Trinidad 70
by C-AMARO
Impact
Shoots for an over & around the sun shot & comes close.
A little too close... to the heat rays.
Like Icarus, this bar melts its colorful wings off into coffee dregs.
REDUX REVIEW -- below are segments of C-AMARO's Trinidad 70%, initially released in 2011, followed by a refresher in 2013
A little too close... to the heat rays.
Like Icarus, this bar melts its colorful wings off into coffee dregs.
REDUX REVIEW -- below are segments of C-AMARO's Trinidad 70%, initially released in 2011, followed by a refresher in 2013
Appearance 4.6 / 5
2013: a marked improvement from 2011 (below); almost flawless with a burnished Temper
2013: a marked improvement from 2011 (below); almost flawless with a burnished Temper
| Color: | dark maroon |
| Surface: | a rush job; swirls, bubbles, divots, scuffs, & liquor leaking beyond the mold |
| Temper: | dim shine / overcast |
| Snap: | small button |
Aroma 7.7 / 10
2011: an offshore version of C-AMARO's Venz 80 except drenched in chocolate-creosote with a banana-almond spot in the middle
2013: essential herb & earth (bay leaf in potted soil) over a grilled ferment
2013: essential herb & earth (bay leaf in potted soil) over a grilled ferment
Mouthfeel 11.9 / 15
| Texture: | formerly dry with some grain (18 - 20 hour conche?); updated with surfboard wax |
| Melt: | unexpectedly long |
Flavor 42.4 / 50
2011: candied fruit-medley mash (the classic "tropical fruits" + pommerac & chironja) splaying in all directions -> chocolate -> almonds -> café -> breaks down into hay, tonka bean & jute + chalk, all to produce a passing hazelnut -> back to the dregs (coffee)... the more the butter melts, a surprising papaya spear with allspice (super nice) to subdue the café in a grain pile including chicory & carob -> charred cocoa around the edges
2013: completely different
grape-tinged chocolate -> odd combo of wax & cinders -> makes for spice, herbs & grains in sequence (cardamom / cinnamon, tobacco / the cilantro-like chadon beni [culantro], cassava / rice) -> brown-sugared graham cracker -> slight raw cocoa -> holds this for the longest thru the final meltdown
2013: completely different
grape-tinged chocolate -> odd combo of wax & cinders -> makes for spice, herbs & grains in sequence (cardamom / cinnamon, tobacco / the cilantro-like chadon beni [culantro], cassava / rice) -> brown-sugared graham cracker -> slight raw cocoa -> holds this for the longest thru the final meltdown
Quality 15.6 / 20
Tale of 2 Bars:
1) 2011: C-AMARO opts for a house-style to rival Pralus to see who one can out-fire the other.
Once again, high roasting, this time let off the hook by a cacáo mix with enough sweet spots to pull it back from the edge of total darkness.
Still a lot of tags go misplaced -- the fruit could be much more central; & the coffee grinds more convertible into core cocoa if under optimal processing.
By the end, this bar confuses itself about what it ultimately wants to become.
2) 2013: In C-AMARO's latest approach with a lighter roast, this flirts right on the raw edge without tipping over nor sacrificing too much Flavor by leaving under-devoloped compounds behind. Just sufficient enough to round off the profile while ensuring that this bar gets its antioxidants on.
As such, C-AMARO strikes a happy median. Warm yet cool, those mulling spices heat up the colder points.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed November 16, 2011
Revised September 26, 2013
1) 2011: C-AMARO opts for a house-style to rival Pralus to see who one can out-fire the other.
Once again, high roasting, this time let off the hook by a cacáo mix with enough sweet spots to pull it back from the edge of total darkness.
Still a lot of tags go misplaced -- the fruit could be much more central; & the coffee grinds more convertible into core cocoa if under optimal processing.
By the end, this bar confuses itself about what it ultimately wants to become.
2) 2013: In C-AMARO's latest approach with a lighter roast, this flirts right on the raw edge without tipping over nor sacrificing too much Flavor by leaving under-devoloped compounds behind. Just sufficient enough to round off the profile while ensuring that this bar gets its antioxidants on.
As such, C-AMARO strikes a happy median. Warm yet cool, those mulling spices heat up the colder points.
ING: cocoa mass, sugar
Reviewed November 16, 2011
Revised September 26, 2013