70% SUITE:
Peru
Ecuador
Belize
Guatemala
by Glennmade
Impact
Presupposition: 'tis better to be poor & happy than rich & lonely.
Wisdom: best to be rich & happy. (Thank you, King Solomon.)
May Glennmade be on its way.
Peace, love & joy.
Wisdom: best to be rich & happy. (Thank you, King Solomon.)
May Glennmade be on its way.
Peace, love & joy.
Appearance 3.2 / 5
| Color: | polychrome along the pale purple - ruby red spectrum |
| Surface: | scuffed |
| Temper: | bronzed |
| Snap: | a sonic climber |
Aroma 6.9 / 10
70% Peru
drunk on itself... on drupe juice
sobers up over time a micro-brewster
70% Ecuador; Puerto Quito
another stoned grind with raisinous dust up
sniffles smoked & tarred
Belize
oh, baby, so vacant... 'cept for a lone nut stuck in carnauba wax
Guatemala
cigarette dog butt airs out buttered tobacco with a terpene spike
Tanzania
another bang off the tang full on & up, strong & pungent
drunk on itself... on drupe juice
sobers up over time a micro-brewster
70% Ecuador; Puerto Quito
another stoned grind with raisinous dust up
sniffles smoked & tarred
Belize
oh, baby, so vacant... 'cept for a lone nut stuck in carnauba wax
Guatemala
cigarette dog butt airs out buttered tobacco with a terpene spike
Tanzania
another bang off the tang full on & up, strong & pungent
Mouthfeel 12.2 / 15
| Texture: | rubbery |
| Melt: | a little labored |
Flavor 43.6 / 50
70% Peru
Nacional cacáo; Marañón Canyon, Peru; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160903
the scent carries whiffs of DUI leading to DOA, then a tumulus pile
& the flavor...? re-affirms as much but a sweet dirt heap as stone fruits expel their nectars, moistening the bitters below to flower again amongst significant stringency
70% Ecuador; Puerto Quito
Cooperativa Nueva Esperanza, Ecuador; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160917
raisin front confirms the inhale -> meters downs into browner fruit including considerable tamarind (sweet rather than tart tamarind) -> smoked caramel backdraft -> lengthens into tarred cocoa
Fairly atypical for Esperanza (seen in prior incarnations via Mindo) let alone Ecuador without straying radically far afield. Swap out the usual blackberry for raisin & substitute some of this origins more herbal + floral impressions with grounded cocoa-caramel & Glennmade delivers justice in a unique way.
70% Belize
Toledo District; Maya Mountain Cacáo; Harvest 2016; Batch 1 / Lot 160915
its vacant aromas anything but on the tongue...
spice point (cardamon) -> bleeding red fruit onlay over a bed of chocolate -> jam preserves, thick, heavy & super sweet -> almond-caramel close
Glennmade's most developed release. The fruits herein so ripe & express. This bar boasts the 'scarlet trinity' -- cherry, strawberry & raspberry -- in seemingly alternating currents before they stem wind to a blend of them all together. Succulent.
Guatemala
Alta Verapaz, Laguna Lachua; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160924
terpene on the nose converts to fruits galore over the tongue, a bevy of citrus running along the lines of pineapple thru guava -> molasses caramel undercut by limestone & talc -> mentholated & starts to deteriorate then break apart into medicinal chest rub
Hopeful beginnings dashed by the last trimester. Promising signs though that Guatemala's cacáo fortunes continue to improve ever so incrementally. Compare this, for instance, to the 2013/14 Guatemala from the same Lachua-region by Blue Bandana. Considering this stems for the 2015 Harvest, perhaps the effort moves farther ahead than this now that it's 2 years on.
Tanzania
Kilombero Valley, Kokoa Kamili co-op; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160721
gets fruity & juicy right from the gate... rockets some berries galore -> sweet underside of cocoa-nuts & then that patented Glennmade talc peeps in, baking soda too, to herald a soapy finish
The duo at Kokoa Kamili really making strides. The flavor as well as geography almost proximate to Madagascar except with less hi-def clarity in the fruit packets. To compensate, however, this origin provides a sturdy cocoa base than just about all the cacáos coming off its more renowned island neighbor.
Nacional cacáo; Marañón Canyon, Peru; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160903
the scent carries whiffs of DUI leading to DOA, then a tumulus pile
& the flavor...? re-affirms as much but a sweet dirt heap as stone fruits expel their nectars, moistening the bitters below to flower again amongst significant stringency
70% Ecuador; Puerto Quito
Cooperativa Nueva Esperanza, Ecuador; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160917
raisin front confirms the inhale -> meters downs into browner fruit including considerable tamarind (sweet rather than tart tamarind) -> smoked caramel backdraft -> lengthens into tarred cocoa
Fairly atypical for Esperanza (seen in prior incarnations via Mindo) let alone Ecuador without straying radically far afield. Swap out the usual blackberry for raisin & substitute some of this origins more herbal + floral impressions with grounded cocoa-caramel & Glennmade delivers justice in a unique way.
70% Belize
Toledo District; Maya Mountain Cacáo; Harvest 2016; Batch 1 / Lot 160915
its vacant aromas anything but on the tongue...
spice point (cardamon) -> bleeding red fruit onlay over a bed of chocolate -> jam preserves, thick, heavy & super sweet -> almond-caramel close
Glennmade's most developed release. The fruits herein so ripe & express. This bar boasts the 'scarlet trinity' -- cherry, strawberry & raspberry -- in seemingly alternating currents before they stem wind to a blend of them all together. Succulent.
Guatemala
Alta Verapaz, Laguna Lachua; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160924
terpene on the nose converts to fruits galore over the tongue, a bevy of citrus running along the lines of pineapple thru guava -> molasses caramel undercut by limestone & talc -> mentholated & starts to deteriorate then break apart into medicinal chest rub
Hopeful beginnings dashed by the last trimester. Promising signs though that Guatemala's cacáo fortunes continue to improve ever so incrementally. Compare this, for instance, to the 2013/14 Guatemala from the same Lachua-region by Blue Bandana. Considering this stems for the 2015 Harvest, perhaps the effort moves farther ahead than this now that it's 2 years on.
Tanzania
Kilombero Valley, Kokoa Kamili co-op; Harvest 2015; Batch 1 / Lot 160721
gets fruity & juicy right from the gate... rockets some berries galore -> sweet underside of cocoa-nuts & then that patented Glennmade talc peeps in, baking soda too, to herald a soapy finish
The duo at Kokoa Kamili really making strides. The flavor as well as geography almost proximate to Madagascar except with less hi-def clarity in the fruit packets. To compensate, however, this origin provides a sturdy cocoa base than just about all the cacáos coming off its more renowned island neighbor.
Quality 15 / 20
Chocolate by Glennmade because Glenn made the chocolate.
No slouch. Yes, some finishes prove fraught (something with the production line) but overall Glenn Petriello selects cocoa assiduously & tumbles them with a soft hand of a pro rather than a tyro.
In sum: a couple masterworks; a couple miscarriages; + one middling. All of which augurs for even better future releases.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed January 20, 2017
No slouch. Yes, some finishes prove fraught (something with the production line) but overall Glenn Petriello selects cocoa assiduously & tumbles them with a soft hand of a pro rather than a tyro.
In sum: a couple masterworks; a couple miscarriages; + one middling. All of which augurs for even better future releases.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed January 20, 2017