• Limited edition - hand numbered
• Fifty gram bar

The genetically pure and very rare "Porcelana" criollo bean, called this because of its translucent white colour, results in a very clear chocolate, 70% fondant. This bean goes far beyond the traditional notion of chocolate: it is an intense chocolate of great strength yet tantalising delicacy, with a composition that imparts freshness, leaving the palate clean (and, we often find, desirous of more!). This is a highly complex and sophisticated chocolate, in which each individual will experience uniquely its flavour notes. These may include notes of light spice, a hint of dark smoke, and nuances of red wine. A true gourmet's chocolate. Produced in a limited edition by Amedei, with each bar hand-numbered.

Customer Rating:
Summary: This really is noticably better than other top-shelf chocolate.
Comment: It really is smoother and more nuanced than any luxury chocolate available in places like Whole-Foods and Cost-Plus (High end retailers).
If you have tried many different good quality chocolates then you should also try this one. At 70% cocoa mass it is unlikely to be too bitter for most, as it's excellent cocoa bean makes this less bitter than many regular semi-sweet chocolate bars.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Luscious Italian chocolate at a steep price
Comment: Like most people, I have been a fan of chocolate for probably my whole life. However, as I have grown older, I have found that dark chocolate gives me the intensity of flavor that gives me my fix. It all started, of course, with Hershey's Special Dark chocolate, which now tastes way too sweet for my palate. Through the years there was Ghiardelli and some of the Belgian companies. Then I discovered Scharffen Berger chocolate which I found to be as good or better than the European varieties in taste, with the added benefit of being an American company interested in fair trade and who are ecologically green.

Through my research on the internet, I stumbled on this article about a small italian chocolate company, Amadei, who took on and beat French goliath Valhrona chocolates for trade with farmers in a precious region of Venezuela, where both chuao and porcialana beans are grown. Well, needless to say, I got my hands (and mouth) on this chocolate and it was truly a wonderful experience. These are single bean chocolates which allow the lucky eater to taste the subtle differences in flavors that exist in the actual chocolates themselves: from different types of fruits like cherry or banana, to nuts, spices, tobacco, coffee, and caramel.

I have given this product, and all of the other wonderful products that Amadei makes, only 4 stars for two reasons: cost and convenience. Regardless of whether you order it through Amazon or directly from their website, it takes forever for them to process the order, usually 4 or 5 business days. You can have it sent standard which takes another 7 to 10 days after processing the order (for a fairly heavy fee), or expedited which takes 'only' 3 to 5 days after processing the order for even more money. Either way, you need to be patient. (I am wondering if they have heard about airplanes at Amadei!) By the way, shipping times that I quoted are to California. The cost of this product is the other big issue. It is perhaps the most expensive chocolate available. The three 50 gram (slightly more than 2 oz.) bars I recently purchased cost $58 dollars after shipping and handling, almost $20 per bar. (They are listed at an already steep price of $14 per bar.) Here's the rub: Valhrona Noir or their Extra Noir chocolates are truly fantastic and definitely competes for flavor and texture to Amadei, even though they are not single bean origin. Additionally, there are so many fine chocolate companies that have their single bean chocolates available in grocery stores here in the US, and some are very good to excellent as well.

You'll have to decide if its worth it. If you are a serious chocolate afficianado, or just a plain old junky, buy a lot of Amadei's chocolate at one time, to defray the cost of shipping (they have multi-kilogram bags of their chocolate in little bit-sized squares.) Or just go exploring the wonderful world of chocolate in your local specialty store.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: chocolate lover
Comment: This was truly the best of the best. It came packed in its own little cooler so it didnt melt or spoil during shipping. The smooth texture and awesome flavor I will savor until I can order more.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Comment: This is another outstanding chocolate by Amedei - one of the best I've ever had.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: If you can call chocolate "sexy...."
Comment: After my experience with the Amedei Limited Edition Chuao bar, also available on Amazon, I had to expand my horizons with Amedei and will endeavor to write reviews on all of their products. For those of you who have tried Amedei products before, you'll recognize this as blatant self-serving, but for the rest of you let me assure you that I only have the most noble of motives - to provide an honest review based upon personal experience.

That being said, I must admit that I have become a fan of this company. Everything I've tried so far from this company has been of extraordinarily high quality, and these continue that trend.

As noted, I first tried the Chuao bar, and had accordingly high expectations of the Amedei Limited Edition Porcelana Bar. I was not going to be disappointed. The difference between the Chuao bar and the Porcelana bar is like that of day and night. While the Chuao bar is like a day in an exotic tropical wilderness, the Porcelana bar is relatively dark, quiet and seductive, reminiscent of the femme fatale in a noir film. There is a bitterness to the chocolate that all dark chocolates have, but with this bar you must be paying attention to it to really notice the subtle presence that seems to have been there all along; by then you're so in love with the chocolate you could care less. The chocolate melts evenly, wrapping itself around your tongue and mouth, sweetly imparting fine flavors to the palate. It would be difficult to explain the amazing differences between this chocolate and those fine chocolates available in, say, a nice department store. The best way I can put it is this: Imagine that you're in a fine, upscale bar chatting with a local beauty, when from behind you a supermodel sneaks up to you, gently places her arm across your shoulders, and purrs softly in your ear, "Would you mind doing me a favor...?" For those who think they prefer milk chocolate over dark, give this bar a try. You won't be disappointed. Well, at least not until you go back to your old favorite milk chocolate....

As with any order from Amedei, it will be shipped with ice packs to preserve the integrity of the chocolate but has the unfortunate effect of driving up the total cost of shipping. Anticipate a significant shipping charge if ordering just one item. My recommendation is to order several items to spread out and justify this cost, which only makes sense as this chocolate is too good not to share with friends!

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