Amedei Porcelana

Amedei Porcelana, a dark chocolate made by the Amedei candy company of Tuscany, Italy, is often called the world’s most expensive chocolate. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01EED81E3AF930A35751C1A9659C8B63] "New York Times" December 3, 2003] [http://www.thefoodpaper.com/features/amedei_chocolate.html] Food of the Gods: Amedei Chocolates from Tuscany] [http://www.ndtvgoodtimes.com/Lifestyle/News_Details.aspx?GoDetails=dtlCat,Luxury,495] Good Times] [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2006/best.in.life/interactive/gallery.ultimate.valentines/content3.html] CNN: Chocolate] [http://www.elitechoice.org/2007/10/31/worlds-most-expensive-ice-cream-golden-opulence-sundae/] World’s Most Expensive Ice Cream — Golden Opulence Sundae] [http://www.seventypercent.com/chocop/bar_detail.asp?ID=67] Chocopaedia] Considered "a rare treasure" [http://www.chocosphere.com/Html/Products/amedei.html] Epicurean Fusion] by some, it has won various awards including "Best bean to bar", "Best Dark Chocolate Bar", [ [http://www.academyofchocolate.org.uk/dev/chocolate/awards.html] Academy of Chocolate Awards 2006] [http://www.chocolate-week.co.uk/world-chocolate-awards.php] Academy of Chocolate Awards 2008] , and the "Golden Bean award." [ [http://chocolatenews.org/2008/02/22/amedei-takes-the-golden-bean-best-bean-to-bar-award/] Chocolate News] [ [http://www.cacaoweb.net/gourmet-chocolate.html] CocoWeb: Gourmet Chocolate Manufacturers] According to the "New York Times", online chocolatiers have sometimes had trouble keeping up with the demand for this luxury product.

Manufacture

Amedei Porcelana is made from "rare, translucent, white" cocoa beans of a variety now called "Porcelana" due to its porcelain-like color. This cocoa bean, a genetically pure strain of the highly-prized Criollo bean, is native to Venezuela and may have been grown there in the Pre-Colombian era. At the time of the Conquest, this cocoa was mainly used as a beverage and during ceremonies, traditions carried on by the indigenous people today. [http://www.finedarkchocolate.com/Chocolate/Amedei/Amedei_Porcelana.asp] Fine Dark Chocolate 2008] [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/business/yourmoney/19chocolate.html] "New York Times" December 19, 2004]

Porcelana cocoa was called "Maracaibo" in colonial times, since it was primarily exported from that Venezuelan port community. Along with a few other Mexican and Colombian cocoas beans, Maracaibo cocoa was classified as one of the world's highest quality cocoas until the 1920's.

Today, many of these Mexican and Colombian cocoas have disappeared and have been replaced by more disease resistant hybrids. Maracaibo, or Porcelana cocoa, remains but is extremely rare and grown only on small plantations in Venezuela. Amedei produces extremely limited quantities amount of these bars yearly [http://www.chocolatetradingco.com/moreinfo.asp?ID=256] Chocolate Trading Company] and Amedei can only gather enough Porcelana to manufacture 20,000 bars a year." [ [http://bellacabosse.com/upload/copy/amedei-chocolate.shtml] Do Italians make the World’s Best Dark Chocolate?]

Packaging

A "boutique chocolate bar" [http://www.majid.info/mylos/weblog/2004/04/22-1.html] Fazal Majid: Amedei Porcelana] , Amedei Porcelana is sold in luxurious, individually numbered packages that have been called "the reference standard for the industry on how to package a chocolate bar."

Price

A 1.8 oz bar can sell in the United States for as little as $12.95 or as much as $18.99. [ [http://www.melandrose.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=132999] Mel and Rose Fine Foods] The often-quoted price of this chocolate is $90 a pound. One consumer opines "These artisan hand numbered bars are a connoisseurs delight - that's if you don't mind the equally fine price" and another says "Good job you don't need much to appreciate this bar, given the price." While Amedei Porcelana has often been called the world's most expensive chocolate , sources such as a 2006 article by "Forbes" magazine reveals examples of chocolate that sells for as much or more. [ [http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/07/cx_sy_0208featslide.html?thisSpeed=35000] "Forbes": Most Expensive Chocolates] [ [http://www.blavish.com/get-her-the-most-expensive-chocolate-chocopologie-by-knipschildt/] Get Her the Most Expensive Chocolate, Chocopologie by Knipschildt]

Description

While most sources laud the Amedei Porcelana, one chocolate fan says the bar itself is at "the top of Amedei's price list but not at the top of their form - a very good chocolate, but a hair short of perfection." Another describes Amedei Porcelana by saying:

The outer appearance is simply wonderful, artfully crafted and presented in the most attractive fashion, speaking stylishly of the flavors contained within. And this is just the packaging. Removing the bar reveals an equally stunning appearance only afflicted by minor swirling. The light brown-magenta color reflects the Porcelana genetics beautifully, while everything else suggests Amedei gave this bar top priority in the mold. Aroma isn't a world beater, though. It's fairly simple, giving off strawberries in the background but lots of raisin and wood in the forefront, which suggests a more aggressive approach than normally given to this fragile cacao...Considering the bean constituency, the chocolate is more aggressive than expected. It's decisively dark and black in nature, suggesting currants and figs but then the profile softens as cream and a neutral chocolatiness assume control, which when combined form a ganache-like character that glides through henceforth.

A third self-proclaimed connoisseur says that "Porcelana is definitely a superlative chocolate" but that reviews such as that above are "...faintly ridiculous at best, and more than a little unappealing in how they are obviously patterned on wine snobs."

Grand Opulence Sundae

This chocolate is included in the recipe the Grand Opulence Sundae, a $1000 dessert sold at the Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City and mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records. The sundae, which is served with an 18 carat gold spoon, also includes candied fruits from Paris, marzipan cherries, and truffles.

References