When it comes to dark chocolate, I’m not exactly a connoisseur. So when it falls to me to review a dark chocolate product, I inevitably use my network of dark chocolate-loving friends and family. This time the job fell to my mom and stepfather. Over Christmas I asked them to taste Amano’s Jembrana with 70% cacao.
First, a little background. My mom LOVES dark chocolate. The more bitter, the better to her. In my childhood I swear I found her eating those horrid bittersweet chocolate chips for baking. How anyone can consume something like that is beyond me. I like my chocolate sweet and milky; apparently it’s how I rebelled against my upbringing. My stepfather likes dark chocolate as well, but neither of them is overly compelled to buy anything gourmet on a regular basis. So, this Amano chocolate would be a nice change (anything is better than baking chocolate – shudder).
As my mom opened the package and broke off a piece for my stepfather (can we guess the dominant person in this relationship?), I could hear the snap across the room. As they began tasting it, I wrote down some of their comments:
“It’s very dense.”
“It’s smooth and bittersweet.”
“Doesn’t really melt in your mouth.”
“I think there’s a slight nuttiness to it.”
“I’d like it better if it melted more easily.”
“It’s not waxy.”
“There’s no bad aftertaste.”
So, what does it all add up to? Actually, I think they liked it. It wasn’t what they were used to in terms of texture and its meltiness, but it definitely grew on them. Before I knew it, the bar was gone. It’s certainly a higher quality than they typically have, so it’s not surprising that they found it a bit alien at first. Still, I know they wouldn’t turn it down if another bar found its way to them, so overall it was a success. If you’re a dark chocolate fanatic, you should give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed.
Buy Amano Chocolate Online:
- at Chocolate.com
- at Amazon.com
“… horrid bittersweet chocolate chips for baking”
They’re not all that bad. Back in the day, I used to buy the bar form of bittersweet baking chocolate – until I picked up a bar of unsweetened by mistake. But that was a long time ago, when a milk-chocolate Hershey bar was the only all-choc bar around. I think Nestle had gained sway in the US with its hot drink mix but not candies, back then.