Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com

This time I drank a glass of water before tasting (which cleared my mouth of saliva), and chewed more aggressively. This resulted in a dry sensation in my mouth during the initial melt, which I attributed to the lack of the adddition of butter.

I perceived the same flavors, but the flatness seemed more pronouned this time.

I asked my sister if she thought it tasted like a s'more, and she thought that it did. She said that it definately tasted of Graham cracker. I mention this only because she rarely detects secondary flavors, so the Graham cracker flavor must be quite easily noticeable.

The bar is a reddish brown color of intermediate darkness. It is significantly lighter than a bar such as Lindt Excellence 70%. Does this color necessarily indicate that bulk beans are not the predominate component of this chocolate?

The bar smells like something which I associate with lower quality chocolate, but is not unpleasant. Several possible labels for this aroma passed through my mind, such as a dutched chocolate aroma, but ultimately I decided that the bar smelled similar to a bar of Hershey’s.

The bar did not taste as I expected. To me it tastes like a s’more: a combination of marshmallow, graham cracker, and Hershey’s chocolate. Although, as one would suspect it is more chocolaty and less sweet. I also note some very subtle flavors of tea, coffee, and perhaps strawberries. I detect no significant level of acidity in this bar. The flavor profile strikes me as somewhat flat.

Smelling the bar again, I think that smells as it tastes: like a s’more.

The bar is not at all bitter, and the texture is not below average, but ultimately this bar fails to please me. This may be simply due to my biases; I do not want a tasting experience as mundane as eating a s’more when I reach for a bar of fine chocolate. My only objective complaint, is that the bar seems somewhat flat, as I mentioned earlier.

I notice that this bar is priced lower than the origin bars. Is this an indication that Guittard intends for this to be a less premium chocolate? Does it likely use beans which are not among the beans featured in the origin line?

I think this is a good point to make when talk about where Guittard sells there chocolate. As we have found out, you can't get Guittard in Europe(or at least it is hard). Which means they specialize in the American palate and the American palate for fine chocolate is in the mid to high 60's right now...I think our taste buds best find the flavors at that percentage range...I think Europe likes their darker of course. More like the low seventies...

My point is that I think Guittard stays in that 65% spot because that is what Americans go for right now and where our palats are at the moment...

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

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My personal opinion is that their quality is, or can be, as good as most of those on that list but no, you can't class them with those companies. The scale of their production is of an altogether different order. I think their chocolates do often have superb flavour but it's a bit disappointing that they don't have higher percentages very much. Their sweet spot is the 65% range. Out of this territory their chocolate tends to get progressively less impressive.

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I also get the feeling they're a big company doing a marketing trick. They certainly don't appear to have the same artisanal control of bean sources as the companies I mentioned.

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My impression is that they've given a lot of marketing top-spin to what was a strategic decision to move into quality chocolate and deemphasize the commodity business. So in that sense I think they're committed to fine chocolate. In addition I'm guessing that individual members of the senior management may well have some passion for it - but I don't get the impression that it's the kind of unswerving obsessive mission of a company like Cluizel or Amedei. I can hardly imagine they have the same control over bean sources because their volume is far greater.

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More on a par with Lindt I would say.

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Another company which, interestingly, seems to have made a fairly committed foray into better chocolate. Just like Guittard I get the impression that there is a strategic decision being made here. Lindt's quality has improved up and down the line from what I've been able to assess. Let us hope they continue to improve! Still, I don't think Lindt's quality is across the board quite as good as Guittard's, and they don't have as large a stable of "winners".

For those in Europe - yes, as you've discovered, it's impossible to get over here. But although they're very good, I will also say that you're not missing overmuch. There are plenty of other chocolate manufacturers here who fill the void that Guittard would occupy. In other words, there are equally good chocolates to be had in almost every case, and when you consider the costs of importing the value wouldn't be there. They don't have the sort of distinctive, unreplaceable style of, e.g. Pralus or Domori.

Alex Rast
Alex_Rast_Alternate@hushmail.com

I am, however, wary of Guittard choosing to forgo the use of cocoa butter on a blended bar--I tend to have less trust that a good quality blended bar will be put out by a big company....as the sourcing of the beans can at times be ambiguous.

I would love to taste their Ambanja bar without the additional cocoa butter...

Sean

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

Is there no spot to order Guittard in the UK?

Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com

They do not dutch any chocolate in their E. Guittard Line. I have heard that they have some in their other line but I have not seen it yet so I can't be for sure.

Are you familiar with their chocolate Ellie? do you like them or no?

Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

You know what I think would be a great thing for the chocolate world...A competition of the best chocolate manufacturers of the world. Each one as one year to design a new bar. All of them have to be of the same cocoa content but the rest can all be their choice...I would love to see what these companies would come up with...There could be a pannel of Connoisseaurs from around the world to do a blind tasting and choose the winner...

Well I think that would be a great thing...who know's maybe you(Martin) and me could work on that in a couple years from now :) Just an idea...

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

More on a par with Lindt I would say.

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

What is your favorite company Martin?

Robert
http://www.chocolateguild.com