Like most forasteros, this bar looks forbiddingly dark through its clear wrapper - so much so that the olive-green tint to the label seems bright and fresh in comparison. Finish is up to Pralus standards - excellent and glossy, with perhaps a bit of unevenness and a hint of bubbles that don't quite break the surface. Aroma is powerful and pungent, with tobacco leading the way. Cherry sourness accompanies the tobacco, and in many ways the aroma seems very Trinitario-like. A slight dusty/earthy finish, however, hints at the Forastero nature of this chocolate.

Flavour is no surprise for a Sao Tome but for those accustomed to typical forasteros will be a major shock. Initially it has a very red fruitiness, strawberries and raspberries prevailing, and then the dark-roast Pralus style asserts itself with a mild, mocha-like constituent. As the length progresses the archetypal woody whack sets in, nicely offset with that sour cherry of the aroma. There's a definite bitterness here, but sour and bitter combine to some extent to cancel out, or at least to deliver a study in contrasts. Killing the bitterness would perfect the flavour, but this would be virtually impossible with the cacao's origins.

Pralus has a slight tendency to inconsistency in texture, but in this case it's superb, super-smooth and creamy, crisp, suggesting optimum cocoa butter proportions. There's little to criticise there, and indeed with the whole bar there's little to criticise except in an absolute sense. In other words, relative to other Sao Tomes this is close to perfection - it's only when this bean is stacked up against beans of a higher breeding with similar flavour characteristics that it suffers a bit. Pralus has tamed the bucking bronco of the chocolate world.

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Pralus’ professionalism in appearance is awe-inspiring, rivaled best by Slitti. The bar is evenly molded and shows great sheen, almost resembling a piece of plastic and indeed proving to be a pillar of excellence. Color, too, is also commendable, it being a surprisingly light shade of auburn that for a Sao Tome is unheard of but undeniably presented here. In classic Pralus fashion as well, the aroma is a smoky exposé of the origin, with the characteristic redness underneath and woody components reinforcing the typically stout theme the origin is known for.

Flavor for the most part is typical Sao Tome as well, yet wondrous surprises are in store, namely the smokiness of flavor that fits perfectly with Pralus’ processing methods. One could say as a whole the chocolate is unusual, but not so much for Pralus, who has a magnetic attraction to smoky cacao. Under the smoke are a subtle acidy accenting cherries and a soft tone of vanilla, while the bitterness is low and almost nonexistent, which again, confirms Pralus has the most competent handle on this bean. In an origin whose homogeneity is at most decent, here receives some much-needed interest.

If flavor were great, then texture is excellent. Pralus continues to excel, with this his most refined and smoothest texture that is only rivaled by Madagascar. For a Forastero, such a comparison is indeed rarely documented. This bar will cause one to rethink the origin entirely since what we have here is a chocolate whose conventions now include more variation and interest. It’s like being stranded on a vast desert and encountering an oasis on the verge of dehydration. Such is the refreshing breath this chocolate provides to an overcrowded origin that in the past has delivered, more or less, reiterations of the same theme. Finally a Sao Tome to make a big deal over.

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