Amatller Ecuador Single Origin 85% Dark Chocolate Bar

The wonderful people (Janet) at The Chocolate Connoisseur sent me a Amatller Ecuador Single Origin 85% Dark Chocolate Bar to review. And after coping with some quite average chocolate recently, I’m exceptionally grateful she did.

My stocks of high quality chocolate have been running down recently and I’ve only been left with the gimmicky stuff such as chocolate footballs or cheap chocolate bars. After reviewing Amatller Ghana Single Origin 85% Dark Chocolate Bar which got a fantastic score of 88.33% I was almost drooling as soon as I heard what Janet was sending me.

I’ve tasted the 99% Noir Infini which is too bitter, and this is is on the far reaches of the bitterness I like, but I have the view that there’s time and place for all types of chocolate – and this one is perfect for a cosy night in with a good film and a glass of fruity red wine.

I’m listening to Tracy Chapman – Baby Can I Hold You Tonight, which is the perfect song for this bar of chocolate. This chocolate is warm and inviting but you can tell it has a slightly unsophisticated side.

The aroma is intensely earthy which may be a characteristic of dark chocolate from Ecuador as Montezuma’s say the same thing. Another thing it reminds me of is a hot cup of milky coffee on a sunny Sunday morning – not the coffee itself, but the atmospher and the feeling of contentment.

The flavour is also earthy and a touch granular – but this is to be expected with such a high cocoa content. In some dark chocolate the bitterness is overwhelming, but with the Amatller Ecuador 85% its very soft and gentle, like relaxing on the sofa with the duvet pulled up to your chin and the fire going.

The last notes when you taste the chocolate are of well-cooked brown sugar. Not much, but there is definitely a hint of it.

All in all I loved this this chocolate, it’s a welcome break from the supermarket stuff and if you’re just as enthused, Chocolate Connoisseur have a four Amatller bars on their site for the excellent price of £1.99: Ghana, Ecuador in both 70% and 85% varieties. They also do a tin of assorted Napolitans which could be quite interesting.

Rating:
Taste: 80% – bitter and slightly sweet. A late night chocolate
Texture: 75% – typically slightly granular, but that goes with chocolate of this quality and nature.
Appearance: 95% – I just love their packaging and the design of the chocolate – very classy.
Price: 90% – at £1.99 its exceptionally good value!
Overall: 85% – buy some today if you like dark chocolate.

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