Esmeraldas 70
by Salgado
Impact
Revenge is petty - once again Salgado takes it out on the lovely Esmeraldas - but redemption is sweet... this bean practically redeems itself single-handedly in a survivor’s tale in which the rating, while fair & accurate, fails to render complete justice.
Appearance 4.7 / 5
| Color: | orange blush typical for Esmeraldas, in light mink |
| Surface: | flakes, chips & scuff marks |
| Temper: | well-buffed |
| Snap: | pops sharp & tight; clean straight edge wall |
Aroma 7.1 / 10
DOA: burnt butter in dull smoked tobaccocoa -> miraculousy a lone papaya ray shines thru
Mouthfeel 9.9 / 15
| Texture: | hard tack & powder |
| Melt: | elapsed as an hour glass |
Flavor 38.6 / 50
slow developer... -> simple cocoa + coconut -> papaya shaft, momentarily sweet & plump, reaches a bitter in the hole -> resolves soft chocolate -> metallic cocoa powder -> meters out charred cocoa flecks to a shocking cream end; ash aftermath
Quality 12.4 / 20
Supposedly all’s well that ends well but before then... whoa. Crudely refined & fairly unprofessional. As a result, definition & form suffer.
Once more Salgado burns it. Sugaring, as well as this varietal’s genetics, overcome enough flaws in the handling however to catch a bite of Esmeraldas’ eloquence. Trouble is, articulation gets thwarted by over-roasting (char & ash) & poor conching (substandard Texture), although the limited nature of the latter at least spares some residual acidity to generate that fruited moment & retain lactic acid for a smooth Criollo cream ending... that is until... smothering ash returns.
Another salvage point in a chocolate grasping for straws is this bar’s fat formulation - CBS (Cocoa-Butter-Sugar ratio) ~3:4:3 – as butter helps to soothe the gashes.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, soya lecithin
Reviewed June 2009
Once more Salgado burns it. Sugaring, as well as this varietal’s genetics, overcome enough flaws in the handling however to catch a bite of Esmeraldas’ eloquence. Trouble is, articulation gets thwarted by over-roasting (char & ash) & poor conching (substandard Texture), although the limited nature of the latter at least spares some residual acidity to generate that fruited moment & retain lactic acid for a smooth Criollo cream ending... that is until... smothering ash returns.
Another salvage point in a chocolate grasping for straws is this bar’s fat formulation - CBS (Cocoa-Butter-Sugar ratio) ~3:4:3 – as butter helps to soothe the gashes.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, soya lecithin
Reviewed June 2009