Impact
No ghost of the mango grove that formerly was this cacáo estate can be found here. Instead it scares sharp & tart, bracing & awakening, an alarm clock & feminine wake-up call, breaking in with the weather report from Madagascar – bright, sunny, & cool today, highs in the low 80s.
Appearance 3.6 / 5
| Color: | titian & purple eggplant |
| Surface: | whorls & ripples w/ a peeble thrown in |
| Temper: | semi-gloss |
| Snap: | thin like beaten tin |
Aroma 7.5 / 10
garland of fruit leather swabbed in ethanol
Mouthfeel 11.6 / 15
| Texture: | warm & wooly morphs to suave dense mousse |
| Melt: | coy & languid on the tongue |
Flavor 42.3 / 50
upfront chocolate-date (caramel) -> red flush (raspberry) to grapefruit -> gingerbread -> sails out on a wooden teak plank
Quality 17.8 / 20
Caramel front runs counter to most Madagascar bars – the result of relatively high sugar content. Straightens in the mid-palate to a more traditional profile for the ‘Red Island’ but, again, sweetness keeps it easy & breezy though with enough teak to be a giant in the forest that falls hard & leaves a shuddering after-taste in its wake.