Chocolaterie Atelier Alexandre
Impact
After so many false starts and promises in the country that ranks among the top cocoa grindings in the world, finally a chocolatier from The Netherlands worth writing about.
Alexandre Bellion -- world class.
Alexandre Bellion -- world class.
Presentation 5 / 5
really handsome set
sharp & smart & streamline
spare elegance; very functional box with magnetic closure
true colors on the pieces themselves
Doubling Down on Most Pieces
sharp & smart & streamline
spare elegance; very functional box with magnetic closure
true colors on the pieces themselves
Aromas 4.4 / 5
cream, butter & chocolate
Textures/Melt 7 / 10
| Shells: | thin without much Snap |
| Centers: | thick but not necessarily heavy-bodied |
Flavor 44.6 / 50
soft-spoken / understated infusions, perhaps because of a heftier than usual cocoa-to-cream ratio… generally light-handed, no gob smack… yet nothing left unsaid either
Quality 25.1 / 30
Could stand greater presence / identification of flavorings which in turn will create greater separation between the individual pieces.
Texture, while rather textbook, presents another area that could benefit from added sensuousness. As is, too little spring… it almost sinks into a mealy well.
Overall quality quite high & so highly engineered & precise that Alexandre reminds of pastry chef-turned-confectioner, Bryan Graham of Fruition. Maybe this label should follow in those footsteps & start barsmithing from scratch instead of employing someone else's couverture. (Just a thought / wish.)
Texture, while rather textbook, presents another area that could benefit from added sensuousness. As is, too little spring… it almost sinks into a mealy well.
Overall quality quite high & so highly engineered & precise that Alexandre reminds of pastry chef-turned-confectioner, Bryan Graham of Fruition. Maybe this label should follow in those footsteps & start barsmithing from scratch instead of employing someone else's couverture. (Just a thought / wish.)
Selections
| Couverture: |
Saffraan -- so deeply embedded the saffron folds into the praliné & the Dark robe that by the finish all 3 dissolve into one another without a trace of each; remarkable / ultra-subtle
Karamel -- straight to the point, then grows on the senses with layers of flavor -- malt, butterscotch & vanilla -- all fused under a Milk Chocolate cloak
Grand Cru Grenada -- the island's volcanic chocolate submerged in a heavy cream ganache with just a tip of plum breaking the surface; studied
Grand Cru Équateur -- one the better expositions on Ecuador from anywhere in any format (bar or bombone); transfigures the origin's classic blackberry hallmark into a red currant under the influence of cream; not revelatory but reformatory
Kongo -- a surprising pierce of the cream ganache by this Virunga-cultivated cacáo, the tip rather citric (blood orange / pink grapefruit); very site-specific & nice exposition of it
Cappuccino -- coffee so easily identifiable & yet so controlled from a setting in a salted caramel Milk Chocolate; a wake-up call in dexterity
Vanille -- expo in Milk Chocolate… gotta like this Alexandre guy for elevating a plain, simple reduction to its bare core
Gember -- a painstakingly slow build that initially acquires a dark honey chocolate gradually easing to a malt lager before a soft namesake ginger reveal; whether by accident or automagick or just Alexandre, sheer brilliance in shimmering procession
Amandelspijs met Citroen -- thin Dark shell (no Snap) hardly a barrier to a very white-looking almond paste of near shredded-coconut consistency punctuated by lemon; quite sweet, somewhat out of character for the rest of the line; easy dessert fare
Thee -- dark, dark… treacle then molasses dark... segues a black tea dipped into forest honey; so clear for so much tenebrosity; haunting
Blond -- nothing could be farther from the reality of this piece; another darksome affair, caramel, promising a "hint of jasmine" , a hint as obscure as phantom French infusions; still excellent… such as it is
Munt -- mint felt more than tasted in this pairing with Madagascar cacáo as each calms the other while the herb still maintains to generate a warm vapor on the melt
Reviewed January 15, 2015
Karamel -- straight to the point, then grows on the senses with layers of flavor -- malt, butterscotch & vanilla -- all fused under a Milk Chocolate cloak
Grand Cru Grenada -- the island's volcanic chocolate submerged in a heavy cream ganache with just a tip of plum breaking the surface; studied
Grand Cru Équateur -- one the better expositions on Ecuador from anywhere in any format (bar or bombone); transfigures the origin's classic blackberry hallmark into a red currant under the influence of cream; not revelatory but reformatory
Kongo -- a surprising pierce of the cream ganache by this Virunga-cultivated cacáo, the tip rather citric (blood orange / pink grapefruit); very site-specific & nice exposition of it
Cappuccino -- coffee so easily identifiable & yet so controlled from a setting in a salted caramel Milk Chocolate; a wake-up call in dexterity
Vanille -- expo in Milk Chocolate… gotta like this Alexandre guy for elevating a plain, simple reduction to its bare core
Gember -- a painstakingly slow build that initially acquires a dark honey chocolate gradually easing to a malt lager before a soft namesake ginger reveal; whether by accident or automagick or just Alexandre, sheer brilliance in shimmering procession
Amandelspijs met Citroen -- thin Dark shell (no Snap) hardly a barrier to a very white-looking almond paste of near shredded-coconut consistency punctuated by lemon; quite sweet, somewhat out of character for the rest of the line; easy dessert fare
Thee -- dark, dark… treacle then molasses dark... segues a black tea dipped into forest honey; so clear for so much tenebrosity; haunting
Blond -- nothing could be farther from the reality of this piece; another darksome affair, caramel, promising a "hint of jasmine" , a hint as obscure as phantom French infusions; still excellent… such as it is
Munt -- mint felt more than tasted in this pairing with Madagascar cacáo as each calms the other while the herb still maintains to generate a warm vapor on the melt
Reviewed January 15, 2015