Seventy% - Topic: 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Hans-Peter Rot on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Thu, 10 Jun 2004 03:22:01 +0000

The one with nuts was either Caraibe 66% with hazelnuts or their 61% bar with hazelnuts; the bar with orange peel is Manjari. I don't understand why Valrhona doesn't make that bar without the orange peel. I think I might use the 55% to experiment with in a recipe, perhaps a cake or brownies (everyone loves brownies).

Lone Ly on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 09:24:02 +0000

Montegrano, It's Guanaja 70%. I use to buy the 200g blocks. I thought that was the only 70% and the only Guanaja except some of this stuff with nuts and orange that might have the same name (i don't care much about them). I can guess 55% is sweet, yes. Since I got tired of Manjari 64% in hot chocolate (way too fruity and too sweet), I tried Guanaja 70% instead - yum! Sweet enough, chocolaty enough. Don't know what to do? I know ... [:D]

Hans-Peter Rot on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 03:13:14 +0000

LoneLy, are you referring to Guanaja 70% or the Noir 71%? The 61% is indeed pretty good, very fruity, as usual. The 55% is good too, but it's way too sweet. I have a pound of it here that I don't know what to do with. I tried it in a recipe, but it was rather sweet.

Lone Ly on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 22:08:36 +0000

They don't have more of Ampamakia 2002 at Jacob's (Oslo) because I bought the last three bars last year ... I guess it was early autumn. And they're gone. Can't say I was too impressed, but they were slightly better than 2003.

I prefer Valrhona Chuao to the other. In fact I liked it so much that I bought a bar even when I had lots of stuff from Amedei and Cluizel available. I also like Manjari although I tend to use most of it for hot chocolate - liked it better in the beginning though. 70% is still classic to me. In fact I discovered in the weekend that their 61% baking chocolate was nice too - for baking that is.

legodude on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 19:43:21 +0000

I tasted Valrhona Ampamakia 2003 here the other day, and I can not say I were impressed. Like the Manjari better. Read here at the forum that the 2002 was better. LoneLy; do they have the 2002 at Jacobs or somewhere else in Oslo? Also tasted the other two vintage chocolates; Gran Couva and Chuao. I prefer Gran Couva of the three. I guess I like Madagascar Criollo better than Venezuelan.

Lone Ly on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 12:15:43 +0000

Hi Hayley, not easy to tell whether some are from 'down under' unless they decide to reveal their nationalities themselves. Would have been fun to hear what chocolate's like in NZ though!

alex_h on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 12:13:44 +0000

cocoloco (or coco_loco; check the list of members) is from oz. is that close enought to you, hayley?

Hayley on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 11:47:41 +0000

Is there anyone from New Zealand here? It's lovely to read all these, but it's all a bit distant for me all the way down here!

Masur on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 19:53:57 +0000

Ampamakia 2002 was a sensation. Ampamakia 2003 was a disappointment compared to the previous vintage. Don't miss the opportunity to compare yourself.

Masur

theobroma on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 05:32:21 +0000

Wow! What a competitive market!
kyle

Oh no! My Agustus!

morton peto on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 17:40:57 +0000

Harvey Nichols has them all for £2.95. Selfridges does not have Gran Couva- which I would say is the most flavoursome this year.

Incidentally the most expensive I have seen is La Fromagerie (off Marylebone High Street) which has them for £3.95.

I would say Harvey Nichols has at least as wide a range of Valrhona products as Chocolate Society. It also stocks Valrhona bars now.

elethe on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Thu, 26 Feb 2004 17:13:35 +0000

Fortnum and Mason and Selfridges both have the Ampamakia and Chuao 2003 - and F and M has the Gran Couva.

They are all £3.50 in Fortnum and Masons and (I believe) £2.95 in Selfridges.

Emma on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:23:37 +0000

It's well worth noting that The Chocolate Society Shop, 36 Elizabeth Street, London, has the best range of Valrhona Vintage Bars and other Valrhona products in the UK. For those of us that don't live in London ( I think I remember reading somewhere that someone was complaining about the lack of good chocolate available outside London) , they also operate a mail order service - http://www.chocolate.co.uk. [The truffles made with organic chocolate are to die for!]

Emma Field

macy on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 12:49:59 +0000

Just bought the Valrhona Ampamakia and Chuao 2003 from Chocolate Trading Company and cant wait to compare with the 2002 also bought from them, which apparently expires end of December - not that it will even last one day when i get my hands on it !!!!.

morton peto on 2003 vintage Valrhonas

Sun, 02 Nov 2003 21:56:21 +0000

All three bars (Chuao, Ampamakia, Gran Couva) are available at The Chocolate Society shop at £3.45. They had a stock of each of the 2002's which were in presentation boxes which they have now taken out of the boxes and are selling for £3.45 each as well- presumably because best before date is the end of this month. They are selling any 6 for the price of 5.