Madagascar 66%
by Omnom
Impact
REDUX REVIEW: 2 bars... same origin / percentage / formulation; one released in 2014, & the other in 2017
***********************************
Madagascans, ever-resourceful, construct their traditional Valiha (a sort of tubular zither) from local bamboo & bike cables. The undisputed Hendrix of this string-instrument is Rakotosafy.
This bar cycles around a berry bush, dodging in & out of the woods, then jumps off a citrus ramp with all the ease & flow of a Rakotosafy performance.
This bar cycles around a berry bush, dodging in & out of the woods, then jumps off a citrus ramp with all the ease & flow of a Rakotosafy performance.
Appearance 4.7 / 5
| Color: | sun-kissed orange |
| Surface: |
2014: smooth with veins 2017: road worn |
| Temper: | shining (even a little shine on the backside too) |
| Snap: | ice-breaker |
Aroma 7.9 / 10
2014
smoke off the roast
peanut butter fudge
caramel jam (marmalade fruits)
all topped by green banana leaf + pine needle
2017
bad, sullen locker room... sweat & hormones reeking
aerates out saps & resins
smoke off the roast
peanut butter fudge
caramel jam (marmalade fruits)
all topped by green banana leaf + pine needle
2017
bad, sullen locker room... sweat & hormones reeking
aerates out saps & resins
Mouthfeel 13.7 / 15
| Texture: | deluxe ultra-glide (nary a grain) |
| Melt: | slow adagio movement |
Flavor 45.5 / 50
2014
bites right into sweet-tart berries-burst (mostly red) -> thin bamboo veneer counter mixed with some cedar particle board -> recoils very light caramel before shooting an OJ spray to match its Color, then mango -> mild Twin-V (vetiver & vanilla) -> frangipani -> cream fill with recessed hazelnut backing -> pineapple exit
2017
pine flirting with passion fruit beneath -> marmalade of yore comes fore (orange-pineapple) -> brooding dark essence (vetiver essential oil) rubbed on cedar serves to compliment then accentuate the citrus jelly sap -> clears as ever before on pineapple juice -> hazelnut butter in the very rear folds
bites right into sweet-tart berries-burst (mostly red) -> thin bamboo veneer counter mixed with some cedar particle board -> recoils very light caramel before shooting an OJ spray to match its Color, then mango -> mild Twin-V (vetiver & vanilla) -> frangipani -> cream fill with recessed hazelnut backing -> pineapple exit
2017
pine flirting with passion fruit beneath -> marmalade of yore comes fore (orange-pineapple) -> brooding dark essence (vetiver essential oil) rubbed on cedar serves to compliment then accentuate the citrus jelly sap -> clears as ever before on pineapple juice -> hazelnut butter in the very rear folds
Quality 18.3 / 20
2014
Exuberant, gushy teen spirit of inexorable length. A bit unhinged / unbalanced, frankly, but who'll mind with Snapple® flavors like these. Just no resisting the undeniable attraction to this.
34% sugaring; a curious formulation considering that Madagascar cacáo in gen'l, & this seed selection in particular, tolerates a lot higher. Tad more cocoa mass would lend greater ballast while increasing the definition, clarity & intensity. As is, this re-enforces the island's rep for missing a big bottom end.
The technical specs are pretty transparent even though the nose & the tongue diverge over the roast (the first seems deep, the second confirms low). Taste & moreover Texture indicate a long conch (3 days at least). Positively zero astringency (i.e., the specious "green banana" euphemism of the cocoa-gurus), & any bitterness manifests as sublimated woods.
Meticulously crafted throughout… from the logo, design, card-stock packaging & paper-back foil to the tempering & last lick of flavor.
Omnom signaling all-in for the long haul.
2017
3 years on & the signals beam just as strongly. In fact, this bursts forth more strongly. A darker countenance for sure; greater gravitas. The young'un grown some with still plenty exuberance yet utterly poised & patient in the evolution.
Omnom so admirably rents Madagascan cacáo that it practically owns the island.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed April 28, 2014
Revised July 3, 2017
Exuberant, gushy teen spirit of inexorable length. A bit unhinged / unbalanced, frankly, but who'll mind with Snapple® flavors like these. Just no resisting the undeniable attraction to this.
34% sugaring; a curious formulation considering that Madagascar cacáo in gen'l, & this seed selection in particular, tolerates a lot higher. Tad more cocoa mass would lend greater ballast while increasing the definition, clarity & intensity. As is, this re-enforces the island's rep for missing a big bottom end.
The technical specs are pretty transparent even though the nose & the tongue diverge over the roast (the first seems deep, the second confirms low). Taste & moreover Texture indicate a long conch (3 days at least). Positively zero astringency (i.e., the specious "green banana" euphemism of the cocoa-gurus), & any bitterness manifests as sublimated woods.
Meticulously crafted throughout… from the logo, design, card-stock packaging & paper-back foil to the tempering & last lick of flavor.
Omnom signaling all-in for the long haul.
2017
3 years on & the signals beam just as strongly. In fact, this bursts forth more strongly. A darker countenance for sure; greater gravitas. The young'un grown some with still plenty exuberance yet utterly poised & patient in the evolution.
Omnom so admirably rents Madagascan cacáo that it practically owns the island.
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter
Reviewed April 28, 2014
Revised July 3, 2017