Amedei Toscano Red

Amedei has a place at the top table of chocolate makers and that’s for sure. But what I’m not so adamant about is what I think of this 70% bar adulterated with dried fruit. At first I was amazed by the aroma, then I found the fruit too acidic and distracting and then I appreciated the underlying mellowness that holds it altogether.

Perhaps there are few bars that have packaging as visually appealing as this – Kath Kidson and chintz-lovers would surely appreciate the work of art that it is. But far from being offering a luxurious feel, I’m left feeling this was more the Kirstie Allsopp of interior design: beautiful and functional, but no luxurious, award winning Tara Bernerd.

You see, within this 70% dark chocolate there is a liberal helping of dried strawberry, raspberry and cherry which impart such a dose of fructose acidity that there’s hardly any opportunity of the wonderful Amedei chocolate to come through. As the chocolate meets your tongue I’m sure many of you will get a very acidic sensation – perhaps somewhat like licking an electric fence. There’s just that much zip to it that it feels like almost tastes salty.

This feeling of discomfort lasts for, I would say, about 80% of the melt length. After that then intensity subdues and then turns into a mediocre flavour. Trying to put that into context: anything that imparts such an intensity would obviously taste dour afterwards. For what it’s worth, I quite liked the flat yin flavour to the intense yang offered by the fruit. But for me it’s just not worth the assault on my taste buds to get there.

The aroma is wonderful, the texture – fine, its just the flavour is too contradictory to be enjoyable.