Impact
Dear Herr Zotter,
Thank you for using common sense & demonstrating good judgment in refusing to release yet another standard bar to join the onslaught coming from Ecuador. By delivering this in an inventive Dark-Milk format, you spare legions of chocomanes the world over a misadventure of ‘ecua-bored’ proportions.
This El Oro is worthy instead of ‘Ecuadoring’ in the tradition of transforming golden earrings into a golden calf, then smelting it to scatter among the faithful.
God bless you, Josef Zotter, a true Samiri.
Thank you for using common sense & demonstrating good judgment in refusing to release yet another standard bar to join the onslaught coming from Ecuador. By delivering this in an inventive Dark-Milk format, you spare legions of chocomanes the world over a misadventure of ‘ecua-bored’ proportions.
This El Oro is worthy instead of ‘Ecuadoring’ in the tradition of transforming golden earrings into a golden calf, then smelting it to scatter among the faithful.
God bless you, Josef Zotter, a true Samiri.
Appearance 4.9 / 5
| Color: | dark for even a 60% DM |
| Surface: | perfect plate |
| Temper: | glistens softly |
| Snap: | shear strength; straight edge on the break |
Aroma 8.4 / 10
slow roll caramel rubbing on milked cocoa butter -> generates salted toffee
Mouthfeel 13.3 / 15
| Texture: | super round |
| Melt: | plodding |
Flavor 40.6 / 50
swollen milk-lip rubbed in salt -> cocoa slowly / gradually mounts for that salted toffee in the Aroma -> goes littoral almost literally (oceanic / volcanic / grey sand beach) -> mineralizes thick mocha w/ floral (lavender-like) breeze -> lands on a gold strand of banana peel
Quality 17 / 20
Domori already proved the worth of Tyrolean dairy. This re-confirms it: strong cows ambling the mountainside there weigh heavily on the flavor. Salt more than vanilla blows it up even more, tipping the scales, the balance a little off as +/-20% sugar & 60% cocoa totter at its mercy.
Tough therefore to get a good look - despite a mild roast / short conche - onto the cacáo Abajo sourced from the UROCAL co-op in El Oro, Ecuador -- an old organization that keeps reinventing itself. Its strength was "Fair-Trade" / organic bananas (aren't they all in Ecuador?) but prices declined so cacao became the alternative.
The 4-day ferment indicates a hybrid of perhaps decent Nacional germplasm. For a more revealing glimpse, check República del Cacao’s unmilked 67% from the same micro-region.
A forceful (such as it is) MC, lots of staying power, whose elements come into play nicely, connected with Zotters 5-fold roller.
ING: cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, full cream milk pwdr, (17%), cacáo butter, vanilla, salt
Reviewed Autumn 2010
Tough therefore to get a good look - despite a mild roast / short conche - onto the cacáo Abajo sourced from the UROCAL co-op in El Oro, Ecuador -- an old organization that keeps reinventing itself. Its strength was "Fair-Trade" / organic bananas (aren't they all in Ecuador?) but prices declined so cacao became the alternative.
The 4-day ferment indicates a hybrid of perhaps decent Nacional germplasm. For a more revealing glimpse, check República del Cacao’s unmilked 67% from the same micro-region.
A forceful (such as it is) MC, lots of staying power, whose elements come into play nicely, connected with Zotters 5-fold roller.
ING: cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, full cream milk pwdr, (17%), cacáo butter, vanilla, salt
Reviewed Autumn 2010