Provenance of Cocoa Beans: 64% cocoa from Vietnam.
Producer: Patrick Roger – an award-winning French chocolate maker with his own stores exclusively offering the entire range of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products across Belgium and France. Patric Roger’s remarkable chocolate sculptures adorn his purist boutiques.
Price: €7 per 100g bar.
Vietnam Rare Dark chocolate Patrick Roger
Taste: Stimulating exotic fruits like maracuja and red berry acidity. Alluring earthy subtones ground the gustatory experience. Stretching aftertaste allows the lingering fruity characteristics to leave a lasting impression.
Despite its ideal climate,Vietnam has never been known for its production of quality chocolate. However,t is changing now. There have been cacao trees around, but not enough interest to grow high-quality beans, until about 10 years ago. With the help of foreign traders and international aid programs that have invested and supported the local cocoa industry, the Vietnamese growers got a boost. In 2011, the price of cacao in Vietnam reached its highest peak to date: US$3,500 per ton. Today there are many distinguished chocolatiers from Europe and the US sourcing cocoa from this Southeast Asian country.
Score:© ****
Buy: At the online shop (closed for summer) and in the flagship boutiques across France and in Brussels.
© My scores are from * to *****+: * – hardly palatable chocolate not worth the money and you would not want to buy again unless you needed purely to satisfy your urgent sugar rush;
** – average chocolate not focused on quality but rather bursting with “empty” calories; *** – high-quality ingredients undermined by the chocolatier’s processing, so the resulting taste is just satisfactory;
**** – enjoyable high-quality chocolate you want to share with others;
***** – outstanding quality and unique touch of the chocolatier that are pleasure to taste and you want to share with your nearest friends and family; *****+ – heaven on earth for the palate!!! Amazing ingredients highlighted by the chocolatier’s superb skills, so one wants to eat it on every special occasion possible and almost never share with others. !Highly addictive!