Impact
REDUX REVIEW: The following review details 2 bars from Chale, The Solomon Islands: a Dark Prototype released in 2013 & the Milk Chocolate in 2015. Overall rating & metrics (upper right) reflect a composite average of both.
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BP... no, numb chuck, neither the corporate nor the street gang but Brown Pride for Chocolate. And Solomon Islands apparently boasts it in spades. Plus now in an even blonder Milk Chocolate format too.
BP... no, numb chuck, neither the corporate nor the street gang but Brown Pride for Chocolate. And Solomon Islands apparently boasts it in spades. Plus now in an even blonder Milk Chocolate format too.
Appearance 3.9 / 5
| Color: |
Dark Prototype: mud cake brown Chale Milk: antique tan with pink blush |
| Surface: |
Dark Prototype: a gash & slash here 'n there Chale Milk: a little blurry |
| Temper: |
Dark Prototype: uneven Chale Milk: early sunrise |
| Snap: |
Dark Prototype: clubs it; pinholes on the break wall Chale Milk: easy |
Aroma 8.1 / 10
Dark Prototype
that purple breadfruit finish in Guadalcanal transmutes into panko biscuit crumbs here sparked by a little flint, metal, + cinder
black walnut & black fig yield to chocolate dragon-fruit to smooth the scent
all signs of deeper processing
Chale Milk
meadow cream
that purple breadfruit finish in Guadalcanal transmutes into panko biscuit crumbs here sparked by a little flint, metal, + cinder
black walnut & black fig yield to chocolate dragon-fruit to smooth the scent
all signs of deeper processing
Chale Milk
meadow cream
Mouthfeel 12.5 / 15
| Texture: |
Dark Prototype: discom-glob-ulated Chale Milk: massive engorgement |
| Melt: |
Dark Prototype: gummy bear Chale Milk: a mother smother of a Milk Choc |
Flavor 44.9 / 50
Dark Prototype
almost in lockstep with the Aroma
caramelized peanuts & almonds in a nutty nod to Cravve's Solomon bar -> coffee -> black walnut -> black fig -> royal black mulberry -> dragon-fruit point... holds this rail for a long stretch as it gradually reverts back to black (centered mostly around fig) with tiny specks of spice (cardamom) & a black cherry end
Chale Milk
dense dairy -> Milk Duds® / Tootsie Roll® caramel -> mulberry blond -> passing floral on the way to buttered barley malt & bahri dates -> cardamom + cool saffron
almost in lockstep with the Aroma
caramelized peanuts & almonds in a nutty nod to Cravve's Solomon bar -> coffee -> black walnut -> black fig -> royal black mulberry -> dragon-fruit point... holds this rail for a long stretch as it gradually reverts back to black (centered mostly around fig) with tiny specks of spice (cardamom) & a black cherry end
Chale Milk
dense dairy -> Milk Duds® / Tootsie Roll® caramel -> mulberry blond -> passing floral on the way to buttered barley malt & bahri dates -> cardamom + cool saffron
Quality 16.7 / 20
Dark Prototype
Black-tie affair with classic brown-fruit appointments.
Paradoxically darker yet sweeter than its twin Solomon Islands cacáo -- Guadalcanal, & covers more range across the spectrum at both higher resolution & intensity too. While tempting to suggest that a) greater sugar & roasting account for that, as well as b) added vanilla, plus c) easing up on the conche, none of that necessarily applies. In fact, no vanilla has been added at all.
Score it to a separate seed lot from a different terrain in the myriad of islands that constitute Solomon.
Reviewed August 1, 2013
Chale Milk
No radical breakthrough, or departure for that matter, for the format except about as thick & heavy as a Milk Choc ever gets... just pulls on the teeth roots. Really lays it on relentlessly... all to the good.
Shows more than just Zokoko coming into its own as it vaults toward the upper strata of chocolate barsmiths.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter, vanilla. lecithin
Reviewed December 22, 2013
Black-tie affair with classic brown-fruit appointments.
Paradoxically darker yet sweeter than its twin Solomon Islands cacáo -- Guadalcanal, & covers more range across the spectrum at both higher resolution & intensity too. While tempting to suggest that a) greater sugar & roasting account for that, as well as b) added vanilla, plus c) easing up on the conche, none of that necessarily applies. In fact, no vanilla has been added at all.
Score it to a separate seed lot from a different terrain in the myriad of islands that constitute Solomon.
Reviewed August 1, 2013
Chale Milk
No radical breakthrough, or departure for that matter, for the format except about as thick & heavy as a Milk Choc ever gets... just pulls on the teeth roots. Really lays it on relentlessly... all to the good.
Shows more than just Zokoko coming into its own as it vaults toward the upper strata of chocolate barsmiths.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter, vanilla. lecithin
Reviewed December 22, 2013