Valrhona - Guanaja - 70%

Price: $11.25 for 70g

Comparative Price: $16.07 per 100g

Origin: South American Blend

Rating: 4.5 stars

Buy again: Definitely. A challenging and rewarding chocolate

Sight

The packaging is typical Valrhona – black packaging with the brand the most proudly displayed item, all in a very attractive red.  It doesn't excite in itself, but what does excite is the knowledge of what is inside and the consistency of my Gaulish friends. 

The chocolate is a very dark brown, quite a masculine colour, perfectly finished with a nice sheen and as always the stamp of Valrhona.  Exactly what you would expect!  Visually I like the format of their bars but practically I detest them - it is so hard to break off a lovely even amount, and differs so much from their previous bar formats that offered large and generous pieces that would, elicit greedy anticipation from me.

Smell

I have it sitting in front of me and it is invading my olfactory glands already.  I love when chocolate comes with such a heady, persuasive aroma.  This isn’t a shy one, its putting it all out there.  I can’t detect anything particular in the smell although I do sense a sweetness come through the rich chocolate ambience.

Snap

Even for Valrhona this is good snap!  I am forced to exert to break off my square, and it does so cleanly with a very loud break.

Taste and Texture

The first thing that strikes me is a heavy chocolate flavour – odd I know but this is a richly, decadently chocolate particularly given so many aren't. However it also offers another powerful flavour and I only pick up on the first taste and whilst I recognise it I, frustratingly, I can't identify it.  I keep trying to get this flavour back as it was so distinct, but after my first taste it is lost...

Some acidity is introduced to my palate with tones of pineapple; at times I almost mistake it for sweetness but the flavour isn’t intruding too far forward for it to be that. But the lovely, sharp fruit tones balance out the bitterness beautifully.  But don't be fooled, this is a bitter chocolate but in a wonderfully mellow way - not cheap bitterness that makes your mouth pucker.  And this lovely bitterness, with tinges of coffee, lingers on my palate beautifully. 

Interestingly I pick up notes that I can only describe as Asian food, the authentic type you eat when travelling.  I can't pinpoint it further than that at the moment but I do recognise it.  Maybe it is a spiciness and is reminiscent of common spice mixture used. 

I keep coming back to a need to describe this as a very masculine chocolate, but masculine with a softer side, as it does have soft, sweet tones to it and this yin/yang balance is what I am loving.

As to be expected of Valrhona it melts slowly, with a gorgeous thick and refined texture that is great for imparting flavour.

It lingers very well, one of the best chocolates I have experienced for linger and the strong flavours that present throughout the tasting continue to develop their masculine charms for quite some time.  And aside from the flavours I have already noted, it introduces the notes of white pepper at this point.

Summary

There is a lot going on here, but overall the focus of this chocolate is the peacock like demonstration of it's masculine qualities with hints of leather, tobacco and coffee.  There is a varied influence including the occasional acidic moment of pineapple or dried currants, but for the most part it is more robust than that.  The bitterness sometimes hits rather hard, but in a wonderfully enjoyable way, and surprising so for a 70%.

This is a challenging chocolate, and a very enjoyable chocolate.  I am now at the end of the block and don't feel I have a real feel for this yet - how exciting!  Expect an update upon my next block.

A really good chocolate that won't let you rest and with some stand out moments, 4.5 out of 5.

Buy online at Cocoa Kiss now

3 March 2010
Reviewer: Shari