Product Description

A limited edition bar made from the cocoa of the legendary Chuao village plantation in Venezuela, Amedei Chuao extends the imagination's reach of how extraordinary a chocolate can be. Historically, Chuao was used by chocolatiers only as a blending ingredient to improve the taste of other chocolates. Unique ecological conditions in the Chuao region, a centuries-old natural selection process and great care in handling of cocoa plants have brought about this rare and exquisite cocoa. Building upon this with painstaking craft-based production in Tuscany at Amedei, with a formulation derived from intensive experimentation, Amedei has brought forth the very best aspects of this legendary bean, resulting in a gold medal-winning taste unlike and beyond any other. Produced in a limited edition by Amedei, with each bar hand-numbered.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22948 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Amedei
• Dimensions: .11 pounds

Features

• Limited edition - hand numbered
• Fifty gram bar
• Under exclusive arrangement with the world-renowned Chuao cocoa plantation, Venezuela

Customer Reviews

5 stars for chocolate, -1 for service
I've had the privileges of traveling the world, living in Europe for three years, and being able to sample most any food I've had the desire to taste. Chocolate has always been one of my favorite foods.

That being said, this is simply the best chocolate I've ever had the privilege to sample. Dozens of subtle flavors dance across the tongue as each type of taste bud brings slight variations in this creamy smooth bittersweet confection. Best experienced by sharing with a friend, although I'm sure other pairings would work well too. Easily 5 stars for the chocolate, and the packaging is quite attractive.

However, there is more to the experience than simply the product. In this case, the single 50 gram bar of chocolate costs $12, but the price must include shipping (obviously) which bumps the price to a whopping $22. No significant options are given for shipping, and "expedited" means that it will take two weeks for the item to arrive. On the plus side, the chocolate did arrive with a small ice pack, but given that the current ambient temperatures were all well below freezing this seemed rather unnecessary. The item would have been received much faster, cheaper, and probably as in good of condition if it had been mailed via standard US postage. So, I deducted one star for service. I might have thought otherwise had I ordered the item in July; however in that case the single ice pack would not have been enough to survive a two week shipping time.

So, overall I highly recommend this chocolate. Given the cost of shipping, I recommend ordering a quantity sufficient to cover the costs. It only makes sense to order many, as once your friends and family discover you have this wonderful chocolate you'll need enough to share!

Best Chocolate in the World
Simply put, Amadei produces the best chocolate in the world. It's not an opinion, as much as it's a restatement of the results of the past three World Chocolate Awards. Chuao is a lot different than the Porcelana variety. Both are amazing, with Porcelana being the pure chocolate flavor and Chuao having more hints of fruit in the flavor. Either way, each bar comes in ten squares. I couldn't imagine having more than one square at a sitting. I'd highly recommend either one of them.

One of the best single-origin chocolates
If you think that Hershey's Special Dark is amazing chocolate, please navigate away from this page now and don't look back. Your tongue is not prepared or worthy (as yet) for this chocolate. Save yourself the money and confusion that would be yours should you purchase this chocolate; this territory is off limits to the uninitiated and uneducated. You need to know enough to know *why* this is some of the best chocolate in the world. Suffice it to say that those that are ready for it know that they are ready for it. Are you?

So, Valrhona used to have a Chuao, and it was pretty good - Amedei now makes the superior Chuao bar (Valrhona no longer produces one; 2003 was the last year they did so, I believe - Bonnat makes a Chuao, but it isn't worth your time).

I haven't tasted this one in a while, so particulars are somewhat hazy - one thing that I do remember quite well is that the beautiful mouthfeel of this chocolate was intense while there was a sufficient quantity present in my mouth, but after I had swallowed the last of it, it quickly left my mouth feeling clean and fresh, as it would feel shortly after brushing my teeth; many chocolates seem to leave my mouth feeling sullied for a long period of time, but not this stuff. Of course, sometimes you *want* your palate to ring with the taste of a chocolate (especially ones that have a really long, complex finish) for a long time - this one simply excites your mouth and quickly moves on, like a flirtation with someone you will never see again; exciting while it lasted, but all it leaves you with is a good memory.