Amazonas Wild Cacao 72%
by Castronovo
Impact
Letting go of the shameless world – re: the new hyper-normal in this post-factual age of crazy-makers -- seems perfectly illogical to so many these twisted days.
Take for example Venezuela from where Castronovo, via a broker, sources this bar.
In a country running low on electricity for even hospitals & running out of prescription drugs, Venezuelans turn to black magic, herbalism, gangster gods (no kidding, some pray to Ismailito Gonzales!) & the syncretic Santeria (a blend of Catholicism, Yoruba spirituality & native shamanism) as well as concoctions of vanilla, musk, & tangerines to heal thyself. Hey, according to the ‘paper of record’ NYTimes, placebos work 50-50, or about as well as actual drugs.
Sacrificing birds as offerings to God has become such a national pastime that peddlers cash-in on fears which helps the teetering economy. Stat: more than half the population deals with black-market hawkers, known as bachaqueros after the large, voracious bachacos ants.
If all else fails, hell, take chocolate… that is, if any can be found in a country that nonetheless grows it.
Take for example Venezuela from where Castronovo, via a broker, sources this bar.
In a country running low on electricity for even hospitals & running out of prescription drugs, Venezuelans turn to black magic, herbalism, gangster gods (no kidding, some pray to Ismailito Gonzales!) & the syncretic Santeria (a blend of Catholicism, Yoruba spirituality & native shamanism) as well as concoctions of vanilla, musk, & tangerines to heal thyself. Hey, according to the ‘paper of record’ NYTimes, placebos work 50-50, or about as well as actual drugs.
Sacrificing birds as offerings to God has become such a national pastime that peddlers cash-in on fears which helps the teetering economy. Stat: more than half the population deals with black-market hawkers, known as bachaqueros after the large, voracious bachacos ants.
If all else fails, hell, take chocolate… that is, if any can be found in a country that nonetheless grows it.
Appearance 4.6 / 5
| Color: | dark chestnut |
| Surface: | flawless |
| Temper: | top notch |
| Snap: | sharp & clean |
Aroma 7.1 / 10
full nose full of forest honey flowers & cherrywood sap
Mouthfeel 12.9 / 15
| Texture: | cream smooth |
| Melt: | even ride 'til the end of the line |
Flavor 46.2 / 50
purple Concord grape -> wave of heavily roasted oats parted by heady cocoa bloom -> molasses & honey -> roasted nut rise, interplays with that threaded cocoa
Quality 18.3 / 20
6 years on since Idilio introduced Amazonas to the world. Not a whole lot has changed since then. Then again this varietal hung out for centuries in the woods so a half-decade or so amounts to a blink & a flash. Continuous core chocolate burst with a fruit onlay.
Castronovo brings these cocoa-nuts in from the (semi?-)wild & tames..er...nails 'em, with skillful execution in the sweet spot of sweetness. This barsmith-adventuress could surrender her specimens for a museum exhibition replete with display cases to prevent museum-goers from fingering the contents because, with flavor like this, they're sure to be grabbed & gobbled.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed November 9, 2016
Castronovo brings these cocoa-nuts in from the (semi?-)wild & tames..er...nails 'em, with skillful execution in the sweet spot of sweetness. This barsmith-adventuress could surrender her specimens for a museum exhibition replete with display cases to prevent museum-goers from fingering the contents because, with flavor like this, they're sure to be grabbed & gobbled.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed November 9, 2016