This chocolate from Pacari won the Gold Award at the 2019 International Chocolate Awards in the Americas category. Contrary to what you might expect, the bitter orange doesn’t really add any bitterness to the chocolate. Instead, it is very sweet and almost refreshing. A bit acidic, it is a pleasant and light blend, a sure but original value that probably explains the distinction won by this chocolate!
The “uvilla”, or “Inca cherry”, is an Andean fruit that resembles the ground cherry. A little sweet, a little sour, and a little crispy, the uvilla pieces sprinkled in this chocolate combine with the quality of the dark chocolate to delight the taste buds. One of Pacari’s best combinations.
(Note: the bar I’m trying is too old and the chocolate has spoiled over time. I’ll try to go over it and imagine a fresh bar - but the evaluation obviously suffers, both in texture and taste).
I really like cherries. And I really like chocolate (yep!). So it was with high expectations that I opened the case of this bar. Maybe a little too many hopes, in fact. Because cherries, to be tasty, must be fresh. For obvious reasons, in this chocolate, they are rather dried. So we have a chocolate that is very normal for Pacari - its base is always excellent - and at the end, when it has melted, there are little bits of dried cherry left in the mouth that taste very light. It’s a bit disappointing.
Mindo Chocolate knows how to make chocolate. Let’s start with the texture: perfectly smooth, gently crunchy before slowly melting, rich but light. Then the taste: in the first few seconds, it fills the mouth with warm notes. Slowly, woody, leafy, barky and honey flavors unfold. Then, as it begins to melt, tones of butter and almond join in. It finally disappears, leaving the impression of having taken a sip of an excellent hot chocolate.