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Info Details
Country Italy   
Type Semi-Dark   (75%)
Strain Esmeraldas   (Criollo)
Source Colombia   (Salinas, Colombia/Esmeraldas, Ecuador)
Flavor Crossover   (Fruits/Flowers x Naked)
Style Classic      
lo
med
hi
CQ
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Roast
Intensity
Complexity
Structure
Length
Impact
Forgiving & giving... ahhh, Mother Nature as if we never betrayed her.

image by Larry Carlson
Appearance   4.4 / 5
Color: titian - warm orange brown
Surface: a tombstone face; huge whirlpool out back to swim in
Temper: matte
Snap: breaking rocks can break hands; granite edge
Aroma   9.1 / 10
none of Domori's typical feral alcohol; instead crushingly delicate petals of orange blossom & elderflower, golden berries (Inca uchuva) & sultana raisins lay atop honey-sweetened chantilly chocolate w/ banana... breathless
Mouthfeel   12.8 / 15
Texture: tumescent; one of the rare cases in which Domori adds lecithin (this is technically a couverture offering), producing a more swollen texture (& rolling off some high notes in the upper palate)
Melt: languishing, even a little lazy ala Milk Chocolate; slight particulate
Flavor   44.1 / 50
captures aroma completely & then some; only slightly darker / bolder than its countenance, just enough for depth & dimension; uploads soft chocolate caramel w/ mace before relaying aromatics, especially orange factor, + waves of Milk Chocolate undercurrents, including a faint marshmallow & curuba (banana/passionfruit) until riding out on hazelnuts
Quality   17.7 / 20
Nothing dead about this slab that appears flatter than a tombstone. Simple within a deceptive complex, & perhaps resurrected, as the genetic relics of Esmeraldas are a bit of a puzzle. Technically the origin refers to a location in Ecuador, though here in this bar sourced from Colombia. Natural geography cares little about national borders; treated & processed like Nacional (deeper roast by Domori standards), with Arriba trademark orange accents, but the overall arc traces Criollo (passive, subtle nature; cream tones - even Santander-like marshmallow; only minimally astrigent; radically low bitterness... the constancy & delicacy of it all). Short of a truly great chocolate but a loving one.

  

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