Unwrapped from its foil, the bar shows no defects on the surface at all, except for a relatively dull sheen that large scale manufacturing seems to elicit. A deep, dark, red color is certainly a good partner with an equally forceful and red aroma. It’s very acidic and almost alcoholic in nature, like a Domori Madagascan, showing plenty of zest and power yet substantial body underneath like Malagasy’s superb Sambirano. Could this, then, be a Madagascar bar, or more reasonably, show a strong Madagascar constituency in its blend?
The latter would be more likely, since there’s more to the constant redness of flavor to suggest blending, and of course, scale of production is another factor. Immediately sharp, red, and slightly alcoholic, the flavor indeed does have a convincing Madagascan flair, but there’s a distinct cocoa-like earthiness underneath that suggests another cacao has been added for substance and for economical reasons, for sure. Texturally, one gets a fudge-like consistency at first, but more class comes out from this, making the flavor seem all the more Madagascan.
Yet, when one considers the scale in which this bar is produced, this origin quickly vanishes from the list of main components, although romantically, this would be pleasing to think. With ideals aside, though, the bar is still a masterful creation, intense and full-forward, showing a tart and chocolaty assault that is rarely achieved at this level through blending but satisfyingly done so here. However, this batch is brand new (19/11/2007), so this taster believes Lindt is tinkering with this formulation since in the past, there was much more evenness in the flavor. Both chocolates are still good, just marginally different, and surely appealing to Madagascan fans in this case.
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- 7.1/10