Impact
What food-gurus would describe as ‘delicate AND bold with night & day flavors’. Translation: an oral fireplace doused with a flaccid hose dripping citrus juice to rekindle 16th century justice, Indonesian-style, when in Aceh (victim of the 2004 tsunami) a sworn oath involved far more than placing a hand on a holy book by sticking it in molten lead to reach for a piece of pottery with sacred writing on it.
Appearance 5 / 5
another perfect piece from Marcolini (it’s almost getting boring)
another perfect piece from Marcolini (it’s almost getting boring)
| Color: | Dark-Milk Chocolate mixed w/ orange juice |
| Surface: | unblemished |
| Temper: | preening at its self-reflecting gloss |
| Snap: | crisp & clear; clean edge |
Aroma 7.8 / 10
dusky pipe smoke in elaborately light air: briarwood, palm, copra (dried coconut), chorizo & ash flint, rubber too, cut by as much limestone as lime fruit
Mouthfeel 14.1 / 15
| Texture: | high-thread count silk sheets |
| Melt: | graceful |
Flavor 38.5 / 50
kind intro – chocolate cream (Criollo heritage), briefly caramelizes -> smokes a little, puffs bleezy, & catches firewood (briar) -> both palm & betel leaf (slight pepper / clove / low-lying bitter) -> citrus ostensibly to the rescue... hybrid cacáo pulp, barberry & lemongrass tottering on limoncello -> rights itself on satsuma (emphasizing orange/lime component) but covered over in a veil of smoke -> clears out light citric ash
Quality 15.7 / 20
Incongruous flavors never quite rhyme, even becoming discordant, losing structure & definition. Marcolini’s signature handling betrays him here, in a roast too pronounced, magnifying smoke-drying techniques on the island of Java; further exacerbated by conche that strips many highlights, leaving only vague citrus tones, which struggle to come fore, in a murky haze.