Impact
Doubtful even the Incas would recognize this, so Pizzaro could never reject it prior to executing Atahualpa. Aromatics so wild, raw, & primordial it should taste pre-historic from the earliest Pleistocene era before human existence. No fear, however, since this won’t bite your tongue off – entirely. It brings the flavor, memory, & time of, maybe, the late Pleistocene... like 12,000 years BP.
Appearance 3.8 / 5
| Color: | not darker but duller than its 100% Apurimac parent, missing that red ‘gene’ & orange pigment |
| Surface: | scruffed |
| Temper: | semi-flat |
| Snap: | excellent; sharp, low frequency |
Aroma 7.3 / 10
pure jungle roots, so off-road/off-trail never been reached by humans before, but trampled on by Mastodons; accompanied by a shuddering fear that it may bite the tongue off
Mouthfeel 13 / 15
| Texture: | beautifully yielding if somewhat gummy |
| Melt: | patient... eventually liquefies |
Flavor 41.2 / 50
Domori advertises flowers, caramel, & cream – is he joking? Ever the coyote trickster, yes & no. Jumps out warm cactus-sweetened (agave) caramel -> amaranth grain spike -> then digs down deep into cool jungle roots resembling ginseng, mandrake, leucaena, maca, & unnamed tubers, all mercifully tempered by cane sugar & underlying stalwart chocolate... stays dark & dank for the longest -> a flashing sundog (yellow-type fruits: papaya / banana smoothie) -> goes wet on very light acids (starfruit/guava + schisandra berries) -> meanwhile, back in the jungle – mild wormwood leads to dry white Vermouth in chocolate
Quality 18.1 / 20
Sometimes reality caves to intimidation (& vice-versa). Vertical depth hardly veers much from the mine shaft. Solid roast (by Domori standards) & a profile seemingly a) driven by a conche that really wakes up & shakes out the chocolate liquor & b) modulated enormously by 30% cane sugaring which harmonizes a number of combative forces.