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Published by Max Felchlin AG, Schwyz, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. (2008)

The Transformation From Bean to Chocolate

The fermented and dried cocoa beans are packed in sacks made of coarse jute and shipped across the ocean. They are then transported along the Rhine and unloaded at the port in Basel and put into storage. The chocolate manufacturers small warehouse in Schwyz only has the capacity to hold the quantity of beans that are used on a daily or weekly basis and that will be processed in the near future. Howover, before storing, Felchlin carries out one final, quasi inhouse grading of the delivered goods, separating them into two groups: those that are to be processed into Grand Cru chocolate and those that will become a blend of various origins.

Cleaning The daily quota is stored on pallets next to the cleaning machine. In industry, the cleaning process is fully automated, however, with a small producer of top-quality chocolate such as Felchlin, a single individual performs the first step in the cleaning process, which takes place in four stages, using three machines. This individual cuts open the sacks and casts a watchful eye over the contents as they are poured into the cleaning facility. This inspection is the last control before processing; after all, the cocoa beans could have become mouldy during the long sea passage in the ships hold. If the sacks were emptied automatically, this deterioration would go unnoticed with disastrous consequences for the final quality.

During cleaning, a magnet first removes any bits of metal. A blower then extracts dust and dirt, wood and fragmented beans. Finally, using a combination of gravity and vibration process, everything thats heavier than the cocoa beans is removed from the machine, for example, small stones. The cleaned beans are then transferred to a funnel-shaped silo and, from there, fed via an intermediate silo into the reactor below, where they are sterilised: pressurised, hot steam at a temperature of 150-170C kills all germs in just three to five seconds.

Roasting In the production of first-class chocolate, roasting the cocoa beans is equally as importants asfermentation. Roasting reduces the water content of the beans from about 6.5 percent to about 2 percent; the shells loosen, the colour darkens and the roasting aromas develop. Traditional drum roasters, such as are used at Felchlin, may appear outdated but thanks to their size, they are easy to monitor and handle; this enables rapid intervention in the roasting process. These traditional drum roasters are gas powered (of course, everyone is familiar with the immediate respones time of gas to simple manual adjustments from experience in a domestic kitchen). In order to achieve a uniform roasting, the beans are turned and mixed continuously in the drum and then discharged and fed into the cooler below. At this stage, a cocoa bean would not taste very different to a coffee bean to a certain exent, coffee and chocolate contain the same active ingredients; on account of its 50 percent cocoa butter conten, the cocoa bean is softer and without aroma.

More on Roasting:

Roasting pan: Open metal container that is heated over fire. This method is sometimes still used in the countries of origin when roasting cocoa beans for local consumption. (use: domestic)

Drum roaster: Large, rotating, gas-powered metal drum. The cocoa beans inside are moved and turned continuously for gentle, uniform roasting. This roasting in portions enables the roasting master to monitor the process and to quickly adjust the process to the different properties of cocoa beans depending on harvest and origin). (use; manufacturing)

Continuous roaster: Long, ventilated channels through which, from the left and right, hot air is blown. The channel is filled with cocoa beans or nibs, which slowly move from top to bottom and are thus heated continuously. The method is suitable for fully automated roasting of large, homogeneous quantities (mass production), but not if small quantities of different vareties have to be roasted. (use: industrial)

picture source: Vera Hofman.

Cracking The roasted, cooled beans are then fed through pipes into the winnower, where they are cracked and shelles removed: two rollers with blades attached rotating in opposite direction break down the beans. This is followed by separation: the shells are then removed by suction and the cracked beans, now called nibs, are sorted on a vibrating screen in stages, starting with the first fraction (very coarse), then the second to fourth fractions (increasingly fine), all of wich are further processed into high-quality chocolate; the fifth fraction (1-3 percent of the total cracked volume; very fine, almost dust-like, with remaining residu of shells and foreign matter) is discarded and can be processed into animal feed. The nibs are then directed into a silo using a jet of air.

Grinding The stone mill has round, rotating, horizontal stone plate, which grinds the nibs to a particle size of 100 microns, without any loss of aroma (in contrast to high-performance machines). The heat generated melts the cocoa butter. Tasting the warm, liquid cocoa mass would now reveal coffee and roasted flavours, as well as very fine, barely perceptible hints of fruit (minimum acid). In the ball mill, the mass becomes even more liquid. All small particles of cocoa have been ground and the cells have unlocked their flavours and aromas. The fruit notes are now stronger on the palate; there is an earthy aroma and a long finish. The desired complexity gradually starts to unfold in the cocoa mass. With industrial production, the next step is neutralisation, which involves water vapour releasing acids and bitter substances from the cocoa mass; for most Grand Cru qualities, this intermediate step is unnecessary. After fine grinding, the pure cocoa mass is ready.

Mixing Transformation of the cocoa mass into chocolate starts in the mixer: additives such as granulated or raw sugar, vanilla powder (not vanillin but ground vanilla pods), milk and/or cream powder and cocoa butter are blended with the freshly made cocoa pass. Sugar enhances the aromas; vanilla does not taste like vanilla but actually makes the chocolate smoother. Although as it often conceals any flaws in the flavour. If the cocoa mass is further processed into Grand Cru quality, in order to maintain the pure character of cocoa, vanilla is often omitted.

picture source: Vera Hofman.

Rolling The additives have transformed the cocoa mass into a chocolate mass, which is ground in the two-roll refiner to a particle size of about 120 micron; any sugar cristals still present in the mass after mixing are pulverised; the mouthfeel of the mass is dry and coarse. The five-roll refiner determines the fineness of the future couverture: for a Grand Cru, this should be between 12 and 15 micron. The human tongue cannot detect particles finer than 20 micron; any grittiness has disappeared. The chocolate mass is transferred to a trough, where the first roll picks it up and draws it into the rolling system, which now rolls the mass with an upward motion until it is wafer thin: on the uppermost roll, the chocolate mass has the appearance of a thin, brown, almost transparent film covering the metal. The cooled mass then flakes of and the flakes enter the conching process.

Conching This is the key process in refining chocolate; it was invented in 1879 by Rodolphe Lindt from Bern. Conching releases the very finest aromas in the mass and takes place in three stages: dry conching, plasticising and liquefying. Depending on the recipe and the machine, conching can take anything from a few to more than 70 hours. The temperature and frictional effect are generated by a type of agitator or mixer or by rolling in the longitudal conch. The most delicate couverture has to be monirated carefully; its often the worker at the machine who decides when a process is finished and when to intervene. Today, state-of-the-art, fully automatic conches are generally used. However, the best flavour is still achieved with longitudinal conches similar to those used in the nineteenth century. With dry conching, the flakes of chocolate mass are heated frictionally to between 60 and 90C. The dark brown, rather dry mass is turned and sirred. The rise in temperature causes the water to evaporate and this rising water vapour removes any volatile substances, such as acetic acid produced during fermentation. The mass has an initial water content of approx. 1.7 percent; this is reduced to just 0.6 to 0.7 percent.

During plasticising, the dry particles are covered in cocoa butter during constant stirring; the mass takes on a silky gloss. The senses now come into play with thr eyes making visual assessment of mixture. The aromas should unfold and merge; this is checked every three to six hours. The fine gloss starts to from. Once the desired gloss has been attained, liquid cocoa butter is added to liquefy the mixture. Before further processing, the warm couverture is then poured into heated tanks and stored for a maximum of two days.

The longitudinal conch In simple terms, conching transforms chocolate mass into a gorgeous product. The longitudinal conch is the most effective conching tool and, with its gentle action, it allows the most delicious flavours to develop. Felchlin still uses three longitudinal conches, each with four troughs and rollers, manufactured in the 1930s by U. Ammann in Langenthal. Thise conch looks rather like a paddle steamer and operates in much the same way: the wheel moves two horizontal connecting rods, one in front and one behind. The wheel rotates in the centre of the machine; the cast-iron troughs are located on either side. The lids used to cover the troughs are curved and painted a milk-chocolate brown. A steel roller is attached to the end of the connecting rod and this rolls the chocolate mass eveny backward and forward over a granite bed. The troughs are not heated; the intense heat that, depending on the duration of conching, is generated at the pedestal is the result of this motion, the constant friction and rolling action. Crashes and bangs can be heard as the mass smacks into the corners under the lid. However, the roller must never jump or knock. It is crucial that the right temperature is attained and this is no mean feat. There is no skill in simply pushing a button to start the heating process, however, there is an art to generating heat by applying just the right amount of friction. With longitudinal conches, it is possible to generate a temperature of 75C or more; 60-70C is the minimum. A certain temperature must be reached after 24 houres; if this does not happen, it cannot be corrected.

More on conching:

The conching machine is a special agitator for refining chocolate. Both physical and flavour-forming processes take place that are extremely important for glaze and aroma of the chocolate.

Slow conching: in the mechanical longitudinal conch, the chocolate mass is slowly rolled and aerated between granite stone and steel rollers for two to three says. The frictional heat has liquefying effect without any loss of the delicate aromas and fruit acids (see figures above).

Rapid conching: modern method that prepares liquid chocolate in just a few hours. Agitators with large shearing forces and rotational speeds can be used for rapid stirring, heating and the cooling of the mass.

Summer of 2011 visiting Fechlin and admire the longitudinal conching, thanks to Sepp and his wonderfull team.

Tempering The finished couverture to be moulded is cooled from 45-50C to 26-28C in a tempering unit and then re-heated to 29-32C. This produces uniform crystals in the couverture, which give the chocolate the desired texture and appearance.

Moulding, cooling and packaging The liquid, tempered chocolate is poured into the mould, cooled, knocked out of the mould and wrapped in compound foil or put into bags and then packed in cardboard boxes.

The presentation of the Grand Cru couvertures of Felchlin in my shop, sold in drops and bars with details to learn about and why this is such a fine chocolate!

next part: The Composition Every Detail Counts.

More on Felchlin and conching find out at chocolate friend Vera Hofman

Found this nice mail few weeks ago in my mailbox, like to share it.

Published by Max Felchlin AG, Schwyz, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. (2008)

Since visiting Felchlin 2010 and2011, I must admit Im addicted to there chocolate and there philosophy. This book is to interesting not to blog, so I must share this on my blog.

The Journey: From the Farmer to Basel.

After selection, the dried beans are generally transported as bulk goods in the hold of the ship (for example, cocoa from the Ivory Coast) or, more rarely, in sacks, and then taken on the long journey to their destanation for further processing, for example, to Switzerland. In the most cocoaproducing countries, the ships dock in special ports that are sometimes named after the cocoa that is loaded there. One example of this is Maracaibo, a port in Northwest Venezuela between the Lago de Maracaibo and the Caribbean Sea.

Beans from Beni in Bolivia have a particularly long journey. First of all, they are shipped about 1200 kilometres along the waterways in the Amazon Basin to the nearest town and, from there, along the first mountain pass through the Andes to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, which is located at an altitude of 5200 metres above sea level. From La Paz, the journey continues across the Altiplano* and the second pass through theAndes, about 4300 metres above sea level, and then down to the Pacific Coast as far as Arica in Chile. After travelling a total distance of some 1600 kilometres by road, the beans are loaded onto ships and taken northwards along the coast via the Panama Canal and finally 12600 kilometres across the Atlantic to Rotterdam or Amsterdam, where the containers are transferred to a freighter and carried a further 850 kilometres up the Rhine to Basel. In Basel, the ship arrives in dock I. Here, the cargo is unloaded and the valuable sacks loaded onto pallets and stred in a warehouse until it is time for further processing.

*Altiplano: a plateau of the Andes, covering two thirds of Bolivia and extending into S Peru: contains Lake Titicaca. Height: 3000 m (10 000 ft.) to 3900 m (13 000 ft.)

Depending on weather conditions, the journey of the Beni beans takes two to three months and covers a total distance of more then 16000 kilometres; this is about 40 percent of the circumference of the globe. During this long journey, the fermented and dried cocoa beans are subjected to several changes of temperature and climate: from the warm, humid air of the Amazon Basin to the cold, dry air of the Altiplano and Andean passes; from the damp sea-air of the Pacific to the warm, humid air of the Panama Canal and, finally, a long cooling period crossing the Atlantic. The 6.5 percent moisture content of the beans after drying has to be maintained at all times. The beans always need sufficient air. They are transported in jute sacks or in sacks made from plasticised, air-permeable fabric. In containers, the beans can sweat, irrespective of whether theyre packed in sacks or as bulk goods: the containers are lined with corrugated card and paper to absorb any condensation. When carried along the Rhine, they are occasionally aerated by opening the sliding roof above the hold.

AMAZONAS RIO BENI IN BENI BOLIVIA

Hello, am interested in purchasing used cheap bean to bar chocolate making machines. send me prices.

my e-mail is ssembuya@yahoo.com

First off, I have to say I've been remiss in writing this post, as we did a self-guided tour of Clay's recommended spots back in late October, but I have to give him credit for what was an absolutely awesome 3 days. Clays' recommendations greatly expanded the list we had and he helped make it one of the nicest trips we'd ever been on. We got to nearly all his recommended spots, and here are my own throughts about the places we visited:

• Pralus: Loved it. Love their little bundle of 10 50-gm single origin bars. (Perfect for "portion control, too!). Bought a lot of stuff here -- all fantastic.
• Pierre Marcolini: Small ganacheswith very diverse andoutstanding flavors and the staffcouldn't have been more helpful.I found myself liking the smaller pieces, too. Let's me try more at any one time.
• Victor et Hugo: Smaller variety, but very intense chocolate. LOVED the "hardcover book" box they came in. (Had an elastic strap and all, and I pictured myself keeping this one and re-using it to safely take chocolates with me when traveling.)
• We didn't spend much time in Michel Cluizel, Richart,or La Maison du Chocolat, as there are shops here in NY, and we wanted to devote our time to new places.
• Michel Chaudun: incredible truffles. Period. Other selections also good, nothing bad about this shop, but the truffles stood out. This was our last stop on one day, and the cashier saw all our little bags from all our stops and was even kindenough to offer us a large bag for all of them. We'd dropped a reasonable bundle at the place, so we didn't feel too embarrassed.
• La Chocolaterie Jaques Genin: DON'T MISS!!! There was NOTHING I didn't like about this place. The pastries were top drawer and if I were moving to Paris I'd want to live next door to his shop. The chocolates are packed in tins that are flat as a pancake but they're fresh as can be and I found them to have layers of flavor and notes. The staff were helpful and friendly. Also --normally, I can take or leave caramels. Take them home. They're about 1 Euro apiece and worth it. I had never tasted a truly fresh, made-last-night-right-upstairs caramel and these were the best anywhere. The smoothness was almost indescribable and there were about 10 different flavors. Plain and ginger were personal faves, but that's nit-picking. The guy knows his caramel -- and his chocolate.
• Sadaharu Aoki: OK, of the places we visited, this is one that was interesting, but probably one I wouldn't visit again. The chocolates were displayed like art pieces and looked very good. Most of the chocolate flavorswere Asian-inspired (yuzu, etc.) and I'm definitely glad we went, but once was enough. The chocolates were good to try but didn't leave me wanting more.
• Christian Constant: We'd visited here before and the best is their wide selection of single-origin bars. There's a cafe that normally has fabulous pastries but it was closed the day we went and even the case of chocolates was a bit sparse and missing some selections. We returned this time because our experience was very good at the first visit a year or so ago, and I'd recommend it. We probably just hit it on an off day. It happens.
• Pierre Herme: Pastries that belong in the Museum of Modern Art. Chocolates from a master. Lines always out the door and justified. Enough said.
• Patrick Roger: Terrific chocolates, fantastic selection of bars, with varied origins and percentages, and I bought a lot of them.If you like chocolates filled with marzipan, this place hadgood ones. Not my thing personally, but there was a good diversity of flavored ganaches. A good stop.
• Chocolate Jean-Paul Hevin: Another good place for bars.
• L'Etoiloe d'Or: Clay sindicated that this place was considered the best chocolate shop in the world. We liked it very much, but that's a high bar to set. Smaller selection of chocolates, but very good, LOTS of stuff to look at, bars, etc., and the non-English speaking staff was SO NICE! I'd say this was the HAPPIEST shop we visited and I'd be happy to return.
• Cafe-wise, we hit Laduree (always a mob) and Jacques Genin as indicated above, didn't hit Angelina this time, but we loved -- loved Patisserie des Reves. Smallsit-down place in the back and we had to wait and it was worth it. The pastries displayed in thre front of the shop are a whole scene, each selection either raise or lowered on a fancy pulley or in cases embedded in the wall. Fantastic cafe.

I should say that, while this was a lot to do, with a lot to eat,in three days, we WALKED the entire trip. It was about 8 or 9 miles each of the first two days, with less walking the third day, which was Sunday, so fewer shop were open.

Interestingly, other than a pastry each day, we didn't actually eat a huge amount of chocolate. We sampled, but didn't overdo it. Instead, we tended to buy things to bring home (bars, in my case!) to savor. of course, all the places we visited were expensive. This was absolutely NOT chocolate to be gulped, and I don't like to do that with chocolate anyway. My chocolate philosophy is to buy the best you can and savor it, or wait until you can. Less is more when it's really good.

I'd recommend such a trip to anyone, and even better if you can go on one of Clay's trips, do it. We didn't hit the restaurants where he did his chocolate and wine pairings on his trip, but one has to save SOMETHING for next time!

Cheers!

Keith

in my 20 plus years in the chocolate and pastry world I've put out quite a lot of what some may call innovative stuff.... being my bread and butter I'm often too 'at work' to realise what exactly it is I'm doing and have achieved....luckily I realise that and have made a conscious effort to enjoy the experience of creation because let's face it , that's the whole point of it in the first place, right?

In my outside the box way, what recently began as a joke between a Maryland Chef and I on my facebook food group, rapidly fired my imagination to the creation of a concept/product that has me awake at night.

The buzz, it's there, and that's the buzz I have revisited regularly ever since I entered the world of chocolate.

I have been in environments with colleagues that positively hate the "monotony" of production..... lets face it when a product is successful it's going to become a slog, repeating the same action again and again, day after day. But I have learned to meditate, to converse, to ponder whilst in the rhythm of production. My calm infuses my product, as does my excitement, my humor and my joy. No one NEEDS chocolate goodies. It's a treat; its eaten for the pure pleasure of it , no other reason, so why would I taint that piece of happy with my boredom or my anger or my disinterest?

Which brings me back to the point.... the creation of a new product can be one of the most exhilerating experiences; and that exhilleration is both the child and mother of renewal. And with constant renewal the joy will remain the predominant vibration of that Brown Stuff......... nuff said.

And the new product? watch this space (Patent Pending)

~ PJK

As of Sunday Jan. 1, 2012 retailers can only sell their remaining inventory of 100w incondecent lightbulbs. This is to make way for the new effecient bulbs. That could be a problem for us Hilliard melter owners because the Little Dipper and the mid-range unitare heated bythese 100w bulbs. There is an article in the online version of the USAToday talking about this and there does not seem to be a need to run out and grab all you can today. However, it is coming andI wanted you to be aware of it. I have to believe the boys at Hilliardsare working on an alternative and will have something in the near future.

As an owner of two Hilliards I thought I should put it out there in case you missed it..

Pierre

Sabino Artisan Chocolates

Published by Max Felchlin AG, Schwyz, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. (2008)

Since visiting Felchlin 2010 and2011, I must admit Im addicted to there chocolate and there philosophy. This book is to interesting not to blog, so I must share this on my blog.

The Bean From Harvesting to Shipping

The picked, ripe an healthy cocoa fruits are cut open. The beans are removed and transferred to wooden fermentation boxes that are not exposed to direct sunlight. This is the traditional and most authentic fermentation method; other modern methods, tailored to large-volume fermentation, are not as natural.

Fermentation Before fermentation, the beans are first inspevted and any rotten or mildewed beans discarded. Fermentation starts a maturation process, which involves microorganisms initiation the fermentation of sugar in the pulp, thus generation heat. The fermentation process kills the seedlings in the beans and relaeses an intense odour and juice runs out of the box. With wine, fermentation ends with cooling, however, with cocoa beans, it ends with drying. Experience gained over the centuries, as well as more recent experiments, have helped to determine the exact point when fermentation is over. Criollo, for example, has to ferment for between two or three days, Nacional for between four to five days and Forastero for between seven to eight days (depending on the hybrid). Experience is also necessary for controlled fermentation in boxes: the beans have to turned regularly to ensure sufficient aeration. Other factors that are key to successful fermentation are air humidity, temperature and the size of the boxes (area, height, width). The type and quality of the wood (soft, hard) also play a role.

Drying After fermentation, the cocoa beans have to be dried with the shrivelled, dry pulp. The best method is a natural one of simply drying the beans in the sun. The fermented beans are spread out in shallow wooden trays or on racks covered with mats made of natural fibres; in the event of sudden rainfall, the mats can simply be rolled up. Drying has to be monotored continuously (almost a daily occurrence in the Tropics), or if the sun is too strong, the beans have to be covered quickly. Three days in the blazing-hot sun is dangerous as the beans are dry on the outside but still moist on the inside; this means that will later sweat, give off moisture and then go mouldy during transportation or in storage. Depending on conditions and variety, drying takes between three to eight days. When shipped, beans should not contain more than 6.5 percent moisture.

FERMENTATION METHODS

Fermentation is a natural, spontaneous process that has a major influence on the quality of the flavour of cocoa. By using suitable infrastructures and methods, its possible to control the process and thus the resulting flavour.

Unfermented : the beans start to ferment spontaneously in the transport containers but with no control whatsoever. They are then taken straight to the drying stage, which means that virtually no fermentation takes place. Quality: poor.

Piles : the beans are collected into piles, covered with banana leaves and then left to ferment spontaneously. No infrastructure is required; the process is difficult to control. Quality: moderate to good.

Sacks or baskets : the beans are left to ferment in transport sacks or baskets. Simple infrastructure; only suitable for small quantities. Quality: moderate to good.

Boxes : the beans ferment in wooden boxes and are periodically turned, aerated and checked. Good control; relatively expensive infratructure. Quality: good to very good.

Selection Buyers differentiate between different qualities of cocoa beans. Thes differences are nothing to do with the actual variety, rather they are the result of the preceding stages, from cultivation to drying. The qualities selected have different names, depending on the country of origin.

For example, in the Dominican Republic, the highest quality is Hispaniola; the buyer has a say in processing and can, for instance, have any beans that are too large or too small removed to ensure uniform roasting sesults: beans that are too small quickly burn and those are too large are not roasted all the way through. In the Dominican Republic, the poorer quality bean is known as Sanchez. Local selection is important as this is the only way to determine the quality. Although the flavour can be influenced at a later stage (roasting, conching), the basic quality cannot (bean variety and size, fermentation, drying).

Most chocolate producers buy cocoa from traders in Europe, for example, in Geneva or Amsterdam. However, Felchlin does things differently. The specialists from Schwyz travel to the place of cultivation, taking the long journey and sometimes arduous communication in their stride in order to buy the cocoa beans at source. This enables them to use their expertise, to astablish relationships abd exert a direct influence on the properties of the beans. This personal commitment has a positive effect on qulity and any variations are relatively easy to prevent.

DRYING METHODS

The fermented beans still contain approx. 60 percent water. This has to be reduced to less than seven percent so that the beans can be tranported and stored. Slow, careful drying is important for the resulting quality and can take up to seven days.

Sun-drying The beans are spread out to bamboo mats or wooden tables and, depending on weather conditions, protected from strong heat or heavy rains. Its easy to turn and move the beans and the condition of the beans and the drying process can closely monitored. However, a large amount of manpower is needed and the long drying time is weather-dependent. Quality: good to very good.

Artificial heat The beans are heated in long, deep trays by bloxwing air that has been heated artificially through a perforated base. There are also other systems for transferring heat. Large quantities can be dried quickly, even in poor weather conditions. However, drying is uneven, often forced and, in the worst-case scenario, the beans can be contaminated with smoke from the combustion facilities. Quality poor to satisfactory.

Next time: The Journey From the Farmer to Basel

The Setup

I was given the opportunity, earlier this week, to do the chocolate, wine, and beer pairings for a holiday party, co-sponsored by Valrhona, Fresh Direct, and Manhattan magazine, to whichover 200 people were expected to attend.

There are always challenges with doing large scale events like this, but the major hurdle for this particular event was that I'd never tasted any of the wines that were going to be served and it had been a while since I'd tasted either of the beers. I don't like showing up at the venue an hour before things are scheduled to start and having to the pairings on the fly but that was the way it had to be and my only option was to take a deep dive and do my best.

The six chocolates being sampled all come from the Valrhona Grand Cru bar line - Tanariva (33% milk), Jivara (40% milk), Caraibe (66%), Alpaco (66%), Manjari (64%), and Abinao (85%).

A Short Aside

In case you don't already know, I happen to be a contrarian when it comes to wine and chocolate pairings. I find it easier to find really good pairings between whites with dark chocolates and reds with milk chocolates. More generally, I find that the clich advice of red wine with meat, white wine with fish means you're unlikely to get real dud pairings. But because they're safe, you rarely get great pairings unless you really know what you're doing. By pairing outside the lines you're more likely to run into some real loser pairings but you're also more likely to run into really excellent surprises.

Because I was under the gun to do the pairings, starting out with the contrarian approach suited me just fine, and gave me an interesting angle to talk with the guests about - that a little bit of adventure is a good thing, and thinking outside the box can deliver some truly excellent experiences.

The Pairings

Tanariva - One of the two surprise pairing of the evening was the Tanariva with Brooklyn Brewery's Pennant Ale. This is an English Pale Ale, not an IPA, and has a warm yeasty/bready flavor - lots of roasty malt flavors with a nice soft bubble structure. These married very well with the sweet caramel notes of the Tanariva and created one of those rare situation where the pairing elevated both of the component parts. The paired wine was the 2009 Domaine Pelaqui Ctes-du-Rhne. This is a good mid-priced bottle that has definite bright acidity to it. This acidity made it unpleasant with all of the dark chocolates and the high milk fat content tamed the acidity.

Jivara - I also paired the Brooklyn Brewery Pennant Ale and the Ctes-du-Rhne with the Jivara. The beer pairing was not as sublime with the Jivara as the Tanariva because of the much darker flavor profile. However, the Jivara stood up to the Ctes-du-Rhne better than the Tanariva for the same reason.

Caraibe - The tasting notes on the Caraibe say balanced and voluptuous and it was this in mind that suggested pairing it with the 2009 Edmeades Zinfandel (California) after I got a chance to taste it - also a balanced, voluptuous Zin. This is definitely a go-to comfort pairing and just might be one of the all-around most pleasant red wine and dark chocolate pairings I've tasted in a long time.

Alpaco - The tasting notes on the box say floral and oaky and this made it a natural choice to at least try pairing with the 2010 Channing Daughters Scuttlehole Chardonnay (Long Island, NY). This chard is fermented in steel with no malo-lactic fermentation and there is no contact with oak. The wine is a straightforward expression of the fruit of the grape without any herbaceous or woodiness. The light floral notes of the chocolate accentuated the fruitiness while the oaky notes added a small hint of the wood we Americans have come to expect from Chardonnays, especially highly-rated Californian ones.

Manjari - This was the other really surprising winner pairing of the evening. The combination of Manjari - which is probably the best-known Valrhona chocolate in the professional kitchen - and the 2010 Salmon Run Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY) delivered the uncanny taste impression of a s'more or at least the combination of graham cracker and chocolate. Astonishing. There is nothing about the typical Madagascan acidity or the light sweetness of the Riesling (a little too sweet for my taste, while I like Rieslings I prefer drier ones in part because it's hard to get people who say they don't like Rieslings to even try them during tastings - almost as hard as getting people who say they don't like milk chocolate to try milk chocolate) to suggest that the pairing of the two would lead to graham crackers. This pairing was a lot of fun and had people smiling.

Abinao - At 85%, this is a chocolate that even dark chocolate-lover sometimes have trouble with. Neither of the red wines came close to being a pleasant combination, the Chardonnay didn't have enough character, and the Riesling wasn't sweet enough. Thankfully, we had the Smith Woodhouse 10yr Tawny Port and the mellow silky sweetness of the Port blended tamed the Abinao very nicely. This would be a very good dessert pairing for following a meal where steak was the centerpiece and you didn't want something too rich - or too sweet - for dessert.

There were two other beverages poured, Brooklyn's Brewery's Dark Chocolate Stout, and the Althea Prosecco NV (Italy). Prosecco is my go to all-around favorite pairing wine, especially drier ones (although there are some stunning ross). Proseccos have a tendency to be less sharp and alcoholic tasting than champagnes and also tend to have a softer, creamier bubble structure. This makes them excellent sparkling wines for general enjoyment. The best chocolate pairings were the Jivara, Caraibe, and Abinao. What to say about Dark Chocolate Stout but to say that it's a "no brainer" for most people when it comes to chocolate pairings. Overall, however, you want to pair a stout like this with chocolates that aren't particularly fruity or acidic. The Caraibe was the overall best pairing because of it's balanced flavor profile and luxurious mouth feel. The Jivara was next-best, but the Tanariva was just too sweet.

* Disclaimer.
I consult to the organizer of the party, Ciao Imports, on their chocolate program. Valrhona is one of the brands they represent, and Fresh Direct is now offering over a dozen items from Valrhona including Grand Cru bars and selections from the home baking line. The wines were provided by Union Square Wines, who is the wine provider for Fresh Direct. The beers were provided by Brooklyn Brewery.