Monsieur Truffe - Tanzania - 75%

Price: $10 for 100g

Comparison Price: $10 per 100g

Origin: Tanzania

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Buy again: Possibly, I didn't love it but it is good

Sight:

The packaging is very nice - simple and clean with the wrapper being printed brown paper and underneath silver foil.  This appeals to me enormously.

A dark colour, darker than most chocolates with a beautifully flat and glossy finish.  There are no imperfections to be seen with this chocolate. 

And it is simple, it doesn't offer up any additional decoration, such as the makers name which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it keeps it true to what it is, chocolate to be enjoyed.

This is a rather conventional looking block but the size, and thickness of the pieces is very satisfying.

Sound

It has a reasonable snap, but it is a dull break.

Aroma

A strong and rich aroma, one of those special ones that has me starting to salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs with my brain preparing me for the fact that (hopefully) a quality chocolate hit is soon to come.  The aroma makes me think this will be complex.

Taste & Texture

This melts very easily and very smoothly although at times I think I detect a slight graininess.  Rather interestingly if you chew this rather than let it melt it creates this wonderfully thick coated sensation throughout your mouth.

An immediate taste is a mild, bitter, coffee taste but that soon gives way and sharp, fruity flavours prevail.   The sharpness increases and at times punctuates with a quick and strong hit, but it leaves just as quickly as it delivers this punch.  There is a flavour in here that I recognise but annoyingly can't pinpoint - a kind of fresh fruity flavour.  Overall, this has a very strong flavour of summer berries however at all times it retains an earthy undertone.

It lingers a little, for a respectable amount of time, then leaves you with a strangely clean and dry palette.

Summary

This is a good chocolate.  The melting of the chocolate is fantastic but I am just a little put off this wonderment by the slight graininess.  The flavour is good, maybe a little earthy for me, but it does have complexity.

For me this is a good chocolate, but not a great one.  Maybe I am biased as it isn't my natural inclination in flavour otherwise it might fare better in my ratings.  But it has good flavour, largely good texture and good pedigree (Monsieur Truffe is a delight to talk to and an empassioned chocolate maker).

At this early stage would rate as 3.5 out of 5 and as a good, enjoyable chocolate.  It also benefits for being great value for money.