Tuesday, April 11, 2006


valrhona le noir extra amer 85%

after running through the pouring rain to economy candy this weekend, i finally got around to opening up one of the valrhona bars i bought on sale there. the entire bar range was available, but i was interested particularly in the valrhona le noir extra amer 85%.

why? because it has received such polarized reviews! it seems many chocophiles just loathe this bar. i know one of the reviewers, the famed alex rast (here), so i was curious to see what my own experience would be.

as for the other reviewers on this site, i dunno that i trust 'em, given that they rate a mere lindt bar as number 2!

anyway, let me say that i agree with some of the complaints. the bar is too bright, and it does have a strong feeling of tart red fruits -- i'd say cassis/red currant -- which to the european people at valrhona would probably seem like a plus. red and black currants are much more popular in europe than in north america.

i also agree it has a strong coffee-like aftertaste, which i happen to like. the finish and silkly smooth mouthfeel of the bar are terrific.

so my conclusion is that the brightness and the sourish red currant flavor are what's causing these reviews. to balance out these intense flavors, i ate my square of this valrhona with small cups of oren's fantastic finchwa yrg brewed as turkish coffee.

and thus, dear readers, i had no complaints!

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posted by fortune | 7:55 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 1 comments