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Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ??? Sarotti's No. 1 range hardly got off to the greatest starts on ChocolateMission when I reviewed the 'Mexico Chilli' variant back in January. Dean-German-Grocery however saw fit to kindly send me another from the No. 1 product line in the form of this 'Sao Thome' bar. As the packaging was all in German I don't actually know the significance of the Sao Thome name to the bar!? What I could determine was that this was a '75% cacoa bittersweet chocolate with caramelised cocoa kernel splinters'.
Unfortunately the bar didn't care to share its nutritional information which would have been handy given that it was 100.0g in size. This Sao Thome variant looked much the same as the Mexico Chilli bar, though the front of pack displayed a very out of focus shot of some crumbled cocoa beans. Despite there being a slight blooming effect evident on the surface of the chocolate I didn't see fit to reflect that in the presentation score as with most of the bars from Germany it had clocked up several miles making its way to me for a review. Despite the not so fresh aesthetic appeal the smell that emanated from the chocolate was relatively forthcoming and offered some fair honey and cocoa scents.
Although this bar was stronger than the Mexico Chilli variant it shared many of the same problems. The taste was ridiculously slow to get started, and it seemed like the chocolate was in my mouth for an age before the flavours really started to make an impact. The initial melt itself wasn't too much of a problem as it was relatively thick and smooth. At the point where the cocoa kernel splinters were revealed however the texture had a rougher grainy nature. Mid-melt the flavours were subdued, yet pleasant enough and were predominantly cocoa led but with an ever present touch of sugar that added sweetness. When it came to the aftertaste the cocoa kernel pieces took over and when crunched released an unforgiving burnt charcoal like influence that left a bitter aftertaste in the mouth. Frankly the cocoa kernel splinters really didn't do it for me and in my opinion made the product less enjoyable as they negated both taste and texture.
Overall this wasn't one my favourite products ever and will most likely never bother having again. The dark chocolate was slow out the blocks in terms of its flavours, which although was forgivable was definitely frustrating. As I have noted already the real problem I had with this chocolate was the inclusion of the cocoa kernel pieces, which I felt didn't enhance the product in any manner. This is not a bar I will be recommending purely on the basis that I know there are better dark chocolate options out there. If your looking for a decent German dark chocolate in my mind you have to look no further than Lindt.
6.3 out of 10
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5 comments:
I am not really a dark chocolate fan so I probably wouldn't try this one. Even if I was based on what you say there are better options out there. Thanks for the review Jim keep it up.
This is one of Sarotti's single origin bars. Sao Thomé is an island nation in the South Atlantic off the west coast of Africa, and its cocoa is praised for its quality. I don't quite know what to think of this bar. It's nice to see a company offer this kind of chocolate to the mass market, but at the same time I don't know whether it's being appreciated? And by having to keep in mind the price they would never be able to offer the same quality as Callebaut or Prestat, for example, where people know what they're paying for when they buy their single origin bars.
I tried this when I was in germany last year. like you said Jim I didn't think it was all that great. There are so many good dark chocolates out there I most likely wouldn't choose to have this again.
M
This bar just donesen't really appeal to me in any way. I don't know what it is but it just doesen't look exciting whatsoever.
Think I am going to come to the same conclusion as the other guys and say I am going to leave this one alone for the minute. Regardless it was a nice review Jim
David
Yeh it is safe to say there are better dark chocolates than this one available.
Susanne
Thanks for sharing that - I was none the wiser thanks to my lack of German language skills.
Personally I think the proposition of this bar is a little muddled. It is like it is a mass market bar trying to be a more premium offering ... I just don't think they quite got there.
Marshall
Similarly I don't think I would have this again either.
Anon
It does lack a certain flair doesen't it. Probably best to leave alone in my opinion.
Thanks for the nice words everyone
Jim
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