Talamanca Organica
by CariBeans
Impact
Appearance 4 / 5
| Color: | violet coffee |
| Surface: | good molding; unsightly airside |
| Temper: | semi-gloss |
| Snap: | mutters |
Aroma 7.1 / 10
recessed / subdued... slightly hammy with a soft spice character -> goes to coffee grounds, then, strangely, white latex paint -> astonishingly it gives off a berry whiff! (some purple shade for interior warmth)
Mouthfeel 12 / 15
| Texture: | yips & tics |
| Melt: | trundles along |
Flavor 38.1 / 50
cinna-choc -> goes hard into cocoa -> sparks back up cinnamon as the progression gradually shifts toward chicory before brown sugar -> grindstone finish... best suited for hot cocoa, cupcakes, & syrup
Quality 14.8 / 20
The definition of average.
A placid chocolate waiting... for something to happen. What occurs holds only passing interest in contrast to its origin -- the beach haven Playa Cocles, Costa Rica (3km south of Puerto Viejo). There, ex-pat Christina tends to a very small, single-family orchard. Her permaculture environment teems with fruit trees (commonplace banana & papaya grow among more local exotica), herbs & hardwoods.
The Theobroma here stands noteworthy for being the most hygienic along the coast & Christina's rather unique fermentation method: hanging sacks of cacáo seeds from tree branches to let their pulp drip out. This harkens back to the Mesoamerican technique witnessed in the 1500s by Oviedo & Bishop Landa of drawing cocoa butter. Some 300 years later Domingo Ghirardelli happened upon The Broma Process in which hanging a bag of chocolate in a warm room caused cacáo butter to do likewise.
Recently Christina has been experimenting with a single box ferment. All part & parcel to understanding & advancing the craft.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed February 6, 2013
A placid chocolate waiting... for something to happen. What occurs holds only passing interest in contrast to its origin -- the beach haven Playa Cocles, Costa Rica (3km south of Puerto Viejo). There, ex-pat Christina tends to a very small, single-family orchard. Her permaculture environment teems with fruit trees (commonplace banana & papaya grow among more local exotica), herbs & hardwoods.
The Theobroma here stands noteworthy for being the most hygienic along the coast & Christina's rather unique fermentation method: hanging sacks of cacáo seeds from tree branches to let their pulp drip out. This harkens back to the Mesoamerican technique witnessed in the 1500s by Oviedo & Bishop Landa of drawing cocoa butter. Some 300 years later Domingo Ghirardelli happened upon The Broma Process in which hanging a bag of chocolate in a warm room caused cacáo butter to do likewise.
Recently Christina has been experimenting with a single box ferment. All part & parcel to understanding & advancing the craft.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed February 6, 2013