This bar is made using cocoa beans from the Piura region of north west Peru, sourced directly in collaboration with CacaoTales. Once harvested they’re shipped to Stoke on Trent where James Walter turns them into one of Seed’s chocolate bars.
If there’s a theme when I write about chocolate from Peru, it’s that the country is large and extremely biodiverse with a ridiculous wealth of microclimates. From the Andes mountains in the north, to the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Amazon Rainforest in the south east, the climate is varied to say the least. If you tried to pin down Peru as a single origin you’d be struggling. Even describing the flavour profiles of a region like Piura would have you floundering, such is the variety and diversity of flavour exhibited by Peruvian cacao. Here we have a bar made from Gran Yapatera Blanco beans from the Piura region. A set of white cocoa beans from eastern Piura around the Chulucanas area. I’ve tried a couple of bars made using white beans from Piura, but mostly Gran Nativo Blanco and I’ve tried a number of bars using beans from Chulucanas. Those with white beans so far have presented similar profiles, yellow fruit flavours with mild acidity and a generally lighter profile, whereas beans from Chulucanas tends to have more cherry and raisin flavours with an increased acidity. Having tried this bar as a 75% I’m inclined to expect the same mixture of yellow stonefruit flavours and honey mixed with a darker biscuity backbone, but with less acidity and more prevalent dark cocoa tones. Opening the packaging I’m presented with a crazy paving cocoa pod slab in a glossy matte finish. Breaking off a piece reveals chocolatey aromas of fudge brownies with a touch of apricot jam and dark caramel. Placing a piece in my mouth the chocolate is syrupy with the texture of the syrup you can in canned fruit, before some dry chocolate cake in the finish. To taste this bar is fairly base driven with opening dark cocoa notes that overtime give way to a middle of mellower, softer cocoa notes. There’s some fruit evident with a creamy acidity, that reminds me of apricot yoghurt and apricot kernels. There’s also a sweetness to the cocoa, that reminds me of the syrup you get in fruit cocktails or canned apricots that helps uplift the cocoa. This is a relatively soft and approachable chocolate for a 100%, but the hallmarks of such a dark percentage are still evident, dark cocoa base driven flavours, with a little astingency and a lack of outright sweetness. This is one for those who appreciate 100% cocoa chocolate and are looking for something with a mellower middle with subtle fruit nuances, one for those who like apricot kernels. Best enjoyed with custard danishes, pain aux raisins, malty amber ales or dark spiced rums like Kraken.
Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cocoa butter
Appearance 8.5/10
Colour: Darker brown
Texture: Fudgey grain
Mould: Cocoa pod crazy paving
Snap: Crisp
Temp/Shine: Glossy matte
Aroma 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 8
Notes: Chocolate fudge brownie, apricot jam, caramel
Quality: Deep, rich, simple, chocolatey
Melt/Mouthfeel 8.5/10
Length: Long
Evenness: Even
Texture: Syrupy, canned syrup, dry chocolate cake
Quality: Syrupy, watery, thick, cake like
Acidity 8.5/10
Intensity(0-10):
Notes: Apricot kernel, apricot yoghurt
Quality: Acetic, hard, creamy
Sweetness 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 5
Notes: Apricot yoghurt, canned fruit syrup, chocolate brownie
Quality: Creamy, syrupy, cakey
Flavour 8.5/10
Intensity(0-10): 9
Type: Bitter, sweet
Notes: Hard cocoa, soft cocoa, apricot kernel, apricot yoghurt, canned fruit syrup, chocolate brownie
Quality: Hard, mellow, sweet, fruity, chocolatey
Length 9/10
Flavours are present and long, with base notes lasting an age on the palate, with rounds coming from peaks of hard acidity
Finish 9/10
Notes: Apricot kernel, chocolate brownie
Quality: Thick chocolate base notes and a background apricot kernel note fill the finish before thick cocoa notes linger long after the finish
Balance 9/10
Bar leans a little base heavy in the opening and finish, but mellow cocoa notes and a light sweetness pick up the middle, flavours are complementary with medium structure providing a little freedom for an otherwise anchored and stable bar
Overall 9/10
Bar has plenty of depth and some dimension, complexities are well balanced and structure is consistent, expression feels honest and transparent with processing encouraging mellow profile from base driven cocoa
Seed Chocolate’s Tasting Notes: Sweet acidity like citrus & mango, long tasting cocoa
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