Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 70%
Location: Madagascar
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today's tasting is the Domori Sambirano. As the name implies, this is a single origin choolate made from cocoa beans sourced from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar. My first impression on opening the package was a powerful aroma of acidic wininess that reminded me of popping the cork on the bottle of a big Red Zinfandel. The bar is a deep mahogany in color with a slight orange tint. It strikes me as being a bit darker in color than the typical 70% cacao Madagascan chocolate.

At first taste the Domori Sambirano has an immediate bright, berry jamminess. Strawberries are here in spades and red raspberry peeks through as well. The acidity level is very lively with sour berry and cherry notes. There is some lemon custard here, but the dominant citrus note common to Madagascan chocolate is outpaced by tart berries on this bar. Some herbal/grassy notes are present, as well as some hazelnut. Chewing the Domori Cacao Sambirano leads to strawberry creme and cherry cordial notes. The melt is perfect - smooth, thick and creamy. The finish has continuing sour cherry paired with some herbal notes.

Every chocolate I have tried to date from Domori has been amazing, and the Cacao Sambirano from their Single Origins line is no exception. Astute readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of chocolate with a lively acidity, and the Sambirano cranks the acidity all the way to eleven. This bar is really quite sour, and seems to go all the way up to the limits of tartness for a dark chocolate. There is an interesting, and quite enjoyable, berry dominance here. If you told me that I was going to try an extremely acidic Madagascan chocolate, then I would be expecting lemonade, not strawberry jam. The texture here is fantastic as is typical of Domori. My only quibble with the Sambirano is that there is an herbal note that just doesn't seem to fit. Otherwise, this is another fantastic chocolate from Domori.