Impact
To some underwhelming; for others an epiphany. Unquestionably rarefied. For kaleidoscopic beauty, go elsewhere... to Fauvist or Impressionistic galleries. This is zero affect; Zen fold: the more negative the space, the more positive the room. Koan-of-the-Day: cool as hot chocolate. Embodies an unbearable ‘still point’ that’ll move you with the lightest touch of a fingertip, that’s if you’re offline, away from the iPhone, & allow it. Think of Michaelangelo’s ‘Donnadio’ if Adam was all wired & hooked up?
Appearance 4 / 5
“unearthed” treasure – scuffed in dirt, hastily brushed off for quick display
“unearthed” treasure – scuffed in dirt, hastily brushed off for quick display
| Color: | violet-orange & brown |
| Surface: | regular looking; huge curtains on underside |
| Temper: | self-service wax job |
| Snap: | click clack clean; some of the better snaps in the biz which means her tempering, though it scarcely shows on the surface, rates among the tops |
Aroma 8.3 / 10
unassuming: purest chocolate, bread crumbs, open wood-burning oven... air-looms jasmine the longer it sits out; recessed coffee grain, musty grape
Mouthfeel 12.1 / 15
| Texture: | dry, fractured start; cures itself then yields easily; mid weight & a fraction more than customary for Amedei |
| Melt: | fluid |
Flavor 46.2 / 50
dry cocoa -> simple chocolate -> undifferentiated until... a drip of honey envelopes a chocolate nectar-guide massaging almond oil on the toppest layer of nerve endings at the very outer edge of detection a bitter soothed in grape misty-cal aromatherapy now the balm of laurel wood & bay leaf sends cacáo & almond seeds resembling one another, eye-to-eye, mirroring each’s every move in a looking dance on a white floral quilt with tender after-tremors
Quality 19.1 / 20
Chocolate Communication Theory 101: let the bean do the talking; vanilla a minor asset & distal reminder this comes from earth. Butter simply to ensure smooth non-interference of signals. Quite unadorned, fundamental as oxygen & hydrogen (maybe together they’re just a glass of water but where would we be without it?). The usual analysis of balance, harmony, scale, acidity, & bitterness become inapplicable as flaws (there are a couple but it’s too mean to attack the benignly serene) are easy to overlook in light of all the good when the chocolate shawl of cacáo's ghost drapes over you.