Impact
Chocolate opium & crack rolls up into a single joint of pure sorcery; just pull bottom lip up over the head & swallow.
Appearance 4.3 / 5
| Color: | violet brown |
| Surface: | never a Marou strong suit (trans-shipped all the way from Vietnam); scuffs & scratches; brushed back with subsurface bubbling |
| Temper: | hazed |
| Snap: | lyrical castanet |
Aroma 9.7 / 10
achingly exotic & intoxicating... among the highest Aromas ever charted in chocolate:
spices &, no, not the ordinary kitchen cupboard variety like cinnamon & clove but a heady mix of spiced opiates derived from the likes of sandalwood; frankincense; the fragrant resin 'oud' of agarwood; the intensely perfumed white champaca; musky / brandy / smoky 'rose mallow' (ambrette) + leather-moss of labdanum; all pasted together with sweet tamarind & black mulberry for a witchy Indochine spell
spices &, no, not the ordinary kitchen cupboard variety like cinnamon & clove but a heady mix of spiced opiates derived from the likes of sandalwood; frankincense; the fragrant resin 'oud' of agarwood; the intensely perfumed white champaca; musky / brandy / smoky 'rose mallow' (ambrette) + leather-moss of labdanum; all pasted together with sweet tamarind & black mulberry for a witchy Indochine spell
Mouthfeel 12.1 / 15
| Texture: | durable waxed deck |
| Melt: | angular; puckering grip |
Flavor 45.4 / 50
no onset delay, quik attack on sunberry (earthy / sweet / acidic ala ground cherry) -> spices close on its heels in a direct transfer of the Aromatics, highly resinous though well-balanced -> white sandalwood champaca predominates the secondary flavors from the mid-point onto the finish whence the spice of spices appears -- sugar to catalyze cold expeller-pressed juice of Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)
Quality 16.2 / 20
Indelible.
Major narcotizing FXs.
About the most pronounced spiced chocolate ever.... almost overbearing, the fragrances so redolent & the resins so sticky to imprison the senses with thoughts of 'were additives slipped in?'. Or at least begs the questions 'what kind of wood was used for the fermentation tanks'? Certainly the prime exemplar of the Spices 'n Herbs category, & emblematic of what Vietnamese chocolate could be.
If the Cho Gao co-op responsible for cultivating this cacáo in the Mekong Delta districts of Cho Gao, Go Cong Tay & Tan Phu Dong are in the habit of chewing on this like Bolivian growers do coca leaves, then they must be pretty satisfied if not anesthetized with the fruits of their labor.
Incomprehensibly good & way out-of-control crazy... as in evading descriptors of the neural net.
Marou makes chocolate interesting again; full of intrigue &, soon enough, renown.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed September 6, 2012
Major narcotizing FXs.
About the most pronounced spiced chocolate ever.... almost overbearing, the fragrances so redolent & the resins so sticky to imprison the senses with thoughts of 'were additives slipped in?'. Or at least begs the questions 'what kind of wood was used for the fermentation tanks'? Certainly the prime exemplar of the Spices 'n Herbs category, & emblematic of what Vietnamese chocolate could be.
If the Cho Gao co-op responsible for cultivating this cacáo in the Mekong Delta districts of Cho Gao, Go Cong Tay & Tan Phu Dong are in the habit of chewing on this like Bolivian growers do coca leaves, then they must be pretty satisfied if not anesthetized with the fruits of their labor.
Incomprehensibly good & way out-of-control crazy... as in evading descriptors of the neural net.
Marou makes chocolate interesting again; full of intrigue &, soon enough, renown.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed September 6, 2012