Marou Faiseurs de Chocolate – Tien Giang 70% Single Original Dark Chocolate
$9.00
70% Dark Chocolate
4/5
Batch number: 1225
Ingredients: Cacao, Cacao Butter and Palm Sugar
Soy, Dairy and Gluten Free
A few years ago I was researching food packaging when I stumbled about Marou Faiseurs de Chocolate. I was gawking at how beautiful their packaging was. It would be a years later till I could actually try their chocolate.
Learning that Marou is set up in Vietnam was really heartwarming for me. One of my favorite memories of Vietnam was of my family eating the little dark chocolates that were left for us during turndown service. At this resort we were staying at turndown service was twice a day (you nap a lot in Vietnam), so our opportunity for chocolate was pretty high but that didn’t stop us from grabbing a few off the maid’s cart when we walked by. My mother asked where the chocolate came from and we learned it was from a small chocolatier studio up North in Ha Noi. Luckily we were heading there and made sure to find them. I never seen anyone buy so much chocolate. We gave most of them as presents when we returned to the states but they were every where in our house. Biting into Marou’s chocolate is a reminder of that time I spent in Vietnam and the start of my love for dark chocolate.
The bar itself is beautiful, it’s a dark mocha color and cast in a simple mold with the chocolatiers’ branding. The pattern of the bar lets you break off the bar into small diagonal pieces that are perfect sizes to put into your mouth. The first bite is a satisfying dull snap that releases a wonderful bittersweet warmth throughout the month. I love how slightly sweet it is. I recommend taking a bite of the bar, chewing once or twice and then just letting the chocolate melt in your mouth. The chocolate has a slight bitter taste but offers a clean finish.
Like the chocolate I had in Vietnam the Marou bar is a dark chocolate. Personally I love dark chocolate and think this would be great to bring to party to share with other dark chocolate lovers. It would also be a great gateway bar to those who prefer milk chocolate.
As for paring this chocolate, it would go great with a nice shot of espresso. I plan to take some with me next time I go to the coffee shop. It’s sweet taste would compliment a strong dark espresso while providing a clean finish. It also would be great made into hot chocolate with cinnamon.
As I mentioned before, their packaging is beautiful. The paper, the ink, the design, all of it is beautiful. Marou has also done limited edition runs of their chocolate for Air France and La Grande Épicerie de Paris and I’m so sad I won’t be able to get my hands on them. Its one of the first bars I go to pick up and hold when I visit Cacao, local chocolate haunting ground. Just looking at the slight shine from the gold ink makes it feel so special and a true luxury item. Their branding is simple, a blend of Vietnam and of France. A little side note about chocolate in Vietnam, the word for chocolate in Vietnamese is Sô Cô La, a phonetic spelling of the french word for chocolate, Chocolat. Like many things in Vietnam there is a french influence. The typography used reflects the typography common in Vietnam, the use of all cap characters. This style was really prominent in the Vietnam war, but their type choice really portrays elegance, quality and importance. The overall feel of the packaging is a nod to the past. You can really see that in the pattern the created for the packaging, the simple diagonal lines and the beautiful hand drawn illustrations of thte cacao plant.
I like to think the designers of the packaging, Rice Creative wanted Marou to feel familiar and yet luxurious. We all have found memories of eating sweets and as we grew up we want to relive those moments. Growing up doesn’t have to be a bad thing, what is wrong with enjoying a really nice piece of chocolate every now and then, absolutely nothing.
So. Would I buy this again? Absolutely. I’ve had their Lam Dong 74% bar before but I absolutely need to get it again to do a full review.
You can find more information about Marou Faiseurs de Chocolate and the video that started my love of their packaging and ultimately their chocolate below. Also below is the Behance link for the design agency of Rice Creative.
http://marouchocolate.com
https://www.behance.net/Rice_Creative/
Till the next bar,
Mimi
