While at @ritualchocolate I tried the tasting flight of their single origin sipping chocolate, consisting of Madagascar, Ecuador and Peru. These are made with hot water rather than milk, to more clearly taste the terrior notes from each location (without the presence of dairy complicating or potentially altering/muting flavor notes). The flight is presented beautifully, with a lovely orientation card (that makes a perfect bookmark for those of us still reading paper books).
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Madagascar: strong citrus notes up front but not sour or aggressive. The berry notes stand out more after tasting the other origins. I really get the notes of toast and nuttiness at the end.
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Ecuador: Typical for this country, strong floral notes are prominent. In this liquid form I sensed not much else on the finish besides chocolatey.
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Peru: Quite subtle and complex- slightly tart fruitiness slowly melds into very mild earthy nuttiness- almost too subtle to describe!
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I find it fascinating how turning single origin chocolates into a hot drink can drastically change which and how terrior notes reveal themselves. Back when I worked in a single origin Chocolate shop (2009!) we made s-o hot chocolates- my favorite Bolivian chocolate became flat and listless, while our smooth Venezuela sprang to life with new surprises.
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Have you ever noticed this phenomenon?
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