Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Here's the link to my tasting notes: Click here!
Forum Activity for @Sera
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Sera, please do let us know. There is a forum category for tasting notes and I would add them there and put a link from this thread to that tasting note.
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Sounds great! let us know how you find them
I've never tried the cinnamon one, myself.
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Ok, here's what I purchased"Vivani: Dark Chocolate with Green Tea, Dark Chocolate with LemonCharlemagne: Plain (red wrapper), with Cinnamon (blue wrapper) and Green Tea (green wrapper)Michel Cluizel: Ier Cre de Planation of Sao Tome (bright blue wrapper) and the Madagascar (orange wrapper).Don Puglisi Rustic Drinking Chocolate BarI also saw some new things there that I've never heard of. I would have written it down but I didn't have a pen on me and my camera was home with its battery getting charged. Figures! *sigh*
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Everything from Chuao, especially the pods, are insanely amazing!
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Chocoflyer, I love, love, LOVE the Banana ChocPods too! I'm just enamored with that company, all of Chuao Chocolatier's stuff is so good!
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
I also recommend the Chocolate Covered nibs by Taza & the Banana Choco Pods by Chuao. Delicious!
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Sarah, thanks so much for your reply! Looks like I'll have to give Cluizel, Santander and Vivani a try.
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
I have only tasted one of them and it was at the Fancy Food Show last July after a long day of tasting other stuff. So, actually, I don't remember. Chances are the chocolate is not made by Charlemagne but sourced from Callebaut or Belcolade but it could be someone else. Charlemagne is adding the flavorings and they usually do a very good job. There is every good chance that the green tea bar is at least as good as the Dolfin green tea bar which is pretty darn good, IMO.
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
Michel Cluizel--the higher percentages aren't as good as his 60s and 70sHachez -- stay away! doesn't live up to anythingSantander -- all of the dark ones I've tried have been surprisingly great (for the low price I normally see them at)Cafe Tasse---is very dry, not goodNirvana---haven't triedVivani---- Excellent! all! perfect deepness and texture, love the lemon especially
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
I got a head of myself there, posting before I finished! Would you recommend them at all?
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
I believe the bars you are describing are from Charlemagne in Belgium.This is a link to the product page with a picture. The green tea bar is the bottom one in the photo.For those of you who don't have a local store that carries Charlemagne, one on-line source that carries them is ChocolateSource.com . In the upper-left of the home page is a drop down selector labeled "Brand." Click on that, select Charlemagne from the list, and you'll see these bars there. I believe that Chocolate Source (which is also the company behind the Nirvana brand) is the importer.
Chocolate You Would Recommend?
Posted in: Opinion
I'm going to be at my "local" gourmet store tomorrow and hope to be picking up some new chocolate there. I'm hoping to try something new, and I know they carry some of these brands:Michel CluizelHachez (I've had the Coco'Arriba before and wasn't too impressed)GuittardSantander (I've heard iffy things about this one)Cafe TasseNirvanaVivaniThere's also a brand that showed up there recently and I can't remember the name. It comes in a very long and thin package (think 2 inches wide by 11 inches tall) and is color coded. I remember eyeing the green tea flavor. I also recall it was from Europe. Any idea what brand this might be?If anyone has any recommendations on what I should pick up, or something else to look for, please speak up!
Thanks in advance,~S
updated by @Sera: 04/24/15 11:42:25
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I was also in Chicago last summer and didn't feel like it was nearly so chocolate-friendly, not dark chocolate anyway. They had a few bonbon places. Vosges was around a lot. But yeah, have fun at Fog City news! That's an awesome place. And the Scharffen Berger tour is a must. Berkely and Oakland have their own chocolate places. I'm sure you've found more online than I did while I was there. Looking forward to your posts...
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I am going to San Fran and made a list and map of the choc shops- 35 counting Fog City News and TCHO which opens summer 08. There are more if you count all the Godivas and Sees. A VERY CHOCO LOVING CITY!! Also there's the Charles Choc & Scharffen Berger choc factory tours in Oakland across the bay...actually Oakland has quite a few choc shops too. Im taking the Gourmet Walks Chocolate Tour (6 shops) and then created my own list of additional shops to visit- Ill take pics and post when i return...can't wait!The other city i know is really choc-full of shops is CHICAGO- anyone ever been on their choc tour or their own?
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I feel like, just in the U.S. San Francisco may have more chocolate shops per capita than NY. Perhaps the most in the country. It is a very chocolate-centric, cacao-appreciative area!
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I'd have to vote for Bruges. Partly because if you trip over the chocolate chops there, and partly because it's has a relatively small population - I can't imagine any big city beats it on chocolate shops per capita!Clay - have a fantastic cocoa-filled time! My tip is to bring home some hagelslag/vlokken* as well as regular chocolate.*for the unitiniated, chocolate flakes sprinkled on toast/bread. Addictive.
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Ok you are a VERY lucky man, Im sure you know that, but where do I get more details on this tour? I have actually been to both cities (college study-abroad) but would love to go back.....wish that US exchange rate would improve!Oh and how about Zurich? I know the Swiss reportedly EAT more choc than anyone else (22 lbs/yr) but do they have the most choc shops i wonder?? I gotta say London really seems to have the widest variety, chocolatiers and co's from all over....my next trip has to be the Chocolate Ecstasy Tours there- again, wish that darn exchange rate would get better!
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Paris probably has the greatest total number of chocolate shops, but either Brussels or Bruges/Brugge (depending on whether you are French or Flemish) probably has a higher density of shops. I am visiting both Paris and Bruges this summer as a part of a luxe Chocolate Lovers Travel Club trip, and I will be happy to perform what I am sure will be the very tasty research to find out.
Who has the highest concentration of Chocolate shops?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
This is just for fun but does anyone know what city in the world has the most chocolate shops per capita? Im thinking probably Paris, London, or NYC, but maybe not- does anyone know for sure? Choc shops meaning only those where bar and bon bon/ truffle type chocolate is the #1 product: "Chocolateries" (not patisseries, grocerys, or bakeries).
updated by @Chocoflyer: 04/16/15 21:14:04
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I'm new to the world of fine chocolate so my experience is very limited. I've only been seriously learning about this for about 15 months. So from my limited experience here are some expensive chocolates that I've found so far:Amedei I-Cru sampler (12 pieces of 6 kinds of 70%), $120/ lb at ChocosphereThen there's what I (not very politely) call the scammers:1) Noka. most expensive is Vintages Collection , 4 piece box, at $2080/lbGood investigative journalism discovered this. Read the synopsis version here from seventypercent.com or the full version here . The journalist determined the weight of 1 piece, so I'll assume that his calculations are correct.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
From this article at MSN Finance:"Chocolate prices soarThursday is Valentine's Day, and that means big business for the chocolate industry. Lovers and friends around the world send and receive boxes of chocolates in all shapes and sizes.But for chocolate makers, the news isn't so sweet: A global surge in cocoa futures has their costs soaring. Cocoa futures for March delivery traded at $2,485 per metric ton in Wednesday's session, a three-year high and nearing a 23-year record; the last time cocoa traded above $2,500 was April 1985."Prices are a lot higher this year," said Alaron Trading's Boyd Cruel, who trades cocoa. In February 2007, cocoa traded at $1,600 to $1,700. "This is definitely going to affect those chocolate makers," Cruel said." Cruel, indeed.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I don't know of any company (outside of Vietnam) who makes an origin bar made with Vietnamese cocoa beans. However, if a manufacturer was using them in a blend it would be impossible to know. Vietnam is not known for quality coffee and from what I've been told about their cacao growing efforts they are choosing quantity over quality. I doubt very much that we'll see much, if any, fine flavor cacao out of Vietnam in the foreseeable future.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Does this mean we will (or already have?) seen bars made from Vietnam grown beans (origin bars)? Are they regular mass market beans or will they grow fine beans too - anything special about Vietnam cacao?
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
According to ICCO, the International Cocoa Organization, the cacao production deficit this year will be 245,000 tonnes (a tonne is a metric ton, 1000 kg, or about 2,200 lbs). This amount is 55% greater than initially forecast.According to the report , "The news could indicate further commodity pressure for manufacturers, many of whom have already suffered decreased margins because of higher costs in recent months." In related news , the Vietnamese government announced late last year that they expect their crop to grow to 45,000 tonnes by 2015 and 108,000 tonnes by 2020. This is from virtually zero ten years go.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Thank you so much Clay for all the great insider info- I had a suspicion Cluizel made D&G chocs - I remember walking into their NY store, picking out 3 small pieces and the clerk said- That will be $15- I almost choked! I politley narrowed my choice to one (dark croquant) and later when i went to M. Cluizel in the ABC Carpet store the piece i bought was there too! But I dismissed it, like "that cant be., 2 totally diff brands"........ but Voila, they are one! I forget the price diff but yes it was less. Branding is a VERY powerful tool indeed.You are a fountain of knowledge.....
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Debauve and Gallais is nowhere near the most expensive chocolate in the world. One thing that most people don't know about them is that all the chocolate is made for them by Michel Cluizel. Most of the pieces are straight out of the Cluizel catalog and they don't even bother to change the names. Here in NY it sells for a lot more than Cluizel does, which shows you the value of strong branding.Godiva's G line is well over $100/lb and has been made by Norman Love down in Fort Myers, FL. I know that Richart chocolates are well over $100/lb - and that was before the dollar started to sink relative to the Euro. Ortrud Munch Carstens, who makes chocolates to order from her workshop here in NYC was charging $100/lb four years ago.There are quite a few chocolates in the $60-85/lb range. The trick is to think of their price by the piece, Yes, La Maison du Chocolat might be $90/lb, but I can buy a selection of 6-8 pieces for not much more than $10. Very affordable when you think of it that way.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I do realize this is NOT fine chocolate by any means, but here is an article explining why Hershey is raising their prices: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22882731/from/ET/
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Yes, you are so right- Of all the obsessions we could have, Chocolate is still one of the most affordable. Even the finest bars are avail for $15-$20 usually, and good quality chocolate will always be within reach in comparison to wine etc....Thank goodness!Is it true that Debauve et Gallais is still the most expensive chocolates in the world? Last i ckd it was $45/ lb.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
The cacao market is quite complex, so the answer to this is quite complex. First a few stats:1) The current annual harvest for cacao is about 3 million metric tons (tonnes).2) At the moment, supply and demand are roughly equal.3) The current price for commodity cacao is about $1,700/tonne.4) Specialty cacaos can command prices of up to $4,000/tonne5) Worldwide demand for cacao is expected to increase by 50% over the next 10 years. Two things are fueling this demand:5a) Increase in interest in high cocoa content bars.5b) Large economies not normally considered to be chocolate eaters (including China and India with 1/3 or the world's population between them) are quickly developing an interest in chocolate.6) The price for commodity cacao is expected to increase to $4,500/tonne.7) Depending on the growing region, the percentage of the harvest that is left on the tree because of disease or insect damage is 30-80%.8) Depending on the bean variety it takes between 2 and 5 years for a cacao tree to start producing harvestable pods.9) Fine flavor cacao trees take longer to start bearing, produce fewer beans per tree, and are more susceptible to disease.9a) Vietnam came from nowhere to become the 3rd largest coffee producer in the world in a very short time because of government interest and subsidies. They are embarking on a similar program for cacao.When you take all of these factors into account:A) The price for all chocolates will increase.B) The desire (by manufacturers) to replace cocoa butter with cheaper fats will increase. This is likely to happen only for inexpensive mass market chocolates where price is a major consideration.C) The increase in demand will increase planting of trees, but they will take several years to become productive. The major chocolate manufacturers will pressure growers to plant high-yielding bulk beans such as CCN-51 from Ecuador rather than flavor beans with criollo genes in them.D) Because of the rise in the price of commodity cacao, farmers will be dis-incented to grow flavor beans because they can make a lot of money (comparatively speaking) growing commodity beans.What will happen is that:i) There will be an increased emphasis on farmer field schools to teach them techniques to reduce disease and insect damage and therefor increase yields from existing plantings. Experience suggests that farmer training can reduce lossses by 50% or more.ii) Premium chocolate makers will start working very closely with their growers, buying beans directly and paying them directly in order to secure a lock on supplies. They will also start writing long-term contracts like the one Amedei has with Chuao in order to get farmers to continue to deliver fine flavor cacao beans.iii) This interest by premium chocolate makers will lead to a rise in the production of fine flavor cacao but not enough to cover the shortfall.In the end, the gap in price and quality between mass market and gourmet chocolate will increase even as the overall price for all chocolates increases.The (relative) good news in this is that chocolate will still remain inexpensive compared with wines and balsamic vinegars, for example.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
The problem is that the supply is diminishing due to deforestation, fungus and other problems plaguing the wonderful Theobroma Cacao tree. So increasing demand with static or decreasing supply means higher prices for sure. What we will likely see is that the word "Chocolate" will be used to describe a brown chemical mess sold to the mass public at grocery stores and discount warehouses with no Cacao in the product. You will only be able to find Cacao based products at smaller fine retailers since the cost of Cacao bean will be prohibitive and they likely will pass laws allowing you to say it's "Chocolate" and have very little Cacao in the mixture. All this combined with the fact the Asian countries are getting quite a craving for Cacao spells trouble for the mass "Chocolate" producing companies and those of seeking "good" chocolate.
Fine chocolate getting more expensive?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I hear from several chocolatiers that prices are rising on fine beans since they are becoming more popular and there's higher demand- but would that not eventually help the price go down since more will be grown and available? Any thoughts?
updated by @Chocoflyer: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Where to Buy Other Stuff Related to Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Domenico:This is a real challenge - getting your hands on small quantities of beans. The cocoa market is not set up to handle this and there are FDA and USDA hurdles to overcome. There used to be a cocoa broker who was able to snag a bag here and there from larger shipments, but I think he's no longer in that business. I know of someone who has ties to a farm community in Panama that has lots of different kinds of beans and I have been trying to work that angle. There's some positive movement in that direction and I think that things will start to loosen up soon. In the meantime, John Nanci over at chocolatealchemy.com has been selling small quantities of beans of various origins, and he might have some in stock that he can sell you.
Where to Buy Other Stuff Related to Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Maybe cocoa beans are related stuff...I am searching hard to find small producers no matter where in the world who'd sell in small quantities. A particular place is Chiapas, but any Ecuadorian Nacional or Brazilian source of Criollo would be wonderful. (I am not mistaken, I have tasted it but could not buy: yes, there definitely is Criollo grown in Brazil.) I'd be grateful for any tip?
Where to Buy Other Stuff Related to Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
This forum post is the point of entry for links, discussions, and questions about where to buy stuff related to chocolate that is not covered in the other topics in this forum.This is not the place to post information about where to buy chocolate or tools to work with chocolate, there are two other forum threads for those topics.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/07/25 13:00:14
Where to Buy Tools for Working with Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
AndyThanks for the website.I also have checked this one http://www.intlfoodcraft.com/natural-color.html .
Where to Buy Tools for Working with Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Something to remember about these is they are infrared and only reading the surface of the target. The bottom of your container if on a heat source will be hotter than the top.
updated by @Andy Ciordia: 09/11/15 22:45:04
Where to Buy Tools for Working with Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
We started this search about a week ago and I found a few places by just doing a google search for 'natural food coloring chocolate', here's one result: http://www.chocolatecraftkits.com/foodcoloring.php
Where to Buy Tools for Working with Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hello,Is anybody knows where can i buy online or in new york area natural dyes in powder or liquid for chocolate or natural colored cocoa butter .Almost every chocolate related websites carry artificial colors.
Where to Buy Tools for Working with Chocolate
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hello everyone!I am wondering where to buy the nice, thick paper you see on high-end candy bars, (you know, no foil peeking out of the ends).Any thoughts would be great!