Askinosie is an American brand I knew only through the chocolate community. Lucky me to find a fresh batch of these great gourmet bars in London at Selfridges!
The Mexican variety “Soconusco” is said to be the first cacao bean variety cultivated by man. Though that would make me guess that both bars are rare Criollo beans, the Askinosie wrap says his beans are from the Trinitario family, which doesn’t really seems correct with his statements… confusing.
Let’s get tasting!
The Askinosie has a brown paper wrapper that refers to his artisanship, and the bar has a nice red toned brown color and is well molded.
A good snappy bite starts us up, giving fruity hints, tones of red fruit starting slowly, getting stronger and richer in the same tones, combining and melting down really nice, though tiny bit gritty near the end, leaving a bodied darker tone of tobacco or so. I think there’s really something nice going on at the US artisan chocolate scene, exciting bar!
The Bonnat Xoconuzco bar is a couple of months old but still in well shape, and won his previous battle. This Bonnat signature bar comes with a green wrapper, different from the usual wrappers. Its color is darker than the Askinosie, less red. Taste comes a little faster in this bar, doesn’t evolve as much. Also tastes rather different with more cinnamon, raisins, orange flavors, I’d say, but always sustained with a chocolate carpet. The house Bonnat experiments little, but you may be sure you‘ll get an excellent bar every time, that surely demonstrates his passion and experience.
In the end I’d take home the Askinosie Soconusco bar. I like its vivid style and very nice flavor curve. It melts down really fluidly, and well … this time I simply ended up with more fun putting the Askinosie on the palate 
First – thank you for such an honor as being compared to Bonnat! We’re happy to have “won” this battle. There is no question that our beans from Soconusco are of the Trinitario variety. Maybe the confusion is over the thought that Criollo beans were used for this bar. They are not Criollo. What troubles me about the name Criollo is that there is more of it sold than exists in the world today. That means somebody is lying for the sake of marketing. The beans of Soconusco have been hybridized over the centuries from Criollo and now the result is what you taste in our bar. I would never claim Criollo beans unless I could prove it. There are rumors of tiny pockets of Criollo where I buy these beans. I have yet to see them. I am not sure about the website listed above that claims Soconusco “raw certified organic Criollo cacao nibs”. Where do they source these? So – the bottom line is that the variety of our beans from Soconusco is Trinitario and we do not claim otherwise and never would. I hope that helps. Again — thank you for your kind words about our chocolate. We’re humbled.
thank you very much Shawn – for our readers, he is the Askinosie man himself
– for these details!
There is imho much work to do for the industry on origins, beans, varieties and the like indeed. Especially given the fact that there is a lot of ‘wrong’ information and secrecy… Transparancy makes cacao at the same time so much richer to explore! So kudos for you on this one.
Eeep! being an native Americano, I have never tasted these bars!
I better get tasting!!!
merci encore
Just back from the Salon myself where I tasted Bonnats offering. I tasted both Xoconuzco and Chauo; I settled on the Chauo (and no not because, as some suggested it was a nice pink wrapper!) but because if its subtle elegant notes.
I am dying to see what you bought in your sampler pack. What a choice there was at the Salon. I have never seen anything like it and am already thinking about next year but not a Saturday … too busy.