Tag Archive for 'Mexico'

Bar Battle: Bonnat Xoconuzco vs. Askinosie Soconusco

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!

Bar Battle: Bonnat Xoconuzco vs. Askinosie Soconusco

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.

Bar Battle: Bonnat Xoconuzco vs. Askinosie Soconusco

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 :)

Marcolini Unleashes His Bean-to-bar Passion

Marcolini. Carre² Chocolat. Gran Cru de Propriété I’d say I’m really glad Belgium’s most exclusive chocolatier Pierre Marcolini finally as devoted his time on a truely fine collection of single origin bars. Beyond the aged myth of ‘Belgian Chocolate’, Marcolini is achieving to catch up with the real luxury chocolate scenes of France, Italy and Germany. Abroad the consumtption of luxury dark chocolate with curious consumers has been lifting since 5 years at least, and now this iconic Belgian chocolatier finally ventures into origin chocolate bars with a luscious collection. Featuring Venezuelan Criollo, cacao from the Sambirano valley in Madagsacar and the Tabasco region in Mexico, this series are wellworth exploring!

Meanwhile, Marcolini get’s the website upgrade his passion deserves. Brussels interactive agency Emakina recently launched the new www.marcolini.com and sure did a great job here. Be sure to watch the Carre² Chocolat video where the Master Chocolatier himselve talkes passionately about the various pleasures and obstacles of single origin cacao, working together with plantations, and launching this particular collection.

Chocolat Bonnat: Marfil de Blanco & Apotequil

Chocolatier Bonnat launched a new series of origin bars a while ago, which I discovered on the Salon Du Chocolat in Paris a couple of months ago. From the color of the packaging you could tell it’s gotta be something special. Where to date Bonnat’s single origin collections came wrapped in white (with the exception of the Red 100%), the new series is launched in different mainly orange-beige tones.
Chocolat Bonnat. Marfil de Blanco

The Marfil de Blanco is an extremely snappy bar that sounds when you break a chunk. Its color is rather light, which has all to do with the Porcelana cacaobean variety. The name ‘Porcelana’ is derived from the white color of these spcific cacao beans, and delivers cacao bars that have a much more clear color. Both the Marfil de Blanco and the Apotequil bar have a near-perfect texture, no bubbles at all, a marbleish inner texture and after the first snappy bite, swiftly they evolve into a smoot silky sensation.

While both bars are Porcelana based, the Apotequil is harvested from Peru and offers more sweet and floral flavours. Making the bitterness wonderfully obsolete, it remains smooth with buttery notes of caramel, slight hints of wood and vanilla, and end up with a hazelnut finish.
On the other hand the Marfil de Blanco has its roots on plantations in Mexico, more specifically in the Tabasco region, and it’s good to know the Marfil de Blanco bean is a transplant of the rare Porcelana cocoa bean itself. The Marfil bar comes in with a rich, tasty aroma and slightly more acid flavours.

Bonnat is the brand that made me discover the wonderfull universe of true cacao, and I think the team makes a good move in updating the origin series after so many years. Its recognizable signature texture goes very well with the tastes in these Porcelana series, and once again, I can only warmhartedly recommend these bars to you!