DISTINGUISHED BEANS
Reviewing the best in craft chocolate
Felchlin
Venezuela Maracaibo 65%
Aroma: very mellow, nutty, dried apples, cocoa powder
Flavor: Very sweet and mild – nutty, hazelnuts, gianduja, cream, very soft dried fruit notes – raisin, apricot. A thick mouthfeel. The texture is very slightly waxy probably due to the added cocoa butter. It is couverture though, and it does not detract from the overall experience. There is vanilla added as well, which I usually find superfluous, but here it is faint and balanced.
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Makes a wonderful drinking chocolate: the mildness and sweetness result in a perfect rich cup that pretty much everyone will like. The disks are the perfect size and shape for tasting as well. Note that it is very sweet for a 65%; almost too sweet if you are looking for an intense dark chocolate.
La Fèverie
Fossa
Fossa is Singapore's first bean-to-bar chocolate maker, with a range of single-origin bars from Oceania, East Africa, and Bolivia, plus inventive inclusion bars such as Australian native spices, shrimp and bonito, Oolong tea, and white sesame and seaweed. I found their single origin bars to be just ok, and expensive for their small size. I really enjoyed the tea bars though, and they have many unique inclusion bars.
Mexico Selva Tabasqueño 80%
Aroma: Earthy, slightly damp, licorice, dry leaves, dried figs
Flavor: old taste, Earthy damp; A little dryness, vanilla, wood, barrel aged, some pleasant notes. A little very ripe fruitiness, but overall dusty dryness. Some astringency.
Recommendation: Not recommended. It tastes stale and the dominant flavor is a dusty earthiness.
Batch info: ST-001-MEX; Best before February 7, 2022
Venezuela Chuao Aragua 77%
Aroma: sour, earthy, green apple, a little astringent
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Flavor: Quite acidic with pleasant citrus flavors - yellow fruit, lemon, candied lemon peel, Meyer lemon- and a little red fruit but without much depth or complexity. Also earthy, wood, dusty liek cocoa powder, chocolate buttercream. When it melts, some creaminess emerges but still a slightly granular texture. Very little bitterness, not much astringency. I wonder if a slightly longer roast and conche would bring out some nice flavors.
Recommendation: Not recommended. No major defects but lacking in complexity, and the texture is a bit off.
Batch info: VEN-001-CHU; Best before February 2, 2022
Indonesia Burung 72%
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Aroma: coffee grounds, jasmine, steamed rice, ash, starch
Flavor: Dark chocolate peanut butter cups, cranberry, starchy, apple, smoked meat, fresh green vegetation, fresh orange juice with grassy notes, soft floral cherry, slight fruit tang
Recommendation: Not recommended. This was not a terrible bar; there were some interesting flavors, but there were some unpleasant starchy, slightly burnt flavors and the other flavors were pretty weak. A caveat – I have only tried one other Indonesia bar (Pralus) and Fossa’s is better. It is possible that this bar simply reflects a certain terroir and is thus worth trying for the experience.
Batch info: Enjoy by September 15, 2020
Tanzania Kokoa Kamili 72%
Aroma: cardamom, biscuit, hay, cinnamon
Flavor: Spices – cardamom, shortbread, biscuit, hint of red fruit flavors but not tangy, sunflower seeds, coffee grounds
Recommendation: Recommended with reservations. This bar is pretty good, but Dandelion’s bar with cacao from the same co-op (Kokoa Kamili) is much better.
Batch info: Enjoy by September 20, 2020
Fu Wan
Based in Taiwan, Fu Wan has a holistic approach to chocolate, sourcing local, sustainably grown cacao. They offer a range of single origin Taiwanese chocolate, plain and in combination with intersting inclusions like tea, black pepper, mango, coffee, macadamia, and shrimp!
Ping Tung 70%
Aroma: dried peas, cocoa powder, raw peanuts
Flavor: Very strange. Coffee grounds, a little fruity – juicy red fruit, sour lemon, a musty note, peas
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Recommendation: Not recommended. I was really excited to try this bar, but I found it oddly musty and vegetal. I have heard generally good things about them and they’ve won a lot of awards, so I’ll have to try it again.
Batch info: Best by January 6, 2022
Georgia Ramon
One of Germany's first bean-to-bar chocolate makers, Georgia Ramon makes single-origin bars with beans from Ghana, Madagascar, the Philippines, Chuao, and more, plus inclusion bars with herbs and spices.
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Mexico Soconusco Criollo 76%
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Aroma: faintly woody, toasted fermented grain, slightly sour
Flavor: A mix of soft green and toasted notes. Graham cracker, malt, coconut sugar, hazelnut, almond butter, brown sugar, almost caramelly. Green seeds, walnut, slight sourness – not excessive, sour grain flavor, spelt, sorghum molasses – a grainy sweet/sour/caramelly flavor, a little bit of red fruit.
Recommendation: Recommended. An interesting flavor profile from a highly sought-after origin. If you are looking for just one bar from Soconusco beans, I recommended the Soconusco bars from Ritual or Castronovo. However, those three would make a lovely tasting flight as they are quite distinct.
Batch info: Best by February 28, 2021
L'Amourette
Venezuela Sur del Lago 80%
Aroma: roasted dried fruit, a little burnt
Flavor: Little complexity, dusty, starchy, brownie, faint dried fruit but hidden by some burnt flavors
Recommendation: Don’t buy. The quality is on par with mass market dark chocolate, which you can buy for a third of the price. If you are going to spend $9 on a bar, buy a better one.
Batch info: Best before April 30, 2020
Venezuela Amazonas 75%
Aroma: flat
Flavor: some rich classic chocolate notes like Ghana, very faint raspberry, a lot of bitterness, some starchiness.
Recommendation: Don’t buy. The quality is on par with mass market dark chocolate, which you can buy for a third of the price. If you are going to spend $9 on a bar, buy a better one.
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Batch info: April 30, 2020