Pacari - Single Region Fine Chocolate - La Cumbia - Arauquita - 70% Cacao
This chocolate is not Ecuadorian but Colombian - however, since it is made by Pacari, we will make an exception for it! Especially since it is very special and worthy of mention. The first thing I thought when I tasted it was that there must be alcohol in the chocolate. Although there is no special ingredient, there is a pronounced sugarcane alcohol flavor, so I’m still wondering if that’s how it’s intended or if I’ve stumbled upon a unique bar! Either way, it’s still very enjoyable. As is often the case, you need several pieces to fully enjoy the subtle flavors of this chocolate. At the first bites, it’s the tangy taste of the cane sugar that takes a lot of space - and that, above all, surprises. For amateurs of rum or other cane spirits, the mouth reacts to this flavor by preparing itself for the alcohol’s blow - which doesn’t happen, and that disconcerts. The following bites are reassuring: the taste buds have become accustomed to it, and one can enjoy the warmer taste of arriba cocoa.
If the bar I tasted is as it is supposed to be, it is a must-try in order to understand the variety of flavors that can be achieved by fine work on quality cocoa. If, on the contrary, it is a bar that has received a particular treatment (when sugar was added, or with unexpected chemical reaction), I am very happy to have tasted it!
– [EDIT - 15th of June, 2022] I have been able to try another bar of this chocolate. The taste of sugar cane alcohol is still there, but it is significantly less agressive than in the first bar I tasted. This chocolate is still unique, and excellent!
Note: this chocolate won gold at the International Chocolate Awards 2019 in the Americas category. It is sold significantly more expensive than the others (almost double the price) in Pacari stores in Quito.
Evaluation
Uniqueness: 5
Finesse: 4
Comfort: 4.5
Intensity: 5
General impression: 4.5
Final evaluation: 23/25