Knipschildt Chocolatier: Rosewater

In case anyone is confused, this bar is made by Knipschildt Chocolatier, who owns and distributes from his chocolate bar in Norwalk, CT: Chocopologie. You don't have to go there to buy his products though -- you can order them online or buy them in some stores in Manhattan. My cousin got this for me at Chocolate Bar on 8th avenue. Here is the basic information:

Knipschildt Chocolatier: Rosewater

Cocoa content: 80%

Notable ingredients: rose water

Origin: Ghana

This would be the fourth single origin bar on the blog, and second from Ghana. This fact, coupled with the fact that it's rose flavored, made me pretty intrigued. Rose water has always been a favorite.. flower-petal-oil by-product of mine. I routinely spray it on my body and when I was younger I used to make my own (kind of) by boiling roses in a big pot of water. I've seen it used at times in pastries and desserts, usually to pleasant effect. 

Which is why I'm disappointed to report that this bar was unspeakably repugnant. Not only that, but it threw off my whole week: after the initial tasting, on Saturday night, I had about 3 oz. of chocolate remaining and absolutely no desire to go near it. Being that it was too soon to start the next bar in my lineup, I had to resort to other, lesser indulgences -- e.g. cookies -- to bide my time.

Chocolate just wants nothing to do with rose water -- and probably all flower-petal-oil by-products, I would guess. Cookies, ice creams, tea, maybe, but the strong flowery taste was way too much for the delicate, earthy muddiness of this single origin 80%. The sensation of chewing on flower petals was only exacerbated by the natural acidity of very dark chocolate. This tasted like some disgusting cross between soil and solid perfume. Never again. D-.