Wayta offers a powerful chocolate here, with intense floral and woody aromas and a light but present bitterness, while an acidity emerges at the end. The hierba luisa — the equivalent of lemongrass — is present in the background, supporting certain cocoa notes without taking over. It’s refreshing because lemongrass chocolates often overemphasize the plant; here the balance is better respected and allows appreciation of the nuances of fine aroma cacao.
What a strange chocolate. It begins with a somewhat burnt, unpromising note and a sandy texture somewhat like a maple candy. But as it develops, notes of jasmine, violet and incense fill the mouth, to the point where it’s hard to believe no flavor was added. A slight sweet-butter flavor accompanies everything.
This is a very mild chocolate whose flavor takes its time to express itself. You need to let it melt to begin sensing the nuances. You can find the lightness and finesse of Kallari’s Sacha cacao, accompanied by a touch of hot pepper — which primarily lends flavor rather than heat. The taste lingers on the palate long after tasting, providing a comforting presence.
Pistachio is added to this chocolate in the form of pieces under the bar — a relatively classic technique to add an element without integrating it into the chocolate mass. In this case, pistachio and chocolate flavors don’t really blend; the result is rather particular and heterogeneous, where the tongue sometimes tastes pistachio and sometimes chocolate in alternation. I’m not sure this bar is the one that best highlights Arariwa chocolate — which I previously enjoyed pure. It remains an interesting and pleasant experience.
Belly’s chocolate is surprising. I’m not sure how the tempering (the operation that makes chocolate crisp and homogeneous) is performed, but the texture does not seem optimal: a bit soft and crumbly, with multiple crystals like maple butter. However, the taste is intense and unique: a mix of mandarin, slightly acidic and bitter, and an airy violet aroma; it then tends toward sweet butter, like leftover batter when you were a child invited to lick the bowls after baking.