Patric Madagascar 75% Dark Chocolate

Manufacturer: Patric Chocolate
Cocoa Content: 75%
Location: Madagascar
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A+

Up for review today is Patric's Madagascar 75% dark chocolate bar. The bar is deep mahogany in color with merlot/plum colored highlights. The nose detects red wine, currants and oak.

On the palate there are earthy cocoa notes and brownie batter fudge. There is a bit of a black coffee bite of bitterness. Then the classic Madagascar citrus notes start to roll in with orange juice and lemon being most notable. There are also fruity notes of ripe berries and pomegranate. This chocolate has a snappy acidity punctuated by frequent squirts of citrus. There is a hint of oak here as well. Chewing the Patric Madagascar brings forward some fleeting earth notes followed by a wave of berries and citrus. The chocolate has a mouth-coating melt and a smooth, faintly astringent mouthfeel. The finish has rich, fudgy cocoa with citrus and pomegranate/berry juiciness.

The Patric Madagascar is one of my all-time favorite Madagascan chocolates. It has the telltale citrus notes typical to the region paired with some nice juicy berry notes. But what really sets it apart is how these flavors are paired with a rich, fudgy counterpoint. This bar hits the mark for being both savorable and snackable, which is a rare find in the extra dark chocolate realm. Highly recommended.

Patric Rio Caribe Superior 70% Dark Chocolate

The Dark Chocolate Blog reviews another great bar from Patric Chocolates:

Manufacturer: Patric
Cocoa Content: 70%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

Today we are tasting Patric's Rio Caribe Superior dark chocolate bar. This is a single-source bar made from cacao produced near Rio Caribe, Venezuela, a town referred to as "City of the Masters of Cacao". The bar is mahogany in color with orange and red highlights. The nose detects cocoa, espresso and dried fruit.

There is a rich chocolate note up front on the palate. Fruity acidity then builds. There are notes of stone fruit, with a very distinct cherry flavor which goes between bing and maraschinos, along with a bit of nectarine. Nutty notes of walnut and almonds are here along with pistachio. There is a sweet, latte-like creaminess as well. Chewing the Rio Caribe Superior leads to almonds, cherries and leather. The mouthfeel is smooth, thick and creamy. The sweet creaminess carries into the finish and leaves me with the impression of a pistachio sundae covered with chocolate and cherry syrup and sprinkled with nuts.

Color me impressed with the Patric Rio Caribe bar. There is a great, distinct cherry note here that plays well with the rich chocolate, as well as the supporting notes of sweetened coffee and nuts. The construction is perfect as well. This is really a fantastic chocolate that I highly recommend.

Patric Signature Blend 70% Dark Chocolate

The Dark Chocolate Blog takes its first taste of Patric today with their Signature Blend dark chocolate bar:

Manufacturer: Patric Chocolate

Cocoa Content: 70%

Manufacturer Website

Rating: A-

Today we're tasting the Patric Signature Blend, which is a 70% dark chocolate bar. The bar itself is quite eye-catching as it is emblazoned with the Patric logo and has a textured finish. Notably absent are the squares most chocolate bars are divided into. The bar is mahogany in color with some red streaks showing along the edge when snapped. The nose has chocolate and coffee notes which, while pleasing, seem to be pretty standard fare.

On the palate there is coffee initially, followed by building acidity. The acidity brings forward both lemony citrus notes as well as berry notes of blackberries and blueberries. All the while there are nutty notes competing with to be heard over the fruitiness, with almond and hazelnut. Espresso then comes back along with a light oaky highlight. Chewing the Patric Signature Blend leads to sweet nuttiness of pistachio and cashew as well as sour cherry/blackberry notes. The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy and a bit juicy with some cooling sensation. The finish continues the complexity with mocha coffee taking the lead and supported by lemon zest, almond, caramel and chocolate milk.

In contrast with the Amedei "9", the Patric Signature Blend takes a different approach in blended chocolate with some very bold flavors and acidity. The end result is still a great, complex chocolate that let's the beans' flavor shine through. Bold fruit is dominant here, and the citrus leads me to believe that there is some Madagascan chocolate in the blend. Coffee and nuts are pretty big components here as well. The flavors have a great evolution as new flavors are constantly introducing themselves throughout the melt and finish. The one drawback is that the wealth of bold flavors tends to hide the actual chocolate flavor a bit. When the chocolate does finally kick in it reminds me a lot of milk chocolate with caramel and creamy undertones, which is very interesting for a dark chocolate. The Patric Signature blend is quite snackable because of this. This is a great blended chocolate. I can't wait to dig into some of their single-source bars.