Impact
Comfortable in its own Criollo-skin, this bar knows its DNA, what it really is. Simple & true.
Appearance 4 / 5
| Color: | gloating darkly w/ a speck of red brick dust |
| Surface: | some bar shock; dimples on the back |
| Temper: | glossy; makes everyone else envious but for Pralus looks dull |
| Snap: | piercing whoosh of an arrow; sandy air vents on inside break |
Aroma 7.1 / 10
aromatically-challenged: faint-hearted chocolate hiding in its buttered toasted biscuits 'n cream + a tease-spoon of raspberry marmalade
Mouthfeel 12 / 15
| Texture: | semi-dry |
| Melt: | thick & even |
Flavor 43.9 / 50
chocolate toast for 'pain au chocolat' -> there's the berry from the aromatic... clean & clear, then goes out under heavier tannins + smothering butter which idles until more trad PNG appears... the consequences of hybridization + terra... peat, moss, & woods ear mushroom in a good baseline chocolate, merges caramel -> in classic ganache-like fashion returns to where it began, this time black cake; copra & cocoa after-effects
Quality 18.2 / 20
Possibly the kindest PNG of them all. Either Pralus's attenuating the breed or there's ample Criollo germplasm in this so-called Trinitario, enough that it should be given the benefit of the doubt & classified as the fairer & better of the 2. Lots of cream & wheat tones + that red to show it was hanging out around Lake Maracaibo Venezuela in its genealogical past (indeed PNG has Venzy in its gene stock). That said, the medium frame scale on this bar remains a little underwhelming, eliminating peaks & reducing overall amplitude. Still, Pralus takes a gentler tact (lower roast & conche) to make this bar golden.