Impact
Appearance 3.1 / 5
Color: | oatmeal |
Surface: | rough & lumpy; backside swales |
Temper: | dull finish out back while mac oil seemingly shines up the face |
Snap: | limp |
Aroma 6.8 / 10
slightly dirty funk (rather like some Malbac wines from the same region); spoiled nut oil, baking soda, burnt crème brulée, sugar, & mild chocolate
Mouthfeel 12.1 / 15
Texture: | soft, well-sized nut granules |
Melt: | clean, smooth, & well distributed |
Flavor 23.8 / 50
detonates a sugar bomb that just shatters then scatters all underlying flavors flying off to their dissolution (mac oil more than mac nut, powdered cream chocolate & toffee)
Quality 12.3 / 20
Obnoxiously imbalanced - borderline candy. Very much a blend taste but from a single bean source with none of the high-fruit/earth back notes that are the “wanna gets” from this origin. Nuts add nearly nonexistent flavor (despite Caoni's much-hyped "special processing") & very soft texture (common problem with high fat nuts blended into premium chocolate). Quality & components are here which the length bears out: good roast hiding in there somewhere, clean conch, light hand on the lecithin but a heavy one on the sugar virtually destroys everything.