Impact
Fruition kindly sent the initial two batches of this unsweetened blend during the course of its development.
The first abided by 1 rule: the law of the jungle. The second: the rule of law. Specifically, The Laws of Chocodynamics.
While the review below pertains to both, the rating reflects the subsequent more developed bar.
The first abided by 1 rule: the law of the jungle. The second: the rule of law. Specifically, The Laws of Chocodynamics.
While the review below pertains to both, the rating reflects the subsequent more developed bar.
Appearance 4.2 / 5
| Color: | show-brown with pewter-mauve cast |
| Surface: | Fruition's hypnotic mold -- 'yes, eat chocolate… yes, eat chocolate… yes, eat chocolate… yes...' |
| Temper: | the embossing sparkles; the rest sits in low recess |
| Snap: | rock star featuring bullet-proof integrity along the edge |
Aroma 8.4 / 10
Batch 1
back of the library… shhhhh
leather Churchillian armchairs / heavy grain wood / BIG tobacco -- pipe tobacco at that / under clouds of cocoa dust
lays down on vegetal green + a nut patch
genuine to the bone
Batch 2
very related to Batch 1 but with intriguing bromeliads, mite cotton candy & a drop of fruit syrup yet all quite reclined for a 100%
back of the library… shhhhh
leather Churchillian armchairs / heavy grain wood / BIG tobacco -- pipe tobacco at that / under clouds of cocoa dust
lays down on vegetal green + a nut patch
genuine to the bone
Batch 2
very related to Batch 1 but with intriguing bromeliads, mite cotton candy & a drop of fruit syrup yet all quite reclined for a 100%
Mouthfeel 14.2 / 15
| Texture: | moderately viscous, surprising 'anti-paste' |
| Melt: | tremendous speed control |
Flavor 47 / 50
Batch 1
chocolate bite down -> raging metallic streaks across the pal (for 'palate') -> transitions to minerals (bright quartz but subdued) -> bitter soiling -> savory môlé sauce… slight, then mounting acidity -> bottoms out into brambles & shrubs in the woods -> latent chocolate post-terminus
Batch 2
softer / sweeter chocolate opening by virtue of a more pronounced cocoa butter presence to cuff the volatiles -> red flush rides the progression for over half the length -> savories -- green / umami -- this time precede those self-same bright quartz-like streaks that mineralizes the profile -> nut cream (& now the bar diverges from its predecessor for good)… then ever more so with late-breaking sweet spot (brown fig / tamarind) -> excellent undistilled cocoa compounds in their full-on môlé glory
chocolate bite down -> raging metallic streaks across the pal (for 'palate') -> transitions to minerals (bright quartz but subdued) -> bitter soiling -> savory môlé sauce… slight, then mounting acidity -> bottoms out into brambles & shrubs in the woods -> latent chocolate post-terminus
Batch 2
softer / sweeter chocolate opening by virtue of a more pronounced cocoa butter presence to cuff the volatiles -> red flush rides the progression for over half the length -> savories -- green / umami -- this time precede those self-same bright quartz-like streaks that mineralizes the profile -> nut cream (& now the bar diverges from its predecessor for good)… then ever more so with late-breaking sweet spot (brown fig / tamarind) -> excellent undistilled cocoa compounds in their full-on môlé glory
Quality 18.5 / 20
Where Batch 1 showed an uncultured, wild edge -- wince-meat (no, that's no typo), nothing to grouse about though, though it'll make a novice grimace once or twice in a spot or two (well, maybe 3 actually) -- Batch 2 almost approximates chocolate mincemeat pie minus the alcohol & crust.
The second inheres with the über Euro refinements found in Zotter Peru 100 or the cosseted 100s of Domori (especially his IL 100%Criollo as much as his Blend No. 1). But where those shy away from direct confrontation with cacáo with extra cushioning via soft cocoa butter pads, this bar brings it on.
Head on without head-banging.
More an American adventure where the rubber meets the road or, in this particular case, the steel hits the rails & then magically loses track of them. Indeed the heavy metal clanging in Batch 1, due either to some internal bio-chemical compound(s) in the seeds themselves &/or abrasions from the new machinery Fruition hooked up to craft them into this bar, are conspicuously absent in the second go-around. Score one for the longer / warmer conching as the label continues to get used to its recently acquired equipment upgrade that allows greater control & temperature settings for improved outcomes.
The improvement so dramatic that Batch No. 1 tasted of a prototype; raising questions about a mismatch of origins / genotypes -- a combo designed to overcome Fruiton's first 100% in Spring 2013 (ill-fated largely on account of employing CCN-51 cacáo).
The latest mates relatively homogeneous Tumbes cacáo out of Peru with the diverse array from The D.R. They never pull or tug at each other even as they butt up & buttress one another (initially at an over-ringing magnitude… for instance, the joint volatiles that reinforce at the high register practically strained the threshold of tolerance). Eventually the liner notes ring pretty true in portraying those as "juicy" & the Structure benefits because of them.
The identifiable core-chocolate accents serve more than just grace notes -- they hit at almost shocking levels for pod-strength 100%, a contribution probably of D.R. for Tumbes generally lacks such bottom. Indeed, among the most "chocolated" unsweetened chocolates ever.
Now tolerable & restrained of suburb control, in recalibrating the bar, Fruition sacrifices some length for gastronomic comfort.
A great 100, as is, without any need of extra credit that should go to Bryan Graham of Frution for daring to release another unsweetened 100 when most of his contemporaries in the USA fear to ever attempt their first.
INGREDIENTS: cacáo nuts
Reviewed October 24, 2014
The second inheres with the über Euro refinements found in Zotter Peru 100 or the cosseted 100s of Domori (especially his IL 100%Criollo as much as his Blend No. 1). But where those shy away from direct confrontation with cacáo with extra cushioning via soft cocoa butter pads, this bar brings it on.
Head on without head-banging.
More an American adventure where the rubber meets the road or, in this particular case, the steel hits the rails & then magically loses track of them. Indeed the heavy metal clanging in Batch 1, due either to some internal bio-chemical compound(s) in the seeds themselves &/or abrasions from the new machinery Fruition hooked up to craft them into this bar, are conspicuously absent in the second go-around. Score one for the longer / warmer conching as the label continues to get used to its recently acquired equipment upgrade that allows greater control & temperature settings for improved outcomes.
The improvement so dramatic that Batch No. 1 tasted of a prototype; raising questions about a mismatch of origins / genotypes -- a combo designed to overcome Fruiton's first 100% in Spring 2013 (ill-fated largely on account of employing CCN-51 cacáo).
The latest mates relatively homogeneous Tumbes cacáo out of Peru with the diverse array from The D.R. They never pull or tug at each other even as they butt up & buttress one another (initially at an over-ringing magnitude… for instance, the joint volatiles that reinforce at the high register practically strained the threshold of tolerance). Eventually the liner notes ring pretty true in portraying those as "juicy" & the Structure benefits because of them.
The identifiable core-chocolate accents serve more than just grace notes -- they hit at almost shocking levels for pod-strength 100%, a contribution probably of D.R. for Tumbes generally lacks such bottom. Indeed, among the most "chocolated" unsweetened chocolates ever.
Now tolerable & restrained of suburb control, in recalibrating the bar, Fruition sacrifices some length for gastronomic comfort.
A great 100, as is, without any need of extra credit that should go to Bryan Graham of Frution for daring to release another unsweetened 100 when most of his contemporaries in the USA fear to ever attempt their first.
INGREDIENTS: cacáo nuts
Reviewed October 24, 2014