Cacáo Nuts
by Nahua
Impact
Millenials thinks simulation started with The Matrix. The Art of War by Sun Tzu, a Chinese general who lived 2,600 years ago, contains this reality: "We live in a culture of simulation, in which nothing is what it seems & the image that reigns has no reference to the real world.”
Cacáo Nuts, as the primogenitors of the chocolate, bring it back home -- far from the slick-glitz packaging of bars. Eating them is like quitting smoking: everything regains its flavor; taste buds paved beneath decades of tar 'n nicotine (or sugar & fat in the case of chocolate, & sometimes salt) spring back to life & an entire sense restored.
But Cacáo Nuts often amount to adventure without clear direction. A randomized killing spree unleashing havoc.
These, by contrast, thankfully, underwhelm & thereby over-deliver.
Cacáo Nuts, as the primogenitors of the chocolate, bring it back home -- far from the slick-glitz packaging of bars. Eating them is like quitting smoking: everything regains its flavor; taste buds paved beneath decades of tar 'n nicotine (or sugar & fat in the case of chocolate, & sometimes salt) spring back to life & an entire sense restored.
But Cacáo Nuts often amount to adventure without clear direction. A randomized killing spree unleashing havoc.
These, by contrast, thankfully, underwhelm & thereby over-deliver.
Appearance 4.8 / 5
| Color: | bark with orange-pink hues on the skin; uniformly dark, almost black, interiors |
| Surface: | several jumbos with a few toddlers; mainly flats |
| Temper: | well-dried; hardly any incrustation |
| Snap: | semi-resistent shells |
Aroma 8.3 / 10
just a tad vinegar in this largely non-vinaigrette mix
instead soft woods, paper, pencil shavings, supple leather predominate… all fit for a librarian
classic Nib banana-head under the shell
instead soft woods, paper, pencil shavings, supple leather predominate… all fit for a librarian
classic Nib banana-head under the shell
Mouthfeel 12.1 / 15
| Texture: | tough crunch |
| Melt: | wet meal |
Flavor 45 / 50
banana / faint citrus -> grows savory green / herbal / salad with purslane the bridge from the citrus to the green -> light bitter Earth / dirt (top soil) -> woods out
Quality 17.2 / 20
Several nice aspects & virtually no offending ones. Simply put, a well-cultivated seed mix from Amistad Estate in Costa Rica (CR). 75 hectares growing 36 compatible types including ICSs 1, 39, 60, 95; EET 400; TSH 465 + the highly-touted R-clonal Series bred by the local CATIE gene bank.
These cacáo nuts the prequel to Felchlin's Grand Cru CR which finds a sequel in Nahua's own Dark Chocolate bar (soon to follow in a pending review -- stay tuned).
The center point herbal tone creates a healthy, savory side bracketed by fleeting citrus at the front (the precursors to peach-like tags) & soft girding at the finish.
The only issue: no cocoa notes to speak of, not even latent ones. Which means a challenger cacáo in terms of a finished bar as already evidenced in the aforementioned Felchlin. The Earthen & wooden impressions that come to dominate the tail substitute for a cocoa bottom-end.
All adds up to an attractive cacáo nut but a limited chocolate bar.
INGREDIENTS: cacáo nuts
Reviewed August 5, 2014
These cacáo nuts the prequel to Felchlin's Grand Cru CR which finds a sequel in Nahua's own Dark Chocolate bar (soon to follow in a pending review -- stay tuned).
The center point herbal tone creates a healthy, savory side bracketed by fleeting citrus at the front (the precursors to peach-like tags) & soft girding at the finish.
The only issue: no cocoa notes to speak of, not even latent ones. Which means a challenger cacáo in terms of a finished bar as already evidenced in the aforementioned Felchlin. The Earthen & wooden impressions that come to dominate the tail substitute for a cocoa bottom-end.
All adds up to an attractive cacáo nut but a limited chocolate bar.
INGREDIENTS: cacáo nuts
Reviewed August 5, 2014