Plukenetia volubilis, also known as sacha inchi, is native to South America; its roasted seeds resemble peanuts. That’s primarily what you taste in this bar, while the Kallari chocolate itself remains fairly restrained. The sacha inchi pieces, scattered as fragments, bring a peanut-like flavor—just different enough from familiar peanuts to pique curiosity. Slightly more herbaceous, maybe a touch rancio, but overall pleasant.
As often, Conexion greets us with a chocolate whose intensity strikes from the first second and continues throughout the tasting. This is a very fruity chocolate on the berry side: blackberries, cherries, raspberries, currants. You are also transported to the warmth of the Manabí coast — you can almost sense the scent of hot, humid plantations, even from an air-conditioned apartment in Montreal.
Kamm’s 85% with avocado oil and a hint of salt plays with texture and flavor in an unusual way. The base chocolate is powerful and bitter, but the avocado oil brings a silky, fatty mouthfeel that smooths the edges and the salt highlights subtle roasted and nutty notes. An experimental but well-constructed bar.
This is a rather raw chocolate, not very sweet, which seems to delegate to the taster the work of appreciating it. It’s worth the effort - with a little patience and imagination, one understands the “woody” categorization, well chosen for this chocolate: notes of pine, eucalyptus, boreal forest after the rain.
From the name on the label - “Grand Cru” - to the presentation of the packaging - band, case, and four neatly sculpted individual bars - Durca is a brand aiming to convey luxury, elegance, and exclusivity.