Well, we did it! We crossed over into 2017, aka what's going to be a banner year for bean-to-bar chocolate. The forces are aligned; I can feel it.
I'm super pumped that my book about American craft chocolate comes out in August! Storey Publishing, my publisher, has been collecting quite an assortment of bars from every maker you can imagine to photograph for the book, but they haven't eaten a single one. Nope, they've been patient, and later this week I'm going to spend the day with them, leading several chocolate-tasting sessions. If you had to pick five bars to represent the American bean-to-bar movement, which would you pick? I have a rotating assortment, but I want to hear from you.
I'm also going to see the designed pages for the first time! I saw a sneak preview a few months ago and loved the playfulness of it, but this is going to be the real deal. I can't wait to share it with y'all in August!
Tell me your five bars at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I'll publish your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
What Would You Like to See From Chocolate Noise in 2017?
Photo by Jody Horton
Y’all, it’s been an awesome year here at Chocolate Noise. I’ve published stories about some of the best craft chocolate makers in the country on this site as well as places like Fortune and Saveur, hung out with chocolate lovers at my Underground Chocolate Salon, written a book (coming out fall 2017, sigh), and even compared Criollo cacao to Justin Timberlake. But my favorite part of each day is hearing from you and strengthening our community.
I’ll be pretty quiet over the next few weeks while I stuff my face full of Askinosie peppermint bark, Dick Taylor gingersnap chocolate, and other holiday goodies, as well as visit my family and do all of those other holiday-type things. But I’ll be thinking about you and how to make Chocolate Noise even better in 2017.
So what would you like to see from me in the new year? More in-depth profiles? More recommendations about chocolate bars? More quotes from readers?
Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Watch My Video on Saveur!
Photo by @evansungnyc
I’m super excited to show you guys this video I made with Valrhona and Stick With Me Sweets, called “From Bean to Bonbon”! Saveur just published it on their site, along with a more detailed story I wrote on the entire chocolate-making process from start to finish, called, "Everything That Goes Into Making a Chocolate Truffle." As many of you know, it's a lot of work to make that delicious little morsel.
Come Taste Chocolate and Cheese With Me!
Some gorgeous cheese at Murray's!
Chocolate and cheese make perfect bedfellows, as I discovered while researching my book (which features tons of pairings). That’s why I’m super excited to teach a chocolate-and-cheese-pairing class at Murray’s Cheese in NYC next week, on Dec. 14, with my friend and cheese expert Christine Clark.
Christine was part of my expert tasting panel and always has the best descriptions of what she’s eating (“cartoonishly umami” is one of my faves). There are only five tickets left, so make sure you get your spot asap!
I’m going to be stuffing my face with craft chocolate and artisan cheese, and I want you to get in on the action too!
The Life and Times of CHOCOLATE, Part 3
If you missed them, check out Part 1: How Chocolate Is Born and Part 2: How Cocoa Beans Become Chocolate.
Until a few years ago, I never thought about what was in a chocolate bar. Chocolate, right? Turns out there can be all sorts of ingredients, from cocoa beans to soy lecithin to nasty preservatives in the industrial stuff.
That’s why Ecole Chocolat and I put together a four-part series about where the heck chocolate comes from called "The Life and Times of Chocolate." So far we cartoonized how chocolate is born and how cocoa beans become chocolate, and this month we’re tackling what’s in a fine chocolate bar. We hope to tell the story as simply as possible, and while we may not capture all of the nuances of the bean-to-bar process, we hope people remember the image.
So without further ado, here it is! The primary ingredient in a fine flavor chocolate bar is cocoa beans. “Fine flavor” means high-quality cocoa with more nuanced flavors (usually from the Criollo and Trinitario families, if you want to get nerdy about it). Almost all craft chocolate fits into this category. Then to varying degrees there’s cocoa butter and sugar and, in some cases, vanilla, all skipping around like they’re in the most delicious musical ever.
As I hinted above, not all fine chocolate includes added cocoa butter and/or vanilla. In fact, the American craft chocolate revolution was founded on two-ingredient chocolate: chocolate made using only cocoa beans and sugar. Now many makers add cocoa butter and some even measure in some vanilla. There's also fine milk chocolate, fine white chocolate, and fine chocolate with inclusions like sea salt and almonds.
But rest assured that fine chocolate does not include anything beyond these ingredients in their base chocolate recipe: You won't find vegetable oil or additives like PGPR (yuck). That's part of what makes it stand out so much from the crowd as something delicious and worth eating.
Stay tuned for Part 4 of this cartoon series next month!
(Thanks to Fernanda Frick for the awesome illustration.)
Notes From the Underground Chocolate Salon
A few weeks ago I visited Seattle for the Northwest Chocolate Festival and hung out with all the serious chocoholics, including feeding them bean-to-bar chocolate and confections made with that chocolate in my session on Sunday. While I was in town I figured I’d dust off the ol’ Underground Chocolate Salon, which is on a break for the next few months, for a very special session, at Chocolopolis.
If you haven’t heard of my Underground Chocolate Salons, you’re probably wondering what the heck they are. I’ve always been jealous of Paris in the 1920s, when artistic and literary luminaries gathered at Gertrude Stein’s house to talk and hang out: Picasso, Cézanne, Joyce, Eliot, Cocteau. Only one thing would have made it better: chocolate. That’s why I started what I’m calling the Underground Chocolate Salon, for like-minded (or not so like-minded) people to get together and talk chocolate, as well as enjoy one another’s company.
This time it was a packed house, with so many good palates that I didn’t know which way to turn. We also heard some great first memories of chocolate bars, including sneaking baking chocolate out of the cabinet — and liking it!
The selections, as you’ll see, were mixed. You might notice that I’m editorializing these comments more than usual, since the tasting went very differently than I’d expected.
Noir d'Ebene 55% Chuao
This bar came from a relatively new maker in Chicago and was completely untested ahead of time!
Tasting Notes: Looked bloomed, but it turned out to be luster dust or some other sort of gold dust; gritty, floral, burned; “hiding behind sweetness,” as a 55 percent Chuao is pretty unusual; “sweet maple aftertaste”; “coffee, like mocha”; “early attempt”
K’ul 70% Los Rios, Ecuador
A new company out of Minneapolis, K’ul uses heirloom cacao for its bars; this one is made with heirloom cacao from the Hacienda Limon estate.
Tasting Notes: “Apple Jolly Rancher,” coffee grounds, ash, banana; high astringency at the start but a good melt; fatty, fruity finish; “slick mouth”
Lonohana 70% O’ahu, Hawaii
Maker Seneca Klassen grows cacao himself on his estate in Haleiwa, O’ahu, and then ferments, dries, roasts, and turns the beans into chocolate all by hand. (The bar’s official name is Kanahiku, by the way.)
Tasting Notes: Smells like licorice, nice aftertaste; “sour coffee bitterness,” “like a young Cabernet,” smooth texture, especially for a bar with no added cocoa butter; woody at the start, green walnut/grapefruit peel astringency at end
GoodNow Farms 77% Nicaragua
This brand-new company out of Massachusetts just launched its first bars, and we got to try one!
Tasting Notes: Smells like hay or leather; sandpapery on the tongue, like it hasn’t been conched at all; “feels like a pumice stone”; bitter, moldy, sour, lots of people making bad faces while tasting it
Chocolarder 80% Madagascar
This brand stole the show at a past salon, with even super experienced tasters going crazy for it. But this time around, something else happened…The curious thing is that the beans come from Akesson’s Estate, which many makers use to create delicious bars.
Tasting Notes: Black licorice, slow melt, plastic, tires, possibly due to improper storage?
Domori 45% Camel Milk
Yes, you read that right. Domori has started making milk chocolate using unusual milks, like camel.
Tasting Notes: “Tastes like a camel;” gamey, grassy, caramel, great melt, “like buffalo”; “like I’ve been invited into a hut to taste the local beverage and sipped it out of politeness”
Chocolaterie Tessa Single-Origin Truffle
Leftovers from my talk at the Northwest Chocolate Festival! This Austin-based chocolatier uses bean-to-bar chocolate to make confections. This one was made with Fresco’s Madagascar chocolate.
Tasting Notes: fruity, caramel, sumptuous, “hint of Easter chocolate”
Instagram Takeover Extravaganza
Psst! This week French Broad Chocolates is taking over Chocolate Noise’s Instagram! That means you’re in for a treat: Think everything from making delicious bars to scrumptious truffles and cookies, all in some of the most beautiful packaging in the industry.
Tune in to my Instagram here to check it out through this Saturday!
A Chocolate Noise Thanksgiving
A lovely chocolate turkey, just for me
This might get me in trouble, but I never really like turkey. It's all dry and cardboard-y and scratches my throat. That’s why this Thanksgiving, I’m celebrating with an all-chocolate dinner starring some of my favorite treats in the world.
The centerpiece, obviously, is a 2.2-pound hand-molded turkey made of 64 percent dark chocolate, dusted with edible gold, from who other than Fran’s Chocolates, in Seattle.
Now for the side dishes. You won’t miss mashed potatoes when you bite into the Needhams I’ve been saving all year for this occasion: The traditional Maine treat is made of mashed potatoes and coconut, then dipped in chocolate. And who needs can-shaped cranberry sauce when you can eat K’ul Chocolate’s Stamina bar, loaded with cranberries, cherries, pomegranate, raspberries, and maca root?
Stuffing is also a must. I’m mixing Xocolatl de David’s sourdough and olive oil bar with Mo’s dark chocolate bacon bar from Vosges to create my own take on the classic.
Even though Thanksgiving is about eating as many carbs as possible in a short amount of time, I figured I’d better throw in some vegetables. Two, in fact! Take your pick from George Bernardini’s imminent broccoli chocolate or Chocolate Naïve’s porcini bar. I’ll be having second helpings of the mushrooms for sure.
Now for my favorite part of the meal: dessert! Instead of boring pumpkin pie, I’ll be eating the ginger spice bar from Patric. And even though pecan pie is one of my favorites, I’m leaving the corn syrup at the store this year and digging in to Fruition’s cinnamon-toffee pecans instead.
Oh, one more thing: Thanksgiving usually spells families, which usually translates to a big ol’ drink. This year I’m gulping a Raaka Cabernet Sauvignon bar, followed by a snifter of whiskey dark chocolate from Askinosie. I hope you’ll join me.
Did I miss an amazing bar? Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and I'll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
Voices: My First Craft Chocolate
A few weeks ago I asked you guys to tell me about the first time you tried a craft chocolate bar, and wow, did you! I’ll be publishing one response per week as a new part of Chocolate Today called Voices, so you can see what your fellow chocolate-obsessed peeps think.
Today’s story comes from Ron Barshop.
“If you've ever had an egg on the farm the morning it was collected, you know fresh. I was expecting the same when we stopped at an artisan chocolate factory in Belize. You could see every step of the process -made the same way for generations.
It was a bitter and deeply earthy thickness.
I'm sad to say the fresh egg spoiled me. I missed the sweetness. The melt in your mouth gooey yumminess. It's freshness was not noticeable like those eggs.
But deep in my soul the satisfaction of paying no middleman more than made up for it. It all went to the farmer who shucked the shells, ground the beans on a volcanic plate then turned the pasty concoction for hours in a warm vat mixed with local cane sugar and other ingredients from the farm then cooled into dark chocolate bars.
So it was the bucket list experience. And I'll trade that for a happy sweet tooth any time. Well. Most anytime."
If you haven’t already sent me your story, please do! And if you have something to say in response to another story, send it along as well. Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I’ll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today.
It's Time for the Northwest Chocolate Festival!
Watch out, Seattle. This Thursday craft chocolate is descending on the city like a delicious brown cloud, for the Northwest Chocolate Festival and Northwest’s UnConference. I’ll be there until Monday, hanging out and tasting chocolate with the best of them, as well as talking about bonbons made with bean-to-bar chocolate with Fresco Chocolate and French Broad during my session at the festival (at 3 PM on Sunday, hope you can make it!).
Since it's almost Thursday, I know you have your schedule all planned out. What you might not have thought about? Things to do outside Pier 91. Here are a few chocolate-focused ideas, as well as what to do when you need a little break from the brown stuff.
A break?! I know what you're thinking. Hell, no! Obviously there’s going to be a lot of great chocolate. But as so often happens at these events, it’s easy to get chocolate-ed out. Here are five places near the festival to relax away from the sweetness of it all. Better yet, bring your stash of chocolate and pair a piece with a beer or a coffee.
See you soon!
(P.S. If you want to hang out while you’re in Seattle, hit me up at megan@chocolatenoise or Twitter!!)
Must-Try Chocolate-Related Things
Of course I can't help myself: Bring on the chocolate!
Northwest Chocolate Week
It’s NORTHWEST CHOCOLATE WEEK! That means the places below as well as tons more restaurants, cafes, and shops are having special chocolate-related events and featuring great chocolate on menus. Check out the full listings for maximum sugar overload.
Chocolopolis
Come to this adorable store for a stellar collection of craft chocolate as well as house-made truffles, drinks, and more. I’m especially excited to feature two of owner Lauren Adler’s recipes in my upcoming book.
1527 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA
Theo Chocolate
Tour a big bean-to-bar maker and see what it’s all about!
3400 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA
(Can't come to Seattle? Get a taste at home with classic Theo dark chocolate.)
Fran’s
One of the most respected names in chocolate (for a reason), Fran Bigelow has been creating some of the best confections in the country for decades. Her hilarious story of America’s reaction to their first taste of sweet + salt still makes me laugh.
(Can't come to Seattle? Get a taste at home with Fran's caramel sauce!)
1325 1st Ave, Seattle, WA
Hot Cakes
Ever since I wrote about this place in “10 Bean-to-Bar Desserts You Need to Try” for Zagat, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the ooey-gooey goodness of these molten cakes. (P.S. They use Theo Chocolate!)
5427 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
And now for some un-chocolatey things...
Beer
Holy Mountain Brewing Company
Located just steps from Pier 91, this microbrewery boasts some serious beers and a constantly changing menu. In June 2016 Eater called it “the most exciting brewery in the city.”
1421 Elliott Ave W, Seattle, WA
Figurehead Brewing
This new microbrewery just opened in September, so you’ll be hipper than most locals if you hang out here. Figurehead focuses on Belgian-style beers, which I’ve found pair particularly well with chocolate (stay tuned for specific pairings in my book, coming out in fall 2017!).
4001 21st Ave W b, Seattle, WA
Mollusk
If you’re looking for a good meal and a good brew, hit up this fancy new space a few miles from the festival. It has a solid if quirky list of beers that will keep your palate guessing.
803 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA
Coffee
La Marzocco Café
Every coffee shop worth its salt (or, um, sugar) has a La Marzocco machine, and now you can visit the 89-year-old company’s first public café and showroom. Also check out the historical archives and machines on display. And if for some reason you have extra time, they’ve created an espresso lab where you can learn more about the equipment and even take classes.
472 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA
Craftworks Coffee
This cute coffee shop boasts a rotating menu of beans from microroasters in the Pacific Northwest, as well as cold brew and nitro on tap for a smooth hipster experience. Eater Seattle calls it an “educational coffee drinking experience.”
110 Republican St, Seattle, WA
Have a must-try to add to the list? Email me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or tell me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
(Psst: I'm trying a new blog format with affiliated links!)
Can 3D-Printed Chocolate Ever Be More Than a Gimmick?
Recently I’ve become totally obsessed with all of people’s attempts to 3D-print chocolate. It seems so illogical and yet inevitable at the same time, and I can’t look away.
Hershey's is working on the technology, and I interviewed a guy a while back who is building a MakerBot–style chocolate printer too. There are a slew of people making one-off pieces this way too. Some claim that it’s really easy to work with chocolate this way, but given what I know about chocolate’s temperamental viscosity and general crabbiness, I find that hard to believe.
Here are two of the coolest projects I’ve seen so far.
The first one comes from Australian pastry chef and chocolatier Ryan Foote in a few weeks to figure out how he 3D-prints chocolate in myriad forms; here’s a stunning plated dessert he made recently.
205 Likes, 10 Comments - Ryan L Foote (@ryan_foote1) on Instagram: "Chocolate Dessert: Last week I was in the kitchen experimenting with some new #desserts i have been..."
And this second one isn’t technically 3D-printed chocolate, but involves 3D printing in general. In Japan around Valentine’s Day a few years ago, FabCafe offered a workshop where patrons 3D-printed a mold of their head, filled it with chocolate, and then offered that bonbon as a special present in a larger box of candies to their beloved. Surprise! Terrifying or fun? You decide.
Is 3D-printing vital to these sweets, or is it just a gimmick? I’m on the fence. If the resulting chocolate is chockfull of crazy details that could only be achieved with a printer, then fine. But otherwise, I’m not sure what’s gained by printing the chocolate versus making it (or its mold) in more traditional ways.
What do you think?
Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I’ll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
A Day in the Life of Dick Taylor Chocolate
Recently Dustin Taylor, one half of the dynamic duo of Dick Taylor Chocolate, took over my Instagram for a day, with some really gorgeous photos about the chocolate-making process. If you're anything like me, you're probably not on all the social media channels (Periscope? Snapchat?), and so I want to share them here to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy them. Below each you'll see his description of the action in the photo.
"As we grow, it becomes necessary to scale production. We are committed to not compromising quality as we expand. Here we are using a ball mill to grind liquor. Not only is it tremendously faster and more efficient than our previous stone grinding technique, but it also allows us more control over the the particle distribution thus improving the texture of the finished chocolate."
"Machinery becomes an extension of a skilled operator, allowing them to achieve a high degree of precision and repeatability. Here, Jeremy refines the mixture of liquor and sugar into flake prior to dry conching. Once fully refined, the chocolate will have the best possible flow and texture."
"While some processes are mechanized, other are still done by hand. Dipping truffles is one of them. Working chocolate by hand allows us to maintain a certain intimacy with our creations. Here Adam is dipping ganache centers made with fresh, yellow nectarines."
Read More Stories!
From Boat to Bar: How Dick Taylor Chocolate Makes the Best Packaging in the Industry
Soma: 20 Ways of Looking at a Chocolate Bar
Dandelion Chocolate: How Two Tech Nerds Revolutionized Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
Voices: My First Craft Chocolate
A delicious Bonnat bar; photo courtesy Flickr user Lee McCoy
A few weeks ago I asked you guys to tell me about the first time you tried a craft chocolate bar, and wow, did you! I’ll be publishing one response per week as a new part of Chocolate Today called Voices, so you can see what your fellow chocolate-obsessed peeps think.
Today’s story comes from Sarah Bovagnet, a craft chocolate lover in Brooklyn.
“I spent summers at my grandparents house in France, and they always had a cabinet with a stash of chocolate bars in their back-kitchen. I don’t know the brands or if they’d be considered craft, but it definitely wasn’t Hershey’s or any popular names I ever recognized. All the kids would get a couple squares of this chocolate with some good bread for our daily goûter (mid-afternoon snack), but it just wasn’t enough. So when I couldn’t get to sleep until late those first few days I was in town thanks to the time difference, I would sneak downstairs in the middle of the night, sit on the counter top by the cabinet and pull out the bars to try a few different squares. I have very clear (and beautiful) memories of sitting in the dark snacking on this delicious chocolate throughout my childhood. ”
I think she was eating Bonnat, an awesome French maker that I can't get enough of.
What's your guess?
If you haven’t already sent me your story, please do! And if you have something to say in response to another story, send it along as well. Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I’ll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today.
Pssst, I'm trying out a new format for this storiy, with affiliate links!
Chocolate Tastings Take Over the World
Recently chocolate lover and Highfive Company owner Dennis van Essen contacted me from Holland, saying that he liked the idea of the Underground Chocolate Salon so much that he wanted to start his own.
Your Underground Chocolate Salon is a brilliant concept to talk, share, taste and network in an informal setting - with like minded chocolate addicts. I would love to take the initiative to follow your footsteps and start organizing something similar in Holland.
And he has! The first Secret Chocolate Lounge, which Dennis calls “the brother of the Underground Chocolate Salon” took place in mid September, with 9 people tasting Fruition Chocolate exclusively. Think chocolate experts, tea sommeliers, and more. Here are detailed notes from the tasting, in Dutch (use Google translate to read it in English).
I love how each person’s opinion is included as well as a “secret review.” Here’s the translated secret review for Fruition’s Costa Rica bar:
“Rather sour bar with a warming flavor. Very crispy with a strong flavor. I taste too laurel? / Acidity is not my thing / I found it a bit of a tricky customer, reminiscent of the Criollo Madagascar. However fascinating, not earthquakes / harsh, dry / acid: perhaps too much / maybe a little too ...”
I’ve been playing with the idea of featuring one maker’s line at each salon, and breaking other salons out into themes. (Similarly, the next Secret Chocolate Lounge will be all about drinking chocolate.) What say you?
Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I'll publish your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
Pssst, I'm trying out a new format for this story, with affiliate links!
7 Ethical, Affordable Chocolates to Hand Out on Halloween
Askinosie itty Bars to the rescue!
My friend’s house gets stampeded on Halloween. The entire neighborhood turns into an extended haunted house, and after spending weeks putting up elaborate fake cemeteries and brainstorming how to dress up as a crazy ghost with a chainsaw, my friend spends the evening handing out hundreds of pieces of candy to kids. Seriously, like 300 pieces of candy.
The thing is, my friend is also an incredibly conscientious person. She’s not the kind of jerk who hands out raisins or floss on Halloween, but she also doesn’t want to perpetuate the status quo of cheap, unethical candy. There's a reason those chocolates are so cheap, and it's because farmers are paid pennies for their hard work (think 80 cents per pound of cocoa beans), which means you'll find extreme poverty and sometimes even child slave labor behind those sweets.
But when my friend asked me earlier today where to buy ethical Halloween candy that won’t break the bank, I was stumped. Well, for a minute.
Here are seven solutions I found for her that I thought you, as an awesomely conscientious person, might want to hand out too. Each is reasonably priced and kid-friendly, and the pieces come individually wrapped, perfect for handing out on Halloween.
See's Candies Halloween Milk Chocolate Foil Balls
See's Candies uses Guittard chocolate in all of its confections, which means you can be confident that it's ethically sourced and high quality. Guittard has been around for over 100 years, and fourth-generation owner Gary Guittard spends much of his time and energy working with initiatives like the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund and is committed to the craft chocolate movement as well as ethical chocolate. These individually wrapped chocolate balls are the perfect-size treat for Halloween. $15.99 for 8 ounces (about 30 balls).
Equal Exchange Organic Milk Chocolate Minis
Honestly I don't know that much about this company, but what I do know impresses me. The chocolate is not bean to bar, but it is fair trade and comes from a worker-owned co-op. Try these minis with a hint of hazelnut, reminiscent of Nutella. $60 for 150 pieces.
TCHO Dark Chocolate Mini Bars
These lil' minis taste as cute as they look: Think an assortment of bean-to-bar maker TCHO's dark chocolate bars in "nutty" flavor, for the discerning trick or treater. There aren't any nuts in the bars; rather, the chocolate itself tastes nutty because of the cocoa beans' natural terroir. The Berkeley-based company practices direct trade, buying cocoa beans directly from farmers and investing time, money, and energy into improving their living conditions. $63.61 for 120 count.
Askinosie Dark Chocolate Itty Bars
Owner Shawn Askinosie is hands down the most ethical person I know. He devotes almost all of his time to sourcing cocoa beans directly from farmers, working to improve living conditions in Tanzania and the Philippines, in particular. Think building schools, buying textbooks and computers, and so many other initiatives that I can't even keep track. The bean-to-bar chocolate is also as high quality and delicious as it gets. $127.50 for 150 count.
Lake Champlain Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Leaves
Vermont–based company Lake Champlain is committed to high quality and sustainable ingredients. They even launched a bean-to-bar branch of their company recently called Blue Bandana that sources cocoa beans directly from farmers. These leaves aren't made with bean-to-bar chocolate, but they are filled with peanut butter. $89 for 85 pieces.
Big Picture Farm Milk Caramels
These little beauties are handmade on a goat farm in Vermont and come in a variety of flavors: sea salt and vanilla, chai, maple cream, and cocoa latte (made with Askinosie Chocolate!). $75 for 100 pieces.
Green & Black's Organic Dark Miniature Bars Collection
Long heralded as an ethical, organic company, Green & Black's offers these mini dark bars with inclusions like hazelnut, cherry, and ginger. $13.75 for 12 bars.
Know of a great chocolate that I left out? Tell me and I'll add it to the list! Get in touch at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
*Pssst, I’m trying out a new blog format here, with some affiliated links in it.
Tell Me Your First Craft Chocolate Story
Photo courtesy Flickr user mixoverdrive
One of my favorite things in the world is to hear people nerd out about chocolate, and a lot of those stories start with the first time someone tried a craft chocolate bar.
I still remember the first Madagascar bar I tried. Its acidic fruitiness surprised the hell out of me, intriguing me enough to build an entire career on getting to the bottom of it.
But enough about me. I want to hear about YOU. Tell me about the first time you tasted a craft chocolate bar. Did you love it? Did you hate it?
I’ll publish your responses in a special edition of Chocolate Today called “Voices,” so email me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or tell me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Read More Stories!
Chocolate for the Table: How Taza Transforms a Mexican Drink Into a Bar With Bite
Bar Au Chocolat: Remember to Always Be Daring
This Gelato Shop Has a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN
I’ve come back from the land of milk and honey, or rather, pasta and gelato, and I’m here to tell you that heaven exists. I found it at a place called Come Il Latte, an artisan gelato shop near the train station in Rome. It has — wait for it — a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN.
They put a house-made waffle cone under the fountain so that it fills the bottom and coats the sides with delicious melted chocolate. Then they pile gelato on top. In other words, it’s a grown-up Drumstick. It turns out that this is fairly common at the really good places.
But that’s not the only reason my life was changed. I’d been to Italy before and eaten my fair share of gelato. The new-school artisan shops I visited have turned it back into an art form: No piled masses of dyed-green pistachio there but rather pale, true pistachio in metal canisters.
Still life of a chocolate fountain
The other thing that blew my mind: Some of the shops listed the cacao origin on their chocolate flavors! I saw Madagascar and Ecuador, and one even listed Porcelana (not an origin but a highly desirable type of cacao). I tried to find out more, but the language barrier prevented it. Can anyone tell me what I was seeing and if this is common?
Where are your favorite gelato shops in the U.S., and, more importantly, New York (so I can go to them)?
Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I'll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
Read More Stories!
From Boat to Bar: How Dick Taylor Chocolate Makes the Best Packaging in the Industry
Soma: 20 Ways of Looking at a Chocolate Bar
Dandelion Chocolate: How Two Tech Nerds Revolutionized Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
I'm Headed to Italy!
Photo courtesy Flickr user esimpraim
Hello, you gorgeous chocolate lovers!
I’m on my way to Italy for a much-needed vacation and will be stuffing my face full of pasta, Nutella, and gelati until October 5. Wanted to give you a heads-up that it might be a little quiet around here.
But if you miss my voice, listen to me talk about craft chocolate, especially Fresco, as well as good bagels, on this Schmears the Deal podcast.
The Big Chocolate Show Is Going to Be Amazing
Pretty chocolate bars from Fruition
Guys, I can’t handle how excited I am about the Big Chocolate Show in New York from October 7 through 9 in New York City!
Fruition. Tcho. Valrhona. Pacari. Truffle Shots. Christopher Elbow. And lots of other delicious chocolates! They’re expecting over 5,000 chocolate lovers at the Terminal Stores on the city’s waterfront. And unlike other shows, this isn’t going to be a grab-and-go. Instead it’s designed for you to actually interact with the chocolate makers and chocolatiers, to have a meaningful conversation and get to taste their chocolates in a mindful yet still fun way.
Even better, use the discount code CHOCOLATENOISE20 to get 20 percent off your ticket price!
I’m going to be showing a new short video called “From Bean to Bonbon” on the big screen, which I’m hoping will mesmerize you with its chocolate beauty. For the moment, though, here are some gorgeous wrappers from De Martini, a decadent Truffle Shot, and a cookie confection from Norman Love to tide you over.
And then there are classes and talks like the one from pastry chef and chocolatier Michael Laiskonis (who leads the Institute of Culinary Education’s Chocolate Lab) called “Five Things I Didn’t Know About Chocolate Until I Started Making It.” Plus wine-pairing classes, tasting classes, and more.
I’ll be there with bells and whistles on, plus probably a smear of chocolate across my face. Be sure to use the discount code CHOCOLATENOISE20 to get 20 percent off your ticket price!
And see you soon!
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Come Eat Chocolate and Cheese With Me!
OK, I know this is a photo of chocolate and bread, but that's because I was at Bien Cuit this morning, hanging out with my good friend and cheese expert Christine Clark, talking about the chocolate-and-cheese-pairing class we're teaching at Murray’s Cheese in New York on Halloween this year. I’m going to be stuffing my face with craft chocolate and artisan cheese, and I want you to get in on the action too!
Now, we’d already done a lot of the legwork (mouthwork?) while researching my book: Christine was part of my expert tasting panel and always has the best descriptions of what she’s eating (“cartoonishly umami” is one of my faves).
So this morning it was all about trying two new-to-us bars — an 80 percent Ecuador from Ethereal Confections and a (not bean to bar) 68 percent Bolivia from Gotham Chocolates — and eating breakfast pastries at Bien Cuit like this dazzling pan dulce with cherry compote.
I can’t wait to share all of our creative chocolate-cheese combinations with you!