Long before I overindulged in pastry, I got to know chocolate. Having Biagio Abbatiello as my purveyor of fine bars, from his luxe chocolate shop here in DC, made it easy. I’ve made my way around the world, from Trinidad to Madagascar, Indonesia, Costa Rica and beyond many times over – in dark and milk alike. Yes, even white, too. Along the way, I’ve developed some favorites, well-respected in the chocolate community, such as Amedei’s Porcelana or Domori’s Apurimac, and some other less renowned gems, like Patric’s 67% or Vestri’s 50g Pistachi. Yet, aside from a thorough romp around Michel Cluizel’s offerings, I haven’t delved into many of the French chocolatiers. But that’s about to change.

Usually when I visit Biagio’s shop, I get easily swayed by something new and rare. It’ll start innocently, when one of the salespeople tosses out something like, “Did you know this is one of only two bars in the world produced from Congolese beans?” And 20 minutes later I’ll be walking out with $50 in chocolate. So last week I went into the shop determined to buy some of the French bars I’d never sampled. Pralus’s Chuao immediately caught my eye, not only because of its swank packaging but because, since it was a Chuao, it would be fun to compare it to Amedei’s masterpiece Chuao, purportedly the finest chocolate in the world. The verdict?…

Color me impressed. Pralus’s Chuao might not have quite put the “wow” in Ch-wow, as Amedei’s version does, but it was definitely ch-great. I found the initial snap fairly satisfying – crisp without being too firm. I gave two chomps to help it melt a bit faster, picked up on a sweet but very mild hint of gorgonzola . . . and, within about 5 seconds, was hit with a pronounced acidity that, interestingly, cooled-down very quickly and began to balance itself out with some more muted bitter tones. Light, but very obvious, waves of strawberry became abundant and were held nicely by a classic and super sophisticated backdrop of Criollo and subtle oakiness. Or, put more succinctly . . . yum.

The texture, too, stood up pretty well. Though there was a slight grain, it was still dazzlingly smooth for a 75%. And the lingering finish to the overall flavor and texture? Almost as smooth as a baby’s bottom, though short-lived. There was a slightly bitter/tanniny, though moreso creamy/woody, flavor quality to the lingering elements. But, again, I found that it slipped away within a minute or so.

Aside from thoughts on the taste experience, you’re probably wondering, “PP, what’s with all these freaky lines on the inside of the chocolate?” Well, friends, welcome to the pour pattern and cocoa butter crystal formation found in many a fine bar – as seen in 16MP of ultra-hi-res. I only wish I could speak to the physics of it, but the gist is that the spread of the liquid chocolate from the center of the mold into which its poured, combined with different rates of cooling, from top/bottom and outside edge to inside, form some wild striations. In some bars, you can barely see a thing; in the Chuao, it’s like a Paleontology exhibit.

You probably thought the pastry cross-sections I take in my patisserie reviews were pretty fun, but I know the true chocophiles are sitting there saying, “No ******* way! Are you going to show this for every bar you review?” Count on it. Life wouldn’t be complete without a catalog of 30x magnification crystal patterns of the finest bars in the world. (Remember: You can click on any photo to see it larger in the PP image vault.)

Let me clarify that all the preceding photos got cleaned up to remove many of scratches, speckles and more that come about during shipping of the product. The shot below, however, is unaltered, so all the ugly bits are still in place! Kinda sad that an $11 piece of chocolate, weighing in at a mere 50g, gets banged-up so much, but it’s a rough road from France, my friends.

One thing that does not occur in shipping is air bubbles, which you can see clearly in the above and the below. Monsieur Pralus would do well to tighten up the quality control a bit. But, whatever, I’m mostly concerned with the flavor and texture.

So, yes, all things considered, I would definitely recommend Pralus’s Chuao. What it lacks in magic, it makes up for in pure sophistication. And though you’ll only ever see me do this for bars, as I wouldn’t want to **** off my patissier/chocolatier friends in Paris by doing this to their chocolate pieces and fine pastries, here’s how I’d score this along various 0-10 scoring dimensions of my own development (with a nod to Susan Cohen for coming up with the name of the first criterion)…

Brashness: 3.5
Mouth feel: 8
Grit: 1.5
Snap: 6.5
Acidity / Bitterness: 7 / 3.5
Personality: Sophisticated
Overall Opinion: 8

If you’re now thinking, “Where can I get this?!” I’m not quite sure what to tell you. Short of already having a good chocolate shop near you, it’s difficult to find one with a broad selection of ultra-luxe brands. Your best bet is to try to track this and others down online. Or, if you’re in the Washington, DC area, you can just swing by Biagio Fine Chocolate at 1904 18th Street, (202) 328-1506 ‎. Tell them Adam from the pastry blog sent you. They know yours truly all too well

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