Domori Chuao Dark Chocolate

Today, The Dark Chocolate Blog tastes Domori's take on the legendary Chuao:

Manufacturer: Domori

Cocoa Content: 70%

Location: Venezuela

Manufacturer Website

Rating: A

Today I have the pleasure of tasting Domori's Chuao dark chocolate bar. Legend has it that the cocoa from the Chuao region was once reserved solely for kings. It's not hard to see why. Domori's Chuao bar looks to be an equal mix of clay-red and light brown in color. The nose has rich chocolate aromas with honey and caramel.

On the palate the initial impression is deep chocolate with strawberry jam. There are highlights of almond aromatics here. Along with the strawberry jam, a fruit note of gooseberries is here as well. Complex sweet notes of honey and caramel are notable, along with coffee, mint and a faint butterscotch note. Chewing the Domori Chuao brings forward notes of almond extract, raspberries, pomegranate and caramel. The bar melts with a superb thick, coating mouthfeel. The finish has butterscotch, caramel and jammy notes all fading in harmony.

Domori has once again impressed me with their take on the legendary Chuao cacao. The end result is wonderfully complex, but unmistakably Domori. The finish and complex caramel and honey undertones are reminiscent of a milk chocolate, while the jamminess is signature Domori. This is great stuff and well worth searching out if you don't have easy access to it in your local area.

Domori Puertomar Dark Chocolate

The Dark Chocolate Blog reviews the award-winning Domori Puertomar:

Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 75%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today's tasting is the award-winning Domori Puertomar. The Puertomar is part of the same Criollo line as Domori's Puertofino and Porcelana. The bar is deep mahogany in color with purple highlights. The nose detects a deep chocolate aroma with cherry jam.

The immediate impression on the palate is rich chocolate with Domori's typical jamminess. Distinct notes of bread and caramel are here. There is a moderate level of acidity but lots of fruitiness. Red raspberries, pomegranate, Rainier cherries and orange are all here. There is a notable bitter espresso component, but the bitter kick is somewhat mitigated by all the fruitiness. The bitterness does seem to fade in and out in waves, and combines with the fruit to leave an impression of hops. Chewing the Puertomar opens up sweet cherries, mint and tobacco. The mouthfeel is smooth with a slight cooling sensation. The finish is jammy with cherries and shortbread cookies.

The Puertomar is instantly recognizable as Domori with the big fruitiness and jammy flavor. I find the overall flavor to be similar to their Porcelana, but the fruit tends to be a bit less "in your face". There are some big jam/fruit notes here, but the great thing is that the chocolate flavor never gets lost. Another classic from Domori here.

Domori Cacao Sambirano Single Origin Dark Chocolate

Check out The Dark Chocolate Blog's take on the Domori Sambirano, and find out what it "cranks all the way to eleven":

Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 70%
Location: Madagascar
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today's tasting is the Domori Sambirano. As the name implies, this is a single origin choolate made from cocoa beans sourced from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar. My first impression on opening the package was a powerful aroma of acidic wininess that reminded me of popping the cork on the bottle of a big Red Zinfandel. The bar is a deep mahogany in color with a slight orange tint. It strikes me as being a bit darker in color than the typical 70% cacao Madagascan chocolate.

At first taste the Domori Sambirano has an immediate bright, berry jamminess. Strawberries are here in spades and red raspberry peeks through as well. The acidity level is very lively with sour berry and cherry notes. There is some lemon custard here, but the dominant citrus note common to Madagascan chocolate is outpaced by tart berries on this bar. Some herbal/grassy notes are present, as well as some hazelnut. Chewing the Domori Cacao Sambirano leads to strawberry creme and cherry cordial notes. The melt is perfect - smooth, thick and creamy. The finish has continuing sour cherry paired with some herbal notes.

Every chocolate I have tried to date from Domori has been amazing, and the Cacao Sambirano from their Single Origins line is no exception. Astute readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of chocolate with a lively acidity, and the Sambirano cranks the acidity all the way to eleven. This bar is really quite sour, and seems to go all the way up to the limits of tartness for a dark chocolate. There is an interesting, and quite enjoyable, berry dominance here. If you told me that I was going to try an extremely acidic Madagascan chocolate, then I would be expecting lemonade, not strawberry jam. The texture here is fantastic as is typical of Domori. My only quibble with the Sambirano is that there is an herbal note that just doesn't seem to fit. Otherwise, this is another fantastic chocolate from Domori.

Domori IL 100% Dark Chocolate

Today The Dark Chocolate Blog finishes off 100% week with a review of the stellar Domori IL100%.

Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 100%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A+

Today we review the ultimate in pure chocolate, Domori's IL 100% dark chocolate bar. The ingredient list has but one entry: unsweetened cocoa mass. There is no sugar, vanilla or lecithin added here - this is just pure, unadulterated chocolate. The bar is deep ebony red in color. The nose picks up rich cocoa notes along with espresso.

At first taste, my first impression is that there is much less bitterness than I expected. There are a wealth of fruity notes with pomegranate, orange peel and black cherry. Espresso, hazelnuts, cinnamon and a woody cedar note are all here. There is a lager/pilsner character that hints at European noble hops such as Saaz and Tettnang. There are rich chocolate notes, but only a moderate bitterness level considering this is an unsweetened chocolate. Chewing the IL 100% opens up notes of raspberry, wood and mushrooms. Chewing the chocolate does increase the level of bitterness by a fair amount. The finish has smoky, deep-roasted espresso notes along with berries.

The Domori IL 100% is pure, unadulterated cocoa at its finest. It is a wonderfully complex chocolate bar. At 100% cocoa, this is not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy dark chocolate this is really a must-try. While I’ve always considered very high percentage chocolates to be niche products that I’d try just for the “unique factor”, the IL 100% is very enjoyable on its own merit. I will definitely be coming back for more on this one.

Domori Porcelana 70% Dark Chocolate

Today, The Dark Chocolate Blog tastes the renowned Domori Porcelana dark chocolate:

Manufacturer: Domori
Cocoa Content: 70%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today we taste the Domori Porcelana 70% dark chocolate bar. The Porcelana cacao is one of the most sought after beans in the world, and Domori's Porcelana bar is regarded by many as the definitive interpretation of this cacao. The bar itself is on the lighter side in color; a light mahogany with ruby highlights.

On the palate the Domori Porcelana has a fruity chocolate richness. Roast notes akin to French/Italian roast coffee sit in the background. There is a lively acidity to this chocolate. The main fruity note is that of raspberries/raspberry preserves. There is also a hint of some lemonade citrus notes. Bread (white toast specifically) is also notable here. Also present are notes of salt, peanut butter and a light coffee-bitterness in the background. Chewing the Domori Porcelana brings forward notes of raspberries, oak and toast. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy with a slight cooling sensation. The finish has toast and jam with espresso notes.

Domori really captures the unique flavor of the Porcelana cacao in this dark chocolate bar. There is a remarkable flavor of raspberry preserves on toast that really stands out. There is a great jammy fruit character here and some interesting "doughiness". The Domori Porcelana is a great, one-of-a-kind chocolate that I highly recommend to everyone.

Domori Puertofino

Today The Dark Chocolate Blog reviews the excellent Puertofino from Italian chocolate maker Domori.

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

Today's chocolate tasting is the Puertofino 70% dark chocolate bar from Italy's Domori. The first point of note is the crisp, loud snap that rings out when breaking off a piece to taste. This is usually a sign of good things to come. The Puertofino bar is the color of rosewood with a purple tint.

On the palate there is a nutty, rich chocolate note. Espresso bean flavors are notable along with some nice bitterness. There is a solid bite of acidity that leads to notes of citrus, banana and mango. Nutty notes of walnut and hazelnut are here, as well as some earthiness and mushroom notes. Chewing the Puertofino opens up notes of leather, tobacco and hazelnuts. The Puertofino melts to a perfect thick, creamy consistancy. The finish has mocha/espresso beans paired with some green banana.

The Puertofino was my first experience with Domori's dark chocolate and it exceeded all my expectations. The construction is simply perfect and shows Domori's dedication to producing high quality chocolates. This bar has a nice bitter bite to it with a nice acidity as counterbalance. No one characteristic is overpowering, and this allows plenty of complexity to show through.

I paired the Puertofino with the Chambly Noire, a Belgian dark ale from Unibroue. Check out our sister site Beer! later this week for a review.