Ritual – Sambirano, Madagascar 75%

Description

A stand out Madagascan bar from Utah-based Ritual. The bar uses beans from Bertil Akesson’s Somia Plantation in the Sambirano Valley.

The first thing to note is the texture. Ritual have crafted a bar that melts smoothly without being overly buttery.

The chocolate is at the acidic end of the Madagascan scale. An initial citrus hit is followed up by layers of lemon sherbet and a few very sharp berries. As the flavour deepens an additional sweetness comes through. Towards the end, richer roasted notes reveal themselves. We detected surprisingly chocolatey flavours that mix well with the fruit, giving the bar an addictive and decadent quality. The bar has a long sweet finish with a well-balanced acidity.

Ritual’s approach to chocolate is simple. It uses the simplest ingredients (cocoa beans and organic sugar) ethically sourced from around the world. The result is delicious and authentic chocolate that showcases the incredible flavours of the cocoa bean.