Impact
Sly & coy as the oft-inscrutible Mr. Patric himself.
Appearance 4.8 / 5
| Color: | well, deep mocha |
| Surface: | perfect front & even the triple-swirl pattern on the airside looks designer-sequenced |
| Temper: | neutral |
| Snap: | good plunk |
Aroma 9.1 / 10
beautiful balance: cocoa leather / coffee spice
Mouthfeel 11 / 15
| Texture: | addling |
| Melt: | separation anxiety |
Flavor 44.9 / 50
pulls a shot of espresso right off, drawing long prolonged arabica -> spice tingle -> ever so gradually sugar & cocoa butter support from the sides & underneath, leaving the upper pal (for Palate) to coffee... holds this track for some countless length -> approaching the close & peak chocolate hits with fruit processing at the corners, followed by a coffee backsplash -> slow dissolve into true mocha
Quality 17.2 / 20
Dramatic (Texture included). Another clarion bar from Patric.
Tremendous lateral movement producing a vertical upsurge. A progression that could’ve been left for dead at the midpoint, floundering in a mocha of just coffee, sugar & White Choc (in the guise of cream) whence its fat feels embalmed in sweetness. Unexpectedly resuscitated, the initially meek cacáo-blend finally asserts its influence.
Different base from Patric’s Signature 70% & its DM because the bean mix differs. Probably a reduced bean-count here versus those 4-bean blends, as well as an increase in the added cocoa butter pad. And yet that fruited crescendo recalls the blues in the 70%.
Patric is nothing if not precise. Even so, the cacáo-content could stand a few more percentage points to quell that middle sugar glee. Might the label have been ambushed by café properties? With an espresso roast, coffee complexity usually swaps out for its own cocoa-body derived from Mailliard reactions in the heat. It also can increase underlying sweetness in the coffee berry.
A fab finish, however, so it’s really no matter.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, espresso beans
Reviewed August 17, 2011
Tremendous lateral movement producing a vertical upsurge. A progression that could’ve been left for dead at the midpoint, floundering in a mocha of just coffee, sugar & White Choc (in the guise of cream) whence its fat feels embalmed in sweetness. Unexpectedly resuscitated, the initially meek cacáo-blend finally asserts its influence.
Different base from Patric’s Signature 70% & its DM because the bean mix differs. Probably a reduced bean-count here versus those 4-bean blends, as well as an increase in the added cocoa butter pad. And yet that fruited crescendo recalls the blues in the 70%.
Patric is nothing if not precise. Even so, the cacáo-content could stand a few more percentage points to quell that middle sugar glee. Might the label have been ambushed by café properties? With an espresso roast, coffee complexity usually swaps out for its own cocoa-body derived from Mailliard reactions in the heat. It also can increase underlying sweetness in the coffee berry.
A fab finish, however, so it’s really no matter.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, espresso beans
Reviewed August 17, 2011