Bolivian Wild
Ucayali
Chili
Sea Salt
by Brasstown
Impact
As the cocoa-doodle gurus scratch their heads, rub their eyeballs, & stick their tongues out in tortured discourse to rival the linguistic loops found throughout Post-Structuralism in an attempt to fix definitions like ‘artisanal’, ‘craft’, ‘heirloom’, ‘fine’, et.al., Barbara & Rom Still at Brasstown Chocolate ignore such drivel, keep the nose to the proverbial grindstone, & embody it.
Brasstown…. contender for the synonym ‘none better’.
Brasstown…. contender for the synonym ‘none better’.
Appearance 4.6 / 5
| Color: |
Bolivian Wild: mauve Ucayali: leans red Chili: umber orange Sea Salt unexpectedly the darkest |
| Surface: | intricate |
| Temper: | shifting mould optics create sparkle & flash |
| Snap: | loud as a brass ensemble |
Aroma 9.1 / 10
Bolivian Wild
70% cacao-content; Beníano cacáo; Traquilidad Estate, Bolivia; Batch 50318
gushes up a candied berry-burst
riparian woods
cocoa nut butter
Ucayali
70% cacao-content; Amazon cacáo (Contamana; + ICS; IMC; & perhaps CCN among others); Ucayali Valley, Peru; Batch 30517
a complex of bletted fruit / sap / resin -> top soil &, get this, dry caramelized river bed
Chili
70% cacao-content; Maya Mt., Belize; Batch 21727
subdued pepper in a pimento-like repose -> papaya sparkler -> antique cherrywood bark -> cocoa undercoat
Sea Salt
62% cacao-content; Dominican Republic; Batch 72212
sweeter, browner, spicier than the others
70% cacao-content; Beníano cacáo; Traquilidad Estate, Bolivia; Batch 50318
gushes up a candied berry-burst
riparian woods
cocoa nut butter
Ucayali
70% cacao-content; Amazon cacáo (Contamana; + ICS; IMC; & perhaps CCN among others); Ucayali Valley, Peru; Batch 30517
a complex of bletted fruit / sap / resin -> top soil &, get this, dry caramelized river bed
Chili
70% cacao-content; Maya Mt., Belize; Batch 21727
subdued pepper in a pimento-like repose -> papaya sparkler -> antique cherrywood bark -> cocoa undercoat
Sea Salt
62% cacao-content; Dominican Republic; Batch 72212
sweeter, browner, spicier than the others
Mouthfeel 11.6 / 15
| Texture: |
Bolivian Wild: so true Ucayali: sand trap Chili: and Sea Salt: best of the set |
| Melt: |
Bolivian Wild: smoove Ucayali: corrective Chili: and Sea Salt: swollen |
Flavor 47.7 / 50
Bolivian Wild
brownie pickup beat -> steps about soft-pedal fruit (cross twixt pomegranate & plum... very Beniáno) -> no getting around that brownie, next accented by black walnut -> honey drops
Bang-on point for the varietal. Pitched to just so 'pre-subtle'... the flavor full yet gentle, progressing from smiles to laughter then rapture. A classic. In a world on the constant prowl for the next-next novelty, good to know perennials like this endure.
Ucayali
goes with the Aromatics centered around citrus-caramel -> talc 'n limestone -> lucuma -> fleeting mastic & licorice -> back fig -> clears out dirty cocoa of the good Earth variety
Well-composed. Steady as she goes with all the tags aligned. No easy feat for a cacáo hybrid that threatens an insurrection, especially with its bright-breaking volatiles up front / on top. This bar surrounds those with ballast to balance nicely.
Chili
fruit punch to the T-buds (T for Taste) followed on by heat creep until the pepper blows off the sweet leaving a controlled burn in the oral chamber... hot but not searing -> roasted raisin on the backside -> alcohol rub on the way down along with well articulate pepper flavor -- excellent
Sneak-heat attack. For those who like their fruity cocktails with extra tequila
Sea Salt
creamy milk-brownie -> small black cherry -> faint mineral sodium dappling about -> sour cherry custard (devilish delish) -> caps off dark fudge frosting
Expert. Such a fine hand on the salt-shaker.
brownie pickup beat -> steps about soft-pedal fruit (cross twixt pomegranate & plum... very Beniáno) -> no getting around that brownie, next accented by black walnut -> honey drops
Bang-on point for the varietal. Pitched to just so 'pre-subtle'... the flavor full yet gentle, progressing from smiles to laughter then rapture. A classic. In a world on the constant prowl for the next-next novelty, good to know perennials like this endure.
Ucayali
goes with the Aromatics centered around citrus-caramel -> talc 'n limestone -> lucuma -> fleeting mastic & licorice -> back fig -> clears out dirty cocoa of the good Earth variety
Well-composed. Steady as she goes with all the tags aligned. No easy feat for a cacáo hybrid that threatens an insurrection, especially with its bright-breaking volatiles up front / on top. This bar surrounds those with ballast to balance nicely.
Chili
fruit punch to the T-buds (T for Taste) followed on by heat creep until the pepper blows off the sweet leaving a controlled burn in the oral chamber... hot but not searing -> roasted raisin on the backside -> alcohol rub on the way down along with well articulate pepper flavor -- excellent
Sneak-heat attack. For those who like their fruity cocktails with extra tequila
Sea Salt
creamy milk-brownie -> small black cherry -> faint mineral sodium dappling about -> sour cherry custard (devilish delish) -> caps off dark fudge frosting
Expert. Such a fine hand on the salt-shaker.
Quality 18.8 / 20
Barbara & Rom personalize every bar they mint. These 4 exemplify.
Those first inchoate impressions when this barsmith went by the name it's chocolate now fully realized; promises kept & delivered. Other than a couple textural yips, this is 5-Star material.
Get 'em before opportunities lure this duo's talents away from chocolate.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter (for Chili Bar add Peruvian Chili Peppers; for Sea Salt add chardonnay oak smoked salt)
Reviewed July 31, 2018
Those first inchoate impressions when this barsmith went by the name it's chocolate now fully realized; promises kept & delivered. Other than a couple textural yips, this is 5-Star material.
Get 'em before opportunities lure this duo's talents away from chocolate.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter (for Chili Bar add Peruvian Chili Peppers; for Sea Salt add chardonnay oak smoked salt)
Reviewed July 31, 2018