Saturday, June 18, 2011

Amano: Signature Collection Chuao

With as good as that Amano Jembrana I wrote about yesterday sounded, isn’t it sad that it was limited edition? Happier news: Amano happens to currently be featuring a “signature collection” Chuao bar.

Chuao, a village in northern Venezuela, is purported to be home to some of the best cocoa beans on the planet. I suppose that might be why this bar is considered part of the “signature collection.” But…how good is it? It has a cherry aroma alongside hints of berries. Does this indicate a strong fruity taste?

The immediate flavor developed when this chocolate hits the tongue is mint, followed by a bit of an earthy flavor. Then, yes then, the berry flavor emerges, with a notable taste of blackberry enhanced by a bit of sugar added to this bar. A note of sour citrus emerges at the end of the melt, and is intensified by the notable dryness at the end of the melt. Though the bar is flavorful, the texture is too dry for me, and I remain unconvinced that this bar merits a “signature collection” title.

How good should chocolate be to bear a “signature collection” label?

4 comments:

  1. I agree with you on this. You know I'm a Amano fanatic, but Amedei's Chuao is better. In a blind, very unscientific tasting, an overwhelming number of my co-workers preferred Amano Dos Rios to Amedei Chuao. I'm in the same camp, but they're both top chocolates if you ask me.

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  2. Hm. I think it should be one of the best they make obviously. I mean maybe some people are into dry crusty chocolate but uh. Not think girl.

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  3. How disappointing! To be honest, even Amadei's Chuao didn't live up to its 'best chocolate' label in my opinion - too sour and fruity for my tastes!

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  4. Yeah that is disappointing.

    I'm not into dry wine, I bet I feel the same about dry chocolate.

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