Impact
A Dutch proverb goes that high trees catch a lot of wind. To further state the obvious, those who standout must deal with whatever blows their way.
By christening this a grand cru & touting its pedigree, Original Beans from The Netherlands sets the bar very high. Perhaps, at least initially, beyond reach.
By christening this a grand cru & touting its pedigree, Original Beans from The Netherlands sets the bar very high. Perhaps, at least initially, beyond reach.
Appearance 4.2 / 5
| Color: | polychrome: leaning toward the red end of the spectrum |
| Surface: | pro grade |
| Temper: | dim sun |
| Snap: | wound up & cuffed |
Aroma 8.7 / 10
thick chocolate fudge / hash studded with toasted cocoa nuts
develops into very fine-sliced / fine-scented prosciutto-cocoa
all backed by an ebony support tree with tea leaves
develops into very fine-sliced / fine-scented prosciutto-cocoa
all backed by an ebony support tree with tea leaves
Mouthfeel 13.5 / 15
| Texture: | voluptuous 5-star porn mattress |
| Melt: | easy flexion |
Flavor 39.8 / 50
the demurely hammy Aroma tips this off
pure chocolate hit -> walnut -> grounded some into topsoil & fungi… yes, black truffle -> black wood (Gliricidia septum aka madre de cacao -- of some bitter strip bark) -> grouses slightly with minerals + metal to recall an even higher percentage (unsweetened 100) -> char barely held in check by onboard fat / lipids -> burnt coffee grounds (very Virunga) -> miraculously grows sweet around a red element (moraberry) whose finger probes to the finish as the rest of the progression reverts back to the top of walnut / wood -> faint blue cheese vein in the far release
pure chocolate hit -> walnut -> grounded some into topsoil & fungi… yes, black truffle -> black wood (Gliricidia septum aka madre de cacao -- of some bitter strip bark) -> grouses slightly with minerals + metal to recall an even higher percentage (unsweetened 100) -> char barely held in check by onboard fat / lipids -> burnt coffee grounds (very Virunga) -> miraculously grows sweet around a red element (moraberry) whose finger probes to the finish as the rest of the progression reverts back to the top of walnut / wood -> faint blue cheese vein in the far release
Quality 14.6 / 20
Original Beans (OB) celebrates its 5th year by throwing a cocoa bean party in this bar from some of the cacáo sources upon which it built its mission to save the planet, one chocolate at a time. It guards the constituent origins of this proprietary formula like a state secret, other than to point in the generalized directions of South America & Africa. Given the label's track record, safe to state that Congo & probably Piura join the mix while the fruit apparition suggests Bení whose usual purple hue, if truly included here, assumes a dark red countenance.
Whatever the specifics, another superpower blend in league with Centenario and Domori IL100%. Few of them live up to their pedigrees, the exceptions being 3 Amigos by Soma or the less heralded Cravve's Southern 7.
Where some crash & burn spectacularly, this performs a soft belly landing & smolders for the most part despite a roasting curve here that rivals the hot-bottoned Pralus more than OB's customary manufacturer -- the comparatively gentle-handed Felchlin.
A little butter pad that Europeans typically champion &/or cooling the roast would provide some added definition, clarity, & even levity.
The hefty 80% cacáo-content, however, hikes its rating to an acceptable enough threshold.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed October 6, 2014
Whatever the specifics, another superpower blend in league with Centenario and Domori IL100%. Few of them live up to their pedigrees, the exceptions being 3 Amigos by Soma or the less heralded Cravve's Southern 7.
Where some crash & burn spectacularly, this performs a soft belly landing & smolders for the most part despite a roasting curve here that rivals the hot-bottoned Pralus more than OB's customary manufacturer -- the comparatively gentle-handed Felchlin.
A little butter pad that Europeans typically champion &/or cooling the roast would provide some added definition, clarity, & even levity.
The hefty 80% cacáo-content, however, hikes its rating to an acceptable enough threshold.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed October 6, 2014