Two little words on a box of chocolate can make my heart skip a beat… Madagascar and Akesson’s. For one, the Madagascar region provides several chocolate makers with the beans to create wonderful, fruitful chocolate. And secondly, Akesson’s took me by surprise with their Bali bar, which brought me one of the most exotic tasting bars I encountered so far. Amazing aroma’s.
So, will this bar bring me the same enjoyment and a fresh look on Madagascan origin chocolate? Let’s see…
Akesson’s is a bit of a strange chocolate producer. Actually they aren’t, yet they are. Confusing éh?
The Akesson Family owns several plantations producing pepper and cacao. Their high quality cacao is actually used by several bean-to-bar producers to create their little brown wonders. However, Bertill Akesson was introduced to the art of creating chocolate while working together with his clients. These days, Akesson’s actually produces its own chocolate in a French factory, using their own cacao beans naturally. While many chocolatiers buy beans to create chocolate, they actually work the other way around. And the results are stunning!
This bar is created from the very limited 2 tons of criollo cacao the Ambolikapiky plantation produces, next to the main Trinitario production. This cacao, grown in the Sambirano region, is the best of the best Akkenson produces in Madagascar.
The bar is wrapped in the unmistakably Akesson way. It stands out by the square shape, the dark tones in combination with the typical large red “A”. The silver award sticker of the Academy of Chocolate makes clear this is more than just another bar.
Inside, the bar is sealed in a see-trough plastic foil. unfortunately the bar itself was shattered in quiet a number of pieces. A pity, as the design is of such a great minimalistic yet classy quality. But luckily this will not affect taste in any way. Texture wise, this is one of the sexiest chocolates I know. It just screams “smooth” all the way and shines superbly. A typical French style chocolate.
Bean: Criollo
Origin: Ambolikapiky plantation – Sambirano valley – Madagascar
Production: Akesson
Price paid: € 5,00/60 g (Hilde Devolder Chocolatier)
Colour: deep and dark, promise of a full-bodied bar.
Aroma: powerful in the nose, with an acidic touch and a hint of earthyness and tobacco in the back.
Taste: a moderate slow and sweet start when taken in the mouth, bringing typical Madagascan fruits in abundance. Entwined with some vanilla tones and very balanced chocolate bitter-sweetness, citrus and red berries come to mind. It takes a while before the piece starts melting away, but once it does the texture is so velvety. To me, this bar demonstrates a perfect balance between cacao and cacao butter. Once the chocolate has almost melted away, the fresh citrus tones make way for more masculine, darker tones touching wood and coffee. The aftertaste has a nice length and keeps the flavour vivid. The fruityness is replaced by some more masculine tannins. An extremely elegant chocolate not going for harsh taste changes, but a very satisfying and powerful taste. The way a quality bar should taste!
While the Madagascar bar doesn’t bring any surprising notes, it excels in bringing the typical Madagascan tones in a wonderful symphony of taste. I totally understand why Bertill Akesson turns to French masters in order to create a glorious chocolate. The sure know how to deliver. Don’t even think twice when you encounter a dark square box with a red capital A!
