Askinosie Chocolate

Another example of how chocolate is food. But not lunch I'm being told again and again...
I love the concept of this bar...it's so....'personal'. There is the usual lot #, and origin notes. Then, see the picture of the cute little ecuadorian man on the package? That's Vitaliano Saravia, lead farmer of the beans in, and on, and around this bar. He's got serious latin eyes, and a strong confident mustache, and his hands are square on his hips as if to say 'I work my fingers to the bare bone so you can enjoy the bar, Gringa! So, be passionate with the bar, share the bar with your loved ones, and now that we are friends let us party like the rock star party with the village!'

The front of the bar has a letter for each piece that come together spell askinosie. The back is covered in 'crunchy cocoa Nibs'. Precious raw chocolate pieces that dot the backside. The effects of eating this are much like munching on chocolate covered espresso beans, and in fact 'cacao' or 'coca??' SHAZAM! I'm productive today!
I love the website of this bar too. The founder of this company, Shawn Askinosie gives 10% to the actual farmers of the chocolate used in this bar. He calls this 'a stake in the outcome'. The website documents his personal experiences in Mexico and Ecuador and the people who help him and his company be sucessful. It is beautiful, and humble and has a handmade quality that is still very professional and artistic both. I wish I was him. His phone number is on the bar, and I'm thinking about calling...

Michel Cluizel

67% Dark Chocolate from Santo Domingo by the Rizek family where cacao has been produced since 1903. Michel Cluizel is the chocolatier in Paris. The box also references that the chocolate 'releases aromas of liquorice wood, then red berries, and green olives with a lingering flavor of currants and apricots.'
Now, a lot of that seems pretty hokey to me. But then, the acidity of this chocolate does remind me of liquorice at the front end, and crazy green olive at the back end. Weird. Without their prompts, I can't say I'd have come to the same conclusions...but...
The fruit references- No, not so much.

Francois Pralus Bresil Forastero

Proud of the beans. The front of the label prominently displays it's origins - 13 10'S 39 10'W. Wouldn't it be interesting if all bars referenced the latitude and longitude of it's origins? I could eat my way around the world!!!! The chocolatier is French, but they now own their very own cacao plantion on the island of Nosy Be (The island of perfumes, Madagascar). So, from beginning to end they control the process of this bar. The pictures of this plantation is facinating. Everyother photo shows the beaming face of Francois living his dream.

Self described as: 'Powerful nose, well balanced, coffee, cacao, woody aroma'. Other tasters agreed with the coffee taste, although for me, coffee taste is always in my mouth so I can't possibly detect it. It just tastes rich and perfect. Everyone oohed and awed over this bar and it being from Madagascar did not influence this. 75% seemed to be just enough--

Valrhona Caraibe Noisette

The first review I wrote about this bar used the word 'nice' waaaaayyyy too many times as should be deemed appropriate.
So often in fact, that the word became offensive in meaning. Case in point: 'Oh yes, that girl Jane is very...(long pause) *nice*'. Not the good kinda nice, but the kinda nice that gets kicked in the ribs over and over and still forces a smile. The kinda nice where there isn't much else to say or elaborate over. For God's sake, I hope never to be that woman, Jane. Well behaved women rarely make history the saying goes, and so it goes for bars as well.

Dark chocolate with split hazelnuts, and a break in the straight dark chocolate routine. French. A 'candy' bar. In fact, it's made me think of those little Perugina Baci balls. The ones with the hazelnut in the center? The chocolate that has the fine hazlenuts diced inside? Like that. But a tad darker. Those Baci candies are sweet- with the little love note's inside. Very romantic, and much more authentic than the lengthy drawn out affiars of Chocolove...
A little nut for the nut.
But, good luck getting past the nut.

Venchi

After the last disappointment in Italian chocolatiers, I come across the Venchi 85% Pure Extra Dark Chocolate.
It is pure.

I
am
so
EXCITEDABOUTTHIS bar.
I first tasted this bar and felt so unsure about my feelings for it. Felipe tasted it and spit it out. 'It's over 72% and I'm out' he said. Then he ran to the kitchen to steal a bottled water from the company fridge to rinse the taste out of his mouth. I think he still grabbed a paper towel and mopped up the residue off of his tounge.
Me, I was in love. 'It's like medicine' I said. Not in a bad sterile cough syrup meaning way. But in a feeling of understanding that my feelings for it, and it's being for me was a mutual or reciprocal exchange.
This bar is dry and creamy. It coats, covers, and expands on your tounge and around your mouth. I can't believe it's over. I can't believe it's gone.
Where are the beans from? Don't care. Awesome.....

Domori 70%

Ecuador beans. Made in Italy/
What's the secret ingredient? Blank stare... I read the back of the box: 'It has notes of hazlenuts, banana, and citrus. It is very fresh and mild.'
Strangely- the banana is there. But it isn't. But it is. There isn't a banana ingredient in the list...but it tastes there. It is a bit nutty. It is very subtle and sturdy.
The box is stuffy-corporate-christmas-gift-looking. Not sexy or intersting. Not something to pine after, but something to recieve and enjoy and forget about in 5 minutes. To move on to the other 8000 chocolate bars waiting for me and me alone to taste, and to talk on.

Cote D'Or

The Cote D'Or. Degustation 70% Noir Intense. Belgian Dark and Rainforest Alliance verified 30% (I have no idea what that means). Not my bag.
I have to be careful not to jump to conclusions with 'Kraft Foods' written on the back. Hmph. Made in Belgium but distributed by Kraft.
But no...the bar is striated like as in sedentary rock. Break off a piece and it fractures in layers...what the???
And it's got more waxiness then most...which I'm thinking must be the soy lecithin content. For shipping this keeps the bar more stable. Kinder shipping can keep chocolate more stable too- not additives!
Plus it's mixed beans from West Africa and South America. Says it's Belgiums #1 chocolate brand- so I'm guessing it's like the Hershey bar of Belgium, which is actually a good thing. It's better than a hershey bar...but I can see other similarities- like the wax thing.