Dark Goat
by Escazú
Impact
This goat milk bar kicks it in the gut to rattle the U-shaped hyoid bone in the neck that supports the tongue - the only bone in the body unconnected to another bone (try singing that in Dem Bones to lyrics based in Ezekiel 37:1-14: the head bone connected to the neck bone / the neck bone connected to the back bone / oh, hear the word of the Lord... (which anatomically is incorrect, BTW; maybe Ezekiel got us mixed up with The Monkees)... / & the hyoid bone connected to this milk chocolate tongue...
Appearance 4.3 / 5
| Color: | opaque silvered-brown |
| Surface: | lathered w/ bubbles & pierced w/ pinholes |
| Temper: | thin shimmer |
| Snap: | handclap, just slightly hollow; compressurized edge wall |
Aroma 8.2 / 10
creamy for a goat yet still allows those base notes from the Carenero to cut thru... this varietal’s natural caramel (buttressed by added vanilla) &, above all, untrammeled chocolate -> surprisingly aerates brief pepino melon + litchi nut before tobacco moves in on the wind
Mouthfeel 11.7 / 15
| Texture: | pachydermatous, then powdered |
| Melt: | slow, turgid... liquifies by the end |
Flavor 43.8 / 50
caramelized brownies charge the tongue -> milk slowly & gradually creeps up to deepen the works along w/ vanilla into toffee’d brownies -> goat tangs away lightly, adding contrast to catch white soncoya then pepino at the periphery -> joins Carenero’s traditional acids to further leaven the tone -> a shock of chocolate on the way out hammered w/ a little goat’s hoof
Quality 17.6 / 20
Fairly adventuresome.
60% cacáo ranks on the higher side for a Dark-Milk & the Goat’s variety can be excessively sharp (witness not its specter but evil reality in Askinosie).
This bar is well-proportioned however, giving a balanced threshold-complement to each element, a coordinated imperative given the persistent danger with Goat Milk of its urgency pushing out the important.
The Goat here is strong enough to direct the progression without clashing against Carenero’s ester compounds which are the difference-maker. Where nearby Rio Caribe can be too one-dimensional, Carenero has those off-sets to extend the flavor range. Similar to its straight 81% of the same varietal, this too shows a bit muddled, missing some definition & in need of a quality-enhancement to look forward to once Escazú gains more experience.
Nonetheless, an adventurous maker, taking well-considered risks.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, vanilla, powdered goat's milk
Reviewed Autumn 2009
60% cacáo ranks on the higher side for a Dark-Milk & the Goat’s variety can be excessively sharp (witness not its specter but evil reality in Askinosie).
This bar is well-proportioned however, giving a balanced threshold-complement to each element, a coordinated imperative given the persistent danger with Goat Milk of its urgency pushing out the important.
The Goat here is strong enough to direct the progression without clashing against Carenero’s ester compounds which are the difference-maker. Where nearby Rio Caribe can be too one-dimensional, Carenero has those off-sets to extend the flavor range. Similar to its straight 81% of the same varietal, this too shows a bit muddled, missing some definition & in need of a quality-enhancement to look forward to once Escazú gains more experience.
Nonetheless, an adventurous maker, taking well-considered risks.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, vanilla, powdered goat's milk
Reviewed Autumn 2009