Review: Fruition Chocolate – Dark Chocolate 70% (*****)

Even after having tasted quiet a few bars by now, but not nearly close to the numbers some other reviewers have achieved, I’m still being surprised by the complexity and array of tastes in fine chocolate. Still makes me wonder why it took me 36 years to discover it!

Back to what’s on the table today. The second Fruition bar I received from Adrienne, a wonderful lady from New York.

This time, it is a little higher in cacao content (70% compared to the 66% signature bar I reviewed a while ago) but the origin is the same, so this is actually a great experiment in how the content of the chocolate can change the taste profile.

 

Fruition, a small batch craft chocolate maker based in Catskill Mountains near New York, made this bar from Peruvian cacao. This time around, there is only cacao solids, cane sugar and cacao butter included. How will the absence of vanilla change the taste profile? After all, 70% cacao is very close to 66%. Unfortunately, there is no info on the difference in roast or conche, so we just have the taste to discover.

The bar is equally wrapped as all their other bars, inside a very nice graphic designed outer sleeve and a cellophane wrapper inside.

Once more, the bar was broken somewhere during the Trans-Atlantic voyage, making it all the bars in the package. Oh well, it is the taste that matters, but the bar is so beautiful, it still is a shame… the chocolate itself is shining nicely and looks very appealing.

Bean: Not mentioned

Origin: Peru

Production: Fruition Chocolate – Shokan, New York, USA

Price: $ 8 – 60 g (Fruition website)

Color: A luscious deep brown – pretty equal to the 66% bar.

Aroma: an impressive aroma comes from the bar as soon as you open the blister, deep cacao emerges , clear wood tones and a touch of spices combined with tobacco. Very promising.

Taste: a pretty quick, slightly sweet start provides some light tannins and loads of rich chocolate. The texture is out of this world. Melting ever so silky, one would expect it to be made in France. Not a trace of clinging cacao butter, just perfect a perfect balance between solids and butter to assure a great texture.  Underneath the main aroma a fresh, green acidic zing pops up and lingers for a moment, keeping the aroma fresh and light, before crystal clear spices come through. I detect cinnamon, ginger and clove. Almost like biting in a Belgian cookie called speculoos or gingerbread. The aftertaste rolls in flawless, repeating the same amazing spicy tones, a touch of dried tobacco and lots of chocolate and keeps rolling for a really long time!
Once more, this Fruition bar makes it very hard to put away the bar and not break off another piece to indulge your senses once more. Where the 66% signature bar offers lots of yellow fruit and a great aromatic balance, this 70% bar is totally different in nature, throwing three distinct aroma waves at you. Gone are the fruits, in come the lovely spices.

Fruition touches my palate deep with this bar, light and extremely aromatic, I can’t give anything less than 5 stars! Perfect!

 

This illustrates how a great chocolate should be and how a chocolate maker can bend the chocolate profile by changing the way the cacao is processed. Coming from the same origin, this ends in two very different flavor profiles. It would be great to know if there is any difference in the cacao bean type or if this is all down to the chocolate making process.

Anyway, Mr. Bryan Graham, I’m a fan of your work. A big one!

 

Review: Fruition Chocolate – Signature Dark Chocolate 66% (*****)

The chocolate circle. I’ve written about it before. Somehow the origin/artisan chocolate world is filled with people who are so thrilled by the wonderful products they make or discover, they want to share this knowledge with as many people who will appreciate it!

A while ago, I was contacted by Adrienne from the United States. She was intrigued by the Amma Cupuaçu bar, which she couldn’t find locally. So she proposed to swap some bars. You know, you toss me the Amma bars and I’ll throw some other bars back at you. And if we throw hard enough, we’ll reach the other side of the Atlantic ocean. I’m glad we both turned out good throwers!

In my package, I found two Fruition and one Rogue Chocolate bars.

Today I dig into the first of the Fruition bars. Let’s start with the lowest cacao content, to get a smooth first impression!

Fruition is a small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker from New York. The Catskill Mountains to be precise. I’ve heard a lot about them and saw their products pass by on Twitter and Facebook, but they are really hard to get over here in Europe. So I was thrilled to set my teeth in this bar.

 

The package is simply gorgeous. Stylish, yet playful and reminds me of an envelope sleeve. The first thing I noticed is how Fruition doesn’t throw the origin all over the package. It just states Signature 66% Dark Chocolate. Almost as if they already want to draw your attention to the bar itself, rather than name-dropping terroirs or bean varieties.

Flip over the package and there you’ll find all the info you desire.

 

So Bryan Graham is the person behind this receipt, it is made from Peruvian cacao beans and contains nothing but cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter and vanilla beans. The cacao is stone ground and slow roasted.

The bar itself is hidden in a clear cellophane blister, but to my happy surprise, it is one of those blister you can actually open in a way you can rewrap your bar for storage after tasting. Excellent!

Unfortunately, my bar seems to have been shaken up a bit during the cross Atlantic throw-about, as it had broken into several pieces. But you can tell the design follows pretty much the sleeve. The same markings show up, combined with nice “F” letters stating it is Fruition. The chocolate shines like there is no tomorrow. Perfect thickness and a gorgeous surface.

Bean: Not mentionned

Origin: Peru

Production: Fruition Chocolate – Shokan, New York, USA

Price: about $10 – 60 g

 

Color: A pretty dark brown, considering the lower cacao content.

Aroma: Dark Cacao tones, wood and roasted coffee. Smells more powerful than expected.

Taste: An obvious sweet start giving room for clear vanilla aromas, supported by loads of luscious yellow fruits. They remind me of ripe papaya, apricot and raisin. Slowly some roasted coffee tones come through, giving body to the chocolate. Never overwhelming, but just enough to make it mature. The texture is extremely smooth and the melt is very seductive and long. The aftertaste has a nice length and looses the fruit tones, but leaves you with such an amazing chocolate taste including touches of wood and espresso.

Even though the cacao percentage is lower than I normally experience, this chocolate never becomes to sweet. It is simply delicious. Full bodied, amazing flavors and a gorgeous melt. And what struck me most? I barely could put it aside. I could easily have eaten the whole chocolate bar in one sitting. Not because it is the most complex chocolate ever or throws the most amount of flavors around, but just because it is so darn good!

Highly appreciated and recommended! I can’t wait to try the other bar I have laying in the cupboard! Mr. Bryan Graham unmistakably knows his trade!