Sri Lanka
by Svenska
Impact
Several of the daft reviews which appear on the C-spot® owe in part to preventing self-boredom (as well as to prevent boring the readership). Seriously now, after reviewing hundreds of Ecuadors & Madagascars, how many more need coverage?
Chocolate featuring Sri Lankan cacáo suffers no such jaded fatigue. Bars from this island-origin number few & far between in the premium space, a paltry sum that can be counted with 2 fingers: Bonnat's seminal Ceylan from back in the Naughts & the stupendous release of another by Bessone (albeit a Milk Chocolate which, nonetheless, shown forth with clear, definable Old Ceylon Red Criollo) in 2009. Six years on & no one ventured there since, even though Sri Lanka boasts historical pedigreed cacáo stands in isolated pockets.
Leave it to a startup in Sweden -- Svenska -- to break the negative repetitive cycle that all too often describes chocolate makers who stick to the tried 'n tired on the well beaten path.
This bar's anything but.
Chocolate featuring Sri Lankan cacáo suffers no such jaded fatigue. Bars from this island-origin number few & far between in the premium space, a paltry sum that can be counted with 2 fingers: Bonnat's seminal Ceylan from back in the Naughts & the stupendous release of another by Bessone (albeit a Milk Chocolate which, nonetheless, shown forth with clear, definable Old Ceylon Red Criollo) in 2009. Six years on & no one ventured there since, even though Sri Lanka boasts historical pedigreed cacáo stands in isolated pockets.
Leave it to a startup in Sweden -- Svenska -- to break the negative repetitive cycle that all too often describes chocolate makers who stick to the tried 'n tired on the well beaten path.
This bar's anything but.
Appearance 3.9 / 5
| Color: | dark anthocyanin (purple) |
| Surface: | trouble in transit (split into pieces) |
| Temper: | shellac |
| Snap: | pre-Snapped (see Surface above) |
Aroma 8.3 / 10
initial gust: wild Earth
tar 'n rubber
roasted tag
ham bone grilling in a pigspit basted in molasses
oxidizes & aerates out of this near-morass nicely to, incredibly, lettuce & melon!
in other words, practically a complete meal… just add carbs
tea, ultimately, on the side
tar 'n rubber
roasted tag
ham bone grilling in a pigspit basted in molasses
oxidizes & aerates out of this near-morass nicely to, incredibly, lettuce & melon!
in other words, practically a complete meal… just add carbs
tea, ultimately, on the side
Mouthfeel 13.1 / 15
| Texture: | tight but smooth |
| Melt: | enduring |
Flavor 37.8 / 50
quick sugar hit darkens into molasses backed by licorice -> ham tones & the bar gets meaty in a fairly good way ->
tar / light petrol mix together -> very recessed citrus / terpenes slowly… gradually... come fore as though vaporized as a byproduct of gas for a kind of hazy citronella -> muddy cocoa -> stringent curry leaf
Quality 14 / 20
Fredrik Alverén of Svenska kindly sent this directly, all the way from Sweden which largely explains the condition / Appearance.
Sweetened with beet sugar which often warms & occasionally colors a chocolate profile, then kneaded 48 hours in the conche.
A bar that harmonizes well enough with itself (such as it is, a sort of 'citric-petrol') even as it lacks melody (only a contour of rounded jags). A bit of an oddball in league with its Oceanic sister, Vanuatu (particularly the early Vanuatus). Attribute some of that to lackluster, partially substandard, post-harvest treatment & the rest to generic cacáo below its "Criollo / Trinitario" listing.
More select seeds coupled with superior ferment will brighten everyone along the the value chain.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed June 25, 2015
Sweetened with beet sugar which often warms & occasionally colors a chocolate profile, then kneaded 48 hours in the conche.
A bar that harmonizes well enough with itself (such as it is, a sort of 'citric-petrol') even as it lacks melody (only a contour of rounded jags). A bit of an oddball in league with its Oceanic sister, Vanuatu (particularly the early Vanuatus). Attribute some of that to lackluster, partially substandard, post-harvest treatment & the rest to generic cacáo below its "Criollo / Trinitario" listing.
More select seeds coupled with superior ferment will brighten everyone along the the value chain.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed June 25, 2015