Peeve Farm

g r o t t o 1 1

Peeve Farm
Breeding peeves for show, not just to keep as pets

Brian Tiemann
Silicon Valley-based purveyor of a confusing mixture of Apple punditry and political bile.

btman at grotto11 dot com

Read These Too:

InstaPundit
Steven Den Beste
James Lileks
Little Green Footballs
As the Apple Turns
Entropicana
Cold Fury
Capitalist Lion
Red Letter Day
Eric S. Raymond
Tal G in Jerusalem
Aziz Poonawalla
Corsair the Rational Pirate
.clue
Ravishing Light
Rosenblog
Cartago Delenda Est

Book Plugs:

Buy 'em and I get
money. I think.
BSD Mall

Amazon Honor System

1/28/2008 -  1/28/2008
1/21/2008 -  1/27/2008
1/14/2008 -  1/20/2008
  1/7/2008 -  1/13/2008
12/31/2007 -   1/6/2008
12/24/2007 - 12/30/2007
12/17/2007 - 12/23/2007
12/10/2007 - 12/16/2007
12/3/2007 -  12/9/2007
11/26/2007 -  12/2/2007
11/19/2007 - 11/25/2007
11/12/2007 - 11/18/2007
11/5/2007 - 11/11/2007
10/29/2007 -  11/4/2007
10/22/2007 - 10/28/2007
10/15/2007 - 10/21/2007
10/8/2007 - 10/14/2007
10/1/2007 -  10/7/2007
9/24/2007 -  9/30/2007
9/17/2007 -  9/23/2007
9/10/2007 -  9/16/2007
  9/3/2007 -   9/9/2007
8/27/2007 -   9/2/2007
8/20/2007 -  8/26/2007
8/13/2007 -  8/19/2007
  8/6/2007 -  8/12/2007
7/30/2007 -   8/5/2007
7/23/2007 -  7/29/2007
7/16/2007 -  7/22/2007
  7/9/2007 -  7/15/2007
  7/2/2007 -   7/8/2007
6/25/2007 -   7/1/2007
6/18/2007 -  6/24/2007
6/11/2007 -  6/17/2007
  6/4/2007 -  6/10/2007
5/28/2007 -   6/3/2007
5/21/2007 -  5/27/2007
5/14/2007 -  5/20/2007
  5/7/2007 -  5/13/2007
4/30/2007 -   5/6/2007
4/23/2007 -  4/29/2007
4/16/2007 -  4/22/2007
  4/9/2007 -  4/15/2007
  4/2/2007 -   4/8/2007
3/26/2007 -   4/1/2007
3/19/2007 -  3/25/2007
3/12/2007 -  3/18/2007
  3/5/2007 -  3/11/2007
2/26/2007 -   3/4/2007
2/19/2007 -  2/25/2007
2/12/2007 -  2/18/2007
  2/5/2007 -  2/11/2007
1/29/2007 -   2/4/2007
1/22/2007 -  1/28/2007
1/15/2007 -  1/21/2007
  1/8/2007 -  1/14/2007
  1/1/2007 -   1/7/2007
12/25/2006 - 12/31/2006
12/18/2006 - 12/24/2006
12/11/2006 - 12/17/2006
12/4/2006 - 12/10/2006
11/27/2006 -  12/3/2006
11/20/2006 - 11/26/2006
11/13/2006 - 11/19/2006
11/6/2006 - 11/12/2006
10/30/2006 -  11/5/2006
10/23/2006 - 10/29/2006
10/16/2006 - 10/22/2006
10/9/2006 - 10/15/2006
10/2/2006 -  10/8/2006
9/25/2006 -  10/1/2006
9/18/2006 -  9/24/2006
9/11/2006 -  9/17/2006
  9/4/2006 -  9/10/2006
8/28/2006 -   9/3/2006
8/21/2006 -  8/27/2006
8/14/2006 -  8/20/2006
  8/7/2006 -  8/13/2006
7/31/2006 -   8/6/2006
7/24/2006 -  7/30/2006
7/17/2006 -  7/23/2006
7/10/2006 -  7/16/2006
  7/3/2006 -   7/9/2006
6/26/2006 -   7/2/2006
6/19/2006 -  6/25/2006
6/12/2006 -  6/18/2006
  6/5/2006 -  6/11/2006
5/29/2006 -   6/4/2006
5/22/2006 -  5/28/2006
5/15/2006 -  5/21/2006
  5/8/2006 -  5/14/2006
  5/1/2006 -   5/7/2006
4/24/2006 -  4/30/2006
4/17/2006 -  4/23/2006
4/10/2006 -  4/16/2006
  4/3/2006 -   4/9/2006
3/27/2006 -   4/2/2006
3/20/2006 -  3/26/2006
3/13/2006 -  3/19/2006
  3/6/2006 -  3/12/2006
2/27/2006 -   3/5/2006
2/20/2006 -  2/26/2006
2/13/2006 -  2/19/2006
  2/6/2006 -  2/12/2006
1/30/2006 -   2/5/2006
1/23/2006 -  1/29/2006
1/16/2006 -  1/22/2006
  1/9/2006 -  1/15/2006
  1/2/2006 -   1/8/2006
12/26/2005 -   1/1/2005
12/19/2005 - 12/25/2005
12/12/2005 - 12/18/2005
12/5/2005 - 12/11/2005
11/28/2005 -  12/4/2005
11/21/2005 - 11/27/2005
11/14/2005 - 11/20/2005
11/7/2005 - 11/13/2005
10/31/2005 -  11/6/2005
10/24/2005 - 10/30/2005
10/17/2005 - 10/23/2005
10/10/2005 - 10/16/2005
10/3/2005 -  10/9/2005
9/26/2005 -  10/2/2005
9/19/2005 -  9/25/2005
9/12/2005 -  9/18/2005
  9/5/2005 -  9/11/2005
8/29/2005 -   9/4/2005
8/22/2005 -  8/28/2005
8/15/2005 -  8/21/2005
  8/8/2005 -  8/14/2005
  8/1/2005 -   8/7/2005
7/25/2005 -  7/31/2005
7/18/2005 -  7/24/2005
7/11/2005 -  7/17/2005
  7/4/2005 -  7/10/2005
6/27/2005 -   7/3/2005
6/20/2005 -  6/26/2005
6/13/2005 -  6/19/2005
  6/6/2005 -  6/12/2005
5/30/2005 -   6/5/2005
5/23/2005 -  5/29/2005
5/16/2005 -  5/22/2005
  5/9/2005 -  5/15/2005
  5/2/2005 -   5/8/2005
4/25/2005 -   5/1/2005
4/18/2005 -  4/24/2005
4/11/2005 -  4/17/2005
  4/4/2005 -  4/10/2005
3/28/2005 -   4/3/2005
3/21/2005 -  3/27/2005
3/14/2005 -  3/20/2005
  3/7/2005 -  3/13/2005
2/28/2005 -   3/6/2005
2/21/2005 -  2/27/2005
2/14/2005 -  2/20/2005
  2/7/2005 -  2/13/2005
1/31/2005 -   2/6/2005
1/24/2005 -  1/30/2005
1/17/2005 -  1/23/2005
1/10/2005 -  1/16/2005
  1/3/2005 -   1/9/2005
12/27/2004 -   1/2/2004
12/20/2004 - 12/26/2004
12/13/2004 - 12/19/2004
12/6/2004 - 12/12/2004
11/29/2004 -  12/5/2004
11/22/2004 - 11/28/2004
11/15/2004 - 11/21/2004
11/8/2004 - 11/14/2004
11/1/2004 -  11/7/2004
10/25/2004 - 10/31/2004
10/18/2004 - 10/24/2004
10/11/2004 - 10/17/2004
10/4/2004 - 10/10/2004
9/27/2004 -  10/3/2004
9/20/2004 -  9/26/2004
9/13/2004 -  9/19/2004
  9/6/2004 -  9/12/2004
8/30/2004 -   9/5/2004
8/23/2004 -  8/29/2004
8/16/2004 -  8/22/2004
  8/9/2004 -  8/15/2004
  8/2/2004 -   8/8/2004
7/26/2004 -   8/1/2004
7/19/2004 -  7/25/2004
7/12/2004 -  7/18/2004
  7/5/2004 -  7/11/2004
6/28/2004 -   7/4/2004
6/21/2004 -  6/27/2004
6/14/2004 -  6/20/2004
  6/7/2004 -  6/13/2004
5/31/2004 -   6/6/2004
5/24/2004 -  5/30/2004
5/17/2004 -  5/23/2004
5/10/2004 -  5/16/2004
  5/3/2004 -   5/9/2004
4/26/2004 -   5/2/2004
4/19/2004 -  4/25/2004
4/12/2004 -  4/18/2004
  4/5/2004 -  4/11/2004
3/29/2004 -   4/4/2004
3/22/2004 -  3/28/2004
3/15/2004 -  3/21/2004
  3/8/2004 -  3/14/2004
  3/1/2004 -   3/7/2004
2/23/2004 -  2/29/2004
2/16/2004 -  2/22/2004
  2/9/2004 -  2/15/2004
  2/2/2004 -   2/8/2004
1/26/2004 -   2/1/2004
1/19/2004 -  1/25/2004
1/12/2004 -  1/18/2004
  1/5/2004 -  1/11/2004
12/29/2003 -   1/4/2004
12/22/2003 - 12/28/2003
12/15/2003 - 12/21/2003
12/8/2003 - 12/14/2003
12/1/2003 -  12/7/2003
11/24/2003 - 11/30/2003
11/17/2003 - 11/23/2003
11/10/2003 - 11/16/2003
11/3/2003 -  11/9/2003
10/27/2003 -  11/2/2003
10/20/2003 - 10/26/2003
10/13/2003 - 10/19/2003
10/6/2003 - 10/12/2003
9/29/2003 -  10/5/2003
9/22/2003 -  9/28/2003
9/15/2003 -  9/21/2003
  9/8/2003 -  9/14/2003
  9/1/2003 -   9/7/2003
8/25/2003 -  8/31/2003
8/18/2003 -  8/24/2003
8/11/2003 -  8/17/2003
  8/4/2003 -  8/10/2003
7/28/2003 -   8/3/2003
7/21/2003 -  7/27/2003
7/14/2003 -  7/20/2003
  7/7/2003 -  7/13/2003
6/30/2003 -   7/6/2003
6/23/2003 -  6/29/2003
6/16/2003 -  6/22/2003
  6/9/2003 -  6/15/2003
  6/2/2003 -   6/8/2003
5/26/2003 -   6/1/2003
5/19/2003 -  5/25/2003
5/12/2003 -  5/18/2003
  5/5/2003 -  5/11/2003
4/28/2003 -   5/4/2003
4/21/2003 -  4/27/2003
4/14/2003 -  4/20/2003
  4/7/2003 -  4/13/2003
3/31/2003 -   4/6/2003
3/24/2003 -  3/30/2003
3/17/2003 -  3/23/2003
3/10/2003 -  3/16/2003
  3/3/2003 -   3/9/2003
2/24/2003 -   3/2/2003
2/17/2003 -  2/23/2003
2/10/2003 -  2/16/2003
  2/3/2003 -   2/9/2003
1/27/2003 -   2/2/2003
1/20/2003 -  1/26/2003
1/13/2003 -  1/19/2003
  1/6/2003 -  1/12/2003
12/30/2002 -   1/5/2003
12/23/2002 - 12/29/2002
12/16/2002 - 12/22/2002
12/9/2002 - 12/15/2002
12/2/2002 -  12/8/2002
11/25/2002 -  12/1/2002
11/18/2002 - 11/24/2002
11/11/2002 - 11/17/2002
11/4/2002 - 11/10/2002
10/28/2002 -  11/3/2002
10/21/2002 - 10/27/2002
10/14/2002 - 10/20/2002
10/7/2002 - 10/13/2002
9/30/2002 -  10/6/2002
9/23/2002 -  9/29/2002
9/16/2002 -  9/22/2002
  9/9/2002 -  9/15/2002
  9/2/2002 -   9/8/2002
8/26/2002 -   9/1/2002
8/19/2002 -  8/25/2002
8/12/2002 -  8/18/2002
  8/5/2002 -  8/11/2002
7/29/2002 -   8/4/2002
7/22/2002 -  7/28/2002
7/15/2002 -  7/21/2002
  7/8/2002 -  7/14/2002
  7/1/2002 -   7/7/2002
6/24/2002 -  6/30/2002
6/17/2002 -  6/23/2002
6/10/2002 -  6/16/2002
  6/3/2002 -   6/9/2002
5/27/2002 -   6/2/2002
5/20/2002 -  5/26/2002
5/13/2002 -  5/19/2002
  5/6/2002 -  5/12/2002
4/29/2002 -   5/5/2002
4/22/2002 -  4/28/2002
4/15/2002 -  4/21/2002
  4/8/2002 -  4/14/2002
  4/1/2002 -   4/7/2002
3/25/2002 -  3/31/2002
3/18/2002 -  3/24/2002
3/11/2002 -  3/17/2002
  3/4/2002 -  3/10/2002
2/25/2002 -   3/3/2002
2/18/2002 -  2/24/2002
2/11/2002 -  2/17/2002
  2/4/2002 -  2/10/2002
1/28/2002 -   2/3/2002
1/21/2002 -  1/27/2002
1/14/2002 -  1/20/2002
  1/7/2002 -  1/13/2002
12/31/2001 -   1/6/2002
12/24/2001 - 12/30/2001
12/17/2001 - 12/23/2001

Monday, January 28, 2008
15:00 - Chocolate Reviews: Pralus Tanzanie, Equateur, Indon�sie, Fortissima	(top)
Pralus Tanzanie 75%: Creamy and mild, with grape Kool-Aid Pralus Equateur 75%: Rich and almondy, no Arriba in sight Pralus Indon�sie 75%: Heavy, cloying, like wading through molasses Pralus Fortissima 80%: Nice blend, but lacking punch Pralus is a small French manufacturer whose claim to fame is a whole line of single-origins from growing locations all around the equator. It isn't well known, but the name shows up from time to time in listings of "insider" chocolates, and this last month's shipment of the monthly surprise from Chocosphere was a box of these four Pralus varieties: three single-origins at 75%, and one blend at 80%. Pralus has apparently only recently just shifted away from packaging its bars in transparent wrappers; judging by the reviews of its line, it's something of a novelty now to not have the chocolate show up in these wacky clear packages. The monochromatic, dull-finished wrappers give off a bit of that faux-downmarket vibe that you get from "Dirty Potato Chips" and so on, where badly aligned offset printing and plain line-art telegraph a message more like "We're so serious about our craft that we can't be bothered to waste our time on something as pedestrian as making it look attractive" than "We suck at packaging". Or at least one hopes that was their thought process. That said, I appreciate the information they do put on the package: the front design shows where the chocolate originates from, geographically, even down to latitude/longitude coordinates (in French), as well as clearly describing the cacao varieties that go into each one. You really get the feeling that this company takes the single-origin thing seriously. One thing I notice about all these bars, though, is that there's a pungency to them, a spicy, caramelly richness that's absent from most of the other bars I've tasted from other manufacturers. Whereas Lindt's 70% (which I am coming to regard as my "reference" chocolate, at least for blends, and the best base for truffles and molds) has a complex roasted flavor that feels more classically "chocolate" to me than just about anything else, these Pralus bars are all a tad odd, broadcasting notes of just about everything but chocolate, as though they just can't figure out what they want to be. That's the fun of single-origins, though: nobody picks a single-origin because of its classically familiar flavor. That's why you do blends. All the bars�100g each, though not wide and flat like the Lindts, making the stack of four feel chunky and heavy�are scored into these tiny squares, with a big logo segment in one corner that strikes a weird balance between practical function and artsy finish. At least it's not as stupid as the diagonal Scharffen Berger scoring. But mixed with the thickness of the bar, the tiny square scheme does have the downside that in order to break anything off, you end up having to grip the whole bar and press so hard you melt thumbprints into an otherwise nicely-finished surface. This is especially the case with the Tanzanie bar, a Forastero that tastes very mild and sweet for a 75%, hardly Forastero-like at all. Certainly nothing like the Arribas from Ecuador or the related dark roasts from Ghana or C�te d'Ivoire. Rather, the main flavor I get at first taste is something like grape Kool-Aid flavoring�not a bad flavor, at least as far as I'm concerned, but certainly something surprising to find in a chocolate. On a side note: once when I was in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, I stopped at a shave ice stand where the girl behind the counter was bantering with people in the line. The guy in front of me was mentioning something about various odd flavor choices and their popularity; the girl said, "The only flavor I just don't get is grape. It's awful! And nobody likes it! I can't imagine anybody ordering it!" The guy commiserated: surely, grape flavoring was the devil's own creation, and its presence in shave ice menus is only the result of some kind of sinister union rule grandfathered from the days when you could buy quince and plum and horehound Jolly Ranchers or something. The guy took his cone and left; and of course I stepped up next and ordered grape. She peered at me, sure I was putting her on. It took some effort on my part to convince her that yes, I actually wanted grape shave ice. No fooling. Take the level on that bottle down by a bubble from the nozzle, because Crazy Freak Grape Flavoring Man is in town. Or else I'm from the union. Don't cross me, sister, 'less you wanna end up strapped to the bottom of a buoy out in the bay. For a review that almost exactly mirrors my impressions of this bar, see SeventyPercent.com. Seriously: I usually disagree somewhat with that site's impressions, but in this case it's all dead-on. The mushy bar feel, the creamy texture, the "rustic" look, the "cocoa parting shot" that reminds you that this is in fact chocolate after all. Weird bar, hard to get a handle on, but quite enjoyable. Equateur, Pralus' Ecuadorian bar, is a bit of an odd beast in another way: unlike almost everything else with an Ecuador brand on it, it's not Arriba, but actually Trinitario, the Caribbean Criollo/Forastero hybrid you usually find on Trinidad. As such it doesn't taste a bit like the Arribas I've grown used to, and has none of that aggressive, dark, velvety evil you get from companies like Hachez or Chocovic or even Domori. Instead, Pralus' bar tastes like it's got almonds in it: woodsy, pulverized almonds all throughout. It's a very rich taste, yet interestingly light, quite close to the classical "chocolate" you might expect from a blend, but that almondy note stands out throughout the melt and makes it into something quite unique. Very pleasant. (The SeventyPercent.com review seems to think it's Arriba, but I'm not sure where that comes from, as Arriba is a Forastero variety, and hard to confuse with Trinitario, from what I understand. At least it would explain why Alex Rast can't detect any Arriba character in it.) With Indon�sie, though, things take a curious turn. This bar smacks you across the nose as you unwrap it, letting you know right away that this is no classically "approachable" bar. A taste confirms the suspicion; it hardly tastes like "chocolate" at all, and is about as far from that classical flavor as some of the Madagascar single-origins I've had from Valrhona, such as Ampamakia (man, I gotta get me another Ampamakia bar; that was gooood). Unlike Valrhona, though, Pralus doesn't try to reign in (Aaagh! Now you've got me doing it!)�sorry, rein in the wild horses of the flavor profile on this one, and it takes you deep into uncharted swamps and sinister privately-patrolled sugarcane fields that you suspect might have marijuna plants sown in toward the middle of the field, so you try to scuttle your way back out the way you came before someone sticks a machine gun in your face. If you come out the opposite side of this chocolate with your palate intact, consider yourself lucky: otherwise you might have to undergo an intensive rehabilitation treatment of Lindt 85% intermingled with Chuao in frequent, expensive doses. The 80% Fortissima is a lot like Indon�sie in a way, with much the same flavor characteristics, but blended with some other strains to result in a more subdued, more restrained bar that's a lot easier to handle, despite its slightly higher cacao content. I'm not sure who they think they're fooling with that chin-jutting name: this is one of the milder ones of this batch, with only a slightly more focused chocolate undertone to distinguish it. The origin is allegedly Ecuador, like the almondy Equateur; but it's also labeled as "Criollo/Trinitario", meaning this is a blend, possibly using the Criollos from Indon�sie as its mixing agent. I can hardly detect the expected darkness or bitterness in this bar; like the Scharffen Berger 82%, being in the 80-percent category just seems to make this bar a milder version of one of its less-restrained 70-class siblings, oddly more approachable, but at the same time a little disappointing that it isn't more punchy. Certainly not what I'd expect from something called "Fortissimo". Ah well�at least they didn't call it "Crescendo". Pralus has some interesting things going for it�unique flavors, small-company bar handling, quirky and personality-laden presentation. The bars also cost $8.35 each. That puts them at more than twice the price of the comparable mass-market Lindt, and as such I wouldn't want to do anything in bulk with it, any more than I would use the similarly-priced Domori single-origins for anything (well, anymore I should say�those Sambirano truffles were quite an experiment, and one I'm not sure I'm eager to repeat). It's well worth a look, but expect to be confronted with a belligerent, self-satisfied lineup of bars that don't feel they ought to compromise their character to suit your unadventuresome taste, peasant. It's too bad the bars aren't just a little bit better; then they might really be able to make that attitude stick. As it is, though... eh. Not my favorite.