Impact
A pummeling world-beater & power ray in the royal color purple. This the Grande Cacáo of El Rey’s collection (Apamate stands-up an imposter), bringing hallowed ground to chocolate worshippers everywhere. Direct from the source, right to the root of the matter, without Euro refinements / treatments. Just the way it is; the way it’s supposed to be from the beginning – unadorned, relying on the bean’s intrinsics. Get ready to dilate ‘n rumble in the bunker with the chocolate devil himself.
Appearance 3.4 / 5
best El Rey’s got & still rough
best El Rey’s got & still rough
| Color: | almost black, shoe leather brown |
| Surface: | rugged: whorls, chips, gashes, & more |
| Temper: | semi-dull |
| Snap: | indifferent |
Aroma 9.1 / 10
Moma never warned ‘bout this - nostril flaring / head clearing: chocolate 1st & foremost, tall tree lumber w/ the bark on, cut by fruit of its face color, topped off in brown-sugared spice; tobacco leaf & olive on the rubdown
Mouthfeel 11.3 / 15
| Texture: | stiff, dust & dry |
| Melt: | tumbleweed keeping in character with overall gaucho feel |
Flavor 44.6 / 50
gets the hook right on suffocating brown-sugared chocolate -> lays down dry river bed (very Old West) until 1st wave fruictifies blackcurrant -> 2nd wave power washes thru juicy empress plums -> 3rd (developing rapids now) jujube jelly -> & 4th a candied black cherry -> gi-normous chocolate BANG hits w/ the force of a pirate ship in a hurricane... tongues go wagging -> rammed ashore, earth driven & slightly green (plantain) when a 5th wave gathers for black water rafting: mission fig meets & merges w/ wheat (Criollo vestige) for fig newton & an onslaught of spices... holds this flavor orrery together practically to inifinite
Quality 18 / 20
Could stand a fraction less butter/sugar (at the risk of further degrading texture) & a degree or 2 drop in roasting temperature to bring out even greater highlights & amplitude. Carenero’s one of the few beans that can handle it (CBS ratio of ~3:5:5 means overhead to play with; witness Richart's 82% take on the same strain). Notes tend to blur & lose clarity as they progress, then obscure or incarcerate one another instead of pop. Just quibbles because Saman is excellent & El Rey’s masterwork.