Mast Brothers 72% With Nibs

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on March 26 2012 | Leave A Comment

As I explained in my previous review, a good friend recently returned from a trip to New York with a huge stash of Mast Brothers chocolate, having followed my recommendation to track down the store in Brooklyn. As a thank you, I was permitted to sample some of every bar that was purchased, many of which are not yet readily available in the UK. Regular readers will know that some bars are available in the UK from Paul A Young’s shop in Soho, and even then it’s not widely advertised. This is a well kept secret that’s not so secret any more.

This is a 72% bar, and like most Mast chocolate there’s no indication of bean origin or varieties used. This is a little odd when you consider that the Brothers offer a bean variety tasting in store where customers can sample half a dozen or so individual bean varieties.

What’s immediately noticeable about this particular bar is the acidity. As soon as a piece of this bar hits your tongue you’re hit with vibrant citrus and green wood notes. The chocolate itself has a smoother texture than the Conacado bar, and that acidity just keeps on coming. The nibs are best kept to last. Let the chocolate melt away before biting down on them and you get to finish the taste experience with deeper, earthier cacao flavours which are a surprising contrast to all of that nature waltzing over your palate.

For a 72% bar it’s surprisingly ‘light’ but with a very long finish. The cacao lingers on the palate beautifully, making the nib nibbling process that little bit more enjoyable as the new earthy flavours join in with the last of the original chocolate.

I found myself liking this a lot, despite my initial surprise at just how vibrant and acidic the chocolate was. I definitely thought it had more going on than the Conacado bar – but it still isn’t my favourite Mast Brothers bar. We can only hope that now the Brothers have expanded their store and prodcution area that they can produce enough to start a small supply line to the UK in the not too distant future. The world would be a better place for it.

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Comments On This Post

  1. Ron P.

    C’mon, chocoblogger experts, it’s quite OK to open your mouth before thinking (how else will you be able to taste?) but the Masts don’t need to advertise the origin on this because the flavor gives it away.

    You’re now permitted to think.

    • Dom (Chocablog Staff)

      Here’s an explanation of why we (I) think bean origin is important: https://www.chocablog.com/map/

      Flavour doesn’t always give origin or variety away by any means, as the flavour has as much to do with how the beans are processed as where they were grown.

      But it’s still important to ask questions as to where your food comes from.

  2. We now tag chocolates based on bean origins & I have been asked to mention this in my reviews. I thought it worth mentioning that the product information doesn’t specify bean origins.

  3. Ron P.

    Uh, but we come here for expert advice so surely you can discern the origin based on taste, especially one so glaringly obvious. Every unique company leaves a particular maker’s mark on a bar in terms of how it’s processed, cross that by the genetic / terroir signature of the origin &, voila, the answer often lies clearly within.

    C’mon now, Dom, let’s put the clues together & solve it.

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