Costa Rica Nibs
by Cocoa Puro
Impact
Sheriff Tom Pedersen (yes, he should be deputized for his lone ranger vigilance in Texas, riding down to cacáo groves well south of the border to return treasure to the USA) ranks right up there with Alan McClure at Patric. Both are very picky about their beans, hence the few highly selective (RE: few & far between) releases to date.
For instance, Tom has experimented & withheld other origins from the market because, in a nod to the C-spot™ founder Mark Xian, they just weren’t, to use Sheriff Tom’s description, “Mark-Ready”.
These Nibs are definitely ‘on your mark, get set...’
For instance, Tom has experimented & withheld other origins from the market because, in a nod to the C-spot™ founder Mark Xian, they just weren’t, to use Sheriff Tom’s description, “Mark-Ready”.
These Nibs are definitely ‘on your mark, get set...’
Appearance 4 / 5
waste disposal of a bead necklace
waste disposal of a bead necklace
| Color: | crystal caramel-brown unevenly coatung blackened beans |
| Surface: | like partially-chewed raisins excreted by ants |
| Temper: | fretful glass shards |
| Snap: | n/a |
Aroma 8.7 / 10
pert nuts & nibs -> amber resin -> black licorice -> olive oiled instead of buttered popcorn -> oregano on farro, a generalized herbs ‘n spices to trump the once-flat BMX & filtered cigarettes... the sweet rubber / tar ‘n nicotine of Cocoa Puro’s Nibs past
Mouthfeel 11.5 / 15
| Texture: | macro-crunch |
| Melt: | knurly |
Flavor 43.4 / 50
unleashes sticky caramel corn Cracker Jacks™ -> immediately explodes off a chocolate-bang on its heels -> gives way to everclear sugar sap -> sweet copal resin -> hay -> stalls & idles.... -> molasses -> nibs come crabbing back w/ nuts (pecan / brazil / pistachio) -> pear brandy -> closes off potted soil / mushroom
Quality 16.8 / 20
Initial attacks by this are full-on as a smack in the mouth by an errant dodgeball. But the sustain proves almost dangerously weak & treacly (could stand to decrease the sugar level), then releases traditional Nib nut-tones at the back – thanks to a perfectly judicious roast - for a special moment of pear brandy hitherto untasted from Hugo Hermelink’s Finmac Estate in Costa Rica (the same source for De Vries’ CR collection as well as Escazu’s Guapiles).
The Pod PIle at Finmac
ING: nibs, sugar, cacáo butter
Reviewed Autumn 2010
ING: nibs, sugar, cacáo butter
Reviewed Autumn 2010