Impact
Reserved & a bit lost off the reservation... The Marlboro Man drooping in gaucho saddle buffed with beeswax, carrying a pack of smokes & sack of trail mix.
Appearance 4.4 / 5
| Color: | tan tangerine dream |
| Surface: | smooth face covers for craters & bubbles underneath |
| Temper: | mirror |
| Snap: | hiss, sizzle & a cracker |
Aroma 7.7 / 10
calm confidence: Val going for gianduja signatures these days, here an almond variant backed in leather -> tobacco -> orange blossom honeydew
Mouthfeel 11.6 / 15
| Texture: | putty cream |
| Melt: | semi-resistant |
Flavor 40.2 / 50
reverse Valrhona sequence – starts nutty (almond) -> cinnamon / vanilla / honey highlight -> charges into tart orange plume sliding over an off bees-waxed leather -> settling on quick apple malic for aspartame melon finish surrounded in smoke
Quality 16.3 / 20
Reputed thoroughbred bean of good nature (Val alternately releases this, depending on region, under the labels Palmira and El Pedregal). Either way, the bar is jockeyed by Val’s light-handed nurturing techniques – relatively high brown sugar / low roast - cacáo butter - vanilla dose – make for well-balanced bar going... nowhere.