I am really excited by the new cocoa bean stock. It is a certified Organic Trinitario from Madagascar, which is a mixture of Criollo and Forastero. I know a lot of people are looking for just the cream of the crop Criollo, but the more I get into this business, and taste what is out there, I find that the name does not affect the flavor. Just as you can have bad Forastero, you can have bad Criollo. These are great Trinitario. That said, this is a really interesting cocoa bean and has a different flavor profile from anything else I carry. It is full of deep rich fruits, dried leather and balanced with a ripe fruitiness. I know you are thinking "where is he getting these flavors?". I feel like one of those posh wine reviewers, but really, I can taste all of these flavors in this cocoa bean, and hopefully you will too. Here is an excerpt from my tasting log on my sample evaluation:
"...nice full fermentation. Interesting red color to them. My very first nib tasting is some leather and cherry notes. Sounds odd but true...
I am struck by the fresh fruit aroma coming off of the roasting beans. Sort of a general deep fruit flavor instead of any one fruit. Not like the flowery Ocumare.
The nib tasted of dried leather and cherry (maybe) plus a generally nice cocoa flavor. The day after roasting, I open the bag and was blown away by the aroma of raspberries. I really feel like people are going to think I am just going through a red wine review and making this stuff up :-)
Actually, in a way, this liqueur does remind me of a red wine. Deep fruit or slightly dried fruit flavors and aromas. Apples, currents, and of course the raspberry. It is backed up by the earthy leather flavor but is nicely balanced by just enough acidity. I have found some people both in the coffee and cocoa industry (maybe food in general) shy away from the term acidity, but without it, you can have such a boring or flat flavor profile.
It is again quite different from any bean I have. I like that."
I will have a more detailed review when they come in and I can verify the crop. They should be in next week and will be available then. The one pound price will be $15.75 and go down from there. Please check these out. They are like nothing available out there. And Organic to boot.