Dark
by Waialua
Impact
Practically wears its colors & waves a freak-flag pinned on the tongue's lapel... so much red, white & blue / stars & stripes. Grown in Hawaii USA, harvested by Dole (the global concern of banana republic fame), & manufactured by Guittard.
Welcome to the branding nexus of 21st century chocolate.
Welcome to the branding nexus of 21st century chocolate.
Appearance 3.9 / 5
| Color: | pale brown |
| Surface: | Oahu, HI; Waialua Estate |
| Temper: | burnished |
| Snap: | plunks closer to a 55% or 60%; granulated break; some striation |
Aroma 6.8 / 10
awkward witches' brew; VOG (Vanilla Oak Giant) busting out of its ghost sheet even before it's unwrapped, otherwise dead to the world: dust & cobwebs in a cedar closet filled w/ tropical silage (green pineapple, green mango, tamarind, star fruit, & cinnamon) cutting thru guinea straw grass, dried sunflower, clary sage, & sorrel; add chokeberry for good measure
Mouthfeel 13.1 / 15
| Texture: | butter ball |
| Melt: | a bit ensnared (w/ this flavor profile, expect astringency) & verklumpt |
Flavor 43.8 / 50
unfurls red, white & blue at the starting gate ('ohelo [Hawaiian cranberry]/pineapple/blueberry; a moment nearing fake fruit) -> dried cocoa w/ a Texas-style lone star bitter but similar to mangosteen -> silage, tamarind, & sunflower -> verges on collapse at mid-course (extroverted acids) then rights itself in sweetened fruit borrowed from the beginning & cranks the vanilla to simulate raisin -> rides out chocolate-dipped pineapple w/ dragonfruit; the post-script green walnut + cedar & neem tree woods
Quality 17.7 / 20
The break-out star of USA compared to the undersung hero - OHCF's Criollo (also made in Americana). Dole pledged a complete mix of Criollo, Amazon, + 'Trinitario' & delivers on its promise (albeit slightly disjointed), especially the latter as transplants from Central American hybrids dominate the mash-up with some astringent Ecuador Nacional thrown in too.
Guittard typically struggles outside the semisweet range & here it compensates by adding back plenty of butter (the highest component of the Big 3; CBS ratio [Cocoa mass / Butter / Sugar] ~2:3:2) which cools the bright acids from springing up too hot, as well as its usual heavy-handed vanilla use (though avoiding any extreme levels), sliding the bar more toward a Semi-Dark type. All in all, a very good show for a 1st time effort.
One is never done learning unless 'quituating' (to use a Miles Davis term). Too early to jump on this but let's hope Dole/Guittard keeps at it.
Guittard typically struggles outside the semisweet range & here it compensates by adding back plenty of butter (the highest component of the Big 3; CBS ratio [Cocoa mass / Butter / Sugar] ~2:3:2) which cools the bright acids from springing up too hot, as well as its usual heavy-handed vanilla use (though avoiding any extreme levels), sliding the bar more toward a Semi-Dark type. All in all, a very good show for a 1st time effort.
One is never done learning unless 'quituating' (to use a Miles Davis term). Too early to jump on this but let's hope Dole/Guittard keeps at it.