Sunday, July 26, 2020

Domori - Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate; Arriba Milk Chocolate 45% with Sea Salt - July 26, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Domori srl
Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 276 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Domori srl
Cioccolato Al Latte Con Fior Di Sale (milk chocolate with fleur de sel)
Good ++ - +++ (reviewed a similar bar before - this is almost a re-tasting)
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Italian Chocolate Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Domori srl (None, Torino (Turin), Piedmont, Italy). Domori (founded in 1997 by Gianluca Franzoni) offers a variety of single origin bars, and a few bars with sea salt. In addition to the company's Arriba Nacional Ecuador bar, I sampled a Domori milk chocolate with sea salt bar that was very close in description to a similar bar featured previously on Chocolate Banquet.

Arriba Nacional 70% Ecuador bar
This Domori dark bar had a very enjoyable, surprising complexity. The aroma included slightly earthy, fermented stone fruits, light molasses, and rum-marinated dried fruit (raisin, prune) notes. 

I thought I knew how this 70% Ecuador (Hacienda Victoria) dark chocolate would taste, i.e. very similar to the aroma. But, this chocolate opened up further when I took the first bite.

It had a well-executed creamy, fudgey melt and smooth texture. And ooh the flavors: layers of tart, concentrated fruit (nectarine and citrus (sweet lemon, tangerine), balanced flourishes of green floral (very subtle versions of white jasmine, citrus blossom, other blooms), fudge brownie, and faint nut butter. 

The aroma and flavor notes lingered into the finish. 

All these flavors from just two ingredients: cocoa mass and cane sugar. Sometimes I get tired of uniformity and want a bit of well-executed, layered excitement. Today I felt rewarded. And, thank you Domori. This bar was not too sweet. 

The maker's notes read as follows: Hacienda Victoria has an extraordinary vision of cultivating three pure clones of Nacional cocoa, with their extreme elegance and delicate notes of white flowers.

Milk Chocolate Fleur de Sel 45% Arriba bar
This 45% dark milk chocolate (made with Arriba cacao) also was relatively complex and well executed. It was well balanced with faint, balanced, bitter earth, fruit and green notes in the aroma. It had a creamy melt and texture. 

The well-made chocolate was flavorful with fruit, fermented fruits (ripe fruit, very light citrus), milk chocolate with delicious rich caramel notes, with occasional, balanced wavelets of Guerande fleur de sel (sea salt) that lingered for a short while.

This was meant to be a sweeter, creamer bar; however, the sugar/sweet level was relatively restrained allowing more subtle flavors to shine through (thank you!).
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