Valentine's Day Guide 2016

Chocolate is the most important part of Valentine's Day. 

Some may argue with that, but they will be wrong. Chocolate can be given to ANYONE for Valentine's Day (mom, dad, kids, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, teachers, students, friends, neighbors...you get the idea), with the exception of maybe your dog (yeah, DON'T DO THAT!). 

Good chocolate is getting more and more accessible everyday in America which is VERY exciting! It's easier than ever to #eatbetterchocolate and GIVE better chocolate because it's easier than ever to FIND and BUY better chocolate. So make it a point this year to please skip the Palmer/$1 store quality chocolate and get something yummy. Something that is ACTUALLY chocolate. Not wax and vegetable oil. Your mom, dad, kids, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, teachers, students, friends, neighbors will thank you. 

I've spent some time curating what I think is a great variety of ideas to fill that all-important "chocolate" part of Valentine's Day. You might also want to use this guide as a gentle hint, hint to whomever might be buying YOU chocolate to make sure you get to #eatbetterchocolate too!

 1. Theo My Cherry Baby – $4 + $10 shipping or purchase in store – for the cherry cordial lover – this is a FABULOUS and FESTIVE chocolate choice for Valentine’s Day. In the Seattle area, it is pretty easy to find Theo bars, and most of those retailers will be carrying this also (I saw it at the University Bookstore just yesterday). And if you end up in a bind stuck at home with kids or at work…have no fear…PRIMENOW does have other Theo bars available with 2-4 hour free delivery in the Seattle area. You just download the app and fill your cart to $20+. TOO easy.

2. Zotter Mitzi Blue Rock & Roses or Marrakesh MilkChocolate – $7.99 + $7.99 shipping under $20 or purchase in store at Chocolopolis – for the international chocolate lover (or for the person who doesn’t like it when you buy flowers, because they die) – What a fun way to give chocolate AND roses without even buying roses. My friends spent some time in Europe over the holidays and were kind enough to bring me a lovely variety of chocolate. Zotter was, lucky for me, one of the brands they brought from Austria. I have thoroughly enjoyed Zotter, so I am sure these bars are also fabulous. And since they carry it at Chocolopolis, it’d be quite surprising if they were anything short of amazing. 

3. 33 Bars of Chocolate Tasting Notes – $5.00 + $2.60 shipping (or $5.74 w free prime shipping/free shipping for orders over $35 on Amazon) – for the chocolate explorer – My brother got this book for me last year and I love it. It is so fun to draw tasting profiles and fill out the pages for each bar. It feels very sciency. It’s like a lab notebook for your chocolate explorations. Plus, there is chocolate in the ink. Awesome! 

4. Godiva Coupes d’Amour Chocolates – $28 + $10.95 shipping (free for $50+) or purchase at a boutique – editor’s choice (this is what I want) – A few weeks ago I popped in at the Godiva Boutique and these caught my attention immediately. Tell me, how cute are they? I have never been disappointed with Godiva and can’t wait to try these little cups of love (on sale after vday, if my hubby doesn't get the hint).

5. Chuao Popping Hearts – $10.95 +$6 shipping (free for $60+) – for the adventurous chocolate lover – These are back on my Valentine Guide. I think they are just so unique and fun. Chuao makes great tasting chocolate and who doesn’t like the nostalgia of popping candy? 

6. Dick Taylor Bolivia, Alto Beni Limited Release – $11 + $10 shipping (free for $75+) – for the presentation-matters chocolate lover – Dick Taylor chocolate bars are the prettiest bars I have ever seen. This, or any of the Dick Taylor bars, would be perfect for someone who loves pretty things with it’s lacy pattern. The Belize, Toledo bar ($8.50), was recently featured in the NYTIMES as one of the top 8 best bean-to-bar chocolate. And this Bolivia, Alto Beni Limited Release just won a Good Food Award for 2016. Many retailers carry this brand including Central Market, Whole Foods, Chocolopolis, The Chocolate Box and more.

7. Ritual Bars – $5 + $7.00 shipping (free for $40+ with code or purchase in a store) – for the no frills chocolate lover – Ritual is rolling out new packaging soon and so they are in a mad rush to get all their current packaging out the door. All the bars are $5 on their site which is a steal. Ritual was also recently featured in the NY TIMES article and won Good Food Awards for 2016 for two of their bars. So they are fab and can be found at most stores who carry good chocolate.

8. Godiva Mini Chocolate Hearts Box – $7 + $10.95 shipping (free for $50+) or purchase at a boutique – for the littles – maybe you are skipping chocolate all together this year for the kiddos. I was considering that myself, until I saw these adorable boxes. How fun for the kiddos to get their own little box (there’s only 6 pieces). Skip the disgusting poor quality Palmer candies and novelty Frozen/Avengers themed sweets. The kids can #eatbetterchocolate too! 

So there you have it! Hope you all have a delicious Valentine's Day!!

Cheers!

Chocolopolis Chocolate Tasting, Part 2: Power Rankings

It has taken me a looong time to post these rankings from my birthday chocolate tasting last year. I have a bit of an excuse-I misplaced my chocolate tasting notes for months and months. So here's a plug for having a dedicated notebook for tasting notes. I have been using this lovely fella:

which my lovely brother got for me for my birthday (how have I not filled it up 3 times over by now?). It works really nicely because I just keep it with my stash of chocolate. Wait, did I just say STASH of chocolate? This is a new things for me. In the past, I have not ever had the self control for a stash to ever form in my house at all. 

But now that I have been buying quality bars and taking time to taste and think while I enjoy my chocolate, I have quite a stash (and quite a backlog of posts to write too...)! Anyway, I am loving the change in my life. 

But on to the main topic of this post: Power Rankings


It was so fun to taste with friends because some things we agreed upon and other things we didn't. For example, I don't know HOW anyone could rank ANY bar above Amedei Porcelana (so far my all time fave)...BUT some of my friends did. And that's ok. I guess. ;) No, really...it is. Although our tastes differed a bit making some of us like different bars over others, we all could appreciate the quality and complex flavors in the bars which was so much fun!

 

Here's how I ranked the 5 bars:

***1. Choc# 4 Amedei Porcelana  

 

 Origin: Venezuela
 Maker: Amedei Tuscany
 % chocolate: 70
 Notes: good snap, good texture, milky smooth flavor








***2. Choc# 2 Patric Chocolate  
 
      
 Origin: Madagascar
 Maker: Patric
 % chocolate:75
 Notes: pretty! milky. YUM





  


***3. Choc# 5 Vila Gracinda 
 
          
 Origin: Africa, Sao-Tome
 Maker: Michel Cluizel
 % chocolate: 67
 Notes: second best snap, milky flavor, flavor evolves a lot...gets better as time passes







***4. Choc# 3 Marou  

         
Origin: Vietnam, Tan Phu Dong
Maker: Marou
% chocolate: 75
Notes: cinnamon, nutty flavors, smooth and sweet








**5. Choc# 1 Original Beans  

          

Origin:Peruvian Andes, Piura River Valley
Maker: Original Beans
% chocolate: 75
Notes: nice snap, good texture, interesting flavors, good finish, berryish






So that's a wrap...8 months late. But wrapped all the same. :) 

CHEERS!

My Birthday at Chocolopolis: an inside look at the self-guided, in store tasting

 

A few months ago, I had a birthday. Adult birthday's are funny cause some years you totally forget about it and other years you want to have a huge party with all your friends, just to act like you are children again.

Since I started this blog I've dreamed about having all my chocolate-loving friends over for a big chocolate tasting extravaganza. I was considering doing one for my birthday. One day I was doing some "chocolate research" and discovered a really cool experience available at Chocolopolis in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. They call it a "self-guided, in store tasting." The best part about it is it is super affordable and repeatable, so I'm sure I'll be back time and time again. 

The experience is pretty well explained on their website:

Let us help you set up a self-guided tasting experience during store hours. Give us a call a few days in advance of the day you'd like to have your tasting. Let us know the time of day you'll be coming, the number in your party (up to 6 people) and any preferences you have in terms of chocolate. One of our chocophiles will pick out a selection of single-origin chocolate bars that demonstrate the differences in terroir among cacao beans and growing regions. We'll reserve a table for your party at the appointed hour, and we'll provide you with tasting sheets that provide chocolate tasting instructions and a place to record your notes.

Minimum chocolate purchase of $60 before sales tax

1-6 people

I emailed a few weeks in advance since I wanted to do it on a Friday night. Everyone I've ever had contact with at Chocolopolis was super friendly and helpful. I suppose it'd be hard to be grumpy working around chocolate all the time...but all the same...great service is a plus in my book!

When my girlfriends and I arrived at the store, they had a table set up in the middle of the store with chairs, water and chocolate tasting notes set out. We felt a little VIPish. :) 

We sat through a brief spiel about how to taste chocolate properly and were given the bars that were selected for us for our tasting (you can request specific bars/bonbons/drinking chocolate etc). I had opted for single origin bars and specifically requested an Amedei Porcelana bar so that my friends could all taste it (so far it is my all-time favorite bar)!

I'm in my happy place.

Then, we got down to business. We took turns reading out loud the instructions on our chocolate tasting notes. One of the workers suggested that we taste the darkest bar first and work towards the lightest bar. 

In order of tasting: 

Everyone with their fave:

The tasting was a lot of fun and my friends really got into it with me, pointing out different notes and identifying textures and flavors. Chocolate is seriously complex. At least the good stuff is. We spent a fair bit of time shopping after we tasted and chatted. My BFF got me a chocolate peanut butter drinking chocolate...and it was divine. Like drinking a candy bar. So good. Really wish I had one right now.

Selfie!

Ladies, we must go back soon! Writing this blogpost is seriously giving me a hankering. 

We spent too much (if that's possible to do).

I'll post power rankings for this experience later when I find my misplaced chocolate tasting notes. But spoiler alert...Amedei Porcelana is the best chocolate bar of all time (so far for me, anyway).

Cheers!

Power Rankings #6: Michel Cluizel

Oh my, WOW. This was the most enjoyable chocolate I have ever tasted. Ever. They sell a few bars at Central Market and Whole Foods. But, I got this 16 piece box on amazon.com for $13.50 (though it is currently $16.95). Next, I'll have to try the 28 piece box because there are two more types. These are "single estate" chocolates which means the cocoa beans used to create it are taken from a single plantation. This gives each piece a VERY distinctive and unique flavor profile. The squares come from 5 different plantations: Mokaya, Los Ancones, Vila Gracinda, Mangaro and Maralumi. The box came with a nifty pamphlet with a description of each of the plantations and a map showing where they are in the world. Way cool. #chocolatenerd

This is exactly the kind of chocolate experience I was intimidated of a few short weeks ago. Don't be. Just go for it. The difference between the cocoa flavor in this chocolate and the lack of ANY flavor in American mass market chocolate is astounding. The flavors are complex and evolve. I went all out with this brand, breaking in my Chocolate Tasting Kit. I also even made sure to "cleanse my palate" between each piece with apple slices and room-ish temperature water (cold water will cool your mouth too much and the chocolate won't melt as nicely).

 Flavor cards to help identify specific flavors/aromas/nuances.

Rubbing the chocolate with your finger can help give you a sense of quality. If it feels oily, that is bad. A nice smooth feel and good smudge is most desirable. 

on a scale from 1-10 I'm a 12 #GoHawks #WinForever

Finally, the snap. The sound of the snap can also tell you about quality. A poor snap is an indication of poorly stored or tempered chocolate. 

 

1.***Mokaya (Mexico)-  66% cacao - This was my FAVORITE because the flavor was kind of milky and sweet. In comparison to the others, the flavor was simple. The flavor evolved leaving a slight pepperiness  the end. As I wrote in my notes "SOO GOOD!"

2.***Los Ancones (Saint Domingue, Caribbean) - 67% cacao - This piece had a very dark, fruity flavor, which was quite different from #1, but still delicious! I can't explain enough how awesome it is to have the flavor stick around for such a long time. This was a VERY smoooth too, which is something I highly value!

3.***Vila Gracinda (Sao Tome, Africa) - 67% cacao - I was trying hard to identify the aromas with the flavor cards I have. I thought I smelled a little licorice. This definitely had a darker, fruity and spicy flavor to it. It is so interesting that the cocoa beans vary so much in their flavor. It's awesome.

4.***Mangaro (Madagascar) - 65% cacao - This was a really interesting taste. I really hated it the first go around. There's a distinct acidity to it. But there were three of these squares and when I tried a second...I really enjoyed the complexity of the flavor. I never really understood what "acidic" really meant when it comes to chocolate, so it was nice to get that.

5.**Maralumi (Papua New Guinea, Australia) - 64% cacao - This was the most distinctly complex tasting piece I had. The beginning was smooth and milky which was great. The flavor then evolved to an acidic and spicy flavor. But finished out with a fruity, sweetness. Very interesting.

So...do I want to taste all these bars again? 

No. 

Were they all worth trying? 

MOST DEFINITELY. 

What an awesome experience it was to taste this type of chocolate. It's definitely not for sitting on the couch and scarfing down while watching cheesy movies. BUT, delicious all the same! Hopefully reading this takes some of the intimidation out of truly gourmet chocolate for you, too! Just go try it! You really won't regret it. It's like the difference between Kraft singles (not cheese) and Tillamook sharp cheddar. Or the difference between McDonalds chicken nuggets (not chicken) and a nice panko breaded chicken tender. I will still enjoy my go-to faves like Snickers and a Hershey Almond Bar...but they no longer taste like chocolate to me. It's something entirely different. And my friends, if you haven't tasted chocolate yet...you are really missing out. 

CHEERS!