Upala 82

The last of the Potomac! Sounds a bit dramatic doesn't it, almost like the last remnants of a fading North American Indian tribe. For me the word, Potomac, certainly conjours up images of large rivers with rugged boulders, salmon leaping and climbing up river with views of snow capped mountains in the background. On investigation I discovered that The Potomac river is the fourth largest river on the Atlantic coast of the USA. The name, Potomac, apparently means "place where people trade". The river actually flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains so my whimsical vision wasn't far off just the Canadian bit. In fact there is so much history surrounding this river that it is often referred to as the "Nation's River". Ok history lesson over.....I'm sure this is not the last bar we will see from Ben Rasmussen but let's see what this last bar has in store for us.

The packaging is exactly the same as with the previous bars and ditto the cocoa which comes from Upala, Costa Rica. However, this bar has a slightly higher cocoa content at 82%. If you've not read my previous reviews you'll need to know that Potomac is essentially a 'one man' operation making his chocolate from bean to bar the hard way. When you consider what actually goes into making a bar from scratch you'll understand why people like Ben Rasmussen are probably not in the chocolate business for the money.

The sun came out whilst I was taking this picture hence why there is something odd going on in the centre of the bar. I think the sunlight slightly melted the chocolate through the cellophane. This bar has a lovely soft fruity aroma with a  hint of tobacco in the background. The bar is well made, bright and has a fantastic snap. It is very smooth, dark and sophisticated with 'blackberry' notes. Even after the chocolate has melted away the flavour is still lingering with no bitterness that sets your teeth on edge. I think I've saved the best until last! This is a delicious bar of chocolate and deserves a score of 9/10 for pure flavour. You can purchase this bar from Ben's website for $7 (56g) which makes it slightly expensive but if you like your dark chocolate then this is a must have. Enjoy! To buy this bar visit Chocadores who now sell it for the UK market at £4.95 plus P&P.


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