Extra Dark
by Casa Luker
Impact
Originally from the Chocolatomic Age -- a blast radius so wide, t'was blowback time... death by multiple kilo-tons of friendly-fire -- now turned into an innocuous modern-day peacemaker.
REDUX REVIEW -- below are segments of Casa Lukers Extra Dark 85%, initially released in 2009, followed by a refresher in 2014. The rating & metrics (upper right) apply the updated (& improved) version.
REDUX REVIEW -- below are segments of Casa Lukers Extra Dark 85%, initially released in 2009, followed by a refresher in 2014. The rating & metrics (upper right) apply the updated (& improved) version.
Appearance 3.7 / 5
| Color: |
2009 burnt forest umber 2014 namsake in the vein of Invictus… as the night that covers, black as a pit from pole to pole… |
| Surface: | smudged & swirled but overall good impression |
| Temper: | make-up quality matte |
| Snap: |
2009 anemic (thin pour to the mold + Cocoa mass / Butter / Sugar ratio) 2014 fortified, dare say 'emboldened' |
Aroma 9.2 / 10
2009
freshly blown from where the wind doesn't blow but sucks... highly pneumatic w/ that only-from-Colombia marshmallow -> hibiscus -> big ups to the chocolate-chip cookie monster drifting over lucuma in all its maple-ness -> roblé & nogales wood underneath for support
2014
chocolate eclair tucked in a Pecan-Cinnabon®
fab
freshly blown from where the wind doesn't blow but sucks... highly pneumatic w/ that only-from-Colombia marshmallow -> hibiscus -> big ups to the chocolate-chip cookie monster drifting over lucuma in all its maple-ness -> roblé & nogales wood underneath for support
2014
chocolate eclair tucked in a Pecan-Cinnabon®
fab
Mouthfeel 12.6 / 15
| Texture: |
2009 dry, caustic mushroom-cloud 2014 thick paste |
| Melt: |
2009 pyroclastic; then astringent 2014 gradual |
Flavor 41.3 / 50
2009
dense-pack dark cocoa backed in ash -> hibiscus & marshmallow at the peripheral edges... comes fore w/ cookie crumble -> yucca -> inner-explosion a bitter backcross to ash... stalls & stretches like this, unrelenting for days... the unforgettable arm & constant companion to fertilizer/vegetal action: charred chicken fungus, arracacha, & malanga -> guanabana in the deep recesses -> bursting marshmallow cloud w/ gentian & angelica roots -> boards up on nogales & agave; latent cardamom & clove rippling in the aftermath
2014
slow starter… very slow… then plain / basic cocoa appears -> biscuit -> sweet cream -> a hard shift to a dark tannic hit, held at bay by that cream which creams into cookie dough… a cookie-creme sandwich
dense-pack dark cocoa backed in ash -> hibiscus & marshmallow at the peripheral edges... comes fore w/ cookie crumble -> yucca -> inner-explosion a bitter backcross to ash... stalls & stretches like this, unrelenting for days... the unforgettable arm & constant companion to fertilizer/vegetal action: charred chicken fungus, arracacha, & malanga -> guanabana in the deep recesses -> bursting marshmallow cloud w/ gentian & angelica roots -> boards up on nogales & agave; latent cardamom & clove rippling in the aftermath
2014
slow starter… very slow… then plain / basic cocoa appears -> biscuit -> sweet cream -> a hard shift to a dark tannic hit, held at bay by that cream which creams into cookie dough… a cookie-creme sandwich
Quality 15.1 / 20
2009
From the split-atoms & genes of the touted Pandora 1 clone, grown & harvested at Luker's own research center. The buzz seems justified notwithstanding this particular bar displays only a mere glimpse of the full promise. Feels of minor or at most moderate bean development (too much baseline cocoa & rather murky marshmallow FXs) yet Luker professes that these ferment for a week in the sweat box. If true, it needs to re-calibrate the short conche cycle vis-a-vis the aggressive roast (a pretty hot burn, nearing scorched earth territory; if Bukowski is correct that life is about how one comes thru the fire, then these barely pass the test as somebody must've burnt their face in the process).
In sum, quite site-specific & feral (+ a few off-flavors emanating perhaps from drying / storage problems), though ultimately controlled.
2014
In the wake of releasing this line, Casa Luker consulted the C-spot®.
Nothing glam or sexed up, but far better control, especially in cooling the embers. Plus all those cream tones render this an appealing 85% & an indice of improved overall method from seed selection to cultivation & post-harvest.
Luker rockin' la casa… about as much as it ever possibly could.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cacao butter, soy lecithin, vanilla flavor
Reviewed Autumn 2009
Revised October 15, 2014
From the split-atoms & genes of the touted Pandora 1 clone, grown & harvested at Luker's own research center. The buzz seems justified notwithstanding this particular bar displays only a mere glimpse of the full promise. Feels of minor or at most moderate bean development (too much baseline cocoa & rather murky marshmallow FXs) yet Luker professes that these ferment for a week in the sweat box. If true, it needs to re-calibrate the short conche cycle vis-a-vis the aggressive roast (a pretty hot burn, nearing scorched earth territory; if Bukowski is correct that life is about how one comes thru the fire, then these barely pass the test as somebody must've burnt their face in the process).
In sum, quite site-specific & feral (+ a few off-flavors emanating perhaps from drying / storage problems), though ultimately controlled.
2014
In the wake of releasing this line, Casa Luker consulted the C-spot®.
Nothing glam or sexed up, but far better control, especially in cooling the embers. Plus all those cream tones render this an appealing 85% & an indice of improved overall method from seed selection to cultivation & post-harvest.
Luker rockin' la casa… about as much as it ever possibly could.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cacao butter, soy lecithin, vanilla flavor
Reviewed Autumn 2009
Revised October 15, 2014