Hawaiian Dark
by Malie Kai
Impact
Get used to the sound of it: Hawaiian Cacáo. At 55%, this weighs in a little too lean & gets sand kicked in its face – for the time being. Once producers in Hawaii work it out (specifically here Dole, Inc., which grows a tiny 17 acre patch) along the beaches, it could be an ultimate octagon fighter.
Appearance 2.4 / 5
| Color: | dense sepia mud |
| Surface: | flat plastic wax coat; spinal crack running down the back |
| Temper: | semi-dull |
| Snap: | baritone; sandy jagged edge |
Aroma 6.6 / 10
mild & recessed: volcanic ash registers as coffee fudge / brownie wax
Mouthfeel 11.8 / 15
| Texture: | soft fudge; slight sand |
| Melt: | tender; evenly distributes |
Flavor 43.2 / 50
rapid white sugar stays w/ itself to morph brown sugar -> caramelizes chocolate -> floral drift (hibiscus) meets pepper -> light cinnamon / cassia -> then the centerpiece: sweet dried black-currant hydrates to full-blown blackberry juice w/ all that sugar stirring... steady for remainder of length
Quality 15.7 / 20
Tinted shades of Ecuador’s famed Nacional – but without the astringency. Given that country’s often shoddy post-harvest methods, this could supplant it. The frame lacks mass & muscle (almost half sugar; over a third butter fat for CBS ratio ~ 3:5:6 formulated by its manufacturer Guittard who markets this under its own label as Kokoleka); actual cocoa liquor somewhat anemic – yet it delivers a shot of what could be. Plenty of headroom at 55% to pack more.