Madagascar Criollo 75%
by Pump Street
Impact
Madagascan cacáo, it is noted, makes for some of the most "feminine" chocolate. Svelte & succulent, juicy tarts; very berry-laden. So much so it can accentuate a self-identified woman trapped in a man's body to satisfy their autogynephila (a term coined by radfem Sheila Jeffrey... now that's an authentic transgender name… meaning sexual arousal at the thought of oneself as female) without having to undergo reassignement surgery for breasts & a vulva. (Perhaps macho chocophiles out there can hook-up with these autogynephiliacs over some dickmatized bar [or is this screed just going too damn far?].)
Enough digression, back to the matter at hand: This one from Britain's Pump St. strikes a bit foreign for the origin due to the select seed mix employed. Akin to Queen Elizabeth waking up In the early hours of July 9, 1982 to find a stranger in her bedroom. The then 32-year-old Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace — for the 2nd time no less — & entered her majesty's very private quarters. She awoke when Fagan opened a curtain -- rise & shine, darlin' -- & proceeded to talk to her while awaiting the police's arrival. A gentlemen.
No harm / no foul… & the same applies to this chocolate.
Enough digression, back to the matter at hand: This one from Britain's Pump St. strikes a bit foreign for the origin due to the select seed mix employed. Akin to Queen Elizabeth waking up In the early hours of July 9, 1982 to find a stranger in her bedroom. The then 32-year-old Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace — for the 2nd time no less — & entered her majesty's very private quarters. She awoke when Fagan opened a curtain -- rise & shine, darlin' -- & proceeded to talk to her while awaiting the police's arrival. A gentlemen.
No harm / no foul… & the same applies to this chocolate.
Appearance 4.1 / 5
| Color: | dishwater blonde streaked with pink |
| Surface: | minor scuffs & scruff |
| Temper: | weathered chic |
| Snap: | yeah |
Aroma 7.3 / 10
unlike the vast majority of Madagascans because this cacáo(s) type ain't entirely like the rest of 'em (see Quality section below)
caramel, weeds, & bramble -> airs cocoa-malt + potato chips 'n vinegar -> mite vetiver as well as superfine prosciutto
generally supine in character
caramel, weeds, & bramble -> airs cocoa-malt + potato chips 'n vinegar -> mite vetiver as well as superfine prosciutto
generally supine in character
Mouthfeel 13 / 15
| Texture: | the feel of Milk Choc |
| Melt: | ever glide |
Flavor 44.9 / 50
quick wisp of creamy cotton candy (rare for Madagascar) -> dry caramel -> cocoa malt -> must & sorghum -> resinous (vetiver + cedar / teak) -> more sap sweetener, this time almost maple -> citric dapples, very light & white (marula) -> caramel keeps twisting around / about juniper berry now -> closes up pineapple-butterscoth without losing track of the musty-saps
Quality 15.7 / 20
From Bertil Åkesson's stand of whitish-seeded cacáo trees he deems Criollo, a rather homogenous set quite apart from the rest of his property, as well as the generalized 'hodge-pod' mix in greater Sambirano Valley, Madagascar. And as Basil Bartley would prove, astute phenotyping, morphology & organoleptics, though less precise than current state-of-the-art DNA testing, still go a long way toward accurate classification.
This tastes somewhat admixed however, even partially checkered.
This the Heir to Domori's Madagared and Rózsavölgyi's Cacao Criollo in pedigree -- both of those also labeled 'Criollo' & both stellar productions at the time in their prime. In terms of strict Flavor, however, this tracks Bonnat's 2010 Vintage: a generally lower realm proceeding, including unusual tags altogether, next to the customary bright acidity of most bars from the island.
Some prickly tones escort several sweet charmers, the latter threatening to break this bar asunder while the former maintain curiosity, even enthrall, to continue this longer. Yes, a pricker bush with berries. And it holds this tension practically throughout the 2nd & 3rd trimesters.
Sequentially similar to Pump St.'s Grenada… the longer / deeper this melts thru, the more it grows & grows after, frankly, a rather halting start.
'Hmmm, all so very interesting', as the chocoisseurs say.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed September 12, 2014
This tastes somewhat admixed however, even partially checkered.
This the Heir to Domori's Madagared and Rózsavölgyi's Cacao Criollo in pedigree -- both of those also labeled 'Criollo' & both stellar productions at the time in their prime. In terms of strict Flavor, however, this tracks Bonnat's 2010 Vintage: a generally lower realm proceeding, including unusual tags altogether, next to the customary bright acidity of most bars from the island.
Some prickly tones escort several sweet charmers, the latter threatening to break this bar asunder while the former maintain curiosity, even enthrall, to continue this longer. Yes, a pricker bush with berries. And it holds this tension practically throughout the 2nd & 3rd trimesters.
Sequentially similar to Pump St.'s Grenada… the longer / deeper this melts thru, the more it grows & grows after, frankly, a rather halting start.
'Hmmm, all so very interesting', as the chocoisseurs say.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed September 12, 2014