Box Chocolate Review

Puccini Bomboni

Info Details
Country Netherlands   (Amsterdam)
Style Neo-Modern      (leaning New School)
lo
med
hi
CQ
Sweetness
Intensity
Complexity
Impact
Northern Cocoa-paean: darker toned affairs, verging on goth that has little to do with its composer's namesake.
Presentation   3.9 / 5
stout, corporate-sized pieces
Aromas   4.3 / 5
pretty true
Textures/Melt   8.1 / 10
Shells: firm & thick
Centers: mealy
Flavor   41.4 / 50
some indelicate, over-sugared & loud; others correctly balanced which speaks overall to potential rather than performance
Quality   24.2 / 30
Inconsistent line full of intrigue & experimentation without ever being radically bizarre (in fact, spare in parts). Less about chocolate more about formulations.
Selections
Couverture: Valrhona
Rhubarb – or butter slabbed runic?
Calvados – sweet, not so petite... & then comes the pour of a bartender buying back drinks
Caramel – rock sugar duels rock salt acting as scissors cutting each other out
Gin – uncommon restraint; perhaps best of the set
Tamarind – terrific brightness turned dark into the Choc; best movement of the collection
Fig Marzipan – promise disintegrates & pulls away from itself in loose albumen
Plum – starts life brassy as passion fruit, subsides & rides plum acid thru the length until Choc subsumes it toward a coffee berry ending; piece to think
Tea – never steeps in or steps up but just sits out
Thyme – umami savory; seemingly unsuccessful then hits a smoke pipe that brings innovation
Pepper – effects more poppy-seed than peppercorn
Gianduja – sugar overplay but the mousse center floats on Cloud 9

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