L’Artisan du Chocolat Bars

I nearly forgot about these bars purchased at Taste of Dublin. L’Artisan du Chocolat publish a catalog of their creations and some, especially the pearls, look amazing. The pearls strike me as a grown up, all sophisticated, elegant Smartie.  They would be lost on HoneyB but savored by me. The pearls come packed in a white box with black border like packaging from Chanel. Anyway enough about those, on to the bars which are my passion. This stuff is very expensive … €3 for 45g so before I even unwrap it my expectations were high.

Dominican Republic 72%

Smell: smells fruity and mild

Look: lighter in colour than the others, milker looking. Glossy finish and segmented into squares which were impossible to break off cleanly. One of my To Dos is to make a bar where I can snap off a square easily (then I’ll probably find out how hard the process is!)

Snap: beautiful crisp

Taste: Not a strong overpowering chocolate, rather sweet and seductive. A sweet mellow honey taste with hints of sour cherry kicking in. Slightly acidic aftertaste.

Texture: silky smooth

Would I buy it again: No, and this was a surprise because we’ve liked so many others from this neck of the woods.

Brazil Rio Doce 72%

Smell: a stronger bolder smell, earthy, cocoa but not bitter or nose curling.

Look: dark in color which fits right in with the smell. Glossy elegant finish.

Snap: again beautiful snap.

Taste: A definite hit of burnt toffee, dark and strong flavor of turf fires. There is no hints of sweetness here, it is drying with a long aftertaste.

Texture: silky smooth but little pieces of grit now and then.

Would I buy it again: No

Darjeeling Dark Chocolate (Flavoured)

Smell: very chocolately and fresh

Look: Again glossy finish, which is excellent to see on all three bars. This is darker again in color.

Snap: again beautiful snap.

Taste: this is a strong hefty bar, a little goes a long way. Notes of vanilla and fresh flowers accompany a bold dark chocolate. As with Brazil Rio Doce, it is drying.

Texture: silky smooth

Would I buy it again: Yes, this was our definite favourite.

Tesco Finest 70% Dominican Republic

I spy with my little eye something beginning with C. Yes, Tesco have added a very tasty dark chocolate to their shelves. They describe their Organic Dominican Republic 70% as created ‘using single origin Dominican Republic trinatario beans with a fruity spicy taste which develops into a rustic earthy flavour with smokey back notes’. So into the shopping basket it went.

Its wrapping, format of the bar, size of the squares and simple logo immediately reminded me of  G&B 70% (also trinatario) so I decided to take the comparison one step further.

70% Tesco Finest Dominican Republic

Looks slightly lighter in color than G&B with a light sheen.

Smells inviting.

Tastes initially malty like milk chocolate, then melts to caramely, then the darkness kicks in. The dark smokey taste lasts long afterwards. Texture is creamy just like G&B.

 

70% Green & Black’s Organic Dark

Looks slightly darker with chunkier squares.

Smells like cocoa, bitter and again inviting.

Tastes intensely chocolatey, a strong offering with a bitter kick with an underlying liquorice tones.  Texture is creamy as before.

Himself loves G&B over nearly every other dark chocolate; it’s his benchmark so I wonder what he will make of the Tesco offering …

The first of many tastings

OK so I’ve tasted lots of chocolate, but this was the first time I really concentrated on what I was tasting. Kinda like wine tasting, but definitely without any spitting! Himself organised 4 samples of chocolates from different countries, but in or around the same cocoa %.

It was a lovely evening of controlled tasting rather than scoffing down bars. We each tasted the same piece and commented on the melt, taste, length and texture. But I have to admit that I found it difficult to describe the tastes and to guess the chocolate maker. But practice makes perfect!

Sample A Green and Blacks 70% :fruity, maybe lemons, creamy, smooth, long lasting

Sample B Tesco Finest 85% Santo Domingo: roasted coffee, bitter, waxy, very strong cocoa

Sample C L’Artisan du Chocolat Dominican Republic 70%: fruity, dried fruit, sweet, creamy, very smooth melt

Sample D L’Artisan du Chocolat Madagascar 80%: smoked spices, smells like rubber, smooth