Amano Chocolate Review

In recent years, American chocolate companies have become more recognized and respected in the gourmet-food arena, for good reason. At one time, it was the Europeans who were considered the best chocolate makers in the world. Not so any more. One company that stands out among the best is Amano Chocolates. With ultra high standards in their entire bean-to-bar process, it's no wonder Amano is getting attention.

The first thing I noticed about Amano chocolate bars is the exceptionally elegant packaging. Jet-black boxes with beautiful images on the front are bound to catch your eye. Inside each box is a chocolate bar wrapped in gold foil. There's something very appropriate about chocolate wrapped in gold. It's not just the great color combination of the dark chocolate against the foil that's somewhat traditional when it comes to quality chocolate; it's how special you feel opening the gold wrapper. It's so very suggestive of Willy Wonka, except instead of anticipating a winning ticket to the chocolate factory, you can anticipate remarkable chocolate.

Looking at the Amano website https://www.amanochocolate.com/ you immediately get the sense that Art Pollard, Amano's Founder and Head Chocolate Maker, knows his chocolate. His passion and dedication to his work are apparent even at a glance. The outstanding chocolate reflects how quality is of the utmost importance in this company, and the great care Art takes in creating his chocolate is evident when you experience the outstanding taste, texture and appearance of the bars. This really is fine chocolate.

Amano Chocolate

The Man and I sampled two different bars, each a 70 percent dark chocolate but from different regions of the world.

We started out with the bar made from cocoa beans from Morobe.

"Papua New Guinea is one of the earth’s wildest regions. Towns are no more than outposts, and the rules of the Wild West still predominate--roving bands and vigilante justice. Here too is one of the world’s hidden jewels when it comes to fine-quality cocoa."

Not long ago, the Man and I sampled the Good Evil bar, a creation by Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert and Christopher Curtin. I marveled at the complexity of of the flavors. Though the Amano bar didn't have the chocolate nibs added to it for texture, the flavors were as intriguing as the Good Evil bar. The two don't taste like each other, but both are stand-out bars, and the Amano bar is much more affordable. I was blown away by how much character this unassuming little Amano  Morobe bar has. It really packs a punch right from the start, and the more subtle flavors emerge, one after the other, as the chocolate slowly melts in your mouth.

Tempering chocolate properly results in a nice uniform texture and a crisp, clean snap when you break the bar in two, and this bar is the perfect example of that. Even the aroma is interesting. If you close your eyes, you can almost smell all the lovely undertones of citrus, smoke and spice. These notes and unexpected flavors are more pronounced when you taste the chocolate. There's the slightest hint of bitterness that most people will love, and, like a good cognac, there's also a woody flavor that is apparent.We loved it. There's something both familiar yet exotic about this bar. It's not your traditional chocolate bar.

The second one we sampled was the Madagascar bar.

"Madagascar has long been known for producing fine cocoa beans. The beans from Madagascar are primarily of the Trinitario and Criollo varieties. The soil and climate produce beans that are particularly fruity and our Madagascar bar is a fine example of this."

When smelling this bar, I was transported back to my childhood on Easter morning with a basket of chocolate goodies in front of me. Despite the claims of cocoa beans from this region being fruity, I get more of a pure and powerful cocoa taste, especially compared to the Morboe bar. There is a subtle fruity flavor that's more reminiscent of berries than of citrus, but the robust chocolate flavor is what stands out, especially with the first bite. The chocolate is crisp and dry, like most good chocolates, yet melts nicely in your mouth. It's smooth and even without being boring or unoriginal. I detected a touch of the added vanilla that enhances the chocolate nicely. This is one bar that I would keep going back to, and it pairs well and easily with other foods and drinks.

Definitely take a look at the Amano website, as they have much to offer in terms of products, information and visual stimulation.

Art Pollard, founder and head chocolate maker of Amano Chocolate