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Alex Rast

at Mon, 04 Sep 2006 20:15:11 GMT in >,
(Mark Thorson) wrote :

>I was in my favorite Oriental supermarket this morning,
>and I happened to notice a new (for me) product, a
>selection of Meiji dark chocolate bars. The lowest
>cocoa content was 72%. I believe the others were
>85% and 99%.

Suspicious percentages. Sounds like Cluizel at first blush. But more on
that below.

>I was surprised how good this bar was. It had good
>snap, similar in that way to Villars. It was fruity,
>but not to the extent of a Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71%
>or Chocovic Guaranda 71% (my two current staples).
>For that reason, I don't think Alex would like it
>very much, because he prefers more overroasted
>chocolates.

The profile you describe for what you tried is very similar to Cluizel once
again (which as it so happens is IMHO perhaps the best overall brand).
Cluizel goes for a darker roast than Valrhona but not the ultra-dark roast
like Pralus. Personally I wouldn't say that "overroasted" chocolate a la
Pralus (which to get an understanding of how dark it can get you might
consider trying) is my favourite style, but I don't deny that very light-
roast chocolate a la Valrhona or Scharffen Berger is a style I don't
particularly like.

Anyway, generally Cluizel has some fruitiness but in a more neutral way
than the aggressive red or red-orange of Valrhona. Cluizel also typically
has a leather/tobacco hint in there somewhere so that the overall
impression is sort of tan. I know the colour descriptions may sound a
little incomprehensible but it's the best way I can think of to summarise
the sensation in a few words.

>I noticed some trace of a flavor I couldn't put my
>finger on, which at first faintly suggested coffee.
>The ingredients list consisted of normal chocolate
>ingredients except for the last ingredient, which
>was listed as "artificial flavor".

Usually that's going to be vanillin. Of course Cluizel never uses vanillin
so that would seem to eliminate him as a source, but for the fact that
nothing says Meiji might not be doctoring up couverture bought from him
(the horror!) The percentages and flavour profiles are *very* suspicious. I
note also that Amer 72% does indeed have a faint coffee flavour component
to it. The classic signature of vanillin, incidentally, is a sharp,
citrussy bite that catches you right away, unlike pure vanilla which is
smoother and more mellow. Is this chocolate a doctored Cluizel, then? Quite
possibly.

>Overall, I quite like it, and at only $1.99
>for a 70 gram bar, it's competitively priced.

For this, however, to be Cluizel would require that they'd scored some kind
of deal on a job lot (bought out overstock, perhaps? Stuff that was about
to expire?) They might have bought chocolate from Lindt, which would be
more typical of the price range, but Lindt doesn't use vanillin, either,
and furthermore their percentage in the specific range is 70%, although the
85% and 99% chocolates line up perfectly.

Try the 99% bar. If its taste is very mild and rather metallic, almost like
iron, and if it has a very dark colour indeed, their source is Lindt. If
the flavour is VERY strong and unmistakeably bitter, with a redder-brown
colour, their source is Cluizel.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)