Notes From the Underground Chocolate Salon

Last week at the Underground Chocolate Salon at the Meadow, our tasting of six bars from Castronovo Chocolate turned into a full-fledged party, with music, laughter, and at least one manager of the Meadow unbuttoning his shirt.

What’s an Underground Chocolate Salon? 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.

Speaking of like-minded people, yesterday Cacao Review and I discovered that we both started clubs with similar names. As you know, mine is called the Underground Chocolate Salon. Cacao Review is about to launch a collection of microbatch bars from its favorite makers called the Underground Chocolate Club. Cacao Review has kindly decided to switch its name after its first collection is out (they are all ready to be shipped) and is even including a little teaser about my upcoming book in that first collection. I’m very happy that we managed to work this out in a friendly way and are being supportive of each other’s goals and progression. Yay for craft chocolate!

Now back to the salon.

I profiled Castronovo on my site recently, and I wanted to celebrate that profile with a tasting. This was not a sales pitch but a collaboration and exchange of ideas.

Here are our notes, minus the debauchery:

 Sierra Nevada, Colombia, 72 Percent

Fruity, bright, apricot perhaps, long finish

Amazonas 72 Percent

Still fruity but much more chocolatey, not as bright

Patanemo, Venezuela, 70 Percent

Nutty, malty, chocolatey through and through

Tumaco, Colombia 85 Percent

One of the attendees is so into craft chocolate that she had independently ordered a bunch of Castronovo’s bars and shared this one with us. We found it earthy, maybe a little chalky, surprisingly not bitter for an 85 percent

Sierra Nevada, Colombia, Dark Milk 63 Percent

Caramel, slightly fruity but much more mild, addictive, gone immediately

Dominican Republic, 55 Percent

A true milk chocolate, super sweet

The tasting concluded with a phone call with Denise Castronovo, the owner and chocolate maker behind the brand. Picture us huddled around my phone as she answered our questions and chatted about chocolate. A nice treat!

Then we hung out with patrons of the Meadow for a few hours, gushing over chocolate bars and telling stories of our favorite foods from around the world.

Note: There is an affiliate link in this post, for my book!

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I’m Coming to Visit You—With Chocolate!

Chocolate lovers, I’m super excited to say that my amazing publisher is sending me on a book tour around the country, and I want to visit you! I’m hosting events in New York City throughout the next few months, and I’m also traveling to quite a few places:

September: Dallas and Austin

November: Asheville, Denver, Seattle, and Portland

January: San Francisco and Salt Lake City

I have quite a few fun events planned in each city: Think chocolate and cheese tastings, chocolate and beer parties, and book signings and open houses. I can’t wait to see you!

If you live in any of those cities, tell me where you’d like me to hold events by emailing me at megan@chocolatenoise.com.

And if you’re not in any of those cities, tell me where you’d like me to visit at megan@chocolatenoise.com and I’ll do my best to come!

Come to My Underground Chocolate Salon on Aug. 24

Happy Friday, chocolate lovers! I’m super excited to announce that I’m bringing back the Underground Chocolate Salon!

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.

Join me in New York City at the Meadow on August 24 from 6 to 7:30 PM for a special Underground Chocolate Salon completely dedicated to Castronovo Chocolate. We’ll taste most of Denise Castronovo’s line, including her many award-winning dark milk chocolates, and learn more about what makes her chocolate so special. We’ll also be treated to the musical stylings of the Meadow’s Nick Cardoni, who will be playing bluesy live piano for us.

To come to the salon, preorder my book here and email me your RSVP and the receipt. Admission is limited to 20 people. Hope to see you there!

Giveaway: I’m Throwing a Chocolate Tasting for You and Your Friends!

Hey, New York City chocaholics! In honor of my book, Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America’s Craft Chocolate Revolution, coming out in September, I want to throw a chocolate tasting for you and four of your closest friends. The only cost? Five preorders of my book, one for each of your chocolate-loving friends, and one for you!

What’s a chocolate tasting? Think of the wine tastings or cheese tastings you’ve been to, and then replace the main ingredient with a better one: chocolate. I’ll bring five delicious craft chocolates, palate cleansers like crackers and green apples, and whole cocoa beans to your house (or a fun café or store, your choice), and we’ll spend about an hour and a half tasting and chatting about chocolate. You’ll learn how bean-to-bar chocolate is made, discover the fascinating and sometimes hilarious stories of these artisanal companies, and compare and contrast chocolates the way you would fine wines. Plus, you get to take home the leftovers!

How to enter:

1. Preorder 5 copies of the book. (Or more, if you'd like!)

2. Send a copy of your receipt and some dates that work for your tasting to megan@chocolatenoise.com.

3. We’ll get it on the calendar!

The giveaway starts today (Wednesday, 7/26) and ends in two weeks (Wednesday, 8/9), so let’s get started!

Not in New York? Let’s Skype! The same deal applies if you’re in another city. The only difference is that you’ll see my pretty little face on the computer screen rather than in real life.

Check Out the Advance Copy of My Book!

It arrived on my doorstep over the weekend, and I'm super excited to share this with y'all in a few short months! I'll be posting sneak peeks of it each week, like the following photo: mouthwatering cocoa nib ice cream, a recipe that Alice Medrich kindly shared with me from her book.

Photo by Jody Horton

Note: There's an affiliate link to my book in this post!

A Modern-Day Willie Wonka: Chocolate River Craft Chocolate

Note: This story was originally published on April 1, 2017, aka April Fool’s Day!

Photo by William Mullan

When Billie Bonkers tweets at 2 AM, we listen. That’s because the eccentric Portland resident makes the most exquisite chocolate in the world, using a process he invented in 2015 called bean to bar. The recluse hasn't been seen by anyone since that year, and amid his stream-of-consciousness tweets, once per month you’ll find him revealing an order form for new bars. But act quick: He sells out immediately, and then you’re out of luck until 30 days later, too long to live without chocolate.

But let’s step back a second. Bean to bar? In 2015, after making a fortune in the tech world, Bonkers decided that he wanted to revolutionize chocolate by making it from scratch. (It took Bonkers a few paces to find chocolate: He first experimented with pickles, kombucha, and gluten-free crackers before landing on the dark stuff.)

He traveled to Venezuela, where he found an expert farmer who mysteriously only goes by the initials “O.L.” With O.L., he imported dozens of cacao trees to a steam room he built in his enormous factory on the outskirts of the city. There, he apparently grows cacao onsite and ferments and dries the beans himself (well, with the help of O.L and his wife). He’s vehement that this part of the process is better than his “imposters’ attempts” at direct trade: He calls it no trade.

Then, using prized machinery that he invented himself or bought in Europe, he roasts the beans (in a modified clothes dryer), grinds (in an enormous machine from 1940s Germany), and smoothens the beans himself, using the aid of his most prized invention: a chocolate waterfall and river, which he uses instead of a conche. It’s rumored that the bearded twentysomething apparently takes boat rides down the river in his spare time. That’s how Bonkers ingeniously arrived at the name for his artisan company: Chocolate River Craft Chocolate.

Photo courtesy Flickr user CEBImagery

Then, after painstakingly making the paper for his packaging from scratch and letterpressing his own design onto that paper, he and O.L. hand-wrap each and every bar, then send it by carrier pigeon to its destination.

Of course, all of this is, as we said, rumor. Bonkers hasn’t been seen since he started the factory, in 2015, and only communicates through elusive Twitter rants—though his wife, who runs the books, marketing, and social media, responds to emails. We learned most of what you’re reading here after talking with a spy from Big Chocolate who preferred to remain anonymous; One big company, you see, is interested in acquiring the company and taking it national.

O.L. before he came to Portland (left); the only known image of Billy Bonkers (center); a carrier pigeon from Bonkers' factory (he only shoots on black and white film, right); images courtesy Flickr users Nathan Rupert, Cass Anaya, and jwyg, respectively

Most of what we definitively know about Bonkers is the chocolate itself, which is all single origin and made with only two ingredients: cacao and sugar. Well, except for two bars that were recently released: coconut milk and infused bourbon.

But yesterday Bonkers himself reached out to me via Twitter private message and said that he will be opening the factory doors, to five lucky souls who find a golden ticket in one of his bars. Since he only produces about 500 bars per year, this gives us all pretty good odds, if we start buying today! Good luck to all: The factory tour will take place on April Fool’s Day.

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Why Ritual Chocolate Uses Vintage Machinery

At the beginning of March I profiled one of my favorite American chocolate makers, Ritual Chocolate. I’d wanted to include some of the fascinating story that co-founder Robbie Stout told me about their conche, but, well, I wanted it in his dynamic words. So for the first time, I’m publishing a guest post on Chocolate Noise. Robbie, take it away!

In 2014 we bought a rusty, dismantled, four-pot longitudinal conche from Steve DeVries [one of the first American bean-to-bar makers, who now acts as an adviser and legend in the industry]. According to Steve, the conche was used by Swiss chocolate company Suchard for around 80 years and then had been hanging out in a barn in Hamburg, Germany, for the past 20 to 30 years. Even when we got it, it was still full of Swiss hay.

When we bought the conche, there was no guarantee that we’d ever be able to get it running, that all the pieces were still there, or that it would even produce good chocolate. So the endeavor to refurbish this conche was a leap of faith—one that was supported by all the old books we read about processing chocolate using turn-of-the-century machines.

For context, here’s a little history. Prior to 1879, there probably wasn’t any great chocolate for eating. Before then, it all would have been a little crude for eating chocolate and was better suited for making hot chocolate drinks. Then, in 1879, Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann, the founder of Lindt Chocolate, discovered the process of conching after buying an Italian-made machine that looked much like our longitudinal conche. Lindt found that processing chocolate for multiple days in this mixer achieved better texture and better flavor. From then on, Lindt conched all of its chocolate for eating. From about 1879 until about 1900, no one knew how Lindt made its chocolate so smooth, and this is part of where the reputation for smooth, Swiss quality chocolate was born.

As for our conche, we have a theory that ties into the Lindt conche origin story. Since the early 1800s, there has been a machinery company called Ammann in Langenthal, Switzerland. Originally it was called U. Ammann, and it mostly made farm equipment. Our theory is that when Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann discovered the conching process, he went to his relative Ulrich Ammann and asked him to secretly produce conches for Lindt. There is no evidence of this, but the time period and the last names align. Also, when Lindt’s secret of conching made it to the light of day, around 1900, U. Ammann was one of the first manufacturers to make conches available to other chocolate makers at the time. Our conche still has the “U. Ammann, Langenthal” insignia.

It's hard not to put this beauty in front of a camera. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do every day. #craftchocolate #beantobar #parkcity #conching #1105ironhorse #vivaldi

A post shared by RITUAL CHOCOLATE (@ritualchocolate) on Feb 20, 2017 at 8:00pm PST

We had to make several adjustments and changes to get the rusty, old machine to work again. Using old photographs and drawings as our references, we made a stainless steel frame to support all four pots of the conche (back in the day they used brick). We also enlisted the help of Dairy Engineering, a company in Colorado that specializes in “sanitary liquid engineering,” meaning they build a lot of equipment for the dairy and beer brewing industries. The German motor and gear box were built to be operated at a different voltage and electrical frequency, which Dairy Engineering solved by using a variable frequency drive (VFD). Controlling the heat on these machines was also tricky: The engineers used glue-on heaters to heat the outside of each pot and installed a temperature control panel for each individual pot (which is handy for processing different batches of chocolate at a specific temperature).

Initially, they said the refurbishment would take about three months. Instead, it took a full year. This forced us to get creative with our process, but it all worked out okay. Also, when we relocated from Denver to Park City, Utah, we had to move this 15,000-pound, 15-foot-by-8-foot machine with us (an eight-hour drive). We had to hire a trucker to dedicate his entire load to this one delivery (that was expensive). And then to get it off the truck we had to hire a crane, a forklift, and a team to help navigate the conche into our factory.

Once it was in place, electrical installation was easy. The big task was to clean out each pot before use. This took a solid three weeks of elbow grease and a full batch of throwaway chocolate. Last, we had a lot of trouble with the heaters. After burning them all out, we ended up replacing and reinstalling all of them.

Finally, in March 2016, we ran our first batch in the refurbished Swiss conche. That was by far our most stressful batch. There had been so much thought and preparation leading up to this moment, and there was no guarantee things would work out. Per tradition, the first batch would run for three full days. As we had never left the machine alone to do its business, we had to babysit it for the first three nights. This meant setting an alarm for every two hours during the night, walking to the factory (we live close by), and checking temperatures and listening for mechanical problems. Things were mostly fine, except the belt was too loose, so we had to apply a belt dressing during every checkup to silence its screeching.

After three days, it came time to temper and mold our first batch of chocolate from the conche. What we tasted was definitely the best chocolate we’d ever made. The texture was smoother. The flavor was more delicate, yet it lingered longer than it had in the past. And the overall texture of the chocolate felt finer and more consistent. Needless to say, we were greatly relieved. After all the time, effort, and money that went into getting the conche running, imagine how disappointing it would have been if the results had been mediocre!

Since then, we’ve run about twenty 1,000-pound batches. We’ve had to make a few small repairs, but so far it’s running well. If anything, the quality has improved as we’ve been able to perfect the speed and temperature of the conching. Occasionally it can be a little messy, but that’s part of being old fashioned. With the current condition of the granite in each pot, we see no reason why this conche won’t be able to run for another 100 years (or more). And this is why we love old equipment—because it’s built to last.

Chocolit: Your Favorite Books About Chocolate

Earlier this week I asked y'all to tell me your favorite books about chocolate, and boy, did y'all get into it! Some people even sent in photos of their own bookshelves. (By the way, the title of this post comes from my favorite chocolate pun, from Jessica Ferraro of Bar Cacao.) People overwhelmingly loved two of my faves: Mort Rosenblum's Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Light and Dark as well as Sophie and Michael Coe's The True History of Chocolate. So many other good ones to choose from, though:

“Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Light and Dark by Mort Rosenblum and Chocolate Wars: The 150 Year Rivalry between the Worlds Greatest Chocolate Makers by Deborah Cadbury.”

— John Cunin

“My absolute favorite book about chocolate is Chocolat by Joanne Harris. It is the novel that was made into the movie.”

— Carol Lang

“A photo of my bookshelf. I’m French, so mostly are french, but there are some good American and English. ”

— Clément Gillot

““Your book is coming out in August!??! I want a copy!!! Yay!!!!! Art of the Chocolatier.””

— Amy Dubin, Janam Tea

“I’m inviting you to pop onto my website and read my book review of Chocolatour. It’s a lovely read with pictures and descriptions that immerse you in the travels of the world of chocolate. Doreen Pendgracs is a smooth, deep writer.”

— RoseMary Griffiths, Musings From a Redhead

“Your shelf looks like my shelf! Mine is also scattered with ‘science of chocolate’ books though for the confection side of my business. My new favourite is Dom Ramsey’s book called “Chocolate, Indulge Your Inner Chocoholic, Become a Bean-to-Bar Expert”, published in September. It not only teaches the process of bean-to-bar chocolate making, it offers a great overview of several cacao-growing regions. And there are several delicious recipes in the book provided by chocolate professionals from around the globe. You’ll have to look through those to find out why it is my favourite. :-)”

— Lisbeth Flanagan, Ultimately Chocolate

“I love The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe.”

— Lydia Studier-Tarzia, chocolatier

“My fave book about chocolate is “Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light” by Mort Rosenblum”

— Adam Burke

“We are big fans of Los Guardianes Del Cacao, by Astrid Gutsche.”

— Raaka Chocolate

“Marcy Norton’s Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures for nuanced study of early European adoption (TY Carla Martin). The Essence of Chocolate by Sharffenberger & Steinburg encapsulates the beginnings of new chocolate. Some good recipes too, but for confectionary Jean-Pierre Wybauw’s books are indispensable.”

— Bisou Chocolate

“Bitter Chocolate by Carol Off should be required reading & The True History of Chocolate by Sophie & Michael Coe is brilliant (but we’re also big fans of Sandra Boynton).”

— CocoaRunners

“Chocolat by Joanne Harris every time!”

— Andrew Baker, The Telegraph

Did we miss your favorite book? Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I'll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!

What's Your Favorite Book About Chocolate?

I’ll publish a photo of my wine fridge full of chocolate another time, but today it’s all about my other chocolate library — you know, the one full of books.

Here’s a little pic of the shelf above my desk, with some classics like Maricel Presilla’s The New Taste of Chocolate and Sandra Boynton’s Chocolate: The Consuming Passion. I think I pick up The True History of Chocolate like once per week to remember what Sophie Coe has to say. Books have been even more on my mind lately because mine (about American craft chocolate) is finally coming out in August.

What’s on your chocolate bookshelf? And what’s your favorite book about chocolate?

Tell at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I’ll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!

Chocolate Noise Took Over Food Republic's Instagram

A few weeks ago I traipsed around New York City, eating all my favorites and sharing some delicious-looking photos with Food Republic's followers. Here, for your drooling pleasure, are all of those posts, in one spot.

February 12, 2017

Hey, Food Republic! I’m Megan Giller, the food writer and chocolate expert behind Chocolate Noise, and I’m so excited to take over @foodrepublic for the next three days! I’ll be showing you the best places in NYC to find the most delicious chocolate in the world—and I’ll probably eat more than my fair share. First up: chocolate for breakfast. I like to taste chocolate first thing in the morning, when my palate is fresh, before I’ve eaten anything else, especially chocolate from some of my favorite bean-to-bar makers. 

I pretty much visit Raaka Chocolate's factory once a week. The first thing you see when you walk in the door is their tasting room, with tons of chocolate samples. But the best thing is watching the Cocoatown machines grind and refine cocoa nibs into chocolate. Sometimes they let me taste a spoonful straight out of the machine. This batch is their limited-edition strawberry basil flavor. 

Raaka makes bean-to-bar chocolate, which means they start with whole beans and grind and smoothen them into chocolate from scratch. Ten years ago there were only a few people in the country doing this; now there are around 200 American bean-to-bar chocolate makers. My site Chocolate Noise is all about this craft chocolate revolution. Raaka is a little different than most, because they don’t roast their beans; instead they focus on creative infusions rooted in the terroir of cacao (yep, cacao has terroir, like wine!). Here are big bags of beans from Tanzania, which is known for earthy and slightly fruity cacao. 

Down the street from @raakachocolate is Cacao Prieto, another bean-to-bar chocolate factory. I love looking at this Victorian-era cocoa bean roaster: It’s enormous and impressive, and even a few hundred years later, it still roasts beans like a champ. And yes, they let me stand on a really tall ladder to get this shot! 

Because I clearly haven’t had enough chocolate today, my last stop is Liddabit Sweets at Industry City. Liddabit makes handmade, locally and ethically sourced versions of the candy bars and desserts you loved as a kid, with their own whimsical twist, using @valrhonausa and @tazachocolate. So many chocolate-covered caramels with sea salt for the taking!

February 13, 2017

Today's breakfast is this triple-chocolate cookie at Untitled at the Whitney, which blows my mind every time. Pastry chef Miro Uskokovic uses @guittardchocolate, an American bean-to-bar brand that’s been around since the late 1800s, and Chef Thomas Keller's gluten-free flour Cup4Cup. 

Now I’m off to replenish my chocolate stash at Chelsea Market Baskets, which has an impressive selection of hard-to-find brands. I’m loading up on Ritual Chocolate and Amano Chocolate, two of the best makers in the country. 

I teach chocolate-and-cheese-pairing classes at Murray's Cheese from time to time, but today I’m here to grab a few chocolate bars and cheeses to satisfy a personal craving. The two seem like an unlikely combination, but if done right, it can be incredible, creating a mashup experience that transforms two great foods into the sublime. Murray’s is one of the only places in town to buy Pralus’ Infernale bars, a massive chocolate bar filled with praliné (read: the best fancy candy bar in the world), which I’m going to devour later. 

Detour! I was headed home with all sorts of goodies for a late lunch, but Murray's is so close to Grom Gelato that I had to stop. Their chocolate gelato is extra rich and delicious because it’s made with Domori Chocolate, from Italy. On top of my hazelnut and pistachio, check out the single-origin Peruvian chocolate in all of its glory. 

Feast time! It’s all about the combinations, which I discovered while doing extensive research for my book (poor me, right?). I’m pairing Fruition Chocolate's dark milk chocolate with sea salt with Challerhocker cheese and that Pralus Infernale bar I mentioned earlier with Point Reyes Cheese's Original Blue. Both chocolates also pair well with this Nepalese oolong tea from Serendipitea. I threw in a baguette to pair with some single-origin Madagascar chocolate from Patric too, because why not? The fruitiness of the Madagascar chocolate with the buttery nuttiness of the baguette makes it taste like a fantastic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

February 14, 2017

I have a meeting this morning at French bean-to-bar maker Valrhona’s Brooklyn offices. Fortunately for me, they always have plenty of chocolatey treats: This morning the chef is making heart-shaped raspberry and white chocolate macarons. In other words, breakfast! There’s not a storefront here, but L’Ecole Valrhona offers professional classes in its huge onsite kitchen, with superstar chefs like Ginger Elizabeth bakery and Lincoln Carson. 

Now I’m off to learn more tricks of the trade from Michael Laiskonis, who runs the Institute of Culinary Education’s bean-to-bar chocolate lab. You’ll find him making chocolate from scratch pretty much all day and all night here, with plenty of samples to taste. All pastry students have to learn how to make chocolate as part of their program, and ICE offers classes for us mere laymen too. Here’s Michael pouring a freshly made batch onto marble to demonstrate tempering by hand.

After learning so much about how to make chocolate, I’m ready to ingest more of it, this time in liquid form. LA Burdick makes my favorite drinking chocolate in town, a rich, creamy concoction that doesn’t bear any resemblance to hot cocoa. I’m a sucker for single origin, like this cup of melted Venezuela. Also lots and lots of hand-dipped truffles, out of focus but delicious!

I have a hard time not going to Stick With Me Sweets every day. Usually I live by the rule that the prettiest desserts taste the worst, and vice versa, but Susanna Yoon’s work is stunning and scrumptious. No surprise that she uses Valrhona. Liquid salted caramel pouring onto marble, get in my mouth.

Back at home, I’m making my husband’s favorite dessert for Valentine’s Day: chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treats. Except I’m using Fruition marshmallows and Guittard chocolate. Want to lick the bowl?

Thanks, Food Republic, for letting me hang out with y’all as I ate my weight in chocolate over the past few days! It’s one of the dangers of the job, as you can see from the wine fridge I’ve turned into a chocolate fridge to the right of my desk. Now I better get back to editing the first pages of my book about American bean-to-bar chocolate (coming out in August)! 

Did I leave out one of your favorite places in NYC? Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and I'll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!

Is Chocolate a Health Food?

Ask any serious chocolate lover and they’ll say YES, both because it contains antioxidants and keeps them sane. Take Antidote, for example, a Brooklyn-based company that pioneered the raw/roasted combo that works so well.

“ANTI-STRESS, ANTIOXIDANTS, APPETITE SUPPRESSANT, APHRODISIAC, ANTIDEPRESSANT,” founder Red Thalhammer writes on her site.

Food for thought, and I’d love to hear what you think about this.

But the real reason I’m writing is that I’m fascinated by new chocolate maker K’ul Chocolate’s business model. Sure, they have some single-origin bars, but they focus on these superfood bars geared toward health nuts and athletes, like Endurance, a 70 percent dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds, protein, cranberries, and guarana. It contains 270 calories and 8 grams of protein; a cool mint chocolate Clif bar contains 250 calories and 9 grams of protein, with double the number of ingredients (including soy products). I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat heirloom cacao and natural ingredients.

K’ul’s model is an interesting departure from the rest of the bean-to-bar crowd, and I’m curious to see if others follow suit.

Meanwhile there are a range of chocolatiers and confectioners who make “healthy” bars, such as Hu, which caters to the Paleo crowd. Compartes offers a vegan dark chocolate bar with kale, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds and Jcoco makes a milk chocolate bar with agave, quinoa, and sesame. I know kale and quinoa are trendy superfoods, but does adding them into chocolate make the resulting bar “healthy”?

For my book, I interviewed Dr. JoAnn Manson at Harvard, who is conducting the first extensive study on the powers of cocoa flavanols. Among other things, she said, ““Having chocolate in moderation is perfectly fine as a treat, but I don’t think it should be considered a health food.” I’m excited to share the rest of her thoughts with you in August, when my book finally (sigh) comes out!

What do you think? Tell at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I’ll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!

Pretty Pictures of Cacao Pods

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is all about taking a deep breath and enjoying love in all of its forms, especially the beauty of the cacao fruit. If you haven't been to origin to see cacao pods in person, I highly recommend it. The colors are stunning, and the cacao pulp inside (which encases the raw beans) tastes great (kind of like lychee). I highlighted all of these photos on my Instagram page as well as tons more, and I wanted to share them here because they come from particularly cool companies. Enjoy!

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and I'll include it in the next Chocolate Today!

The Life and Times of CHOCOLATE, Part 4

If you missed them, check out Part 1: How Chocolate Is Born, Part 2: How Cocoa Beans Become Chocolate, and Part 3: Anatomy of a Fine Chocolate Bar.

Bonbon. It’s a short, cute little word (and it sounds even better if you say it with a French accent). You can pop a bonbon in your mouth and — snarf! — like that it’s gone. But it turns out it takes a ton of skill, effort, and time to make one of those little guys.

That’s why Ecole Chocolat and I put together a four-part series called "The Life and Times of Chocolate.” So far we’ve cartoonized how chocolate is born, how cocoa beans become chocolate, and what’s in a fine chocolate bar. This week we’re exploring the making of a bonbon. We hope to tell the story as simply as possible, and while we may not capture all of the nuances of the process, we hope people remember the image.

Since Valentine’s Day is upon us and we’re all buying chocolates for our loved ones (hint, hint), here are a couple things to consider about bonbons before we get to the cartoon. (P.S. If you’re in NYC, I can tell you all of this in person with a private, guided tasting!)

What the Heck Are Bonbons?

I used to call all round things made out of chocolate “truffles.” But if you want to be technical about it, most of these little round shapes are actually called bonbons. That distinguishes them from other confections like marshmallows, turtles, caramels that aren’t covered in chocolate—you get the idea.

A proper truffle is typically filled with ganache, a delicious mixture of cream and chocolate. Bonbons, on the other hand, can be filled with chocolate mixed with fruit puree, caramel, nut pastes, and so on.

What’s the Difference Between a Chocolatier and a Chocolate Maker?

Usually on Chocolate Noise I write about chocolate makers, people who buy whole cocoa beans and roast, grind, and smoothens them into bars in their own factory (or some variation of that process). Think of a chocolate maker as an engineer, creating chocolate from the raw materials. But most of the time, the people who make bonbons are called chocolatiers. Most of the time chocolatiers buy premade chocolate, melt it down, and use it to make their own bars and confections. Once in a while they make their own chocolate and use that to create confections. Think of a chocolatier as a chef who uses a premade ingredient to create his or her own masterpieces.

The Cartoon

There are lots of ways to make bonbons, but we’ve highlighted how to make molded bonbons: First chocolatiers decorate molds with colored cocoa butter (many chocolatiers use a special gun that sprays colored cocoa butter into their chocolate molds). Then they pour in tempered chocolate to make a shell. Usually chocolatiers will fill a mold with chocolate and then tip it upside down so that all the excess chocolate runs out and you are left with a perfect outer shell that is not too thick or too thin. Next they add the filling (like ganache or caramel) and last close up the molds with more chocolate (called “bottoming”), making sure to scrape off the excess chocolate.

Like I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of different ways to make bonbons, and that’s where a chocolatier’s skill and artfulness come into play. Some chocolatiers choose not to decorate their bonbons at all, particularly if they have a really intricate and pretty mold. Or some chocolatiers decorate with something else, and there are almost endless possibilities, such as gold leaf, or edible flowers. But a good bonbon will always have a thin, even chocolate shell; balanced flavors; and no air pockets.

Okay, Okay, Enough Talking, More Eating

Here are a few tips for buying chocolate candies and confections:

• Buy locally made chocolates. This doesn’t always guarantee it’s better, but it’s nice to support our local communities, don’t you agree?

• Look for perfect pieces. You shouldn’t see any leaking fillings or air bubbles on the outer shell.

• Ask questions. Any chocolatier will be happy to talk to you about the type of chocolate they use, where it came from, and any other ingredients they use in their pieces.

(As always, thanks to Fernanda Frick for the amazing illustration! Note that there are affiliate links in this story!)

I Ate Chocolate Right Out of the Grinder

Happy Tuesday! Yesterday I spent the day at Raaka Chocolate in Brooklyn with Food.com, doing a couple of Facebook LIVE events with them. I could tell you about it, but it’s way more fun to watch!

In the first LIVE, watch me tour Raaka’s factory, eat fresh cacao pulp and beans, and taste chocolate right out of the Cocoatown machine (mmmm!).

In the second LIVE, watch me lead a guided tasting, talk about how to taste chocolate and give the inside scoop on bean-to-bar chocolate, and use Hershey’s as a prop of something I’d rather not eat.

Season 2 of Chocolate Noise Is Coming!

Ahem, is this thing on? I have an announcement to make: Season 2 of Chocolate Noise is starting on February 1!

When I asked y’all at the end of last year what you wanted to see from Chocolate Noise in 2017, so many people said they wanted more profiles. Luckily for all of us, I love writing longer stories about the best chocolate makers in America.

Starting February 1, look for one long-form story about a great chocolate maker per month for eight months. The stories will also be syndicated on Food Republic, one of my favorite sites, and I’ll be taking over their Instagram later this month to show their readers around New York’s most delicious chocolate.

Also look for the return of the Underground Chocolate Salon, more Chocolate Today blog posts, curated stories on Facebook, and a ton of pretty pictures on Instagram.

I can’t wait to share more chocolatey stories with you!

Love,

Megan

Your Top 5 American Makers

A few weeks ago I asked y’all a hard question: If you had to pick 5 makers (or bars) to represent American craft chocolate, who would they be? Seems a bit random, I know, but I was headed to Storey Publishing’s office to do a tasting for the team working on my book. 

I’m excited to tell you how excited they were to taste all of this delicious craft chocolate. I didn’t actually bring anything, because Storey has something like 100 bars that they’re photographing for the book, a wide array of jewels that made my mouth water just thinking about them. We filled the room and then some with people eager to taste the best craft chocolate in America, and they loved it. LOVED IT! I’m not going to reveal exactly which bars we tasted (you’ll have to wait for the book for that one), but we ended the day buzzing with the energy of the craft chocolate movement.

But back to the question at hand. So many of you guys wrote me such great answers. Here they are, in no particular order. (P.S. In this case, America included Canada too!)

“My favorite bean-to-bar maker of 2016: Madre, Patric, Rogue, Dandelion, Potomac”
—Ethan Lercher

“So hard to pick 5. I have 17.  Soma, Dick Taylor, Fruition, Amano, Map Chocolate”
— Pashmina Lalchandani, Choco Rush

“Please see my personal top five selection below.  They are not listed in any particular order; I couldn't possible rank them as my favourites out of these change regularly! Rogue Jamaica 75%, Dick Taylor Guatemala 70%, Fruition Hudson Valley Bourbon Dark Milk 61%, Dandelion Mantuano Venezuela 70%, Ritual Belize 75%. If you are counting Canada in American Craft Chocolate the Palette De Bine Wild Bolivie 70% Bine À L'Érable would probably just edge out the Dandelion bar.”
— Rob Sledmere, Pump Street Bakery

“I’m happy to share the work of these makers who I see as some of the newest and most exciting innovators in the American craft chocolate revolution: Map, Acalli, Firefly, Letterpress, Somerville Chocolate CSA, and of course I must mention a 6th: Enna Chocolate.”
—Enna Grazier, Enna Chocolate

“Fresco, letterpress, French broad are three that I particularly enjoy.”
—Jay Olins

“Askinosie: one of the first.  True career changer.  Inspirational. Committed to sustainability, the environment, and the farmers.

“Patric: true small batch. Became know for fantastic tasting bars enhanced by Alan’s commitment to the science of chocolate.  

“Raaka: young guys in Brooklyn with endless enthusiasm for educating ones palate to raw chocolate with great taste.

“Grenada: not in North America, but the extremely unique founder was American.  Tragically passed too young, created an industry that did not exist to help those who needed help.  Delicious bars at a good price point. 

“Dick Taylor: one of the first small batch bean to bar chocolate I tried when I began my passion for educating my chocolate palate a number of years ago, so it always comes to mind when I think of American bean to bar.  Beautiful packaging too. 

“Honorable mention to Mast simply because they are probably the most well-known bean to bar brand for those who are not very familiar with smaller brands.  Not my favorite by any means…too dry…but I enjoyed the educational tour when they offered it years ago and I do like the goat bar very much.”
—Helen Boltson

“Somerville chocolates. And Taza. #newenglandrepresent”
—Tipsy Chocolates

“Dick Taylor. Fruition. Ritual. French Broad. Dandelion.”
—Pinellas Chocolate

“Guittard, Dandelion, Tcho, Amano, Dick Taylor”
—Janice Marie Foote

“Here are six that truly represent American Craft Chocolate: Chocolate Alchemist, Raaka, Map, Cacao Prieto Potomac, Violet Sky”
—Robert, Campbell, Chocolate Alchemist

“soma (CA), fruition, akesson, patric”
—Nick Gutfreund

“Rogue, Patric, can Soma count as North America?, Dick Taylor, Amano?”
—Marty McCabe

“Here are a few that show a nice cross section: Raaka, Amano, Cacao Prieto, Pitch Dark, Undone, Potomac.” 
 —Chocolate Bar Suppliers

“Patric, Askinosie, French Broad, Cacao Atlanta, Map. These were only American. Canada, Europe, South America and Asia get 5 each too. I chose some pioneers because they paved the way and I am always happy for their success! I have a special mention to Kakawa Chocolate House for their drinking chocolate.”
—Sophia Rea, Projet Chocolat

“Askinosie, French Broad, Patric, Maverick, Dick Taylor”
—Antonella Tromba, Foodensity

“1. Dick Taylor Vietnam Tien Giang Limited Release Bar. 2. Dick Taylor Solomon Islands Exclusive Release Bar 3. Dandelion Chocolate Cahabon, Guatemala Bar 4. Olive & Sinclair Co's Sea Salt Dominican Republic Bar 5. Endorphin Foods' Passion Bar”
—Bevin B. Cooper Farkas, BumbleBDesign

“Aside from my own bars (Endorfin Foods), I'd say: French Broad’s Cacao Verapaz bar, Fruition’s bourbon dark milk, Dick Taylor’s Alto Beni bar, Raaka’s Bananas Foster bar, Askinosie’s dark goat milk w/ licorice, and Firefly’s Bay Nut bar. All exceptional bars, made with skills on the edge of our craft.”
—Brian Wallace, Endorfin Foods

“My 5 American Chocolate Bars are Askinosie Tanzania & Zingermans collaboration bar; I also love Dick Taylor’s limited edition Bolivian bar, Marou (they are American, right) Treasure Island, Lastly I like my dark krispie bar from my local place Graham’s Chocolate [not sure how bean-to-bar it; but it's good!]...”
—Adam Burke

“my 5: Amano Dos Rios, Solstice Bolivia, Cocanu Brass Bar, Durci Defiant, Patric PBJ OMG”
—Travis Isaacson

Don't see your favorite maker or bar? Weigh in and 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 French Broad Chocolates

Recently Jael Rattigan, one half of the amazing French Broad Chocolates, took over my Instagram for a week, with some really gorgeous photos of the amazing bars, truffles, and baked goods that they offer at their cafe. 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 her description of the action in the photo. Read the original Chocolate Noise profile here!

Hi, y'all! We're Dan and Jael, coming at you from French Broad Chocolates in beautiful Asheville, NC. We're taking over Chocolate Noise's Instagram all week. What began 10 years ago as a new marriage and a farmers market stand, where we sold truffles and caramels using OPC (that's Other People's Chocolate), has grown to include a web store, a bustling dessert restaurant (French Broad Chocolate Lounge, est. 2008), a chocolate and coffee boutique (Chocolate+Milk, est. 2014), and a Chocolate Factory & Tasting Room (est. 2012), where we directly source cacao, roast, winnow, refine, and temper it into bean-to-bar chocolate. Phew, that run-on sentence is how my life feels.

Through our mountain town courses an ancient river, the French Broad. The water it carries is the same water that nourishes our cacao groves, thousands of miles away. The French Broad reminds us that we are all connected, and through our chocolate, we seek to honor that connection. This photo is from a cleanup we did of our namesake back in June!

Our bean-to-bar chocolate is transformed into our collection of chocolate bars. With our thoughtful, locally-crafted packaging, we hope to share the stories behind the chocolate we humbly offer: whether it's our own love story, a special relationship with a cacao farmer, or a brilliant local coffee roaster. There are so many hands involved in bringing you this beautiful chocolate, and we hope to honor their contributions by telling their stories.

Since 2013, all the chocolate we use in our pastries, ice cream, drinking chocolates and confections at the Chocolate Lounge is our own bean-to-bar chocolate. About 4-5,000 folks pass through the Chocolate Lounge in a busy week, and we are honored to share the story of chocolate with our guests, in a beautiful space that allows our community to come together and enjoy each other's company.

Before Asheville, Dan and I lived and worked in the cacao-rich rainforest of Costa Rica for two years. At the restaurant we opened, Bread and Chocolate, we were able to source local chocolate for our handmade desserts, sparking our passion for cacao and all things chocolate. We still have a little cacao farm of our own there, where we're able to get our hands dirty, and learn about the challenges of cacao cultivation firsthand. While its production is too small to provide a substantial source for us, we are working with other local farmers in the area to import Costa Rica cacao for our 80% bar. It's a pleasure to remain connected to this region, which will always hold a special place in our hearts. 

5 Bars That Represent the American Craft Movement

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.