This bar is made using cocoa beans from Sao Tome. Once harvested these beans are shipped to Bergl in southern Austria, where Josef Zotter turns them into one of his innovative chocolate bars. You can read more about Zotter’s long and varied history here – https://www.zotter.at/en/about-zotter/biography.html
I’ve tried a couple of bars from Sao Tome, although probably only one that you could describe as being overtly craft chocolate. My experiences have been of a cacao with potential, yellow and orange fruit notes with a tendency towards spice, a distinctive set of flavours that came through clearly, but lacked complexity and refinement. I’m hoping for a little more here, something closer to the bar I had from Rozsavolgyi Csokolade, a clearer expression with a bit more nuance and dimension. Opening the packaging I’m presented with two bars, one for now and one for later – the best way to enjoy chocolate – with an attractively glossy finish to them. Breaking off a piece reveals light and soft aromas of orange oil, cocoa and a touch of buttery marzipan. Placing a piece in my mouth the chocolate is syrupy, with textures of caramel and chewy toffee. To taste this bar opens with archetypal chocolate flavours, like a bourbon biscuit, leading onto bitter orange notes. From here caramel and chocolate buttercream notes takeover before the fruit flavours come alive in the back end, cooked pineapple and mandarin coming through to make the experience a whole lot sunnier. There’s contrasts here between archetypal creamy chocolate notes and those of a sunnier yellow and orange disposition glued together with a syrupy caramel, which hint at nuance and complexity, but don’t quite make it there. This is one for those who like a sunnier softer cocoa flavour, fans of fruit caramels or those that prefer syrupy darker roasts. Best enjoyed with live yoghurt, passionfruit, meringue or col fondo prosecco.
Conch Time: 15 hrs
Ingredients: Cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter
Appearance 8.5/10
Colour: Darker brown
Texture: Dusty ridging
Mould: Zotter print slab
Snap: Crisp
Temp/Shine: Glossy
Aroma 8.5/10
Intensity(0-10): 8
Notes: Orange oil, light cocoa, marzipan
Quality: Light, citric, soft, buttery
Melt/Mouthfeel 9/10
Length: Long
Evenness: Even
Texture: Syrupy, caramel, chewy toffee
Quality: Syrupy, glossy, lightly viscous
Acidity 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 3
Notes: Bitter orange, stewed pineapple
Quality: Sunny, bright, sweet
Sweetness 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 8
Notes: Bourbon biscuit, caramel, chocolate buttercream, mandarin curd
Quality: Syrupy, fruity, creamy
Flavour 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 8
Type: Sweet
Notes: Bourbon biscuit, bitter orange, caramel, chocolate buttercream, cooked pineapple, mandarin
Quality: Biscuity, soft, mild, sunny, fruity
Length 9/10
Flavours are present from the beginning with good lengths making rounds on peaks of sunny acidity
Finish 9/10
Notes: Mandarin, chocolate buttercream
Quality: Mandarin notes fill the end before base notes of chocolate buttercream come through and linger
Balance 9/10
Bar has a good soft balance with complementary flavours, medium structure provides lots of stability and good anchoring
Overall 9/10
Bar has some depth and some dimension, complexities are well balanced and structure is consistent, expression feels honest, but influenced by roast with processing encouraging syrupy feel and stability
Zotter’s Tasting Notes: Fragrance notes: fruity, dried apricots, baguettes
Taste notes: very mild for a dark chocolate, red cherries, beautiful roast aroma, good melt, notes of baguettes, slightly astringent finish.
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