Forum Activity for @Koa Kahili

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Such fascinating information on classification, thanks everyone who added to this discussion.Since I grow cacao I have noted how easy it is to have cross pollination and how quickly cacao adapts to different environments. In only 5 years you can have pods that look substantially different from the mother trees. I believe that each country/growing region could develop its own unique distinct strain. From a scientific standpoint the classification of cacao is a subject that is in its infancy. The big question in my mind in how does the classification effect chocolate quality. You could have a 100% criollo that is poorly fermented and processed compared to a forestero that is treated well in production and the forestero will be hands down superior in taste. Could future classification include bean quality in terms of taste? While traveling in the mountains of Guatemala years ago, I say cacao pods that I have never seen before. What if there is undiscovered types of cacao, just waiting to be classified.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

For the forseeable future, I think that this is only going to be of interest to researchers. From a consumer perspective I don't see the expansion of the classification system to be of much use - it will only make things more confusing. As Volker pointed out - where is Nacional on the list? Where is Trinitario? The industry has spent so much time and money educating people to this level of classification that I don't see them wanting to go any further.Sam is right to a large extent - Trinitario is almost meaningless as a useful descriptor these days, and the old "all forastero is trash" attitude is, well, old. I've personally tasted how proper fermentation and drying can affect the taste of liquor made with the "lowly" CCN-51 in Ecuador.As a chocolate professional I think it is important to work to preserve as much diversity as possible for many different reasons. However, most consumers don't care (and probably shouldn't have to) about the meaning of the differences between Iquitos and Maraon varieties of cacao - as they are expressed in the chocolate they eat.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Any updates on this issue? Is this new 10 varieties classification scheme gaining acceptance or are the Big 3 still firmly in place? Any thoughts on where this is heading?

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Dear Samantha:What I miss in Motomayor's cluster is the natural and abundant presence of cacao "Nacional" in the Beni and Pando departments of Bolivia. That is not surprising, as it is hard to get there and Bolivia is not known as a origin of cacao.The Baure cacao history goes back to the Jesuit time of the Gran Moxos. It is still not clear to me if this cacao was brought by the chatholic orden, or it was found and cultivated there for the first time.I can confirm that chocolate experts where very surprised about the Baure cacao (apparently a forastero type) almost insisting it must be criollo as it was too good.The genetic classification is one areas to be looked at, but also to classify the qualities of existing varieties, by defining quality first.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

I quickly looked over the article, but it raised a few questions about their methodology:1) The map shows that only plants from South America and Central America were used. What about all of the other cacao plants in other parts of the world? Africa, Indonesia, Hawaii... In order for a new classification system to be implemented it would seem that you'd want to do it on a worldwide basis. What if more germplasms are found in Africa or elsewhere?2) What happened to Trinitario? It just seems to have been dropped with no explanation. (Clay's article on this subject at Serious Eats does the same thing.) Look back at Brady's original list1. Criollo2. Forastero2a. Nacional3. TrinitarioIf you compare the new list then you'd assume that there were only 2 real classes to start with: Criollo and Forastero. The new list keeps the sub-type of Nacional and the other 8 are supposed to be variants of Forastero. Where is Trinitario?

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Samantha, I'm glad to see you found this discussion. I read the study (thanks for the free link!) this week and found it exciting that this work has been done and someone can actually propose a new classification.Have you or anyone else found an interpretation or commentary on this study(do you have your own commentary)? As you noted, more studies still need to be done. But, now I'm wondering how easily could a new classification be applied. If genetics were needed to determine the differences how easily could the international cocoa trade identify these populations. As Clay mentioned with the grading systems, maybe small companies could start using the system for identified populations and the trend might trickle up. It looks like Curaray could easily be used for a big part of Ecuador. Even there though, some clusters of Nacional were found.Also, Clay, you mention above that pods on the same tree can have different genetics. If this is very common then I would imagine that only producers working directly with farmers could make good use of this system. I just didn't see in Motamayor, etc. study how any of the clusters could now be identified with organoleptic techniques. That would seem necessary for this system to succeed.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

A fascinating paper! I have an American friend who works in Ecuador. I'll probably send this on to him because he's interested in helping the Ecuadorians improve their lives.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Alan, thanks for the suggestions. I'm always interested in reading suggestions. I've definitely seen Bartley's book. There's a big portion of his book devoted to drainage systems that I skimmed through, but overall found quite a bit in the beginning of that book as well as the last quarter of it that interested me. His address's the topic of cacao classification in terms similar to Cheesman. As for your other suggestion from 'Tropical Science', I flipped through my notes and don't believe I have seen that one. I'll look for it next time I go to the library, unless you know an internet link to a full text version. I found it tonight on some sites I need to pay a fee for. While looking for that article I came across the following: http://www.ifama.org/tamu/iama/conferences/2007Conference/SymposiumPapers_files/1067_Paper.pdf

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Also, if you haven't read "The Genetic Diversity of Cacao and its Utilization" by Bartley, then you might want to request it from your local library. It is a great book that is extremely relevant regarding reclassification of cacao.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Hi All,Just adding to what Clay has said, there is a paper in a journal called Tropical Science from 2004, issue 44, pp. 23-27 that is called "The first Ecuadorean 'Nacional' Cocoa Collection Based on Organoleptic Characteristics."The paper is worth a look for those interested in the issue of Nacional. This is me paraphrasing the introduction:Nacional, which has an "Arriba" floral flavor, was so damaged by Crinipellis Pernicosa and Moniliophtora roreri that hybrids were brought in with high yields and low susceptibility to these diseases. These varieties hybridized with the remaining Nacional, eroding the Arriba flavor which is now virtually non-existent.Best,Alan

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Brady:You raise a lot of interesting questions - which is what I have come to expect (and respect) from you.You are right, as far as the consumer is concerned, there are three major types of beans, criollo, forastero, and trinitario. Forasteros and trinitarios are grown around the world, criollos have a much more limited range. Because of the way cacao is pollinated, there is a huge amount of natural hybridization going on and it is usually the case that you can spot pods with different genetics on the same tree, not just in the same area of an orchard. Morphological analysis (shape) reveals little, and genetic testing makes no sense as it takes too long and is too expensive.From what I have learned, Arriba is the name given to the unique flavor of the true Nacional bean. The Nacional has been described as a forastero with many criollo characteristics, but no-one knows how the bean evolved. I have been told that attempts have been made to plant Nacional varieties outside of Ecuador, but none of those experiments resulted in plants that produced cacao that remotely resembled the flavor of Nacional planted in Ecuadorian soil upriver from Guayaquil. Colombia is a net importer of cacao and my understanding is that much of the cacao that is used for Santander bars is actually Ecuadorian and not native Colombian. The Colombian beans are of lesser quality and are used for the domestic market. Santander is owned by the largest chocolate company in Colombia - if not South America. They are best known for the Jet brand of candy bars.The idea of using classification is an interesting one that would make a lot of sense if grading systems around the world were standardized. The grading systems are used to determine the price of cacao and are mostly used in the commodity market. However, the grades that are used in the Dominican Republic are different from Venezuela. Here is a quote from the ICCO site on grading: "Cocoa grading differs across producing and consuming countries. However, over the years, the physical market has developed standard practices set out by the main international cocoa trade associations: the Federation of Cocoa Commerce Ltd (FCC) and the Cocoa Merchants' Association of America, Inc. (CMAA). For example, the FCC distinguishes two grades: good fermented cocoa beans and fair fermented cocoa beans. Samples of good fermented cocoa beans must have less than 5% mould, less than 5% slate and less than 1.5% foreign matter. A sample of fair fermented cocoa beans must have less than 10% mould, less than 10% slate and less 1.5% foreign matter. These tests are carried out through the so-called cut-test. Such a test involves counting off a given number or weight of cocoa beans, cutting them lengthwise through the middle, and then examining them. Separate counts are made of the number of beans which are mouldy, slaty, insect damaged, germinated or flat." But you're right, knowing that a bar was made from Madagascan Trinitario hybrids with the highest grade would provide some useful information. I think this would make the most sense would be for the smaller artisan producers and hope that the trend trickled up.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Brendan, Gwen and Clay- Glad you joined the discussion.I think Brendan's right, it would be an astonshing taxanomic effort. You can get a good sense of that just by looking at the paper wrtten by Cuatrecasas (Clay, thanks for attaching the link.) I've seen it cited before, but never read any of it until this week. I agree with Gwen though. Keeping the system unchanged just to avoid confusion doesn't seen right to me.Renaming the Family is a start, but the Family, Genus and Species aren't as important to the consumer. When you talk about the subspecies or varieties, I think that would be most useful to a consumer and the grower as well. From the trade point of view, there are only two varieties: criollo and forastero. If you have flavor bean (Nacional for example) listed as a Forastero, is the farmer getting a premium for their beans? (This, I'm sure opens another whole topic about farmers benefiting from a premium). Another reason to update the system is usage of pod shapes(Amelonado) as a way to differentiate varieties, as this has been shown to be fairly useless. Although, when some 80+% of all beans being classified as Forastero, and they are growing all over the world, they couldn't possibly be the same or of equal quality. For example, genetics has identified markers that significantly differentiate between upper and lower Amazon forasteros. If it's too unrealistic to expect a new classification to differentiate groups, then I think the consumer deserves to have the grade at which the beans were rated for quality. Just because the beans are Madagascar doesn't mean the manufacturer used premium grade beans.Concerning the Ecuadorian bean specifically. Arriba is often thought of as synonymous with Nacional. It is my understanding that Arriba is only a subtype of Nacional. I also haven't found it written anywhere that Nacional beans are found outside Ecuadorian borders but I'm not sure why we think that way. Every other type has traveled the globe, why couldn't a Nacional bean have been taken (smuggled even) at least across the Colombian border. I still have questions about Santanders beans and seen another forum that refers to them as the same as the Ecuadorian Nacional.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

While the reclassification of cacao is a laudable goal, I'd first like to lobby the FDA to create a standard of identity for dark chocolate.Right now, any "chocolate liquor" can, by law, contain dairy fats - e.g., butter oil - so any chocolate in the "sweet" category (which also includes semi-sweet and bittersweet) can automatically have dairy ingredients because they're grandfathered in by the mandated inclusion of chocolate liquor as an ingredient.I'd like the FDA to make an explicit "dark chocolate" category that says to consumers that there are no dairy ingredients in a chocolate. This is not the same thing as Kosher Pareve, which is a religious certification and not a technical one.Just FYI, there has been some reclassification in the taxonomy of t. cacao . For many years it was in the Sterculiaceae family and in the past five years has been reassigned to the Malvaceae family although this is at least one step above the level of classification being talked about.The classic work in this field - the one that is cited by everyone working in this area - is Cuatrecasas (1964). This is a longish paper originally published in volume 35 of Contributions From the United States National Herbarium . I spent a long time looking for this and the only copy I was able to locate is in the Library of Congress. However, I was able to find it online, thanks to a very helpful person at the Smithsonian.If you are interested in taking a look at this seminal paper, this link takes you to the title page (after page 377) of this research paper, which is part of a collection of papers. If you like, the entire document is downloadable in PDF format. The FDA Standards of Identity for chocolate are here .

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

I think that's a good point about potentially causing more confusion. A little digging certainly indicates that the actual strains of tree in cultivation represent a variety of strains. Anyone who is in a position to choose which trees to plant, or is involved in bean sourcing, surely understands this reality. Attempting to identify and catalog distinct strains would be interesting, particularly in terms of genetic preservation and tracking the evolution of the species. It would be acolossal taxanomic effort, though, and would involve a lot of international grassroots info-gathering. Even once you had the data together, people love to fight over what constitutes a distinct group and what doesn't. It's probably more than the average chocophile cares to know, and would it be relevant to chocolate makers? If you're sourcing beans, there are a lot of practical concerns that will determine which crops you potentially have access to; and a bean by any other name...

The view that Forastero/Criollo/Trinitario/Nacional is a thumbnail sketch seems to be gaining prevalence in chocolate literature (though not, admittedly, on chocolate wrappers). That's a step in the right direction.

Reclassification of cacao varieties?

Posted in: Opinion

Is it time for an updated classification of cacao varities? Today the most commonly accepted classification of cacao 'varities' is as follows:1. Criollo2. Forastero2a. Nacional3. TrinitarioEven when E.E. Cheesman wrote "Notes on Nomenclature... " in 1944 he felt the system above was inadequate. Today, and back then, the terms Criollo and Forastero were not used as defined and were also too broad to apply to the distinct differences in cacao. Today, many pure varities are almost wiped out and replaced with hybrids. I thought that in 2008, genetics must have surely identified markers to clear up the controversy surrounding nomenclature and in turn new nomenclature created to distinguish all the varities that exist. It has been very difficult to find an answer to this and I still have not found one. Along the way, I have come across numerous alternatives to the above. And in 2008, as Cheesman wrote in 1944, it seems that "changing nomenclature at this point would cause even more confusion and out of convenience the terms have been kept, if in some cases they are indicated with qualifiers indicating origin."It seems clear to me that genetics does identify that Nacional was incorrectly identified as Forastero, but where it belongs is still not agreed upon by everyone. Some research identifies it as a subtype of Criollo while another as a separate variety of it's own.Does anyone think cacao should be reclassified? If so, does anyone want to take a stab at suggesting an alternative classification model?
updated by @Brady: 04/16/15 16:37:51

Chocolate design

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Take a look at this article from a web site devoted to package design.From the text: "The concept behind Tokyo's 100% Chocolate Cafe is to put your senses in the middle of a chocolate kitchen. They live up to their name with over 56 types of different chocolates, even cheese and black pepper chocolates. They also serve chocolate drinks, chocolate pastries, chocolate ice cream, and even chocolate sandwiches. Their packaging is pretty neat too! Continue reading below to see more." Another entry from the same blog about Mast Brothers Chocolate in NYC.

Chocolate design

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I agree, Askinosie packaging and bar design are the bomb. I would also like to add two other favorites, Amano and Patric. Not to mention they all make wonderful chocolate. I don't mention packaging when I review chocolate bars as I want the focus to stay on the chocolate. But there are many great designs out there. I am also partial to Bonnat -- reminds me of Wonka bars!

Chocolate design

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

One of the best package designs I have seen in the past couple of years is the packaging for Askinosie Chocolate's products - and that's not just because I was involved in its evolution. What is most important is that the packaging really does convey the "brand DNA" of the company - you can learn a lot about them just by looking at the package, not having to read it. I can tell you that it took months of going back and forth with the design team to select the logo, finalize the text, and then develop the exact form that the envelope took. In the end, it was Shawn's insistence not to settle for anything less than what was exactly right that led them to the final result. Shawn is real approachable so I would contact him directly if you haven't already.

Chocolate design

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

One of my Chocolate Note readers recently sent this email. I do not have the inside scoop on packaging or design so thought this would be a good place to post. And this can open up a discussion about chocolate and design in general -- what are your favorites? And if you have ideas and suggestions for Todd, please post below! Hello Casey -I found your terrific blog in the course of researching for a short blog series for Red Black Brown about bars of dark chocolate that come in well designed packaging. What fun that we are both in Minneapolis! I haven't had much trouble finding good candidates but have had mixed luck finding out who is responsible for the packaging design. I've started trying to contact the chocolatiers directly (also with mixed results). I'm wondering if you have run across any good sources of information about chocolate packaging in your research that you might be willing to share?Best of luck with chocolate note!Todd
updated by @Casey: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Agostoni chocolate from Italy....sold by Global Organics in the States60% 70% milk 32% semi sweet 45.5% and white

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Could you tell me what manufacturers in Ecuador are producing organic certified chocolate? Thanks.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Coppeneur Germany produces two varieties of excellent organic couverture:1) Plantation Hacienda lara (family operated), Ecuador: Organic Nacional Arriba Beans (72% dark and 55% milk)2) Plantation Menavava, Madagascar: Organic Trinitario Beans (72% dark and 55% milk)No vanilla and no soy lecithin.Available wholesale through Coppeneur Canada, Calgary, Alberta. www.coppeneurchocolate.com Oddly enough only one pastry chef in North America is using Hacienda lara couverture( www.river-cafe.com ) and the Madagascar couverture is not used by any pastry chef.Many North American restaurants have a philosophy of "Farm-to-Fork" and "Locally Sourced Sustainable Cuisine" and charge $49 for Locally Raised Organic Beef Tenderloin or $39 for "Diver" Sea Scallops (as apposed to much cheaper "drag-net" sea scallops) or have Penfolds Grange Hermitage Shiraz on their wine list but serve massed produced "Belgian" chocolate on their dessert menu.The companies that manufacture massed produced couverture support culinary schools and chef/pastry chef associations with free/discounted product. Apprentices supplied free chocolate for their pastry competitions may find $30/kg couverture unacceptable when they later become pastry chefs.I need to become proactive within my local pastry chef association.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hey allLate to the game on this response.Tim, and others in the Vancouver area,Cocoa Camino's Organic and Fair Trade couverture is available bulk in Whole Foods as well as Capers Markets.Hope that helps!Rodd HeinoCocoa Camino

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Yes, it's in the bulk bins, big chunks. They usually say Callebaut semi-sweet, milk etc., that's couverture. Hope that works for you.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

oh, acturaly I want to make ganache cake for my party. The one you said at Superstore is that semi sweet chocolate in the bulk? is that couverture? or I can use that instead couverture?

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Regarding, El Rey. I have been receiving shipments from them for quite some time now and I have not been affected by their US relations. I also get beans from a couple of other places in Venezuela and still no problems.Regarding an earlier mention of organic practices. There are many beans available that do not have the organic certification that are grown organically. I have two beans from Dominican available. One is organic certified and the other is not. However, they are both grown organically. The only difference is that one of the farmers has not done the registration process to get organic certified. This is the case with many beans from Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela also.If buying in bulk, there are several couverture manufacturers in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela that provide organic certified chocolate.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Tim,Sorry, I thought you were a business. Qzina is a wholesale supplier, minimum $150. they deliver to a business. You can buy some bulk Callebaut at Superstore & probably others. Some chocolate shops may sell small quantities of couverture. I try to avoid Walmart!Joanne

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Joanne,Thanks for telling me this information, but Richmond is kind far for me, is there any shops that close to downtown or Burnaby? I will go Richmond any way if there are not any shops in DT.by the way...I've heard that Walmart has couverture???
updated by @TIM: 09/07/15 11:17:59

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi Tim,Qzina in Richmond, BC 604-274-2626 or 1-800-661-2462 carries several brands of couverture.Joanne

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi, ClayI m glad you share those great shops, but could u tell me where can I find couverture supplier in Vancouver BC? thanks!

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Actually, Chocosphere has a thriving wholesale business. All you have to do is call them to get instructions on how to set up a wholesale account and to receive a wholesale price list.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Rodd,Could you furnish me with the name of a distributer in western CDN (Vancouver)? Looking specifically for 1-5kg packaging.Thanks

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi,I'm in Canada and have used all three of Cocoa Camino's couvertures, mostly the 70%. I thought they made a white chocolate as well? I've found the chocolate easy to work with, it is very fluid and molds/dips well. The flavor is really quite good, and for those that want organic it's a good choice. It doesn't have the complex flavors that say Valrhona has, and the price is about the same, but it is better than a lot of organic chocolate I've tried.I have a question that has been bothering me regarding the spraying of chemicals on cocoa beans. I've "heard" that even though beans are grown organically, ALL beans are sprayed when being shipped otherwise they would loose up to 30% of the shipments. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this?Enjoying the site, there's lots of information and reading to do!Cheers,Joanne

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thanks Hallot,What you say about el-rey is pretty much what they told me via email, but it is good to have it corroborated by someone who has been there. I like their chocolate a lot! Something about Venezuelan chocolate makes my mouth happy!I am happy to hear that it will most likely be shipping soon! Oy, the politics of chocolate indeed.Thanks for the info.-Sarah

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Sarah,The beans used by El-Rey are actually grown organically - no pesticides, etc. I questioned them about this during a trip to Venezuela, and was curious as to why they do not get certified. Their response was that 1. It was difficult for them to get organic sugar, and 2. that the certifications were very costly and they made the choice to keep their prices lower.I have had friends in Caracas inquire about the export issues that are keeping the chocolate from shipping, and have been told that now that they have the certificates this shouldnt happen again. That is, of course, unless the govt. takes over the company....the politics of chocolate.Hallot ParsonEscazu Artisan Chocolates

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Yes! The mold material we use is from Chef Rubber.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I know Mark Douglas and Kim Carlson at Culinate. One of my blog posts there actually had over 200 replies! A record for me.I know I really dated myself when I mentioned I was working in the late '70s. Ever hear of a Portland band called Seafood Mama? Old friends. The only literary connection I have to Portland is that I once met Ursula K LeGuin. She wrote one of my favorite SF books ever - The Left Hand of Darkness.I like the icon even better knowing they are modern and that you make them (and I presume sell them). Cool. Did you get the material for the molds from Chef Rubber?

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi.I am pleased you know Alma! Yay. I know Carrie Floyd at Culinate, we met in Eugene in the 80's and remet through Buckman elementary where our kids go to school. I'll look for your blog entries! Thanks for the link to my site. I don't know how to do things like add links! Those aren't antique molds, though they are meant to look old! Those are gilded chocolate "icons" from molds I designed and that my friend Scott Foster sculpted and cast.An interesting coincidence, my husband runs a literary festival here called "Wordstock". He was in NYC visiting publishers earlier this spring and doing some chocolate sleuthing for me. Long story short your book arrived at his desk today! The publisher thought he'd like to see it! Small world, indeed!

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Sarah:Of course I know Alma, I just never connected the two together. Do you know the people over at culinate.com? I wrote five blog entries for them in December/January. Do take the time to meet with Shawn when you go out there. If you want an introduction beforehand let me know. Finally, I used to live in Portland - 1977-80. Spent most of my time working for KBOO and enjoying the music scene. Love the photos of antique molds on your site .

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi, I will look into the Belize trip. My shop is in Portland, Oregon. It is called Alma chocolate.I have never met Shawn Askinosie but I grew up in Springfield, Missouri and so many of my friends and relations there do know him. We are probably going there for a visit this summer and I hope to meet him finally.

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Sarah:I am really sorry you couldn't make it on the trip. The alumni are a pretty accomplished bunch including Shawn Askinosie (Askinosie Chocolate), Marc Boatwright and Patricia Hinajosa (Choctal ice cream), the founders of ScandChoco - an importer of gourmet chocolate into Scandinavia, and Sam Madell and Langdon Stephenson of TAVA in Australia.A simplified and reorganized version of the classroom curriculum from the University of Chocolate is being given on the trip to Belize next month. Don't know if there are any last-minute places, but send a message to Holly Stabin (she's a member here) to find out.Also, I am looking into alternative sources of organic couverture for another Chocolate Life member and if anything comes of that I will let you know. Where is your shop and what is its name?

Brands of and Sources for Organic Couverture

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I am glad to see this discussion. I started out my business with Dagoba and switched before they were sold because of irregularity in availability. I still use plantations, quite a lot but only for a few things as I find its flavor is really distinct and doesn't always blend well with herbs, etc. in some of the confections we make. I like Venezuelan chocolate, and although El rey is neither Organic nor fair trade certified, I think they address these issues at least in their mission. I wonder if anyone has first hand knowlege of their practices? This seems to be a moot point at least temporarily as the political climate between Venezuela and the US means no El Rey coming in to the country now. Still I'd like to know if people have inside info re: el rey. I do like their Apamate.I've queried Theo about couverture but they are not offering that wholesale.I was signed up to go on that 2005 trip to Ecuador with Pierick, Clay! I was just launching my storefront and had to cancel for cash flow reasons! It still smarts that I couldn't go!