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I looked a little more into cacao genetics, so here are some thoughts on this issue as posted on my blog . Let me know what you think...
When entering the world of high-quality chocolates you immediately get confronted with a number of categories in order to understand or classify a chocolate. There is the technical aspect of the chocolate manufacturer: roasting, conching, adding cocoa butter. But all of this can only enhance or suppress the flavors that come from the cacao bean itself. Prior to fermentation and drying it typically comes with two major labels: geographical origin, and cacao variety. At first that seemed to make sense to me, but the more I think (and read) about it, the less I buy it.

Geographical origin. Lets for a millionth time stress the wine analogy: It is clear that different climates and heights (as well as different soils) could have a big impact on the final fruit and its flavors. All cacao, however, anyway growth in the tropics. Sure, there will be differences between the equator and 20 north or south, but its not that the tropical climate in Asia, Africa and South America differs a lot in its major factors being sun, humidity, temperature. So is it the soil? Honestly, I doubt it. It might play a role but the soil probably varies nearly as much within a continent as it does between continents. So why should an African cacao taste like X , an Asian one like Y , and an American one like Z ? Doesnt make sense to me. My guess would rather be that different cacao tree varieties have been established and evolved in different places.

So now we come to cacao varieties and thats another puzzling thing. There is Criollo and Forastero, and Trinitario which is supposed to be a mix of both. This classification dates back to the 1940s and has now become the standard for categorizing cacao varieties in the business.
Too bad that it turns out to be much more complicated. For many fruits and vegetables, varieties are fairly well classified, meanwhile of course genetically as well. Not for cacao. This brings practical issues such as how to check if a 100% Criollo bar is really 100% Criollo if you actually cannot decide on what tree still produces pure Criollo beans. Thinking of high-end chocolates it probably also means that the classification is too coarse to account for the huge variety of possible flavor differences.
Over the last decade scientists have tried to use genetics to better understand where cacao comes from, how it evolved, and what the different current (and past) varieties are (and were). In 2008, a group of scientists presented a thorough genetic analysis of cacao bean varieties from South and Central America and concluded that it makes sense to at least distinguish 10 varieties. They labeled them Maraon, Curaray, Criollo, Iquitos, Nanay, Contamana, Amelonado, Purs, Nacional, and Guiana. Besides Criollo, you might have heard of Amelonado and Nacional. All other terms are not common use (yet?).
Those findings do not necessarily contradict the common three categories Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero, but they strongly indicate that especially a category as Trinitario could be far too broad to do the diversity of its members justice. Or what do you think?

References:

• Motamayor JC, Lachenaud P, da Silva e Mota JW, Loor R, Kuhn DN, et al. (2008) " Geographic and Genetic Population Differentiation of the Amazonian Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L) ". PLoS ONE 3(10): e3311.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003311
• Louis E. Grivetti, Howard-Yana Shapiro (2009) "Chocolate - History, Culture, Heritage"

Hi Everyone,

I am new here my site is

I am currently on a quest to find someof the most Beautiful Chocolates ?

Feel free to send me any pics and any links of your sites, it is for a blog I am doing, I am mainly looking at Truffles and Filled Chocolates, so not really hollow shells

Thanks in advance x

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The Good Evil Bar Review

This chocolate will haunt you in a good way. It will linger on your mind long after your last bite. The Man and I took the time to sample it like any good chocolate should be sampled. First I smelled it. Then we listened to the perfect snap as I broke a piece of it in two. Of course, I made sure it was at room temperature before I popped it in my mouth, let it melt very slightly and then chewed it slowly. Mmmm

It's not what you might expect. This is actually a good thing. Part of what makes this chocolate so extraordinary is the fact that the cocoa beans come from a small grouping of trees in a remote area of Peru. Each season, only several thousand bars of chocolate are made using the beans that come from these trees. Usually, when I taste a chocolate bar, I pick up on familiar flavors that tap something in my brain that tell me I know this taste. It's like some chocolate center in my brain is stimulated. There was a delayed response with this chocolate. The subtlety of the chocolate fascinates and intrigues me. Perhaps the unfamiliarity of this cocoa bean is, in part, why the Good Evil Bar is so addicting, but it's allure is also because the chocolate is just really fucking good. Read anyone's description of this confection, and you will probably discover that an outstanding rating is unanimous. There's no doubt that the chocolate is top notch, better than most on the market, and, some will claim, the best that ever was. I won't go that far, but I rank it in the top five most memorable bars I have ever eaten.

The best way I can describe this bar is to equate it to that moment right before an orgasm. You know wonderful things are about to happen. You may not quite reach a climax, but it's a great place to be, anticipating, yearning, expecting and imagining what might come to pass. This is a chocolate that's on the verge of many things. It's on the verge of being bitter, but it's not. It's on the verge of being sweet, but it's not overly so. It's actually the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. Even though it's a 72% single-origin dark chocolate, I believe milk chocolate lovers will like the Good Evil bar, as it has qualities that are reminiscent of great milk chocolate, like Frigor.

The Good Evil bar is not at all typical of dark chocolate in that its flavor is subtle, very slightly fruity and spicy, but make note that the spicy bouquet doesn't interfere or compete with the chocolate taste. Something I found very sexy was that the smooth, smooth chocolate contrasts beautifully with the wonderfully lightly crunchy nibs that enhance the dark chocolate flavor as you eat the bar. Though the chocolate itself is not intense, those chocolate nibs give off a robust burst of earthy chocolate flavor. The dark chocolate notes then linger on the palate. That's partly what makes the Good Evil bar so addicting. Its flavors are complex and build without ever really coming to a climax. The desire is to keep eating more in order to explore and experience the full complexities of this chocolate. It's memorable without obnoxiously hammering your taste buds. The beauty of this bar is that it is truly distinctive, but it's also difficult to describe. It seems to change and evolve with each bite. The textures and flavors make you want to dive in with reckless abandon, but the price reminds you that it's supposed to be savored... in theory. It's definitely hard to resist.

For me, sampling the Good Evil bar was like sipping a good liquor in front of a fire on a cold, rainy night. It brings comfort to the soul. So many people end their reviews with the comment that, with the expensive price, they probably wouldn't buy it again, but I can't claim the same. IF I found I had an extra $18 (pus shipping) lying around, I most definitely would splurge and buy it again.

My original post is here : http://frontrangereviews.blogspot.com/

Hey everyone!

I plan on buying pre-made truffle shells for my truffles. I'm not sure which ones to get since everyone I talk to has different brands.

What do you guys think about Chocoduc truffle shells?

Also, I seen Keller, Callebaut, and Pastry 1 (Paris Gourment brand) ----> any thoughts on these as well?

Is there really a difference and does it matter which one to get? Do people typically focus just on price?

Sorry if this is a very basic question for you professional chocolatiers out there : )

Thank You!

Our Mokaya Chocolate Tempering Machine campaign just started on Indiegogo:

http://igg.me/at/mokaya/x/2086442

I tasted a lot of excellent dark bars this year!

So I'm happy!

Heres a list of my favourites.

Depending on my mood, the order can change.

1. Sznt Tibor: San Cristobal Crudo (and more bars of his collection)
2. Dandelion: Maya Mountain Belize
3. Soma: Old School, Bachelors Hall and El Vigia
4. Felchlins new couverture Costa Rica
5. Bar Au Chocolat: Sambirano, Chiapas and Duarte Province
6. Wilkies: Tumbes and Amazonas
7. Marou: Treasure Island
8. Tejas: Capistrano, Valero and Presidio
9. Rogue: Balao
10. Valrhona: Loma Sotavento

Maybe I forgot one...or two...

Amsterdam is a beauty, no doubt about that. But it is clearly no chocolate celebrity like Paris or Brussels. In a way that's a shame (after all it got the biggest cocoa harbor in the world). However, as already mentioned on this site quite some time ago, things are getting better and better. Selflessly, I hence decided to give Amsterdam candy makers and chocolatiers a try and blog about it (it's touch, I know). With similarly dubious excusses I also started my own blog.

I started with Amsterdam's two most popular chocolatiers: Puccini Bomboni and Unlimited Delicious . Both have been around for many years and follow fairly different concepts.

Sweet, pretty chocolates at Puccini Bomboni (Amsterdam, NL)

Puccini makes impressive hand-made bonbons. Impressive in two ways: they are beautiful (see picture!) and MASSIVE. Literally. Every bonbon weights about three times as much as a traditionally shaped one. Economically that seems to be a smart move, as it drastically reduced the labor needed per weight. The size, however, really obstructs the pleasure of eating them for me. One of their chocolates and Im done.
Most have fairly classical ganache fillings. Some of the fruitier ones are very fruity, which I liked (plum pruim for example). In blogs and forums I found many people mentioning fancy, non-standard flavors, often refering to their pepper bonbon as a sign for crazyness. But every chocolatier nowadays does spices and other stuff, so I would say there is not much original about that. I know, I sound a bit negative. In fact, the bonbons are not bad at all! Its rather that I expected something more. My main criticism is that Puccini bonbons are too big and lack finesse (or however youd call it). Too rough, unsubtle.

Cakes and chocolates at Unlimited Delicious (Amsterdam, NL)

In several respects it's quite the opposite if it comes to Unlimited Delicious . Their pieces look less original then the Puccini ones, but I find that they are nice and small, which makes them better to eat than the Puccini monster bonbons.
I tasted quite a lot of their bonbons by now and they generally are professionally made, technically flawless bonbons, mostly with silky textured ganache fillings.Tasty and creamy, nothing to complain about you could think. But somehow... I really miss some more courage, bravery, or excitement. Many bonbons are just too well-behaved and hence on the boring side. Not all, though. Some are great and delicious, like their long-time classic "Rosemary Sea Salt". If you happen to be closeby some day, give it a try.

Links:
Puccini Bomboni
Unlimited Delicious

Finally my first homemade chocolate from bean-to-bar! The cacao came from the province of Aurora, Philippines. Fermented and dried the beans and then toasted and grinded/blended to make it into a bar. Read more here:

http://pinoychocophile.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-own-bean-to-bar-chocolate-making.html