What Makes an Artisan Chocolate Artisan?
Posted in: Opinion
Jeff:Having visited you at the end of a long day, I can attest to the chocolate stained clothing and cuticles. However, I am loathe to use the term "reek" (which implies malodorous) to anything remotely resembling fine chocolate.I agree that the term Artisan is overused to the point of near meaninglessness. Your point about Artisan Confection Company as a part of Hershey and the new Starbucks chocolate line (made for [not by] Artisan Confection Company) is a line of "artisan inspired" products.So what's a better term to use? There is the possibility to change the words people use. For example, we are moving away from the confusing "single-origin" in chocolate to just "origin" which is not only more succinct but a more accurate descriptor.Even the Fine Chocolate Industry Association is having a problem with this terminology. From their home page, "Our association members are artisans and craftsman[sic]." Craftsman is very close to the dictionary definition of artisan quoted in an earlier reply.So - do you have a better word or phrase? If you do I'd be happy to start championing it here.(The FCIA gets it wrong lots of the time. Here is their definition of couverture chocolate (they call it "bulk" chocolate): Bulk Chocolate used by chocolatiers to make confections. The only difference between eating chocolate and bulk chocolate is that bulk chocolate may contain small amounts of butter oil/milk fat. This assists in the tempering process when making the chocolate into confections. Since almost any confection that is going to be made will have some sort of milk product in it, chocolate containing small amounts of butter oil are still considered fine chocolate. This is so wrong that it makes me cringe. The difference between a couverture chocolate and an eating chocolate is that couverture chocolates have a relatively higher percentage of cocoa butter to cocoa solids so that when it's melted it has a lower viscosity. The FDA Standards of Identity allow for butter oil and milk fat in chocolate liquor! Butter oil is used as a preservative in chocolates that are sold through mass market outlets because it stabilizes the cocoa butter crystal and reduces the likelihood of bloom - a good thing when it can take six months or more for a product to make it through the distribution system. Milk fats are not necessary in the manufacture of chocolate and the FCIA's reasoning - you're going to be adding dairy anyway, probably - is bad rationalization, in my opinion.