Color:	li'l red-eye 'round the brown pupil
Surface:	massive plastic wrapper transfer
Temper:	nucleated (via the plastic)
Snap:	an erupter

lots of toasted grains / starch (rice, oats, manioc) + a golden raisin plopped in the middle (basically grape nuts cereal)
oxidizes wondrously to alight tobacco with sticky quince

Texture:	powder pack
Melt:	disaggregated

caramel-quince (intriguing), rolls together like that, occasionally alternating on each other, shaded in blackwood (Gliricidia madre) -> black mission fig until just bitter black olive -> sluices away on a caustic quinine slurry -> deep leather back

The Coto Brus growing area now hosts a slew of non-native cacáo. The genetic material probably influenced by the Caribbean plantings of the 1970s & 80s. A generalized mix lumped under the classification of Matina with some Trinitario hybrids. In other words, a mishmash. Its relatively high altitude further complicates the situation which proves better for coffee than cocoa.

Nonetheless, a fairly unique opening here in this chocolate by Mānoa, before it settles into a more standard contour for Costa Rica.

This bar in conjunction with a couple others (Felchlin Grand Cru & Nahua 70%) indicates Costa Rica sneaking up the charts… albeit slowly.

INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter

Reviewed August 8, 2014