Impact
Étoile du Nord means North Star in French aka, aptly, the Big Dipper in English as these disc-shaped bits go south where in the Southern Hemisphere it's as useful for navigation as an extinguished Dark Star. Any anticipation that Étoile would replace Guittard's stellar L'Harmonie (R.I.P.), also a 64%, just crashes thru a wall... D.O.A., ala the 1895 nose-dive derailment at the station polar opposite Gare du Nord - Montparnasse (the perils of faulty brakes at high speed; see photo left). No evolution whatsoever; goes nowhere / does nothing.
Appearance 4.1 / 5
pistoles / round discs
pistoles / round discs
| Color: | death star dun(g) |
| Surface: | densely congealed surface matter & gravity |
| Temper: | anti-gleam / semi-dull |
| Snap: | exploding super nova |
Aroma 4.9 / 10
Jon Benét make-up job: huge VOG (Vanilla Oak Giant) cloaks shredded coconut & cocoa powder toasted over charcoal briquet chips; throw in peanuts & stone cement
Mouthfeel 13.8 / 15
| Texture: | butter meets the sun |
| Melt: | even stream |
Flavor 31.2 / 50
direct aromatic transfer: heavy vanilla coconut -> cocoa sneaks up -> oak w/ background coal; virtually no progression nor territory covered... just the constancy of monotonous baseline chocolate
Quality 13.6 / 20
'Bulk it to you'. Monomaniacally ordinary. For professional use only (desserts, pastry, cakes, cookies, etc.).