at Tue, 27 Jan 2004 06:27:56 GMT in <LxnRb.32459$U%5.207159@attbi_s03>,
(Karstens Rage) wrote :

>Our local Trader Joe's has a chocolate called Unique Origins. There is a
>"yellow" one and an "orange" one and they are both 71% dark. The
>chocolate is supposedly a single chocolate rather than your typical
>blend for consistency. Its really good and Id like to know more about
>it. I cant find an online source for it (in the US) and TJ says its a
>seasonal item. Anyone know anything more about this chocolate. I really
>like it. If you can find it, give it a try.
>

Almost certainly Chocovic's Origen Unico. The "Orange" one is probably
Ocumare, the "Yellow" Guyave. The're pretty good, although it's possible to
get better single-origins, especially from Domori, Michel Cluizel, and
Amedei. As to where to get Chocovic, http://www.chefshop.com sells them.
Chocovic's Web site (they're a Spanish company) is http://www.chocovic.es

Single-origin chocolates are pretty common (in relative terms) these days.
Chocovic was one of the first in the field. Their 3 bars (the other one is
Guaranda) are specific varietals of the 3 major cocoa bean types: Criollo,
Trinitario, and Forastero.

Criollo is usually considered the best cocoa. Generally, it has a very
fruity characteristic and minimal bitterness. The fruitiness ranges from
tropical fruit to strawberry to blueberry. Again, generally those that lean
towards a strawberry flavour are considered the finest. Chocovic's Criollo
is Ocumare. Actually, it's a bit confusing, because on their Web site they
claim the cocoa is Carenero Superior(a common criollo type). However, my
tasting showed the flavour to be much more similar to Ocumare (one of the
other, quite common Criollo types), which would be more consistent with the
labelling. Where Carenero is spicy and tropical, Ocumare is somewhat more
earthy and with more of a grapey fruitiness. Both, btw, are excellent
cocoas, so either way you're not losing.

Trinitario is a mid-grade hybrid. It tends to taste of tobacco, leather,
nuts, i.e. with a greater proportion of tannins. There's always a
pronounced bitter bite in the aftertaste. Often Trinitarios have the most
complex flavour profile, but as a result they're difficult to get right,
and bars based on them are maddeningly inconsistent. Chocovic's Trinitario
is Guyave. This is an excellent chocolate. They've gone for a dark roast,
which makes it taste a bit smoky - IMHO a good match for the Trinitarios
profile. Roasting darkly seems to mute the tannic effect, although its
taste isn't as complex as some Trinitarios.

Forastero is the commodity-grade bean, in general. At its worst, it can be
flat and aggressively bitter, but there are good Forasteros being produced,
which have more interesting hints of molasses, sometimes blueberry, and
coconut. Nevertheless, there's always a strong bitter component. Chocovic's
representative, Guaranda, doesn't avoid this bitterness, and its taste does
seem flatter than the other 2, but it's got some tobacco and molasses hints
that are intriguing. I would say it seems to be the least of the 3, but
then again, that's what you'd expect.


--
Alex Rast

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