Impact
Mack’d again. True, it’s a genetic sub-clone; fixed & engineered. But if Amedei's Chuao is the finest ‘natural blend’, then this is the greatest chocolate construct ever. One of the man-i-pulated wonders of the world. Simultaneously ancient & modern; indeed a timeless taste.
Appearance 4.4 / 5
| Color: | dense beige/scarlet chestnut |
| Surface: | smooth going interrupted by ‘work zone ahead’ signs (& it gets ROUGH) |
| Temper: | a flashbulb |
| Snap: | tight |
Aroma 9.1 / 10
wild signature – heavy underfermented undergrowth; very dank reds w/ but a glimmer of yellow beaming thru: wet woods, climbing vines, strong cocoa-nut pack splashed in Cabernet; sensationally cool roast
Mouthfeel 15 / 15
| Texture: | hits the hole in reverse mechanics (meriting extra-point) - collapses all around & melts first then... |
| Melt: | ... texture swells big & heavy to suit the body of its aroma & flavor |
Flavor 47.8 / 50
pure, unalloyed chocolate-igniter to a honeycomb dynamic -> sweet raisins & cherry jams down a souring course into wine, grape skins left behind in the bottom ‘must’, warmed & lightly-licked by oaken embers then softened in cream -> here come the nuts from the other side (a wolf-pack of almond, walnut, & brazil nut) feeding on prior acidity, now transmuted into 60-year Modena balsamic (no trace of ‘vinegar’ though), just keeps tarting along, in turn seeping its way thru nut wood cabinetry (this time a little pine) -> both thicken exponentially & energetically multiply against porcini fungi & white pepper pressing down onto sandalwood -> hits the X-button on clean tobacco smoke while nuts in buttermilk pulse & sprout away; so much going on... still, it retains 100% chocolarity
Quality 2 / 20
Phenomenal. Domori’s light-handed post-harvest processing staggers – on full display - matched & actually exceeded by pre-planting techniques that plotted & cloned a gently muscular / darkly feminine bean & flavor profile.