very little snap.  The chocolate doesn’t quite melt away; it’s chunky, but not powdery, slightly sticky, with a long, not particularly pleasant aftertaste. The first impression of the bar is astringency, giving way to citrus notes and a brief flash of fudginess, before turning astringent again.

Overall:  The bar’s flavor has some complexity, but the astringency is rather harsh. The fudginess, though brief, is delicious and I found myself going back to the bar to taste that fudginess again. Fresco’s purpose in creating different preparations of the same beans is to show the difference between the two. In comparing the 217 and the 218, I believe the 218 shines more in its richer flavor, despite its relative lack of complexity.

The post Fresco – 218 Chuao 76% – George Gensler Review appeared first on Seventy%.

The post Fresco – 218 (Chuao 76%) appeared first on Seventy%.

Getting to the heart of it:  The bar has a nice snap with an even break.  The chocolate doesn’t quite melt away; it’s chunky, but not powdery, lingering on the tongue and teeth after the chocolate is gone.  The heaviness of the roast is noticable, leaving a coffee-like taste in the mouth, though the bar itself doesn’t taste like coffee.  The aftertaste is of a very dark mocha.

Overall:  I really enjoyed this bar.  I am not a coffee fan, but these beans were handled very well and the resulting chocolate is addictive.  It’s all I can do not to eat the rest of this bar, which I am saving to compare with the medium roast Chuao.

The post Fresco – 217 Chuao 70% – George Gensler Review appeared first on Seventy%.