I was going through my local whole foods, and noticed a slight change in one of the chocolate bars they offer.
This is the old bar on the left, new bar on the right.
-> 
It’s the same varietal (Contamana), but the location is different. The one on the left is from an area very near Cusco. The new bar is from Rupa-Rupa, which is over 400 miles as the crow flies north-by-north-west. The original bar was a 3 of 5 for me, so I figure, hey… let’s try the new one!
I’m glad I did.
Peruvian Signature Dark
by jcoco Craft Chocolate
https://jcocochocolate.com/products/peruvian-signature-dark-chocolate-bar
Cacao: 85%
Type: The full size bar is actually 3 individually packaged 1oz / 28g bars. Each small bar is perforated into 6 equal segments for easy snapping.
Varietal: Claimed to be Contamana (the C-Spot for details).
Description: A single origin chocolate from Rupa-Rupa, Peru. (Google Maps)
Notes: On the website: “Nutty, fruity, sour.”
jcoco also lists a LOT of details as far as acidity, astringency, bitterness, finish, aroma, etc in their ‘Tasting Notes’ section.
Music throughout - just a mix of contemporary rock releases. Nothing of note.
Session One:
Prime -> Dark and Rich. Very cacao/chocolate forward at the start, and through the rest of the tasting. Fruit tones during the melt, and some floral hints as well.
Full chew, then melt -> Fruit at the mid tongue during the melt with…. A nut of some sort? Brazil nuts, maybe? Along with some sort of bread, with more floral hints.
Back teeth -> More nuts on the melt. Side tongue is dried fruit… raisin?
Long melt -> Cacao forward into fruit.
Nicely balanced. A little acidic during the melt, a little astringent on the finish. Nothing overwhelming. Notably, nothing nibby! This is a big plus for me.
Session Two:
I spent the majority of the session running through different areas of the mouth and different chew/melt combinations, seeing what was “best” for me.
Melt for a bit towards the back of the mouth, then slowly Chew almost fully, then final Melt -> Get the whole gamut of flavor tones. Chocolate forward with some fruit, a touch of nuts and some floral notes, and then a slightly sour fruit finish. That’s pretty darn good.
Dia’s rating: 5 of 5
biggreen
I would definitely buy more of this. It’s regularly stocked at the local Whole Foods, so if I’m feeling the need for something darker? This is high on the list. I really like the fact that it’s not super nibby and in your face bitter. Very balanced, and a wonderful “cleanser” after the Milk Chocolate Adobo that was just all over the place with the flavors.
Differences to the previous bar, according to my notes? The fruit tones were a lot more subtle on the earlier bar. It was also a touch more sour, but retained the overall balanced profile between acidity/astringency/bitterness. The previous bar I wanted to be a bit sweeter; the new bar doesn’t need that additional sweetness.
Also, the details given by the C-Spot for Contamana largely match what I was tasting.
Maybe a shaded radar? This is not reflective of what you actually felt, just a quick demonstration.
Although that doesn’t feel right either. Hmm.
Man, this is hard. Because ‘good/bad’ enjoyment can change as you get further into a bar, or as a piece melts. Something that starts as a light note but becomes the dominant tone in the aftertaste can totally alter the perception.
Possibly a second radar wheel, but instead of a regular radar plot, you rate enjoyment from 0 to 4. Use a star pattern instead of the plot, and have each ‘spike’ of the star be color coded - green for positive, red for negative. You could even overlay them.
Something like…
So you have the notes and their forwardness/notability. And then you rate your enjoyment of them.
So that map would have the following “description” for the ‘enjoyment’ star.
The chocolate is awesome. The fruit is good, and the acidity provides a nice bite. The astringency is strong, and is mildly unpleasant. And the nut is one of those nearly-bad pistachios. And the bar starts with a nice degree of sweetness but becomes a bit too much.
I’m debating on adding a flavor wheel / radar plot to my tastings. But I think I need to get over to the fountain pen / stationary thread, because I’ll need to append a wheel to the notes in my book. It would also change up how many pages would be used in my book. And what gets a wheel and what doesn’t…. Lots to consider. And what do I do with the over 150 bars that DON’T have one?!
For example, here is the entry I just made for the jcoco bar, with where I think a radar wheel would go:
This is the old bar on the left, new bar on the right.
-> It’s the same varietal (Contamana), but the location is different. The one on the left is from an area very near Cusco. The new bar is from Rupa-Rupa, which is over 400 miles as the crow flies north-by-north-west. The original bar was a 3 of 5 for me, so I figure, hey… let’s try the new one!
I’m glad I did.
Peruvian Signature Dark
by jcoco Craft Chocolate
https://jcocochocolate.com/products/peruvian-signature-dark-chocolate-bar
Cacao: 85%
Type: The full size bar is actually 3 individually packaged 1oz / 28g bars. Each small bar is perforated into 6 equal segments for easy snapping.
Varietal: Claimed to be Contamana (the C-Spot for details).
Description: A single origin chocolate from Rupa-Rupa, Peru. (Google Maps)
Notes: On the website: “Nutty, fruity, sour.”
jcoco also lists a LOT of details as far as acidity, astringency, bitterness, finish, aroma, etc in their ‘Tasting Notes’ section.
Music throughout - just a mix of contemporary rock releases. Nothing of note.
Session One:
Prime -> Dark and Rich. Very cacao/chocolate forward at the start, and through the rest of the tasting. Fruit tones during the melt, and some floral hints as well.
Full chew, then melt -> Fruit at the mid tongue during the melt with…. A nut of some sort? Brazil nuts, maybe? Along with some sort of bread, with more floral hints.
Back teeth -> More nuts on the melt. Side tongue is dried fruit… raisin?
Long melt -> Cacao forward into fruit.
Nicely balanced. A little acidic during the melt, a little astringent on the finish. Nothing overwhelming. Notably, nothing nibby! This is a big plus for me.
Session Two:
I spent the majority of the session running through different areas of the mouth and different chew/melt combinations, seeing what was “best” for me.
Melt for a bit towards the back of the mouth, then slowly Chew almost fully, then final Melt -> Get the whole gamut of flavor tones. Chocolate forward with some fruit, a touch of nuts and some floral notes, and then a slightly sour fruit finish. That’s pretty darn good.
Dia’s rating: 5 of 5
biggreenI would definitely buy more of this. It’s regularly stocked at the local Whole Foods, so if I’m feeling the need for something darker? This is high on the list. I really like the fact that it’s not super nibby and in your face bitter. Very balanced, and a wonderful “cleanser” after the Milk Chocolate Adobo that was just all over the place with the flavors.
Differences to the previous bar, according to my notes? The fruit tones were a lot more subtle on the earlier bar. It was also a touch more sour, but retained the overall balanced profile between acidity/astringency/bitterness. The previous bar I wanted to be a bit sweeter; the new bar doesn’t need that additional sweetness.
Also, the details given by the C-Spot for Contamana largely match what I was tasting.
Maybe a shaded radar? This is not reflective of what you actually felt, just a quick demonstration.
Although that doesn’t feel right either. Hmm.
Man, this is hard. Because ‘good/bad’ enjoyment can change as you get further into a bar, or as a piece melts. Something that starts as a light note but becomes the dominant tone in the aftertaste can totally alter the perception.
Possibly a second radar wheel, but instead of a regular radar plot, you rate enjoyment from 0 to 4. Use a star pattern instead of the plot, and have each ‘spike’ of the star be color coded - green for positive, red for negative. You could even overlay them.
Something like…
So you have the notes and their forwardness/notability. And then you rate your enjoyment of them.
So that map would have the following “description” for the ‘enjoyment’ star.
The chocolate is awesome. The fruit is good, and the acidity provides a nice bite. The astringency is strong, and is mildly unpleasant. And the nut is one of those nearly-bad pistachios. And the bar starts with a nice degree of sweetness but becomes a bit too much.
I’m debating on adding a flavor wheel / radar plot to my tastings. But I think I need to get over to the fountain pen / stationary thread, because I’ll need to append a wheel to the notes in my book. It would also change up how many pages would be used in my book. And what gets a wheel and what doesn’t…. Lots to consider. And what do I do with the over 150 bars that DON’T have one?!
For example, here is the entry I just made for the jcoco bar, with where I think a radar wheel would go:
