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Oialla Dragées

by Bojesen
Info Details
Country Denmark   
Type Beans   
Strain Beniano   
Source Bolivia   (Iténez Province)
Flavor Sugar   
Style Mainstream      
lo
med
hi
CQ
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Roast
Intensity
Complexity
Structure
Length
Impact
Confession: the C-spot® has a Snap fetish. It accounts for a disproportionate share of a bar or bean's overall rating (~1%!). A Snap often foretells the Texture because cocoa butter crystallization constitutes a major role in both. Now science comes to the rescue with a possible explanation for the Snap-Tease / Taste connection:
The tiny Gardiner's frog has no middle ear or eardrum & therefore, scientists assumed, no way to amplify & transmit sound waves to the inner ear, rendering it effectively deaf. But if this were the case, researchers wondered, why would these creatures make audible noises, &, for that matter, why would they respond to one another's calls? It turns out that these fingernail-sized amphibians use their mouths to amplify sound in much the same way that the body of a guitar does, & this sound is then conducted by tissue & bone to the inner ear.
These cocoa nuts also produce a deafening sound that translates to muting flavors. Nonetheless, they do get thru...
Appearance   4.6 / 5
Color: shadow brown
Surface: round as almonds
Temper: matte
Snap: gnarlgnash
Aroma   7.9 / 10
balsamic coffee tang nicely supported by cereal grains
raises up Bolivian fuchsia & pepper
Mouthfeel   11.3 / 15
Texture: hard crunch...
Melt: … chewing gum & nut skins… leaves scraps, nibs, & traces behind
Flavor   38.7 / 50
sugar plums, emphasis on sugar -> pectin -> light cocoa -> almond -> prune at the back followed by soft tannin
Quality   14.1 / 20
Most dragées / panned chocolates are beans of anything dipped in something. Usually of no pedigree for starters, then combined with cocoa from a completely separate origin.

Bojesen of Denmark corrects this with these. "Fungineering" at its purist / simplest: Beniano cocoa nut covered with Beniano chocolate.

A couple seasons ago, a label (which shall remain undisclosed) brandished a similar all-Beniano dragée that was so far from primetime it gave Bolivian cacáo a bad look. Burnt in the oven, they ended up in the Hall of Flames.

Bojesen also corrects that… partially.

Well-roasted in the manner of this barsmith's 78% Oialla chocolate bar, these however exude a little too much charm to be tatty twee here. Overly-manipulated in favor of sweetness, to the detriment of the cocoa base which becomes muted because of it -- an indicator of just how benign & gentle this varietal given that added sugar comprises but a small fraction of total ingredients. (Or blame it on the audible Texture -- never a strong suit for this genotype -- which shuts down the tongue? Consider: why do so many people turn down the volume on the car audio system while searching for a street address.)

Notwithstanding the purple-fruited signature of Beniano, these make its famed flavor somewhat… well, anonymous.

Reviewed January 23, 2014

  

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