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Thats why I popped on here the other day and invited all of the chocolatiers I know to join. I miss focusing on chocolate, like I was in Jerusalem. Now Im working on getting my English Coaching and Translating business started, which pushed chocolate to the back burner.My big excitement is that I finally splurged and bought myself Valrhona cacao at KaDeWe (Kaufhof des Westens, the Harrods of Berlin) and it is so marvelous to be able to drink the dregs and not have that sandy stuff left at the bottom.

I am trying out lots of different recipies. Today I did one that has to set for 2 days, so we'll see how that cuts up on Th. I have found some caramel I really like the flavor of but want them to hold their shape better. I am experimenting with temperature but also need to find the right molds and wrapping materials. Saran wrap works but doesn't look very professional and is a pain to cut.

Does anyone know where I can purchase canoes, tools, or sacks used by ancient Aztecs to cultivate, harvest, transport or harvest cacao? I know it's a long shot, but hoping someone would know, thanks! This is a photo of a cacao canoe I took while at the Bruges Chocolate Museum.

Now Im in Berlin and writing about chocolate has taken on a slower pace, but Im still doing it. Now Im even posting on http://chocolatespeak.blogspot.com in German and English.

Hello Chocolate Life Gang,I am looking for a another place to store one ton of chocolate couverture in South East Westchester County (Pelham, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Port Chester.)Of course temperature/moisture (lack of) conditions need to be right.Any locations, thoughts, etc. are appreciated.Thanks!,John.Rossini@TravelChocolate.com

..to design a couple of simple chocolates. In the meantime, I also managed to taste some covourture milk chocolate (hope I spelled it right) for the first time. The difference in taste between it and compound is remarkable. I can now never buy or eat any other chocolate, cadbury especially. Absolute bliss...

Okay, it's 102 degrees out in southern California and I'm melting. So what do you do with a chunky bar of dark chocolate? I like to stick it in the fridge just long enough to get firm...or if I really want it crunchy hard it'll go in the freezer for a bit.I'd skip the drinking hot tea with it, though. And I actually find that hard to do without. So what could be a better substitute? How about Thai iced tea or iced coffee?Course those drinks are a bit on the sweet side for my taste, but they're a nice contrast and complement to the bitter dark I go for.One can never be too rich or too poor to go without chocolate. Even on a hot day. Money is no object when it comes to this necessity...or obsession, as others would put it. heheh...

Aloha chocolate ohana,Garden Island Chocolate was recently in the annual Hawaii Healing Garden Festival on Kauai, we won best dessert and the people's choice award for best local food item, a coconut butter truffle. We just started making our own fresh coconut butter and it is amazing, very very rich, creamy and extremely decadent.we even got some press from the local newspaper...http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2009/08/23/news/kauai_news/doc4a90f9fc3c645842377532.txt#rate

Founded in 1800, Debauve & Gallais is the oldest chocolatier in Paris. Sulpice Debauve, a pharmacist by training, opened the boutique after the Revolution and gradually built a reputation across the continent for exquisite chocolates. By 1818, he was appointed King Louis XVIIIs chocolate supplier, and then Charles Xs and then Louis Philippes. And now me.Its a beautiful old shop, which had me worried that the chocolates, too, were going to taste outdated. Silly girl. The half moon counter is a genius way of displaying all the bonbons, bouches and tablettesyoure practically surrounded by chocolate, and its just a matter of closing your eyes, pointing your finger and discovering which rich treat youre going home with. I kept my eyes open, indecisively (as always) going back and forth, back and forth. I couldnt decide if I wanted milk or dark chocolate, something filled with Cointreau or Calvados, covered in nuts or dusted with cocoa Sensing my panic, the patient dame behind the counter steered me towards the almond pralin, for which Ill forever be grateful. This pralin heart is one of the best sweets Ive had in a long time. Creamy, nutty and rich, not to mention generously proportioned, it gave me 1, 2, 3, 4. I dragged it out to 12 bites of blissful pleasure. It was the kind of treat that made me really savor each mouthfulsomething I couldnt imagine King Louis doing after all his years of exile.30 rue des Saints-Pers7eme

Hi, I'm new here at the Chocolate Life. Just wondering how home chefs/chocolatiers store their couverture? I know it has to be stored at around 50-62 degrees Fahrenheit, I guess a wine cooler or cellar is my best bet. Does anyone have a wine cooler they use to store couverture or chocolate at home that they can recommend? Something not too huge or too tiny. Thanks!