In addition to the traditional chocolate bars, Pacari offers small delicacies to be nibbled one by one: cocoa nibs covered with chocolate. Dusted with cinnamon, they are left to melt in the mouth until only the crunchy, slightly bitter, pure cocoa piece remains inside. Pacari offers three flavors: natural, banana, and ginger.
This is a chocolate that hits hard from the first second. Its well-defined character, quite full-bodied and a little bitter, makes you think at the first bite of coffee or wood. But after the first impression, if you give it time, the arriba chocolate takes over, with small touches of raspberry and cherry. The more you eat it, the less your taste buds are affected by the bitterness, and the more you can appreciate the other nuances. So this is an experience to try, especially for those who like their chocolate intense and striking, over several squares.
Despite its high percentage, this chocolate is more subtle than full-bodied. Woody and round in the first moments, it delivers at the very end some fruity and acidulous notes - it seems to me the characteristic of Pacari chocolates. It’s a very present, well marked taste, which arrives slowly on the tongue and spreads quietly in the whole mouth. This chocolate won gold at the International Chocolate Awards and I understand why. It is balanced, powerful and subtle, and everyone can appreciate it at its full value. A safe, solid chocolate, an ideal representative for Pacari.
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.
I tasted this chocolate a little after having tasted the one made by Millésime from Ecuadorian cocoa. The difference is obvious! Here, we have a gentle and comforting chocolate, which knows how to play in the tones of dark chocolate. It is a fruity, floral chocolate, whose taste however does not last very long after it has melted in the mouth. The perfect example of what a dark chocolate can offer, in terms of pleasure and subtlety, comfort and finesse. A great chocolate!