This will happen to you. If you have a boyfriend - not just any boyfriend, but the extra-sweet, absolute-top-of-the-heap-best-boyfriend-in-the-world (patent pending) - he will send you chocolate. It will arrive by air, by foot, by mail. You will think that there couldn't possibly be more on the way, but there is. Ding dong! That's your doorbell ringing. And at your door is a man standing with a bag of hand-wrapped chocolate bars from your nearby chocolaterie.
You, knowing your boyfriend, will understand that these are more than chocolate, it's fruit! Or rather, the fruit of your boyfriend's labor. You see, said boy does everything at full throttle, and has been impelled by his nature to track down the most special chocolates from around the world. In gratitude, you will endeavor to consume them with the same care it took to find them. With seven bars, comparing them will be a heroic effort ("I didn't mean for you to eat them all at once!" he'll mention later (by the way, "at once," refers to the span of two weeks. It may seem like a long stretch, but this means half a bar every day)). You are undaunted. THIS IS SPARTA!
It was a most delicious marathon. The taste of chocolate - mingling with the taste of victory - is sweet indeed. With that, here are the fruits of my labors.
Amedei Chuao and Amadei 9: From Tuscany, the Amedei breed of chocolate is one of the world's best. The brother and sister duo of Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri put exceptional care into the full process of chocolate making, from the growth and protection of the cacao trees to the final bar. Neither the Chuao nor the 9 is poor. The Chuao single-origin was named by the Academy of Chocolate one of the best single origin bars in 2006, and the 9 won gold for 2009. However, at 70 and 75% chocolate, respectively, they hit the palate hard. Dark chocolate is lovely, but these two bars lack sufficient sweetness to balance well. Like a well-made cup of espresso in which bitterness is balanced by sweet crema, chocolate needs a sweet side.
Amano Cuyagua: Like Amedei Chuao, Amano's beans are from Venezuela. Perhaps it's just the difference between South American and African beans, but like the Chuao the Cuyagua lacks sweetness. This is chocolate for goodness sakes, it's supposed to be a delight to eat, sweet and smooth! And the bar is so thick it requires decidedly ungraceful maneuvers to eat, and takes quite a while to melt. Meanwhile, the shards of chocolate sit in your mouth, like those wax lips which used to be popular at Halloween. Remember how they took forever to become something edible (well, chewable, not edible), and in the meantime you had to loll them about in your mouth, waiting for some form of flavor to emerge while the wax heated up?
Amedei Porcelana: What is missing from the Chuao and the 9, the Porcelana variety more than makes up for. The chocolate is dark (70%), but is rounded and smooth in flavor. This is also a 2009 award winner, but is a step ahead of the other varieties thanks to it's balance. Cherries and sweet port are the flavors here. Absolutely delicious.
Patric Madagascar: Like the Porcelana, the Patric chocolate has a lush berry taste to it. Even better, the Patric chocolate is shaped in a thinner mold, allowing the chocolate to melt more quickly than the previous varieties. Now, I know what you're thinking: that's less chocolate! Yes, sometimes that does mean less chocolate. But this is more than compensated for by the sensation of the quick snap and liquification of a thin bar.
Chocolat Bonnat Asfarth: Chocolat Bonnat. I've given these bars to others as gifts but never tried one myself. From now on, few of them will escape me so easily. While this bar is 65% cocoa, and therefore in a category somewhat distinct from the others, it would be sinful to omit it from any list of fine chocolate. It is Hersey's for grown ups, the ultimate sweet. Weighing in at 100 grams, twice that of the other bars, it is absolutely indulgent. So sweet, one expects caramel to come oozing out of the joints, but that loveliness comes directly from the beans, so don't worry about stringing caramel all over the place!
Rogue Chocolatier Hispaniola: How does one express perfection? Since no words could depict the exceptional nature of Rogue Chocolatier chocolate, there is nothing left but to beg, exhort, plead with you to buy this bar, and experience it yourself. It is flawless. Delicate, sweet and balanced, the ultimate chocolate experience. Please, keep this small batch maker in business. I, no, the country, nay, the free world depends on it!
