Merkén Smoked Chili
Muña Muña Andina
Atacama Rica Rica
Patagonia Maqui Nativo
+ more...
by Óbolo
Impact
To many, the cradle of neo-liberalism can be found in Chile when Pinochet unseated Allende (with a helping hand, according to the likes of Christopher Hitchens, from Dr. Henry Kissinger & the CIA).
With recent demonstrations, riots & general civil unrest critics hope Chile will be its deathbed as well.
Stand by... meanwhile, Mark Gerrits of Óbolo in Santiago, Chile takes it to the streets with these bars from the mountains & valleys surrounding the countryside to make it all worthwhile. Local inclusions in homage to Mesoamericans who, probably along with South Americans, for centuries often took their cocoa drafts flavored, utilizing here cacáo sourced from neighboring Peru. Globalism writ small in a bar. Call it neo-classical chocolate.
With recent demonstrations, riots & general civil unrest critics hope Chile will be its deathbed as well.
Stand by... meanwhile, Mark Gerrits of Óbolo in Santiago, Chile takes it to the streets with these bars from the mountains & valleys surrounding the countryside to make it all worthwhile. Local inclusions in homage to Mesoamericans who, probably along with South Americans, for centuries often took their cocoa drafts flavored, utilizing here cacáo sourced from neighboring Peru. Globalism writ small in a bar. Call it neo-classical chocolate.
Appearance 4.7 / 5
| Color: |
Merkén Smoked Chili: deep crimson Muña Muña Andina: orange crush Atacama Rica Rica: pastel orange leaning pink Patagonia Maqui Nativo: pastel pinkie-brown Dulce de Tres Leches: putty biege Patagonia Murta Berry: rosacea |
| Surface: | hyper-clean |
| Temper: | cosmetician quality |
| Snap: | craggy |
Aroma 7.8 / 10
Merkén Smoked Chili
65% cacáo-content; Lot # 383
antique botanical airs out tar & sausage links
Muña Muña Andina
66% cacáo-content; Lot # 387
fruit plume inscribed with mint by a lead No. 2 pencil
Atacama Rica Rica
53% cacáo-content; Lot # 388
sweet, savory & spiced; top-note wintergreen, bottom licorice
Patagonia Maqui Nativo
50% cacáo-content; Lot # 386
there's spice bread & then there's spice-lead (that No. 2 pencil in the cocoa base again) + herban-cream
Dulce de Tres Leches
38% cacáo-content; Lot # 384
thick heavy caramelized cream density
sparkle & Claydoh®
Patagonia Murta Berry
38% cacáo-content; Lot # 385
similar to Ducle (above) with added citrus kicker
65% cacáo-content; Lot # 383
antique botanical airs out tar & sausage links
Muña Muña Andina
66% cacáo-content; Lot # 387
fruit plume inscribed with mint by a lead No. 2 pencil
Atacama Rica Rica
53% cacáo-content; Lot # 388
sweet, savory & spiced; top-note wintergreen, bottom licorice
Patagonia Maqui Nativo
50% cacáo-content; Lot # 386
there's spice bread & then there's spice-lead (that No. 2 pencil in the cocoa base again) + herban-cream
Dulce de Tres Leches
38% cacáo-content; Lot # 384
thick heavy caramelized cream density
sparkle & Claydoh®
Patagonia Murta Berry
38% cacáo-content; Lot # 385
similar to Ducle (above) with added citrus kicker
Mouthfeel 12 / 15
| Texture: | waxen |
| Melt: | staggered lumps |
Flavor 44.9 / 50
Merkén Smoked Chili
stewed fruit in a tar pit heated up by chili pepper, sticky / gooey texture to suit -> burning tire tube at the end
Strangely appetizing, as if hankering for something buried in there under the meltdown of the fire storm (like probably the sooted fruits)
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, smoked chili pepper
Muña Muña Andina
refreshing citric streak followed by the cooling sensation of gentle menthol -> cocoa bark -> caramel malt -> back to citrus (if the front showed white, the finish reflects its orange color)
Fresh -- both in terms of effect & inventive. While belonging to the mint genus, this particular muña muña delivers a more subtle breath than the commercial spearmint or peppermint. As a result it melds so well with this cocoa. Excellent.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, muña muña leaf
Atacama Rica Rica
festive wonder... the Aromatics (above) completely converge in a melange of wild forest honey, culinary herbs & mulling spices... absolutely unique & terrific save for a late blemish of detergent
An ace of chocolate
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, rica rica
Patagonia Maqui Nativo
caramel -> lucuma... hangs here with a flickering herb, a fleeting acid... straights up & out Dark-Milk
Maqui Berry merely incidental to an otherwise super fine Dark Milk
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, maqui
Dulce de Tres Leches
White Chocolate entrance of decent dark chocolate specter -> caramel -> dairy casein -> vanilla frosting
Adult birthday cake frosting. Maybe not strictly for beginners but kids will line up to lick it up too.... ahhh, something they & the kid-in-every-adult can look forward to when they "grow up"
INGREDIENTS: cocoa butter, whole milk powder, sugar
Patagonia Murta Berry
heavy casein front... sits on this frame for awhile... nearly forever... late-breaking berry -- a flavor-cross twixt passionfruit x cranberry
stewed fruit in a tar pit heated up by chili pepper, sticky / gooey texture to suit -> burning tire tube at the end
Strangely appetizing, as if hankering for something buried in there under the meltdown of the fire storm (like probably the sooted fruits)
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, smoked chili pepper
Muña Muña Andina
refreshing citric streak followed by the cooling sensation of gentle menthol -> cocoa bark -> caramel malt -> back to citrus (if the front showed white, the finish reflects its orange color)
Fresh -- both in terms of effect & inventive. While belonging to the mint genus, this particular muña muña delivers a more subtle breath than the commercial spearmint or peppermint. As a result it melds so well with this cocoa. Excellent.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, muña muña leaf
Atacama Rica Rica
festive wonder... the Aromatics (above) completely converge in a melange of wild forest honey, culinary herbs & mulling spices... absolutely unique & terrific save for a late blemish of detergent
An ace of chocolate
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, rica rica
Patagonia Maqui Nativo
caramel -> lucuma... hangs here with a flickering herb, a fleeting acid... straights up & out Dark-Milk
Maqui Berry merely incidental to an otherwise super fine Dark Milk
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, maqui
Dulce de Tres Leches
White Chocolate entrance of decent dark chocolate specter -> caramel -> dairy casein -> vanilla frosting
Adult birthday cake frosting. Maybe not strictly for beginners but kids will line up to lick it up too.... ahhh, something they & the kid-in-every-adult can look forward to when they "grow up"
INGREDIENTS: cocoa butter, whole milk powder, sugar
Patagonia Murta Berry
heavy casein front... sits on this frame for awhile... nearly forever... late-breaking berry -- a flavor-cross twixt passionfruit x cranberry
Quality 18 / 20
Imports a foreign vehicle (cacáo from Perú) to pump domestic produce (regional Chilean botanicals) for some local pride of place.
As such, wish the Maqui were more pronounced. Other than that, an incredibly tasteful collection both in terms of quality & magnitude. Which results in sensations that really stretch the Metrics (see upper right corner at the top under the Low-Medium-High gauge).
Reviewed December 10, 2019
As such, wish the Maqui were more pronounced. Other than that, an incredibly tasteful collection both in terms of quality & magnitude. Which results in sensations that really stretch the Metrics (see upper right corner at the top under the Low-Medium-High gauge).
Reviewed December 10, 2019