26 July 2016
Here’s a trivia for the die-hard chocoholics, connoisseurs and aficionados out there:
What’s the world’s most expensive chocolate (measured by weight of the pure chocolate and cocoa beans)?
Which chocolate is used to create the world’s most expensive cupcake, the Golden Phoenix, priced at over a thousand US dollars per serve?
Which chocolate is manufactured in limited quantities of only 20,000 individually numbered bars per year?
If your answer is the “Amedei Porcelana”, then give yourself a good pat on the back!
With this knowledge in mind, I sought to find out for myself if the Amedei Porcelana, and its sister bar, the Amedei Chuao, made from prized Criollo cocoa beans derived from the famous Chuao region of Venezuela, lives up to its reputation.
First Impressions:
The packaging is attractive and classy. The design is consistent with the Amedei theme, as seen on the painted walls of their headquarters, and the colours bring back fond memories of Tuscany. Each bar is apparently packaged by hand. The number on the back of the Procelana bar tells me that I’ve purchased bar number 13,485 of 20,000 for the year.
Tasting Notes:
The Porcelana has a slight earthy nose. As it melts on my tongue, I find the texture to be both soft and gentle. The initial flavours are sweet and toasty, like roasted almonds. This gives way to the ever so mild hint of bitterness. And then the flavours disappear, leaving the palate fresh and ready for the next mouthful.
The Chuao is surprisingly different. The aroma reminds me of mushrooms; not quite porcini, perhaps closer to swiss brown mushrooms. As it melts on my tongue, the fruitiness comes through prominently. The closest that I can think of is the flavours of caramelised figs, or Iranian dates. These flavours are slowly replaced by an earthy mushroom finish. Once the chocolate has disappeared, it leaves my palate with a slight but lingering tingle of bitterness.
The Verdict:
Is the Amedei Porcelana and Chuao worth its weight in awards, accolades and reputation? I certainly think so. I had not truly explored the flavours of chocolates, or discerned the unique characteristics of Criollo cocoa beans, until I’d experienced Amedei’s prized chocolates.
