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After much discussion and scheduling issues, my friends and family have finally agreed to meet Saturday for a Halloween chocolate party!! This will be our seventh chocolate party. We are getting close to our "playoff" party consisting of only previous winners. One step closer in our quest to find the world's best chocolate bar ! Stay tune for results.

Do you call yourself a chocoholic? Do you know all the health benefits of chocolate? Can you tell premium quality chocolate apart from the rest? If you can, then youre well on your way to becoming a connoisseur. If you cant, well heres a start. Before you start calling yourself a connoisseur, you need to know how to properly taste chocolate. So get ready to use your senses.

Smell

The first step to tasting like a connoisseur is using your sense of smell. Open the package and bring the chocolate close to your nose to smell it. Does the chocolate smell strong or is it subtle? Do you detect any other scents such as vanilla, any spices, or fruit flavors? If youre having troubles detecting the scents, lightly rub your thumb against the chocolate to warm it up, and then try smelling the chocolate again.

Sight

The appearance of a piece of chocolate can tell you a lot about its quality. If you see a white coating on chocolate, this is a good indication that the chocolate has bloomed which usually results from improper storage or tempering. Look for air bubbles on the surface of the chocolate premium quality chocolates shouldnt have air bubbles as during the production process they would have been forced out. Color is not a good indicator of quality, as the type of bean and chocolate can affect the color. For instance milk chocolate is matte, where as dark chocolate is usually shiny. The rule of thumb however is that overall the chocolate should have a nice sheen to it.

Sound

If it's a solid piece of chocolate, break the piece in half. Can you hear a snap sound when its broken? Quality chocolate will break easily and neatly if its brittle or soft, the chocolate may be either old, or improperly stored. Note: dark chocolate will break more easily than milk, due to the milk content in milk chocolate.

Touch

High quality chocolate will melt with your body temperature. Hold a piece of chocolate between your thumb and index finger and gently rub. Once the chocolate begins to melt, feel the texture is it soft or hard? Grainy or velvety? You want to look for smooth texture and fine particles for premium chocolate quality.

Taste

Now youre ready to taste the chocolate. Put a small piece in your mouth the recommended size is about 7 grams. Let the chocolate sit on your tongue and begin to melt. Breathe in through your nose to invigorate the flavors and see if you can detect any notes. Now chew the piece three to five times and concentrate on the taste and texture. Is it spicy, sweet or salty? Fruity or nutty? Can you tell which fruits? Is it earthy? Use all the regions of your tongue and challenge yourself to identify all the various flavors. Note: if youre tasting several different pieces of chocolate in one sitting, make sure to have a palate cleanser on hand between each tasting. We recommend room temperature water and unsalted crackers

Paring chocolate and wine

Wine Pairings Now that you know how to really taste chocolate, youre ready to learn how to pair chocolate with the perfect drinkwine! Two of lifes greatest pleasures, also make the most delightful combination. There are two ways to set-up your wine and chocolate pairing combination's pair based on complementary flavors or pair based on contrasting flavors.

For complementary combination's, we recommend pairing dark chocolate with red wine; and pairing milk chocolate with white wine. One rule of thumb to remember is to choose a wine that is at least as sweet or sweeter than the chocolate. If youre tasting a variety of chocolate with different wines, start with the lightest pair and work your way up to full-bodied flavors ie. white chocolate first, then milk and end with dark chocolate.For contrasting combination's, the different flavor notes can combine to offer a surprisingly delightful taste.

Any chocolate and wine tasting should be approached with an open mind you want to enjoy the experience, and you shouldnt feel like there is a right and wrong combination. These are just some guidelines, so go ahead and begin experimenting.

Wine and Chocolate:

White chocolate:
Sherry
Muscat

Milk Chocolate:
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Sparkling Wine or Champagne
Riesling
Dessert Wines
Sauvignon Blanc

Dark Chocolate:
Zinfandel
Tawny Port
Cognac
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon

This is the first of many blogs about owning a large Chocolate Factory.

Can anyone tell me where I can get couverture chocolate in Mexico? I understand there is a place in Mexico City but I don't know the name of it. Thanks!

Art, it has been often commented, is supported by a scaffold of discourse - in the same way in this century wine, food, fashion and of course chocolate has been. We put these things on a pedestal, distance ourselves from it. hold it up for admiration and allure, increase its value by limiting those who understand, or those who can afford access. What happens when the scaffold is removed? What is left? With chocolate at least we have something to eat.

With Schokolade in der Kunst an important cornerstone has been laid beneath that scaffolding. This book gives us a point of reference, and I think an important validity for those who work in chocolate as an inedible medium.

I travelled to Frankfurt for the launch of this very important book and to meet the author and publisher. I have been waiting such a book for many years. Neither at university, during my time at chefs school, nor in the intervening years has there ever been a point of reference for chocolate as a medium in art - until now. Brava Dr. Ksel!

http://frankfurtuniversitypress.de/index.php/books/one/21.html

Greetings Chocolatiers!

I d love your comments and feedback . My name is Catherine Failor and Ive been designing soap and garden molds for 12 years ( www.milkywaymolds.com and www.gardenmolds.com ). Chocolatiers regularly contact my soap mold site, asking if soap molds work for chocolate. This has me wondering if there would be room on the market for a new line of chocolate molds. Seems as if a lot of chocolate mold designs I see are rather tired and outdated looking.

The photos here are rough drafts of some possible mold motifs. Here is where I can use your help.
1. Name your three favorite designs.
2. Name your three least favorite designs.
3. Would you pay approximately $8 for an 8-9 cavity mold made of very durable plastic, good for many pours?
4. Would you like to see more breakaway bar molds than are currently on the market now?
5. What motifs would you personally suggest that arent on the market?


Thanks very much for your time, I appreciate it.

Best wishes, Catherine Failor

Im going to Guatemala sometime in January or the first half of February 2011. My main objectives are to observe & record manufacture of traditional cacao drinks (Mayan recipes from before the conquest) and obtain samples of plants used in these drinks (e.g. "Ear Flower"). Additionally I'd like to find out more about the role of cacao in Mayan healing, ritual & cosmography/myth. Could anybody help me out or suggest any contacts? Im particularly looking for specialists in this area or locals who could introduce me to the right people. Any help would be greatly appreciated as at the moment I have no contacts in this area.

Muchas gracias de antemano, gente amable! Marcos

Our chocolate melter broke, we are in need of a 100 - 250 melter if anyone no anyone who has one. Any advice where I could find a good quality used one? brad@indianwellsresort.com