This morning I tried my second bar of Amano Chocolate. The Madagascar bar is just as good as the Ocumare though I hesitate to say better than because you saw how much I loved the Ocumare!
The bar is packaged the same as the Ocumare – a nice cardboard box and gold foil with two ounces of beautiful dark chocolate inside. The bite is a satisfying snap and then you’re hit with a nice fruity flavor though there’s no fruit – it’s the Madagascar beans. My first impression was cherry which I found very pleasant. Though neither bar is as creamy as a milk chocolate, they’re also not as brittle and chalky as other darks I’ve tried. They actually melt very smoothly in your mouth if you can manage to leave it alone for that long!
I actually let each of my girls try a square (the sacrifices you make as a mom, etc). One of my twins, age 7, said it tasted like red in her mouth and when I asked her to clarify she said she could taste “some kind of fruit.” I led her a bit by asking if it could be cherry, and she said yes, that was it. All three (ages 7 and 9) asked for more, which is a big win for dark chocolate in my book!
I love how different these two bars are even though you’d expect them to be pretty much the same. They’re excellent proof that the beans make the bar and the flavor, and I highly recommend both of them. Thank you, Art, for some excellent chocolate!
Be sure to check out the rest of the Amano site: The history of the company, their very well-deserved awards, and employment opportunities. You can even see Art talking about and making his chocolate over at Youtube!
Indeed it is hard to say one great chocolate is better than enough without context. My context is simple, making chocolates and confections. To this end, I find the Madagascar to be the best of the three though the Ocumare would also be excellent for chocolatiering.