The quality of Patric Chocolate’s (www.patric-chocolate.com) 70% Madagascar bar ($5.75 for 1.75oz), created using beans from the island’s Sambriano Valley, becomes apparent from the first sniff of the aroma emanating from its perfectly smooth exterior. The scent is strong, slightly acidic and reminiscent of dried fruits and full-bodied red wine. The bar consists of ten squares about an inch wide, tastefully decorated with molded P’s. The squares break off with a noisy snap, unleashing yet more aromas into the air.
The first impression of the flavor is very light (it is difficult to get to the tasting part, because you will want to breathe it in for a long time.) It is casually sweet and acidic, but the acidity does not offend the roof of the mouth or the surface of the tongue – it provides a refreshing tingle. As the chocolate begins to melt, a strong raspberry taste opens up, along with slight hints of blueberry and mango. The raspberry dominates, however, in a very delicious and satisfying way. Once the piece slowly dissolves, the daintiest bitter notes begin to come out, but they complement the lightness and fruitiness of the bar harmoniously and leave a slightly astringent aftertaste. The taste is complex and refreshing, and would most likely pair well with both a dry red and a fruity white wine.
The story of Patric Chocolate is as interesting as the flavor of the single-origin bar. This Missouri-based micro-chocolate producer is owned and run by Alan McClure and will soon celebrate its first year anniversary in January 2008. It is one of the few "bean to bar" chocolate makers, starting the process with whole cocoa beans and following it through to the finished product. Once the beans are selected, they are hand-sifted and sorted, roasted, cracked and shelled to obtain the nibs. After undergoing a long and laborious refining and heating process, the mixture is aged, melted, tempered, molded into bars and hand-wrapped.
Looking at the meticulous wrapping and considering the amount of work that goes into the process, it is hard to believe that the company is run by Alan single-handedly (although he admits that his wife helps out occasionally). And yet he insists on keeping it small. "It takes one person who really understands the craft, the science and the machines to make excellent quality chocolate. Once you get big one person can no longer do it, and the quality will suffer," Alan explained. He’s passionate about chocolate and loves what he does – and it certainly shows in the result.
His love for high-quality chocolate started with a year-long visit to the Beaujolais region of France, near Lyon, where Alan tried chocolates from companies like Valrhona and Bernachon. Describing it as "unlike anything [he] ever tried previously," Alan started thinking about whether or not he could do something like that himself as a hobby. He began by experimenting making chocolate using small kitchen appliances. A book called Chocolate Connoisseur by Chloe Doutre Roussel, which he was using as reference, mentioned Steve DeVries, a small-scale chocolate maker in Colorado. Alan got in touch with Steve, intrigued by his small-scale operations, and Steve recommended chocolate-related literature that helped Alan on his path to becoming a chocolate maker.
By mid-spring 2006, Alan decided that he wanted to open his own high-quality chocolate shop. He traveled to Mexico, Belize and Venezuela to look for the best quality cacao he could find. He inspected the trees and observed the cacao-making process. He also talked to farmers extensively about the farm’s history, the farmers’ financial situations and the aspects of trade and growing of cacao. "There’s quite a bit I didn’t know when I started travelling, and I found it interesting to get to the root of cacao making, to the root of chocolate," he said. While he’s not currently producing any bars with beans originating from South and Latin America, he hopes to accomplish that in the future.
The next bar that Alan is planning to make is a 67% Madagascar, due to come out in January. He started with the 70% Madagascar because he felt it had the best balance between cacao and sugar, but the new bar will be lighter and will appeal to those who prefer a slightly sweeter chocolate. Why Madagascar? "To me, it’s one of the most interesting types of cacao in the world, because it’s so fruity and complex when you compare it to a lot of cacao out there," he explained. "The bar after that is going to be a different origin altogether, and I’m a little tight-lipped about that right now because I want it to be a surprise."
