Chocolate of The Day
Paul and Mike
Fine Milk Chocolate with Staphal (Custard Apple) (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 14.1 oz. (.5 g.) / .954 oz. (27 g.) in total bar
Calories: 75 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from friends
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friends
Welcome to Day #26 of Chocolate and Fruits Theme Week.
Today's Paul and Mike Fine Milk Chocolate (Kochi, Kerala) with Staphal (Custard Apple) (bar) was manufactured and marketed by Synthite Industries PVT. LTD., (Kolenchery, Ernakulam, Kerala).
The brand name was apparently named after two Central American farmers; but the chocolate is made from tree to bar in southern India.
Aroma and flavor notes included: milky, subtle chocolate (light cocoa); faint warm sweetness (muscovado sugar); and authentic fruit (creamy, gently tart-sweet apple).
This chocolate was, notably, almost completely devoid of bitterness. Yes, it is possible. This is often achieved in bulk chocolate/cocoa by alkalizing the cocoa. But some nutrients and desirable flavors also disappear. However, using a very mild, Criollo cacao variety in a milk chocolate bar--with a lower cacao percentage (percentage wasn't listed)--could also achieve a softer, smoother taste.*
Today's bar was also low in acidity (with the custard apple contributing a low amount of natural fruit acid).
While very smooth in overall flavor and texture, there were pleasant upticks in apple flavor from tiny visible bits of (freeze-dried) custard apple.
Texture: smooth, almost soft, with a milky melt, this bar still broke with a well-tempered snap. The staphal (custard apple) contributed some appealing texture that may be easy to miss if you eat this chocolate too quickly. The tiny bits of fruit and their dissolution were almost smooth, creamy and almost gel-like (similar to high-pectin cooked apples).
Ingredients: Brown Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Solids, Fine Flavour Cocoa Beans, Freeze-Dried Staphal (Custard Apple), Emulsifier Sunflower Lecithin (E322)
Allergen-related information: Contains Dairy. Processed at a Facility that Processes Nuts and Milk.
*I'm always happy to dispel myths about how bitter cacao is. Bitterness can result from cacao variety, when it's picked, how it's processed...and from individual sensitivities to bitter flavors. I recently tried freeze-dried cacao pulp and cacao seeds. Delicious; and not bitter. But, I also seem to be able to handle bitter flavors better than most people.
