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Cacao Tingo Maria

by Shattell
Info Details
Country Peru   
Type Nibs   
Strain Amazon   
Source Peru   (Huánuco; Tingo Maria)
Flavor Crossover   
Style Rustic      (beauties)
lo
med
hi
CQ
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Roast
Intensity
Complexity
Structure
Length
Impact
In the nature preserve of the Parque Nacional de Tingo María, Peru lies a curious limestone mountain in the shape of a woman asleep. Locals refer to her as La Bella Durmiente ("The Sleeping Beauty" ).

Cocoa Nibs are a key component of dormant chocolate yet to be awakened by sugar & refinement.

And these nibs in particular from the Tingo Maria area are some Bella Durmientes.

The mountainous contours of "Sleeping Beauty" above Tingo Maria
Appearance   4.6 / 5
Color: light brown
Surface: assiduously winnowed & clean
Temper: just a touch of fuzz
Snap: n/a
Aroma   6.8 / 10
banana bread
medicinal herbals (e.g., cinchona)
film developer chemicals (diethanolamine-sulfur dioxide complex) followed by a stop bath (acetic acid) -- the latter expected, the former a little suspect
Mouthfeel   11.2 / 15
Texture: max crunch
Melt: lo-fat mash
Flavor   45 / 50
defined cocoa (quite rare, however mild, for a lead-in of Nibs) -> nuts & sacha inchi (more in line with the format) -> flash candied-papaya (excellent) -> the dusty sweet potato/cashew-like lucuma -> savory herbs (Peru balsam & lemon verbena) -> first bitter hit at the back of the palate chased by coconut cream (excellence Part II) -> cobwebs & burlap but fold neatly into the profile -> bitter returns more to the fore with due restraint as in radicchio -> soft woods -> thin stringency lines the take away
Quality   17.3 / 20
When it comes to Peru, there are many cacáos. Many among the "fine-chocolate" cartel know of 2 primary regions: a) the extreme northern nook (mainly Piura & lesser so Marañón Canyon) of, very generally speaking, Nacional-type varietals & b) the north-central hub around San Martin (mostly a wasteland of CCN).

Less well-known to the south, pretty much in the middle of the country, sits Tingo Maria at the "Door of the Amazon"... the majority of whose groves still maintain indigenous cacáos / landraces, though CCN encroaches here too as a staple of the Cooperativa Agroindustrial Naranjillo. A crude metric: the farther south in Peru one goes, the more native the cacáo grows.

These Nibs largely bear that out.

Shattell applies a golden-mean roast on some exceedingly dry seeds (see Texture) that still brings out good chocolate sense & intermittent sweet spots amidst some savory points.

Quite satisfying as a stand alone snack & for nibbling on their own. Instead of breaking & spitting out pumpkin seeds, try these.

INGREDIENTS: Cocoa Nibs

Reviewed November 5, 2013

  

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