Orfève L'Esterre Récolte 2022 Grenada 70%
ORFÈVE - L 'ESTERRE 70 - RÉCOLTE 2022 - 70% - Batch No. 4/12-3-22
Cacao origin/type:
Trinitario beans from Domaine L'Esterre, pure 2022 harvest
Ingredients:
Shelled cacao beans, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole cane sugar
Other facts:
Made in Switzerland (Orfève, Satigny)
Roasting: 46 minutes at 102° Celsius
Conchage: 72h
Maturation: at least 14 days
Located 150km north of the coast of Venezuela, the island of Grenada is known as the 'isle of spice' famous for its plantations of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and turmeric. Since 1714, fruity and floral cocoa has been cultivated here, which benefits from the dense and generous volcanic soil.
L'Esterre Estate has been owned by the Ramdhanny family for over 70 years. The single estate is located in the northeast of the island, on the outskirts of the rainforest. The family grows cocoa and nutmeg in strict accordance with the rules of organic agriculture and agroforestry, thus maintaining the richness and fertility of the soil.
The beans are harvested during the dry season, between November and April, then fermented at the property for 7 to 8 days before being dried in the sun for 6 to 7 days.
"Orfeve Chocolate, founded by François-Xavier Mousin and Caroline Buechler, is a distinguished chocolate maker based in Geneva. Mastering every stage of chocolate production from bean to bar, Orfeve stands out among luxury Swiss chocolate brands. The brand sources its fine cacao and all raw materials from the noblest terroirs worldwide, adhering to sustainable development principles that respect both people and the natural environment. Orfeve produces 100% single-origin bars to showcase the rarest and most precious cacao varieties and harvests. True to ancient practices, their artisanal production methods are gentle, preserving the nobility of the cacao's origin."
As you can already see from the paragraphs above, Orfève is one of the prime examples of transparency in the industry and is also very actively involved in sustainability and social factors in the countries they source their beans from.
The packaging is quite traditional, reminiscent of other stars in the industry such as Domori. Lots of clean white with golden accents and, similar to craft coffee (and more than Domori, for example), lots of data printed directly on the packaging. The bars themselves are in plain gold foil, even protruding from the plain envelope at the top and bottom. The bars are beautifully flat, embossed with a simple diamond pattern and a logo in the corner, always with an extremely high-quality finish (see below). The precise bar here breaks off quite hard and with a clean cut, with a very fine-pored structure in cross-section.
Aroma:
Nice, delicate nose, not very intense, but you can definitely notice interesting aromas, especially green tea leaves, a few banana chips, some almonds and floral tones
Taste:
Very slow, matte melting, dry-aromatic notes of spices and herbs come out great, fresh nutmeg, some clove and cinnamon, then wonderfully organic tea spreads everywhere, green and herbal tea, fresh tea leaves, not just this bitterness of Earl Grey you get sometimes, some banana chips too
Finish:
Gets a nice, crispy nutty note in the finish, hazelnut and pistachio, as well as further nutmeg, tea leaves also remain, dry, long
Conclusion:
A chocolate for which you should take your time and pay full attention. Otherwise you might initially overlook the delicate aromas on the nose and simply be turned off by the rather slow, dry melt. However, it delights with its wonderfully special character, tea, spices, but never sharp or intense, rather elegant and complex.
94/100 Points
(click to enlarge)
