It always feels right to me that Mast Brothers Chocolate has the name that it does, for almost every Mast Brothers Chocolate bar that I’ve tried and reviewed has come to me courtesy of my spectacular brother, E.TeacherLord (excuse me for a moment: ain’t no thang; add a drop of lavender to your milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you’re laughing at it; DON’T CALL ME FRANKLY).
Hey look! It’s my brother and me, many moons ago. I wish we still wore matching beanies.
But you’re not here to see photos of my face. You’re here for chocolate.
Mast Brothers Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs
It seems that, in the Brooklyn-based world of the Mast Brothers, 72% dark chocolate + cocoa nibs = complicated knots. Here is what this packaging makes me think of: nooses, sinister things, convicts, ships, science, snakes, scurvy, rope burn, rope burn during evil P.E. in high school, jester hat, laughter.
Laughter is good. So is:
The shiny, the shiny! Magpie Hannah likes the shiny very much, very much.
The cocoa beans for this bar were grown in Madagascar, and then “roasted, cracked, winnowed, stone-ground and aged in Brooklyn”.
Just so you know, if I have a daughter in the next year (hah! A likely story), I’m going to call her Winnow.
Where was I? Oh yes. This bar is made of only three ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, and cocoa nibs, all of which are organic. When I finally stopped pondering the names of my future children (hah! the names of my future pet lemurs, more likely), I took a moment to breathe in the aroma of this chocolate and was astonished at the scent of red wine that hit me, followed by some raspberry and maybe a little port.
This 72% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs was a slow starter in terms of flavour, beginning with little then slowly showing a hint of earth, smoke, wood, and brown sugar. Then, just towards the end, the chocolate burst into delicious notes of clotted cream, dark cocoa, and a bit of pear and burnt caramel. The roasted nibs on top contributed an intense charcoal chocolatiness, as they’re wont to do.
The sweetness is very restrained in this bar, and as a result the nuances of the chocolate come to the fore. As I finished my little plateful, I wondered if I could get away with telling you I tasted melted butter, pumpernickel bread, red wine, and molasses.
Or maybe I should just say this was a rather fine, though slow-to-develop, specimen of brotherly chocolatey goodness.
Question Time: If you have a brother, what’s the best present he’s given you lately? If you don’t have a brother, then why is the sky blue?
Winnow makes me think of a willow crossed with a willow. A swimming tree? I always loved the name Willow for a girl.
Nibs. Love.
And the sky is blue because I don’t like pink.
A willow crossed with a willow? Wouldn’t that just be… more willow? But a swimming tree? Oh, my brain is so clearly missing some important factor here! I feel foolish.
I love Willow too. Mostly ’cause of Buffy
Pink, schmink. I’ve always been a green girl!
Whoopsie I meant to say a willow and a MINNOW… you know like the little fish? That’s where the swimming tree bit comes from
Aha! That’s two votes for minnow now! Not that I know what we’re voting for. Oh heavens, I’m tired.
That picture of you and your brother is so cute!!
The best thing my brother has given me is patience… I don’t think I would have had as much patience if he weren’t in my life… and that’s a good thing
.
*laughs* I love your response! Probably the best patience my brother taught me was to cope with having my head sat on as a kid
That looks scrumptious ! Gorgeous , too ! I just love the texture
I have a little bro – although I dont think we have matching beanies. Perhaps I can change that
Matching beanies for Christmas! Everybody wins!
The sky isn’t really blue you know…
It’s black.. but luckily you are a MAGPIE and a singing one.. so I can easily distract you with a shiny rendition of Part of Your World (see what I did there? TAKO MIND POWER!)
TAKO MIND POWER defies all logic and enters the land of WINNING SPARKLES FAIRY DUST IN UPENDI WHERE THE PASSIONFRUIT GROWS SWEET!
I don’t have a brother, but I do have a great sister! Nice looking bar of chocolate… even though the packaging is strangely knotty!
I’m sure a sister is *almost* as good as a brother
Did you feel like you had the golden ticket when you opened that chocolate? I think a tour of Wonka headquarters is in your near future!
I keep waiting for Johnny Depp to show up on my doorstep. So far, each day is ending with nothing but disappointment.
There’s nothing stopping you from wearing matching beanies. In fact! That’s what I want the next time you are together in person. Go buy a pair of matching beanies and take a photo for the blog. YES.
Oh dear lord, I am so going to do this if it within my power to do so. I’m fairly certain E. would be game. Now it’s only a matter of finding the beanies… the more ridiculous, the better. Why isn’t he visiting for my birthday? Wah!
hehe as someone that doesn’t have a brother I’m glad you have a question for me!
Although I don’t know the definite answer!
I’m an equal-opportunity interrogator
Well, I don’t have a brother, but I do have a sister and she recently painted me a picture of two pieces of sushi that is currently hanging right above me.
The sky is blue because it is heavy with a dense mist of fine blueberry particles. One only needs to wave a pancake about in the air to infuse it with millions of these particles, which will then accumulate into spherical blue blobs known as blueberries. It is then advisable to ingest the pancake in order to absorb the trace blueberium mineral which is critical for health.
Okay, okay, I admit it. That sister thing sounds pretty cool. However, while I may admit that sisters can be as awesome as brothers, no one will ever convince me cats are as good as dogs. So there.
Oh dear heavens I LOVE YOU. Best answer in the history of today. I wish I could zoom through all those fine blueberry particles to wallop you with a pancake hug right now.
I don’t have a brother; but my sister brought me the cocoa nibs Mast Brothers chocolate bar back from a trip to NY.
Your sister and my brother are clearly cut from the same awesome chocolate sibling cloth
This sounds like the Koko black cocoa nib chocolate I so loved! Except shinier
Which has to be a good thing xo
There aren’t many situations in life where shinier isn’t better (faces is one of them; botox no goodox). Nom nom!
This Christmas past, my bro Jim gave me a bonafide real Mexican Molcajete, shaped like a piggy. It it pretty much the most ace thing ever. I still need to “season” it though. It’s on my list of things to do post-thesis.
That chocolate sounds deliciousssssss. Plus, Brooklyn. Kinda reminds me of the sad news of Adam Yauch’s passing this week, though. I need nibs in my life, asap.
Even getting the chance to say “I have a Molcajete” is like a present in and of itself. Round of applause to your bro Jim! Giving wonderful gifts must run in the family
xo
I feel badly for not having grown up as a Beastie Boy devotee; there’s been such an outpouring of love on the Internet for Adam Yauch that he was clearly a man of much greatness.
oh that is brotherly love – sounds like a lovely chocolate. I am so glad your tasting notes include ruminations on the covers because I love a pretty cover.
And Winnow sounds like a small fish (am I confusing it with minnow?)
I think a minnow is a small fish. I’d prefer to think of Winnow as being closer in likeness to a weeping willow
You and your brother were so cute! That chocolate (once it’s out of its packaging) really does look lovely. Amazing how there are only three ingredients. And alas, I didn’t have a brother and alas, I am not a scientist so cannot answer your question. I just accept that it’s blue xx
I love your emphasis on the past tense there
Acceptance is key to contentment in so many ways, so I not only accept but applaud your answer
I’d be lucky to get a pressie from my bro. Although, he may still be upset that on his 17th bday, I gave him hair gel. And not even the good kind… LOL
You have the nose of a Beagle! Astonishing.
Oh dear heavens, oh dear heavens! You just made me laugh so hard it physically hurt. Oh my lord. A beagle? I feel like I should be upset but in truth I’m utterly delighted. Bahahaha! Love you Sugartwin.
Your bro and you look so cute – if memory serves me right my bro and I used to wear matching Dorothy the dinosaur caps
This chocolate looks so silky and perfect yet only 3 ingredients – and ever since eating magnum infinity my latest obsession has been cocoa nibs
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Aw man, now I’m sad we never got to have Dorothy the Dinosaur hats!
What the what? Magnums come with cacao nibs now? They’ve clearly stepped up their game since I was a kid!
I’ve always wanted a brother hehe
because I’ve got 3 sisters so i’m always telling my male friends that I’m going to make them my ‘brother’ hahaha that’s why i have a god brother hehe if I had a real brother I’d love for him to kick my boyfriend’s butt 
OOO i wanna try these chocolates!
Bahahaha! You have the strangest reason for wanting a brother that I’ve ever heard.
I used to want a sister as well as my brother, though not to abuse my boyfriends 
I don’t have a brother, and sometimes, this made me sad. But well, it shouldn’t be. I’ll suffice, on my own!
The chocolate looks really nice! I can’t wait to try cocoa nibs, hopefully that will happen soon!
Maybe you can’t really miss what you never had, nor should you. Happiness with what is, is best!
looks good!! And I love the packaging… how how I’m a sucker for packaging!
Mast Brothers always gets so much applause for their packaging whenever I review them! They’re clearly doing something right
Love that picture of you two
beyond gorgeous it is. Love. 3 ingredient chocolate is rather grand too.
Heidi xo
If only it were as easy to make at home as it is grand!
Oh but I am here to see photos of your babein’ face as well as the chocolate! Did you not know? The chocolate is very compelling too though – raspberries and port, oh my! Just the thing to nibble on while either contemplating future lemur names, or indeed, while patting one’s pet lemurs.
SQUISH! You always make my heart flutter, Laura.
I want to be patting pet lemurs right now instead of coping with normal life so very much I might cry. I also might cry because of that previous sentence’s terrible grammar. WILL NOTHING GO RIGHT IN MY WORLD TONIGHT?
Oh wait, you go right. Having you is a right thing. Hugs!
The sky may be blue because you and your brother once wore the powerful magic twin blue beanies:)
I may get to visit Mast Bros soonsoonsoon…..!
My head controls the wooooooooooorld!!! Well, the power of my head and my brother’s head combined does, anyway.
Squeeeee! Though really, you should save that to visit with me. Or at least go again
I have a brother as you know … A baby one though, not a big one, except he’s not a baby any more of course. Now that’s settled, all I can say is that he’s given me many great gifts but one of my favourites was a wonderful pair of traditional big baggy pants from Pakistan. I wore them till they wore out. As I recollect he also stood up for womanhood when buying them because the maker/seller was giving his female traveling companion a hard time. That’s my bro!
I love your bro. He also makes for a spectacular uncle
Love the story of him defending womanhood; I absolutely believe he would do (and would still be doing!) that 
A new niece or nephew! It’s not here yet, we have to wait until the fall, and I probably won’t get to meet the little bugger for many months after that, but still.
Best answer! Particularly as you called him/her “the little bugger”, which I’ve always thought of as a uniquely Australian term of endearment. I’m sure you’ll meet the bub via Skype before long