Kat's 9 Lives

As many of you know that chocolate comes from all over the world and tastes completely different from one another depending on its origin. We tried the Varietal Line with chocolates from Madagascar, Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. I have had Recchiuti quite a few times now since I am a big chocolate fan, but I am never all that amazed. Only recently was I captured by their hot chocolate line. As for their regular chocolate... meh... this box proved the same. Must say thanks to Ms. Lin to share this box of chocolates. I will make life easier for you and copy & paste their description as well as tell you what I think.

Madagascar - "Criollo cacao beans, grown in Madagascar's extraordinary island environment, crown this chocolate the most complex of all four Varietals. Hints of a slight tang are perfectly balanced with waves of gentle fruit to create the Madagascar Varietal's elegant complexity."

Columbian - "The single cacao bean varietal from the Chucurreno region of Colombia yields a balance of berry and spice notes matched with burgundy hues. A long, slow finish and elements of wine provide the perfect precursor for the Ecuador Varietal."

Ecuador - "The straightforward intensity of this chocolate, made using single cacao bean varietal from Ecuador, exhibits a truly remarkable persistence of flavor. Smokey tobacco notes, a hint of earthiness and a rich, coffee color make this piece the most dramatic of the four Varietals."

Venezuela - "Lake breezes in the Sur de Lago region of Venezuela provide a unique climate for growing cacao beans and result in a distinctive flavor. Less complex than L'Harmonie, the Venezuelan exhibits pure, delicate nut and caramel tones."
Maybe there was suppose to be a certain order to eat the chocolate but we chose our own path. I decided to start with Madagascar as I think the South American chocolate would be much better. Lets just say I was right. The flavor was all over the place and not in a good way, it had an awkward lingering flavor. This was our least favorite. Next we tried what I thought would be better, the Columbian, and it was very rich. The flavor was deep and it just popped. I had a suspicious feeling that the remaining two pieces would be iffy. The Ecuador chocolate was not as flavorful and didn't have a multi-level taste. It was solid but nothing special. We ended the box with a trip to Venezuela. The chocolate was good but to be honest, I did NOT taste any of the things they wrote so lavishly about. I love my delicious chocolates but this box certainly underwhelmed. All the descriptions I copied from their website makes me think... ummm what a bunch of lies! We definitely did NOT experience such complex flavors. To be honest, they taste about the same except for the Madagascar chocolate. I have not been converted a fan to Recchiuti yet, but a sample of their hot chocolate has gotten me a lot closer to converting. O=9