Venchi - Pure Extra Dark Chocolate 75%

Cost: $3.75 USD for 45g

Comparative cost: $8.33 USD per 100g

Origin: Blend - Central & South America

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Buy again: Possibly, it's a bit unusual but I like it

I haven’t had a lot of experience with Venchi.  I know that it is meant to be good.  I know that it is stocked by Simon Johnson and sits alongside my much loved Valrhona and at similar prices; if that is any indication of quality...  

I have tried some darker Venchi offering a friend brought back from Italy – having researched what was considered good Italian chocolate.  This I purchased from the States, whose general chocolate range is far superior to our rather piddling Australian efforts.  However recently I did have Venchi's dark chocolate with caramelised almonds which is both moorish and addictive, so much so that I didn’t leave myself time to write a review, I was too busy enjoying.

So here I am with the Venchi Puro Cioccolato Extra Fondente which is a 75% pure extra dark chocolate.

And I'm a little intrigued by the ingredients; most of the inclusions are those typically found in quality chocolate however what I find myself looking at is the number one ingredient - cocoa powder!  To be honest, I am not sure if this is normal but I haven’t seen it before.  The second ingredient is cocoa butter and cocoa mass finally makes an appearance as the third ingredient.  It will be interesting to see how this develops in my chocolate.

Sight 

The Packaging is pleasant and elicits a sense of heritage, although on reflection I am not sure that the somewhat romanticised image of three women harvesting cocao is helping my indulgence, as I can't help but think this is a rather poetic scene as opposed to the reality of most cocao workers who are poor and overworked.  But the packaging is nice and the gold lettering of Venchi is subtle and all about quality.

The chocolate itself is a very dark brown, much more than most chocolates, and I rather like this.  I know it has no bearing on flavour however I can't help but hope that it hints at a rich and worthy chocolate.  The finish is rather dull, but with my senses inspired by the colour it hardly matters.  

Each piece is stamped with either the Venchi logo or alternating each other piece a rather ornate V and the year the chocolate house was established, 1878.

Smell 

The smell is good, it could be stronger but that is just me being fussy and getting something good but wishing it was better.  This isn't the best aroma I've had but it is a solid and enticing scent.

Snap 

A respectable snap, not as decisive as I would like but again perhaps I'm being fussy as it is good, just not exceptional. 

Taste & Texture

The first thing that comes to mind is biscuits!  My chocolate tastes like biscuits, with a muted sweet/savoury flavour that is really unusual in chocolate.  And I can't help but repeating myself as I experience these cookies and cream tones, and dare I say I like it?  It is very unusual.

It is also very dominating as a flavour.  I try to look past this for other flavour profiles and for a short time I grasp at soft hints of pears, but I keep coming back to this cookie flavour and find it difficult to offer you any other description, it is just so dominant. 

Bitterness is present, generally in a slight and pleasant manner but it does pick up this characteristic at the end as it lingers on my palette.  

The other thing to note is this is a very muted chocolate, there is very little acidity present.

The texture is good, although I do detect a little grittiness towards the end.  I would perhaps like a better melt, but it is still good

Summary

I'm still feeling perplexed by this as the flavour is unlike anything else I have encountered - but my perplexion is good, it makes me think about this long after the chocolate is eaten.

This is all about muted flavours, bitterness, soft biscuit tones with a light fruitiness.  I normally err on the side of acidic chocolates but I like this – the strange biscuit flavour makes me think I shouldn’t, but I do.  Its not a great chocolate but it is a yummy (and perplexing) one.  I rate this as 3.5 out of 5.

Reviewer: Shari
7 March 2010

Purchased www.chocosphere.com however Venchi is available through Simon Johnson stores in Australia.