Dark w/ Nibs
by Malie Kai
Impact
That 55% weakling in Malie Kai’s straight bar gets pumped on steroids here (using Nibs), trying to bulk into an overgrown light-heavyweight. But this lacks the frame (due to 45% sugar) to really pack on the mass.
Weird thing though: it’s a natural genetic freak with no need to artificially morph... if it were to just lose some of that sugar that kicks it in the face like so much sand.
Weird thing though: it’s a natural genetic freak with no need to artificially morph... if it were to just lose some of that sugar that kicks it in the face like so much sand.
Appearance 3.5 / 5
| Color: | purple-maroon cast over a medium brown |
| Surface: | a schlub: dimples, pimples, & whirls |
| Temper: | soft gloss |
| Snap: | strep throat; rough & ragged breakline |
Aroma 7.8 / 10
dry wind blows in spiky bromelaids, orchids, & cocoa dust -> kicks up sandalwood + blades of grass -> abiu along the edge wall
Mouthfeel 11.9 / 15
| Texture: | lightweight body; slight sand (sugar) & pebbles (Nibs) |
| Melt: | fairly quick despite the Nibs; zero astringency |
Flavor 45 / 50
caramelized brown-sugar cocoa zapped by beautifully rare longan -> a melonic strawberry dilutes the pooling Flavors (including dragonfruit, hibiscus [rhubarb / raspberry] & sweetened ‘ohelo [cranberry]) glinting in pink chert -> Nibs come crunching thru, tiny building blocks in a counter-escalation to add some extra bottom & depth -> swirls into cotton candy nonetheless -> fleet mint -> streaking pineapple -> soft chocolate booms... & a basket full of juicy fruits (add blueberry to the earlier mentions) -> goes out into vanilla orchids
Quality 17.4 / 20
Juicy in spite of the Nibs; just no denying all the sugar content. Yes, it catalyzes a lot of the fruit punch, & though the Nibs add some bottom & depth, they never pack the heft. Nor does this bar which can easily tolerate another 10 – 15% cacáo in the mix to match the Waialua Estate 70%.
Still, the elements play off each other more than well enough.
One trend is apparent: either Hawai’i in general or this vintage in particular displays a quantum array of fruit to rival any origin in the world.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, nibs, soy lecithin, vanilla
Reviewed Autumn 2010
Still, the elements play off each other more than well enough.
One trend is apparent: either Hawai’i in general or this vintage in particular displays a quantum array of fruit to rival any origin in the world.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, nibs, soy lecithin, vanilla
Reviewed Autumn 2010