Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 75%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today's tasting is the award-winning Domori Puertomar. The Puertomar is part of the same Criollo line as Domori's Puertofino and Porcelana. The bar is deep mahogany in color with purple highlights. The nose detects a deep chocolate aroma with cherry jam.

The immediate impression on the palate is rich chocolate with Domori's typical jamminess. Distinct notes of bread and caramel are here. There is a moderate level of acidity but lots of fruitiness. Red raspberries, pomegranate, Rainier cherries and orange are all here. There is a notable bitter espresso component, but the bitter kick is somewhat mitigated by all the fruitiness. The bitterness does seem to fade in and out in waves, and combines with the fruit to leave an impression of hops. Chewing the Puertomar opens up sweet cherries, mint and tobacco. The mouthfeel is smooth with a slight cooling sensation. The finish is jammy with cherries and shortbread cookies.

The Puertomar is instantly recognizable as Domori with the big fruitiness and jammy flavor. I find the overall flavor to be similar to their Porcelana, but the fruit tends to be a bit less "in your face". There are some big jam/fruit notes here, but the great thing is that the chocolate flavor never gets lost. Another classic from Domori here.

Manufacturer: Valrhona
Cocoa Content: 64%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

Today's tasting is the 2009 vintage of the Valrhona Palmira. The Palmira Estates where these criollo beans are grown is located near Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, the home of some of the world’s finest cacao. The Palmira is an orange-mahogany in color. The nose is on the lighter side with some aromas of earthy chocolate.

The first impression on the palate is sweet chocolate with herbal (mint in particular) and earthy notes. Acidity slowly builds, along with nuttiness and roasted flavors. Acidity leads to notes of citrus and sour cherries. There are roasted notes of roast cashews and medium-roast coffee along with some notable earthiness. Chewing the Palmira opens up cherries, leather and earth notes. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with some cooling sensation. The finish has coffee, cherry pie, mint and nuts.

I have some mixed feelings about the Valrhona Palmira. On one hand, there is a wealth of complexity in this chocolate bar. But on the other hand, there is a notable lack of rich chocolate flavor. It may well be that I am experiencing this chocolate past its prime as this is the 2009 vintage. Still, this chocolate does show a lot of promise for vintaged single-origin chocolate. I'll be curious to see how more recent vintages compare to this one.

Manufacturer: Patric Chocolate
Cocoa Content: 70%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today we're tasting the Patric Signature Blend, which is a 70% dark chocolate bar. The bar itself is quite eye-catching as it is emblazoned with the Patric logo and has a textured finish. Notably absent are the squares most chocolate bars are divided into. The bar is mahogany in color with some red streaks showing along the edge when snapped. The nose has chocolate and coffee notes which, while pleasing, seem to be pretty standard fare.

On the palate there is coffee initially, followed by building acidity. The acidity brings forward both lemony citrus notes as well as berry notes of blackberries and blueberries. All the while there are nutty notes competing with to be heard over the fruitiness, with almond and hazelnut. Espresso then comes back along with a light oaky highlight. Chewing the Patric Signature Blend leads to sweet nuttiness of pistachio and cashew as well as sour cherry/blackberry notes. The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy and a bit juicy with some cooling sensation. The finish continues the complexity with mocha coffee taking the lead and supported by lemon zest, almond, caramel and chocolate milk.

In contrast with the Amedei "9", the Patric Signature Blend takes a different approach in blended chocolate with some very bold flavors and acidity. The end result is still a great, complex chocolate that let's the beans' flavor shine through. Bold fruit is dominant here, and the citrus leads me to believe that there is some Madagascan chocolate in the blend. Coffee and nuts are pretty big components here as well. The flavors have a great evolution as new flavors are constantly introducing themselves throughout the melt and finish. The one drawback is that the wealth of bold flavors tends to hide the actual chocolate flavor a bit. When the chocolate does finally kick in it reminds me a lot of milk chocolate with caramel and creamy undertones, which is very interesting for a dark chocolate. The Patric Signature blend is quite snackable because of this. This is a great blended chocolate. I can't wait to dig into some of their single-source bars.

Manufacturer: Michel Cluizel
Cocoa Content: 99%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

Up for review today is the Michel Cluizel Noir Infini 99% dark chocolate bar. The small 30 gram bar is impeccably made. The face of the bar is 2-textured, with the lower right half covered with very fine stippling. The stippling is flawless, and I am really amazed at the level of fine detail here. The Noir Infini bar is deep ebony in color with highlights of purple and red. The nose detects a rich dark chocolate aroma along with vanilla beans and caramel.

On the palate there is a deep, rich chocolate flavor as the dominant note. There is only a moderate amount of acidity here revealing some lemon peel citrus. The impression of sweetness is really much higher than I would expect from a 99% cacao dark chocolate, with notes of caramel and honey. Bitterness leads to a deep roasted espresso note. Notes of oak, leather and tobacco are here as well, along with a hint of ginger. The Noir Infini has a rather soft, yielding bite to it. Chewing the bar reveals ginger, vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon, orange juice and earthy notes. The melt is perfectly smooth, thick and creamy. The finish has deep espresso highlighted by oak and cinnamon.

Every aspect of the Noir Infini shows the supreme level of dedication that Michel Cluizel puts into producing ultra-premium chocolate. The construction is immaculate and flavor is astounding. The Noir Infini has the richest chocolate flavor of any of the ultra-dark chocolates I've tried. I did find the flavor to be slightly subdued because of the lower level of acidity. I think that increasing the acidity a bit would likely increase the complexity a bit, as it seems like there is some fruit that is hidden under the dominant spice/earth/wood flavors. But in its current incarnantion the chocolate flavor is phenominal. If you like ultra-dark chocolate, then you owe it to yourself to get your hands on the 99% cacao Noir Infini. It is truly an incredible taste experience.

Manufacturer: Republica Del Cacao
Cocoa Content: 75%
Location: Ecuador
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B

We're following up on our recent tasting of the excellent Pacari Los Rios with another take on these beans. Today's tasting is from Ecuadorian bean-to-bar chocolate maker Republica Del Cacao. Their take on the Los Rios chocolate is a 75% bar that is deep brown in color, bordering on ebony, with ruby and purple highlights. The nose has a deep, powerful chocolate aroma, with highlights of marshmallow and cinnamon.

The Republica Del Cacao Los Rios hits the palate with a distinct note of tobacco/leather. Herbal and sweet spice notes abound with cinnamon, mint and some grassiness. There is a bite of black coffee bitterness here. Banana, hazelnut and cream are here as well. Chewing the Los Rios brings forward notes of mint, honey, toffee and some cinnamon/nutmeg. The melt is perfectly smooth with a slight cooling sensation. On the finish, some chocolate finally sets in along with spearmint as a strong highlight.

I am quite torn over the Republica Del Cacao Los Rios. On one hand, the construction of this bar is absolutely flawless. The bar is divided into four large rectangles with pristine embossing and a lustrous shine. The nose has a wonderful chocolate note that is rich and fudgy like brownie batter. But once the chocolate hit my palate I found myself searching for this powerful chocolate note that the nose alluded to. It takes seemingly forever for any of the chocolate flavor to show up. Overall, the flavor is quite complex, interesting and bold with dominant notes of mint and tobacco/leather highlighted by sweet spice and herbs, but the chocolate flavor is conspicuously missing until the tail end. Still, the attention to detail is promising and I'm looking forward to trying some of Republica Del Cacao's other chocolates quite soon.

Manufacturer: Amedei
Cocoa Content: 75%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

I'm usually the "delayed gratification" type, but when my most recent chocolate supply arrived I couldn't resist the allure of the Amedei "9", so I dove right in. The Amedei 9 dark chocolate is a blend made from the cacao of 9 different plantations developed by the Tessieri's. The 9 bar has deep purple and ruby highlights over a deep mahogany color. The nose is notably light with aromas of vanilla and almond.

On first taste, the palate travels from a light toasted note to bitter espresso. This is followed by building acidity that has light citrus notes of orange juice. There are notes of lightly toasted almonds, marshmallow and a barky wood note. Chewing the 9 brings forward a bit of a meaty note, raspberry preserves, toffee and almonds. The melt is smooth, but not overly thick, and leaves a slight cooling sensation. The finish has a distinctly almond nutty note that take the lead as the acidity fades.

The Amedei 9 is a wonderfully complex, balanced dark chocolate bar. The flavor unfolds in multiple waves and tells a nice story as it goes. My only quarrel is that there is a notable lack of intensity or boldness. Overall, that is a small price to pay as this allows the multiple flavor notes to sing in harmony. The Amedei 9 is frequently recognized as one of the most sought-after chocolates in the world, and lives up to its reputation in a big way.

Manufacturer: Pralus
Cocoa Content: 75%
Location: Cuba
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

Up for review today is the Pralus Cuba. This is a 75% dark chocolate made from Trinitario cacao beans. The color of the bar is deep mahogany with some light red highlights. The nose has a deep roasted note that is classic Pralus, along with a bit of woodiness.

On the palate there is somewhat peppery spiciness. Wood notes of cedar and oak are here along with some leather. A distinct note of licorice pairs well with the spice and wood. There are roasted peanut notes and a kick of bitter espresso on the roast side. The chocolate character is rich and nutty. Chewing the Pralus Cuba opens up notes of earth, leather and roasted nuts. The bite itself is a bit waxy, leading to a soft, yielding chew. The melt is smooth, thick and creamy. The Pralus Cuba finishes with peanuts, black pepper and licorice with a bit of spiciness on the tongue.

I am a big fan of the Pralus Cuba. This is a bar that lends itself well to showcasing Pralus' classic deep-roasted style. The roast leaves a rich chocolate that is complimented by nuts and wood. Despite the heavy roast, the unique character of the beans shows through with a nice spicy licorice character. This is a great snacking dark chocolate and would pair well with a woody, dark roast coffee, or an oaked red wine that has some peppery notes. Highly recommended.