Impact
The team at Nova Monda -- which introduced "spoon chocolate" & some outstanding bean-nuggets to the the craft scene -- now rolls out with this: its first bar launch. A surefire sign that Nova intends to cover it all in chocolate, humility notwithstanding, while issuing this declaration as a question: Do you understand that understanding chocolate is impossible?
They do.
Exhbit 'A' -- this chocolate bar of 'liquid smoke'.
UNDERSTOOD?
They do.
Exhbit 'A' -- this chocolate bar of 'liquid smoke'.
UNDERSTOOD?
Appearance 3.2 / 5
| Color: | pitch brown with deep purple |
| Surface: | smudged; release mark; micro-voids in the mold corners; nascent bloom; other than that... |
| Temper: | ... splotchy |
| Snap: | hollow plunk |
Aroma 8 / 10
very Central American, & closer to Costa Rica than geography alone: big green olive (hence the "Green Label"?) escorted by coconut shells & leather -> flickering Snickers® (vanilla / peanut, the by-product of considerable roast) over some cocoa backbone -> spice flint (Mexican pepperleaf & Mexican tarragon... damn this bar's all over the continent)
Mouthfeel 12.1 / 15
| Texture: | light bodied |
| Melt: | medium fast scamper; hydrolyzes into liquid smoke (see Flavor below) |
Flavor 40.6 / 50
pure unbridled chocolate -> soon it wraps around orange-red fruit (mamey sapote), but only briefly, as some wood bark (Gliricidia sepium aka madre de cacao / madre negro / blackwood) crushes it to ignite tobacco + a fleck of ash & the cocoa smoke house opens up -> steps to whitish FXs (pitaya / dragon fruit), a pre-cursor of some stringency -> spice Aromatics show at the rear recesses -> parting shot on plain cocoa
Quality 15.8 / 20
A thumper.
Opening bite almost rivals Duffy's Indio Rojo from neighboring Honduras. But thin Texture & generally shallow if robust Flavor fail to reach & dig deep into the roots of cacáo / chocolate.
High roasting sacrifices some of that depth, & mid-conching leaves several volatiles intact (as detectable astringency).
Nonetheless, Nova Monda Green is undeniable & indelible.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar; CBS (Cocoa mass / Butter / Sugar ratio): ~3:3:2
Reviewed November 13, 2012
Opening bite almost rivals Duffy's Indio Rojo from neighboring Honduras. But thin Texture & generally shallow if robust Flavor fail to reach & dig deep into the roots of cacáo / chocolate.
High roasting sacrifices some of that depth, & mid-conching leaves several volatiles intact (as detectable astringency).
Nonetheless, Nova Monda Green is undeniable & indelible.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar; CBS (Cocoa mass / Butter / Sugar ratio): ~3:3:2
Reviewed November 13, 2012