A. Morin Vietnam Thanh Long 70%
A. Morin - Vietnam - Thanh Long - 70% - Batch 08/12/24
Cacao origin/type:
Local cacao variety
Ingredients:
Cacao beans, cane sugar, cacao butter, sun flower lecithin
Other facts:
Made in France (A. Morin, Donzere)
https://chocolaterie-morin.com/
The Vietnam Thanh Long was awarded silver by the Academy of Chocolate in 2019 and bronze in 2021.
The cocoa beans come from an farmers collective, from various farming families in the province of Ben Tré in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. They are fermented, dried and selected at a central processing centre. This processing centre is a training institute with a workshop for young people with disabilities.
"A. Morin Chocolatiers are a 4th generation chocolate maker in Donzère, France. Chocolatiers from father to son since 1994, André Morin founded Chocolaterie A. Morin in 1958 to start making bean to bar chocolate. Since then, they have created artisan chocolate in accordance with chocolate making tradition.They have spent years cultivating relationships with their cocoa producers and farmers to create their line of single origin chocolate bars. They also cultivate over 15,000 acres of fruit and nut orchards to use as raw ingredients such as almonds, hazelnuts and cherries for their pralines, pastes, nougats and jams."
Despite the fact that the A. Morin brand is not that old - it originated in the 1950s - we are dealing with very classic, albeit nicely designed packaging. The classic folded, non-reclosable outer packaging, the lower half in a different colour depending on the country, with the bar wrapped in equally classic aluminium foil.
The bars themselves are also very classic, on the one hand in a positive sense, as at 100gr they are quite generous in the single origin sector these days. On the other hand, they are unusually thick/high by today's standards, which I'm sure some people prefer. The finish, on the other hand, is a good step below the top end of the spectrum, slight irregularities and crumbs on the edges and base, not a disaster, but more is possible these days. No logo, no embossing, again very classic rectangles as chambers, without any decoration.
Classic maroon colour with a slight red tinge, it breaks medium-hard and with a finely porous cross-section.
Aroma:
On the nose notes of lightly spiced or wholemeal biscuits, camomile, berries that I can't quite put my finger on concerning the variety, but dried, not tartly fresh
Taste:
Relatively slow melting, as soon as it starts you notice fine fruit acidity, a few fermented berries, relatively dry, from the halfway point a nice peppery flavour is added, a pinch of dark grains, nutmeg, also slightly vegetal notes, courgette, goji berries, light sultanas and a hint of exotic woods, letting it melt for some more time, incense sticks and fresh tangerine are also added
Finish:
On the drier side, slightly woody, flowers, compared to the main part rather discreet and modest in flavour, no big development
Conclusion:
While the flavour and finish leave a little to be desired, the Thanh Long, with its exotic country of origin, delights with complexity and a pleasantly unusual spiciness in the mouth. Fruit acidity, wood, pepper, flavours in several directions that could have been carried into the finish even longer to make it perfect.
