Total Travesty
Posted in: News & New Product Press
Cadbury sources their cacao in Ghana and their toxic milk powder in China. Hopefully, the As & Ks will catch on and quality chocolate will gain market share.
Forum Activity for @Chocovore
Posted in: News & New Product Press
Cadbury sources their cacao in Ghana and their toxic milk powder in China. Hopefully, the As & Ks will catch on and quality chocolate will gain market share.
Chocolatiers = Re-melters?
Posted in: Opinion
Jeff: I am lucky to enjoy world class bean-to-bar chocolate every day much of which (not most of which as you correctly note) is produced by chocolate makers (not chocolatiers/confectioners) who do monitor if not control post-harvest processing. Valhrona, Amadai, MC, Devries, and others are directly engaged with the farmers for some of their products. Volker Lehmann's success with Felchelin's Cru Sauvage is a good example. Closer to the source are Grenada, Kallari and other small-scale vertically integrated tree-to-bar producers. Every chocolate bar has a soul - some greater, some lesser. The greater souls emerge in all their splendor from the caring efforts of the humans entrusted with post-harvest handling, especially culling and fermentation. What happens later may or may not yield excellence. But without a fruitful beginning, the potential for truely soulful distinctiveness is diminished.
Chocolatiers = Re-melters?
Posted in: Opinion
I'm a consumer of chocolate bars and prefer chocolate over chocolate confections but enjoy and consume both. Back to Mindy's original issue: the term re-melter is a blunt way for bean-to-bar producers to position themselves in a very competitive market. Various high quality brands of chocolate bars in North America may use the same Euro-sourced organic couvateur to produce their products. They may differentiate via % chocolate, packaging, distribution chanels and other marketing activities but essentially there is little difference in their products. They can legitamately be called re-melters. Bean-to-bar producers differentiate based on the type, quality and origin of the fruit, the processing/fermentation/handling at the source, the style and skill of the chocolate-maker at the production facility - plus effective branding, packaging, distribution etc. It is through their efforts that chocolate consumers can experience, enjoy and learn about the delightful variations in aroma, taste and texture of this most remarkable fruit.
Raw chocolate-- what is it really?
Posted in: Make Mine Raw ...
All: Back to chocolate. This is a great time of year to count your microbial blessings. Foremost are the benefits to humankind that result from injesting fermented and cultured foods and beverages including most chocolate. The microbes active in fermentaion are beneficial and tend to displace harmful pathogens. More importantly, many such microbes are symbiotic and essential for maintaining good health. Use common sense. Eat and drink without fear and trust your liver and immune system to protect you from the bad stuff. Seek out the good stuff (live foods) including the liquor from fermenting cocao if you can get it. Cheers, Chocovore
Raw chocolate-- what is it really?
Posted in: Make Mine Raw ...
I've been following this interesting thread was well into it when S. S. disclosed the Sacred Raw was made with low-temp fermented cacao. I mistakenly assumed raw/unroasted/unfermented cacao. What is the ORAC score for dried but unfermented cacao and dried, roasted unfermented cacao?Thanks,Chocovore
What are your favorite adult beverages to pair with chocolates?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I've consumed thousands of different wines and hundreds of dark bars. Periodically combining the two has not yet provided me with a worthwhile experience. Subjectively, I've found that the wine does little to improve the solo chocolate experience and chocolate can sometimes completely diminish the perception of the wine's most desirable characterisitcs. I guess the same potential for dissonance exists with any wine/food pairing. I'll keep trying and may yet discover a good match. In the mean time, I have found 70% + chocolate and Cognac to be complementary. I attribute the perceived harmony to the warmth, softness and vanilla notes in the Cognac combining with the richness and mouth feel of the melting chocolate. Without the clutter of excess sweetness, acid or tannins, the taster can experience the various stages and long, ever changing finish one gets by tasting a fine dark bar - only more sensual.