Milk of Madagascar
by Omnom
Impact
REDUX REVIEW: 2 bars... same origin / percentage / formulation; one released in 2014, & the other in 2017
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M.O.M. meet M.O.M.: Milk of Magnesia® meets its match in this Milk of Madagascar.
Both serve as gentle laxatives (cacáo particularly fulfilled this function, among several others, in pre-Columbian times).
This bar proves far tastier -- if somewhat less efficacious in its reaction -- than the modern Phillips product.
Both serve as gentle laxatives (cacáo particularly fulfilled this function, among several others, in pre-Columbian times).
This bar proves far tastier -- if somewhat less efficacious in its reaction -- than the modern Phillips product.
Appearance 4.6 / 5
| Color: | so Nordic... the pink silt of a tanned blonde |
| Surface: | what once showed voids the size of reptiles' eyes now seals prefectly |
| Temper: | glassy |
| Snap: | sharp hollows |
Aroma 6.9 / 10
2014
utterly un-resplendent
frozen milk basically
blank, save for faint bacon suet
let sit & it opens only to various green leaves + brucite
strange
2017
a milk stud
utterly un-resplendent
frozen milk basically
blank, save for faint bacon suet
let sit & it opens only to various green leaves + brucite
strange
2017
a milk stud
Mouthfeel 11.7 / 15
| Texture: |
2014: fine grain 2017: stiff |
| Melt: | verklumped |
Flavor 45 / 50
2014
candy corn swishing around caramel -> casein struggles to gain a purchase… rebuffed happily by saline solution & umami points -> cereal (corn, again, but now just the starch minus the sweetener) -> cocoa malt
2017
milk-malt -> those candy corn FXs of yore still present -> dairy proteins weigh heavily on the tail -> back hay
candy corn swishing around caramel -> casein struggles to gain a purchase… rebuffed happily by saline solution & umami points -> cereal (corn, again, but now just the starch minus the sweetener) -> cocoa malt
2017
milk-malt -> those candy corn FXs of yore still present -> dairy proteins weigh heavily on the tail -> back hay
Quality 16.4 / 20
In a field now studded with several outstanding Milks & Dark-Milks of Madagascar cocoa, this is not one of them. At least not in the expected sense.
Texture well off world-class standards notwithstanding 72 hours in the conche (undoubtedly low & slow). Plus a curious Madagascar by Omnom to go with its mid-weight 66%.
No real indicator of Madagascan cacáo with its usual fruit-laden acidity in this bar. For instance, the promised red berries never manifest here like they do in abundance in Omnom's Semi-Dark version.
For that berry blush to surface in a Milk Chocolate configuration requires a different formulation of more than 41% (deceiving since the overwhelming majority comprises fat as opposed to mass, as sniffed out in the Aroma) &/or a re-calibrated roast / processing (which burns off some substantial volatiles).
Very respectable though, such as it is, a rather conventional Milk Choc but more streamlined & fine in its exposition. Credit Omnom's election to go without vanilla which lightens the load on the palate considerably.
It'd be flip & misguided to think that just about any cocoa origin could achieve the same. Madagascar, after all, cultivates a buoyant cocoa that rarely plods up the works into a ponderous sludge that some others, if mishandled, certainly would (West Africa, for example).
Despite sub-optimal utilization of this island's cacáo, Omnom still pulls off a treasurable payload.
Conceptual & technical questions aside, a real joy-maker & better than its overall rating which suffers some because of ancillaries (Aroma & Texture).
INGREDIENTS: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass
Reviewed April 29, 2014
Revised July 6, 2017
Texture well off world-class standards notwithstanding 72 hours in the conche (undoubtedly low & slow). Plus a curious Madagascar by Omnom to go with its mid-weight 66%.
No real indicator of Madagascan cacáo with its usual fruit-laden acidity in this bar. For instance, the promised red berries never manifest here like they do in abundance in Omnom's Semi-Dark version.
For that berry blush to surface in a Milk Chocolate configuration requires a different formulation of more than 41% (deceiving since the overwhelming majority comprises fat as opposed to mass, as sniffed out in the Aroma) &/or a re-calibrated roast / processing (which burns off some substantial volatiles).
Very respectable though, such as it is, a rather conventional Milk Choc but more streamlined & fine in its exposition. Credit Omnom's election to go without vanilla which lightens the load on the palate considerably.
It'd be flip & misguided to think that just about any cocoa origin could achieve the same. Madagascar, after all, cultivates a buoyant cocoa that rarely plods up the works into a ponderous sludge that some others, if mishandled, certainly would (West Africa, for example).
Despite sub-optimal utilization of this island's cacáo, Omnom still pulls off a treasurable payload.
Conceptual & technical questions aside, a real joy-maker & better than its overall rating which suffers some because of ancillaries (Aroma & Texture).
INGREDIENTS: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass
Reviewed April 29, 2014
Revised July 6, 2017