Valrhona Ampamakia 2005

We had the chance to take a few minutes today and sample the Valrhona 2005 Ampamakia bar--one of Valrhona's 2005 "Chocolats de Domain." The bar has the texture and quality snap that we expect of Valrhona, and a lovely, almost reddish color. The aroma was lightly spicy, with a touch of earthy, woody accents.

On tasting, we encountered a light citrus and raspberry flavor that seemed reminiscent of the Cluizel Mangaro Noir, which isn't surprising given the similarities in Sambirano origin and overall cacao content. The finish was quite creamy with a subtle cocoa undertone and light acidity.

Overall, our only complaint was that the chocolate seemed slightly sweeter than it really needed to be...we all wished that Valrhona had considered a slightly higher percentage for this bar, but that may just represent a darker-than-average preference among the Bittersweet staff :-) All in all, this is quite a nice addition to the overall palate of Malagasy chocolates on the market, and would certainly make a welcome addition to most any tasting.
Valrhona 2005 Ampamakia
64%, Sambirano Valley, Madagascar
75 grams