Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation Hacienda "Vila Gracinda"

Manufacturer: Michel Cluizel
Cocoa Content: 65%
Location: Sao Tome
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B

Today's tasting is the "Vila Gracinda" 67% dark chocolate bar from Michel Cluizel's 1er Cru de Plantation line of single-source chocolates. The Vila Gracinda is ebony-purple in color. It hits the palate with a rich chocolate/cocoa flavor. Smoky, roasted coffee notes are here. A bitter nuttiness of hazelnuts and chestnuts are here as well. The acidity level is fairly light but does lend itself to a bit of an orange peel flavor. Woody/earthy notes and some vanilla are also detectable.

Chewing the Vila Gracinda brings forward sweet notes of vanilla, honey, bourbon and toffee. As is typical for Cluizel's fare, the mouthfeel is perfectly smooth and creamy. The finish has cream & sugar coffee with nutty and earthy undertones.

While this is a good chocolate, the Vila Gracinda doesn't quite meet the high mark set by some of the other chocolates in Michel Cluizel's 1er Cru de Plantation line. While tasty, I did find this bar to be relatively straightforward. It seems like it could use a bit more acidity to open up. If you try the Vila Gracinda, pop a piece in your mouth and give it a good chew. The sweet flavors that open up are what I enjoyed the most about this chocolate bar.

Goose Island Honker's Ale

Brewery: Goose Island
Location: Chicago, IL
Style: ESB
Brewery Website
Rating: B

In my glass today is the Honker's Ale from Goose Island in Chicago. The Honker's Ale is an ESB that at first taste is clearly modeled after the prototypical English style. In the glass it is a golden-amber in color with a faint haze. The head pours on the shorter side and white in color. The nose detects citrus and pine hops in balance with malty biscuit notes.

On the palate there is an initial flash of aromatic hops that quickly fades to a malty bread/crackers note which finally leads to some lingering bitter hops. The hops has herbal and floral notes taking the lead over a background of citrus and pine. The bitterness level is moderate and well-balanced. Also present are notes of mineral water as well as a slightly sweet berry note. The Honker's Ale is light-to-medium bodied. The finish has saltines along ngering piny hop notes.

The Honker's Ale is a well-balanced, British-style ESB. It is easy drinking, but it seems a bit thin to me. This is a good beer, but with a fuller body and a bit more of a bitter bite it would have the potential for greatness.

Caribou Coffee Obsidian K-Cup

Manufacturer: Caribou Coffee
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A+

Today's tasting is the Obsidian K-Cup from Caribou Coffee. As one can glean from the name, the Obsidian is a dark roast coffee, very dark. The Obsidian brews up deep ebony in color with a swirling oily gloss on top. A golden tan froth rings my mug as I pull it off the brewer. The aroma has a powerful roasted character with peanuts and cocoa.

The Obsidian leads with a distinct dark chocolate flavor that clings to the palate. There is a rich, deep-roasted flavor with earthy and woody notes with a nice touch of smoke. Roast cashews and a faint bacon note are here in the background. There is the perfect balance of bitterness here to compliment the roast without overpowering. The Obsidian has an almost chewy mouthfeel as the oils coat the tongue pleasantly. The finish has a lingering bittersweet cocoa and roast nuts with a hint of smoke.

The Caribou Coffee Obsidian is a top-notch dark roast coffee. This is well-balanced, with big roasted flavor. The bittersweet chocolate note is what really sets this one apart for me. For obvious reasons, the Obsidian pairs quite well with dark chocolate (I paired my most recent cup with the Amano Dos Rios). Highly recommended.

Amano Dos Rios 70% Dark Chocolate

Manufacturer: Amano
Cocoa Content:70%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

Up for tasting today is the Dos Rios, a 70% dark chocolate bar of Dominican origin by American chocolate maker Amano. The chocolate bar is mahogany in color with a reddish-orange tint. Snapping off a piece of the bar releases a distinctive citrus aroma that is the first hint that there is something unique with this chocolate. The palate first detects this distinct citrus character (reminiscent of Earl Grey tea), which is followed by woody notes and clove. The Dos Rios has a moderate, balanced acidity which leads to notes of bing cherry and pomegranate. Undertones of caramel and black pepper play a complimentary role as well.

Chewing the Amano Dos Rios bar brings forward notes of orange peel, vanilla and sweet cherries. The Dos Rios has a thick, creamy mouthfeel with just the faintest amount of grittiness. The finish is dominated by fruit with a touch of bitter and roasted notes, akin to peach cobbler chased with a shot of espresso. The powerful citrus note seems to linger forever on the palate as the finish fades.

Amano has a real standout chocolate here with their Dos Rios dark chocolate bar. The distinct citrus note is supported by a nice woody spice. Amano has really nailed the level of acidity on this one as well. Any more and the fruit would be overpowering; any less and it would be flat. I've had other chocolates with notably distinct flavors, but none have had the balance and complexity that the Dos Rios has. The flavors here are just crying out to have Granny Smith apple slices dipped in it. Too bad this bar won't last long enough for me to try that out...

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop³ Ale

Brewery: Clipper City Brewing Co.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

In my glass today is the Loose Cannon Hop³ Ale from Clipper City's Heavy Seas line of big beers. As one can imagine from the name, this is a big American-style IPA. The Loose Cannon pours with a short, off-white bubbly head. The beer is a hazy gold with some light amber hues. The nose screams "Cascade!", as the hops aroma asserts itself quite boldly. It's sort of like getting smashed in the face with a grapefruit, James Cagney style. In a good way.

The initial flavor is big, fruity hops, although some bready malt notes do peek through the haze. The Loose Cannon has some slight residual sweetness. There is a moderate level of bitterness, but overall the bite is rather mild for such a heavily hopped ale. The hops flavors run the gamut from herbal/fresh-cut grass notes, to a hint of juniper, and of course the big citrus Cascade notes are present in spades. I found the carbonation level was a bit lacking, leading to a slightly flat mouthfeel. The Loose Cannon has a smooth finish that is balanced between aromatic and bitter hops with a hint of wheaty malt.

Clipper City continues to put out some really good beer under their Heavy Seas line. The Loose Cannon is a well-rounded IPA with lots of hops flavor. I did find myself wanting a bit stronger kick of bitterness as counterbalance to the aromatic hops, but overall this is a very enjoyable IPA.

Green & Black's 85% Dark Chocolate

Manufacturer: Green & Black's Chocolate Limited
Cocoa Content: 85%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Up for tasting today is the 85% dark chocolate bar from Green & Black's. The chocolate bar itself is a ruddy mahogany color. The chocolate hits the palate with a deep chocolate note. Roasted espresso notes are prominant, but the show is soon stolen by a tangy, lively acidity. Fruity notes of citrus and tart cherries, along with a big helping of plums, shine through. In the background sit hints of earth, toffee, and smoke along with some nutty undertones of peanuts and cashews.

Chewing the Green & Black's 85% dark chocolate brings forward notes of earth, tobacco and marshmallow along with more plums. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy with a slight hint of grit. The finish has lingering fruity and roast coffee notes along with a hint of peanuts.

Green & Black's has a real winner on their hands here with their 85% Dark chocolate bar. This bar has big flavor. The roast is bold and cuts through the big plummy fruit notes to create a full, balanced flavor. To me, this is what I like to see in a bar in the 85%+ range - big flavors can really pop in a high-cacao chocolate. I'd love to see some of the great single-estate chocolate makers step out and start making some chocolates in the 85%-90% range, because bars like the Green & Black's really show the potential that extra dark chocolates offer.

E. Guittard Chucuri Bittersweet

Manufacturer: Guittard Chocolate Company
Cocoa Content: 65%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B

On the tasting block today is the "Chucuri" from E. Guittard. The Chucuri is a 65% cocoa dark chocolate bar of Columbian origin. The Chucuri is on the lighter side of mahogany in color with light-brown highlights. Up front on the palate is a rich flavor of semi-sweet chocolate chips. There is a mild bitter bite and very little acidity. Sweet flavors of banana and caramel are present. Almonds, coffee and a faint black pepper note are here as well.

Chewing the Chucuri highlights notes of vanilla nad honey. The chocolate has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. The finish has notes if hot cocoa and marshmallow with black pepper undertones. This is another decent chocolate bar from Guittard, but something just seems missing to me. The flavor seems a bit flat, like either the bitterness and/or the acidity needs to be bumped up to make it a bit more lively.