Scott

Any recent tasters?

Sean

quote:

The chocolate has a nice earthy aroma.

The flavor profile is dominated by various fruit flavors. A slight earthiness appears near the finish to keep things interesting.

This is a good bar, although I also prefer the other two.

I enjoy Amano's bars. I think they're well-balanced.

quote:

I tried both Amano and Theo Madagascars. I am with you - overall I thought the Amano was the better of the 2. Neither bar was perfect: not in the same league e.g. as Amedei's.

The Amano had a lot of spiciness in it, particularly cinnamon, but I think there was a problem with overfermentation. It was very sour and vinegary. Madagascar, with its already citrus signature, doesn't need the extra sourness of an aggressive ferment. Still this was a relatively small defect in an otherwise fine bar.

The Theo was more problematic. I think the chief problem with it is overroasting. One got good cinnamon/grapefruit at the start: classic Madagascar flavours, but then it became a bit cardboardy and bitter, a sign of a roast pushed slightly too far. The bar lost delicacy and became aggressive. Now, Theo's style emphasizes strength, so perhaps that was their aim, but I'd have preferred to see a more feminine bar in the Madagascar where you expect that type of delivery. There will be a review up shortly, along with the Venezuela (which was superb) and the blend.

I also tried Amano's Ocumare. It has a long way to go before equalling the Domori. The bar was very one-dimensional in its fruitiness, almost all currant, all the time. Since Ocumare generally has some earthy components as well I think of the fruitiness as uncharacteristic.

Amano is clearly trying hard, but I think their style is a little too close to Valrhona for comfort. They need to be more distinctive and individual. Indeed, they seem to be "copying" manufacturers rather than establishing a style of their own. The texture and finish of the bars, for example, is almost identical to Cluizel, right down to the moulding pattern. Packaging is an unabashed rip-off of Amedei. I can't criticise them for making bad choices as to who to copy: with the possible exception of Valrhona on the whole they seem to be picking the best representative of each feature, but I do wish they'd have more originality. So the bars end up perfectly acceptable, but nothing new or special.

Alex Rast
Alex_Rast_Alternate@hushmail.com

The Amano smelled to me of cedar. The initial taste is cedar as well, which transitions into a vague combination of bitterness and spiciness. The acid flavours then arrive, intially as strawberry, and then blueberry, which diminished as a basic chocolate flavor appeared. As I moved the chocolate with my tongue, further waves of acid arrive with the same blueberry flavor, which persists into the finish.

The Theo smelled to me of acidic fruit with an acidic forestlike aromoa similar to some of the acidic flavors in Domori Chacao Absolute. The initial flavor is of table sugar (an unusual entrance?), followed by basic chocolate flavor. The acid arrives as fruit which is quickly dominated by an acidic grass flavor. The flavor grows more forest like as earthness becomes the dominate note, which is the note on which the flavor profile finishes.

The texture of the Amano was unflawed, while the Theo was slighlty grainy (I have found the texture of all Theo chocolate to be somewhat grainy).

I prefer the Amano. While the Theo is more complex and has a longer flavor profile, I do not care for the earthy and grassy flavors (I dislike earthy chocolate in general).

With the Amano, I find the cedar, spice, and strawberry flavors pleasant, although short lived. The flavor profile stagnates on the blueberry flavor, but I find this flavor so pleasant that I do not consider the lack of complexity as a fault.

The blueberry flavor in the Amano tastes simlar to the blueberry in Guittard's Madagascar, although in the Amano this blueberry flavor dominates while in the Guittards spice dominates. I wonder if a blend of Guittard's and Amano's Madagascar chocolates could produce a more balanced flavor profile?

Scott

;-)

-Art

Fine Chocolate Made From The Bean
http://www.amanochocolate.com

Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com

Also, I find it interesting that you've never tasted berries in other Madagascans when so obvious a selection is widely available for you to try: Manjari, and in a good year, Ampamakia. Other bars, such as Lindt, Guittard, and of course Theo are available too, offering raspberries and blueberries. Cluizel's Mangaro even tastes of raspberries, although secondary to the caramel, but it's definitely present in bright red attire. In fact, that you haven't tasted berries in a Madagascan chocolate is quite odd indeed, especially since it's a common flavor of this origin, but perhaps this note is just perceived differently. For example, I know for a fact that when Alex describes a flavor as cherry I sometimes associate the same flavor with cranberry or some other redness, but the important thing to remember here, though, is that the same (even if in relative terms) perception was made.

I really did not enjoy Theo's Madagscar and found it dull and that the tartness of the bar and the chocolate flavor didn't flow together as well. I will have to get another bar and go through it again and do it side by side with these other Madagascars...

Have a good one guys,
Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com

Theo's Madagascar was better, imo, because of its more rounded profile and greater representation of Madascar's flavors (full review on the way). It's better balanced too and conveys its flavors more pleasantly and more coherently than Amano. Both are bright chocolates, in a sense, but Theo's has a woody counter to prevent a seemingly one dimensional tone. Texture here was not as smooth as Scott describes. It was smooth, yes, but also it had some grain here and there.

The first time I tried Ambanja, the flavor and texture were magnificent, but there wasn't acidity to accentuate the fruitiness and therefore coutner the spiciness of the chocolate. The result is a chocolate that, in relative terms, is one dimensional. Lindt's, otoh, has a similar profile but expands further with orange and acidity.

quote:

Like I said, though, Amano's Madagascar is a good chocolate. I certainly wouldn't say anyone is "wrong" for preferring it over the other two. Another thing to consider is that Amano has been offering its chocolate to the public for all of a month and a half. They're making small batches. There's a real possibility that the Amano Madagascar you've had is different from what I'm describing. (The bars I have are from Lot # 3/4/59, Made: 1/14/2007.) Time will tell how consistent Amano is from lot to lot.

Scott