Impact
Reports of Marcolini abandoning chocolate manufactory for a "co-packer" or private label -- that is, another company that actually makes its bars -- should be put in perspective: He's not alone.
the C-spot® knows of & hears about several so-called bean-to-bar makers who outsource the craft, then slap their own name on the label. So much so it causes ear boners & brain bangs among cocoa hounds. Welcome to 21st century branding.
This includes a few exceedingly-recognized darlings of the premium chocolate micro-domain. One that congratulates itself on "transparency", that white-light disinfectant, that cleanses the greenwashing & red-bathing evils of Big Chocolate. It all rises to the level of duplicity if not quite scandal.
Perhaps it's time to conduct a full-on investigation. show more »
the C-spot® knows of & hears about several so-called bean-to-bar makers who outsource the craft, then slap their own name on the label. So much so it causes ear boners & brain bangs among cocoa hounds. Welcome to 21st century branding.
This includes a few exceedingly-recognized darlings of the premium chocolate micro-domain. One that congratulates itself on "transparency", that white-light disinfectant, that cleanses the greenwashing & red-bathing evils of Big Chocolate. It all rises to the level of duplicity if not quite scandal.
Perhaps it's time to conduct a full-on investigation. show more »
Appearance 3.6 / 5
| Color: | violet ruby |
| Surface: | studly… welted & pelted (with unadvertised Nibs ala Marcolini's Cameroon?) |
| Temper: | besmirched |
| Snap: | creaks (before it croaks?) |
Aroma 7.8 / 10
deep, dark, resinous sap to match the black wax-paper wrapping which enshrouds this bar
aerates the Marlboro® Man (cocoa leather & nicotine, the latter sparks a green note)
lone fruit off on the horizon
aerates the Marlboro® Man (cocoa leather & nicotine, the latter sparks a green note)
lone fruit off on the horizon
Mouthfeel 12 / 15
| Texture: | half 'n half (greasy-crunch)... |
| Melt: | … slicked in lecithin / punctuated by Nibs |
Flavor 35.2 / 50
raging cocoa -> sweet fruit (sun berry) tries to gain a purchase -> smoke rising from some tar flats -> Vermouth sour -> sugared earth
Quality 12.4 / 20
High expectations once more punked... ditto as Marcolini's Alto Piura, but here on a grander scale of disappointment.
From the same co-op that supplied Marou its Tiên Giang. At 75% this falls right between Marou's 80% and 70%. The FlavPro so radically different from theirs, however, that they bear scant resemblance. Either a) Marcolini strips out the spice quotient in these nuts, b) Marou spikes them with some, &/or c) all the incremental steps in the production chain create maddening levels of variability to question whether the whole notion of "single-origin" amounts to a marketing farce.
Just a mine-field of woes. As though Marcolini referred to French & American military manuals which state that the "only good Viet is a dead Viet." Murder in the Mekong is the headline.
Good grief, where to begin the coverage?
Let's not & just say the ending is welcome, in line with Oscar Wilde's observation that "some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go".
OK, for those who insist on an explanation: the addition of Nibs tastes counterproductive. They just squelch whatever finery might still gasp for life (Viet's famed spiced intoxicants) after Marcolini finished with this beat-down.
A bar that makes Marou out to be Vietnamese geniuses (whatever their technique) from a label that prioritized, at least in this specific case, hi-design & exotic sourcing over content & substance.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa solids, sugar, lecithin
Reviewed December 9, 2013
From the same co-op that supplied Marou its Tiên Giang. At 75% this falls right between Marou's 80% and 70%. The FlavPro so radically different from theirs, however, that they bear scant resemblance. Either a) Marcolini strips out the spice quotient in these nuts, b) Marou spikes them with some, &/or c) all the incremental steps in the production chain create maddening levels of variability to question whether the whole notion of "single-origin" amounts to a marketing farce.
Just a mine-field of woes. As though Marcolini referred to French & American military manuals which state that the "only good Viet is a dead Viet." Murder in the Mekong is the headline.
Good grief, where to begin the coverage?
Let's not & just say the ending is welcome, in line with Oscar Wilde's observation that "some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go".
OK, for those who insist on an explanation: the addition of Nibs tastes counterproductive. They just squelch whatever finery might still gasp for life (Viet's famed spiced intoxicants) after Marcolini finished with this beat-down.
A bar that makes Marou out to be Vietnamese geniuses (whatever their technique) from a label that prioritized, at least in this specific case, hi-design & exotic sourcing over content & substance.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa solids, sugar, lecithin
Reviewed December 9, 2013