Richart Around the World of Cocoa (Small)

80g box, in 32 thin wafers

Ingredients: Unknown. Definitely cacao and sugar, milk as an option, probably soy lecithin (“Nutrition Facts” online includes “contains: soy”), possibly vanilla but I'm guessing not.

Sugar content depends on options chosen.

Corporate Info: Richart is a high-end French chocolatier selling mostly confections along with macarons. Richart was founded in 1925, and today its products can be found in its French boutiques, a shop in New York City, and online.

Today's Box: Richart's Around The World of Cocoa (small), a very nice holiday gift from a loving relative who shares my interest in chocolate. In this box are four different chocolates (the company selects from eight options), each presented in a stack of eight thin, square wafers: Sarajiva 37% (with 33% milk, from the “Indian Ocean” region), Sambiraja 70% (Madagascar), Chuabello 82% (Venezuela), and Linkaterra 100% (Peru). For $29.00, this is not an everyday sort of treat, but it's a pretty neat gift for a chocolate lover, including oneself!

Appearance:  

• Sarajiva 37% is yellow-brown and creamy.  
• Sambiraja 70% and Chuabello 82% are similar medium browns, with the 70% slightly greyer. 
• Linkaterra 100% is a deep reddish brown, not as dark as one might think. All are mostly matte with a brushed sort of gloss.

Smell: Let's see... 

• Sarajiva 37%: Sweet, super mild, and like fresh cream. 
• Sambiraja 70%: Not strong, but roasted and nutty. 
• Chuabello 82%: Also not strong, but bitter and charred. 
• Linkaterra 100%: Sharp and sour.

Taste: 

• Sarajiva 37%: This is good milk chocolate, rich and creamy and sweet but not saccharine.  
• Sambiraja 70%: Richart's chocolate is as smooth as advertised, texture-wise, with the flavor here having a bitter edge but not heaviness: this isn't a tannic, fruity red wine chocolate but rather something roasty and bitter but soft.  
• Chuabello 82%: Wow! This chocolate is deep and has very little sweetness, with a quite small, thinly bitter undercurrent. Smooth but thick, heavy but not punch-in-the-mouth flavorful. Interesting. 
• Linkaterra 100%: Okay, so this is 100% cacao, which means no sugar or anything else to smooth out or punch up the flavor. Here that means a slow-building, rounded sourness with no edges, and a super-thick but smooth texture. I'm sure I'll finish this variety last, but it's not unenjoyable.

Conclusion: Richart Around the World of Cocoa (Small) is a fun, high-end chocolate tasting experience.

Coppeneur Chuao 70% Dark Chocolate

50g (1.76oz) bar

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar

Unbeknownst to me when I wrote this post, apparently I'd previously bought a Coppeneur product, this super-schmancy—which is to say expensive—Venezuelan bar (click on “English,” then “Products,” then “Cru de Cacao,” then “Chuao”) newly carried by Marie &Freres.

Corporate Info: Coppeneur is a German company based in a spa town (Bad Honnef), and the founders' last names are Coppeneur and Bernardini, so the whole brand feels thoroughly European. The company produces single-origin bars, the previously-discussed truffle bars, and confections. This bar comes from Chuao, where they grow a cacao varietal that is a crossbreed of the better-known Criollo and Trinitario. The box is sealed with a plastic imprint of the Coppeneur symbol, and inside there is not just the bar but also a little 39-page ad booklet, with color photos and both German and English text. Definitely schmancy.

Appearance: Thin and flat, reddish, with fancy molding of a cacao pod.

Smell: Quiet, sweet, light, dried fruit.

Taste: I splurged on this bar after tasting it in the store, and now I remember why. It's punchy and unusual, initially bitter like roasted coffee and vodka, but so, so creamy that the bitterness is super-clean and then quickly calms down, like sipping a good, smooth liquor. FYI, the website says “Flavors of plums and red fruits. Nuances of ginger and pepper.” Maybe...I can see red fruits rather than caramelly dried fruit or something tropical, I guess, but none of what they're claiming speaks to my overall experience. Nevertheless, it's a fun one.

Conclusion: Coppeneur Chuao 70% Dark Chocolate is initially bitter, then super smooth.