Marou Ba Ria 76%

Made from Trinitario cocoa beans of the Bà Ria province in Vietnam and cane sugar only, I was excited to taste this chocolate as I hadn't heard of Vietnam growing cocoa. Also, as there was no added flavouring, it simply meant that I was about to experience the real flavour of these fine, Vietnamese Trinitario beans. Marou currently produce 5 different single origin bars, each made from cocoa beans of a different region in Vietnam 

The chocolate was wrapped in gold foil with a Marou 'M' sticker concealing it. The consistent gold being used for the packaging made it seem grand and the three colours contrasted well

It was a dark aromatic chocolate, with fruity tones being most noticeable. Although subtle, the roast along with a slight earthiness deepened the aroma. It wasn't intense but very mature

The embossed logo along with the diamond scoring is nice

A prominent rich fruity taste to match the aroma, as well as there now being a little spice. The sweetness was like a warm honey, making it taste soft and mellow. It wasn't bitter at all. And it was dynamic to say the least. I then had balsamic vinegar, a white grape... it wasn't overly acidic as a sweetness dominated, but it did feel ever so cool on the left side of the tongue 

This 76% provided a smooth, long melt which enhanced those flavours for you to appreciate the complexity of the chocolate even more. I found that when chewing, it appeared to have an almost oily flavour and texture and the sweet fruity tones became quite numb... developing into a subtler taste of green grape/olive

The finish was quite long with soft oaky tones as the sweetness fades. Ah such a beautiful chocolate - full of flavour, surprisingly sweet and very interesting. The complex flavours engage the senses and really make you think. Very impressive chocolate