Color:	riverine brown w/ rust
Surface:	rustic
Temper:	semi-gloss
Snap:	power pop; perfect edge

dry charcoal-fired cocoa-caramel stuck on honeycomb wax -> sassafras / clove but Carenero's trademark fruit-packets just torched out except maybe burnt raisin-walnut; ultimately aerates green pistachio-tobacco

Texture:	hard bodied (for those who seek rock-hard muscle)
Melt:	yips along heavy flow

swirling cocoa-caramel -> green tobacco -> charcoal rising -> molasses pistachio -> walnut brownie -> brazil nuts in a cream tone -> blank acid develops plum to raisin -> chocolate/dried-apricot jam -> muddies to a bitter point where fruit acids catch it -> reverts back to dirty caramel cut in clove -> burnt cocoa-cream at the business end of the set

True to Salgado’s penchant... cooked long & strong in the roaster to subsume most acidity, then treated to a flash conche (hard butter + generous lecithin produce that big firm Texture) yet Carenero shows pretty well, & considering the modest 20% sugar, this is more a contender than a pretender to the crown. What it lacks next to its closest rival in the class – the similarly roasted 82% Carenero by Richart – is the addition of vanilla to smooth & equilibrate the contour as well as French finesse, especially the deft hand for conching which integrates the butter cuts. Still, this maintains composure & control while alluding to a wild side.

ING: cocoa mass, sugar, cacáo butter, lecithin; CBS (Cocoa-Butter-Sugar ratio): ~2:2:1

Reviewed 6/22/09