Bolivia and Hispaniola
by Hummingbird
Impact
This little tweetie hovers close to ground level & its harmonics warble a bit -- perhaps a little drunk (see Flavor below) -- but, my, how it flies.
A Chocolate Daily Double –- 2 reviews in 1. Overall rating & metrics (upper right) reflect a composite average of each bar's individual measures.
Appearance 3.8 / 5
| Color: |
Bolivia: strange, instead of the usual Beniano hue, a Madagascan orange Hispaniola: polychrome brown |
| Surface: | brush-stroked |
| Temper: | diminishing |
| Snap: |
Bolivia: sand Hispaniola: spirited |
Aroma 6.6 / 10
Bolivia
petrified…. literally
no chocolate signage at all, just a rock quarry in the side of a mountain
Hispaniola
pork spit-roast in a cinder-block pit -> beer keg on the side (re: yeast)
petrified…. literally
no chocolate signage at all, just a rock quarry in the side of a mountain
Hispaniola
pork spit-roast in a cinder-block pit -> beer keg on the side (re: yeast)
Mouthfeel 11.9 / 15
| Texture: |
Bolivia: lays it down thick & heavy pudding Hispaniola: powdered |
| Melt: |
Bolivia: plodding Hispaniola: swollen & round |
Flavor 45.3 / 50
Bolivia
stones werks -> cocoa nuts growing like weeds in the cracks -> dried honey catalyzes a very light plum flesh (no skin) -> limestone juice (yes, the possibility of squeezing blood from a rock exists) -> plum brandy, on the rocks naturally, with a fitting stringent grip
Hispaniola
cocoa rum (real nice) -> subtle fruit drop (sapote) -> molasses drip caramelizes the whole profile… loses strength without altogether losing flavor -> low apricot-rum crescendo -> grape-must encore to a very clean cutoff
stones werks -> cocoa nuts growing like weeds in the cracks -> dried honey catalyzes a very light plum flesh (no skin) -> limestone juice (yes, the possibility of squeezing blood from a rock exists) -> plum brandy, on the rocks naturally, with a fitting stringent grip
Hispaniola
cocoa rum (real nice) -> subtle fruit drop (sapote) -> molasses drip caramelizes the whole profile… loses strength without altogether losing flavor -> low apricot-rum crescendo -> grape-must encore to a very clean cutoff
Quality 17.4 / 20
Bolivia
Beniano (+ hybrids)
Alto Bení; Palos Blancos
Inauspicious beginning, never fully correct (typical of Alto Beni from the CIAAB Co-op) but fares far better than anticipated so by the end it conforms as an exemplar of retro-American chocolate style. Incredibly cool roast, stone grinding all the way, & practically swaddled in the lap of the conch. A raw-ish contour that nonetheless breaks the threshold just onto this side of flavor formation for Bolivian cacáo, viz., those purple fruit markers.
Hispaniola
La Red cultivars;
Los Pajones, María Trinidad Sánchez Province
A second bar straddling the raw edge. Some special impressions though -- classic La Red rum, apricot, chocolate… c'mon. Yeah, chaos looms just over the horizon (coral / yeast) & stays there, a reminder of just how fragile chocolate ecology is.
Capsule Summary: 2 semi-alcoholics. They're all right (perhaps for all the wrong reasons). Technically unconventional though not incorrect, & thus gastronomically rewarding. While the harmonics go off in some disparate ways, they hang together communally.
Working with the standard, basic kitchen gear (the now-ubiquitous Cankenstein-CocoaTown kit) yet Hummingbird owns a unique house-signature-- very dynamic / animated -- & because of its otherness, riveting.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed March 16, 2015
Beniano (+ hybrids)
Alto Bení; Palos Blancos
Inauspicious beginning, never fully correct (typical of Alto Beni from the CIAAB Co-op) but fares far better than anticipated so by the end it conforms as an exemplar of retro-American chocolate style. Incredibly cool roast, stone grinding all the way, & practically swaddled in the lap of the conch. A raw-ish contour that nonetheless breaks the threshold just onto this side of flavor formation for Bolivian cacáo, viz., those purple fruit markers.
Hispaniola
La Red cultivars;
Los Pajones, María Trinidad Sánchez Province
A second bar straddling the raw edge. Some special impressions though -- classic La Red rum, apricot, chocolate… c'mon. Yeah, chaos looms just over the horizon (coral / yeast) & stays there, a reminder of just how fragile chocolate ecology is.
Capsule Summary: 2 semi-alcoholics. They're all right (perhaps for all the wrong reasons). Technically unconventional though not incorrect, & thus gastronomically rewarding. While the harmonics go off in some disparate ways, they hang together communally.
Working with the standard, basic kitchen gear (the now-ubiquitous Cankenstein-CocoaTown kit) yet Hummingbird owns a unique house-signature-- very dynamic / animated -- & because of its otherness, riveting.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed March 16, 2015