Patiño Angel
by CariBeans
Impact
Well, apparently it has... in this bar, for patinar means 'ice-skate' in Spanish, in a battle of the black angels (see Flavor section below).
As everyone knows, getting there ain't so bad.
Getting out? Just pop in piehole & let it thaw... all the way down the chute.
Appearance 3.9 / 5
| Color: | opaque gray |
| Surface: | never a Caribeans strong suit |
| Temper: | cowering |
| Snap: | muffled |
Aroma 7.6 / 10
lowrider -- cocoa & compost barely get off the mat... raisin lurking about with tobac -> burlap & banana leaf
grows woodsome
grows woodsome
Mouthfeel 11.9 / 15
| Texture: | disaggregates into separate melting icicles |
| Melt: | slight grain + significant stringency |
Flavor 44.6 / 50
slides in black raisin... full, dry & plump -> counters black olive, bitter & strong -> slowly curls to a nut tranversing from roasted pili to paradise cream (aka 'monkey pot') nuts (think wild almond)
Quality 15.8 / 20
Paul Johnson of CariBeans sourced the cacáo for this bar from the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve, an expanse of some 9,000 acres in the hills behind Puerto Viejo where 1,800 residents belonging to the Bribri & Cabecar families live. He has to hike 3 hours or so on foot because it's the only way to reach them.
Theobroma cacáo fields passed down for generations grow on a coastal ridge at 500 to 600 feet above sea level, significantly higher than cacáo in the surrounding plains that comprise several other CariBeans bars. In keeping with the landscape, & notwithstanding the perceptible shortcomings in fermenting & conching, here's a bar from CariBeans that rises above flatliner status in flavor as well..
One of the most stark & simple contrasts in all of chocolate. The 'A' to 'B' progression from raisin to olive -- both black to be sure yet so bold, dramatic, & graphic -- reflects the difference between front-loaded sugar & bitter back tannins.
Cacáo from these parts bears a characteristic smoke trait which readily transfers to the end flavor, especially at the very finish.
A bit rough-hewn but worth it.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed March 6, 2013
Theobroma cacáo fields passed down for generations grow on a coastal ridge at 500 to 600 feet above sea level, significantly higher than cacáo in the surrounding plains that comprise several other CariBeans bars. In keeping with the landscape, & notwithstanding the perceptible shortcomings in fermenting & conching, here's a bar from CariBeans that rises above flatliner status in flavor as well..
One of the most stark & simple contrasts in all of chocolate. The 'A' to 'B' progression from raisin to olive -- both black to be sure yet so bold, dramatic, & graphic -- reflects the difference between front-loaded sugar & bitter back tannins.
Cacáo from these parts bears a characteristic smoke trait which readily transfers to the end flavor, especially at the very finish.
A bit rough-hewn but worth it.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed March 6, 2013