How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Bars I've reviewed, sorted by price per 100 g:
Forum Activity for @ChocoFiles
Posted in: Tasting Notes
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
If I think a chocolate bar is worth the expense I'll pay premium prices for it. I track the bars I've reviewed by calculating the price per 100g to make a standard that I can easily compare. The most I've paid is $53.57/100g for some small Pierre Marcolini pieces. The most I've paid for one bar is $22 for the Bonnat "Marfil de Blanco Porcelana". In my next post I'm going to attach a list of the bars I've tasted, sorted by price per 100g.
updated by @ChocoFiles: 06/16/15 07:52:42
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
My focus is reviewing fine chocolate bars (see ChocoFiles ) and I usually try to taste one 6-8g piece at a time. Depending on various factors my tastings vary from 1 to maybe 5 per day. (The less I like a chocolate bar the quicker I eat it to get rid of it, and the more I like it the more slowly I savor it.) So I guess I eat 7-40 g per day. I'll average that to 20g per day.
With really fine chocolate that I highly enjoy an 8g piece more than satisfies me for several hours!
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Here is some information about where to buy chocolate bars in NYC. (Brady B sent it to me in 2009.)
#1. Food Emporium / The World of Chocolate , 1175 3rd Ave. @ 68th St..
Adrienne Henson
What this is, is actually a separate room inside of a grocery store.
Pro's: It's fun and has tons of different bars to choose from.There are a couple goodemployeesusually on hand. What you'll find: Madecasse, Vao Vao, Malie Kai, Valrhona (they have some that you don't have on your list), Vestri, Republica del Cacao, Maglio, Amano, Askinosie, Santander, Bonnat (they still had some of the Porcelana bars last I checked but they are $$$), Santander. Plus a bunch of other mediocre bars. Some you may be interested in. It's fairly easy to get to but it is not near any tourist attraction that I imagine you'll already be at. Open later than most places.
...Most of the Felchlin is gone. LastFelchlin itemsleft were Elvesia and Madagascar. Cru Sauvage is definitely gone and there is no other place in the city that carries it.
The Chocolate Library (aka Chocolate 101 because of a naming dispute)
111 St. Marks Place (Avenue A)
(212) 995-5001
Owned by Byron Bennett
Also, you are within walking distance to. It is now called:
Borne Confections: ( the old Pierre Marcolini store) 485 Park Ave between 58-59th St.
The store now sells another Bean to Bar, from Oriol Balaguer.Oriol only has one bar.
Theyve sold off their Pierre Marcolini bars. Considering you haven't had Pierre Marcolini, you might make this your #1 stop as I don't know you can order it online either. He is bean to bar and it's the only Belgian chocolate that is actually great!. Bars run 11$ ea.but are currently not on the shelf. They have them behind the counter but you have to ask for them.
Borne Confections
485 Park Avenue, New York NY 10022 ( map )
212-755-5150
www.borneconfections.com
The next options are places that you might be near while touring.
Near Empire State Building: Actually inside the Empire State Building is La Maison du Chocolat. It is only a temporary outpost for the holiday but worth it. They are known for their truffles, which are very good but pricey. They also have good bars (approx. 10$ each). They are worth the $. They are made by Valrhona.
Near the NY Stock Exchange: 1. La Maison du Chocolat, 63 Wall st. 2. Christopher Normans, 60 New St. He does not make bean to bar but has good truffles. Owner John Down is originally a painter. His truffles have his paintings on them and he has some artwork hanging in the shop that he painted with chocolate. It is very close to the NY Stock Exchange and the famous statue of the Stock Market Bull, however it is in an alley that you wouldn't expect something to be in.
Near Rockefeller Plaza:
La Maison du Chocolat, 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Brooklyn
Depending on how much time you have, a trip to Brooklyn could net you somebars you can't get in Manhattan. I'll just tell you what is available and if you have enough time I can help you get around. To hit all four of these places you'd need at least two hours of free time from your group. However you could do just the first two (Chocolate Room and Brooklyn Larder in one hour, including travel time to Brooklyn). The second two stores are a bit of a hike but are doable if you don't mind walking.
Brooklyn Larder ,228 Flatbush Ave.: Claudio Corallo, Patric, Taza, Mast Bros, Madecasse, Askinosie, Amano
Chocolate Room ,86 5th Ave: Bonnat, Madecasse, Pacari, Vintage, KiXocolatl, Theo Phinney
Blue Apron, 814 Union St.: Bonnat, Patric (including the new Rio Caribe), Madecasse, Valrhona, Vintage, El Ceibo (Chloe's line), Dolfin, Askinosie, Taza (including the Chiapan bar)
Green Grape Provisions ,753 Fulton St: Rogue (the only place in town that I'm aware of selling Rogue), Taza, Vintage, Patric, Vere, Vosge, Askinosie, Madecasse, TCHO(last I was there, the bars were out of stock. No worries, they are horrible).
There are good shops for truffles in SoHo. #1 choice is Kee's Chocolate , 80 Thompson St.
One other interesting place is L.A. Burdicks , 5 East 20th st. Tel: 212-796-0143
Directions: Between 5 th Ave. and Broadway. 4 blocks from Union Station.
Owned by Larry Burdick
He sells barsproduced by Felchlin, packaged in Burdick packaging, as well assome really good truffles and pastries.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Oy. I just realized that, at about 50 gm per day, I'm eating a little over 18 kg per year. I'd rather say in eating 50 gm per day. Sounds nicer. To be fair, the research on chocolate is reasonable. I totally burn it off, and if you're eating 70% or higher, it's actually got a reasonable amount of fiber. I do skip it some days, but I find myself wishing a nice restaurant just offered a few squares of good chocolate rather than all the fancy desserts. They're nice, but the chocolate would be even more satisfying and have lots fewer calories. Anyone outdoing me on the consumption end (and willing to go on record?!)
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I eat a little more than 1 oz. a day -- it doesn't take much to feel satisfied with really great chocolate. One pound a day would be too much for me to really enjoy. My cacao excess if of a different sort. I've been eating a different kind of chocolate every day, for over five years -- about 120 pounds in all. I estimate that by end of April 2012, I will have eaten my body weight in chocolate. Strange but true. And yummy too.
Thanks to you all the great chocolate makers out there.
Corinne ( www.chocolatebanquet.com )
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Chocolate, A Bitter Saga of Dark and Light by Mort Rosenblum. And yes, it is a good read.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Good heavens, how much chocolate you eat. I am really amateur....
I eat about 2kg per year (4,4 lbs). Average consumption in Finland is 7kg/year per person (15,4 lbs).
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Actually, I went through Chloe's book again, and when she does her TASTINGS she spits out the chocolate. It's less clear how much she eats when she's just eating for pleasure. She has some errors in there howver -- saying things like ganache being more fattening than chocolate bars. Nope. They both have about the same number of calories. Onemay just have more fat from cream, the other has morefat from cocoa butter.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
On average the Swiss population consumes 11lb per year per person, in Germany the average is 10.8lbs, in the UK it's 10.3, and in the US 5.1lbs. So they say. That's all chocolate bars, not just the good stuff. I think consuming a pound a day would make one seriously high or sick or both. Spitting it out, I wonder why one would have to taste so much? How much chocolate does one have to taste to know what one's eating?
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Do not worry, I have only been spending money and visiting fine chocolate shops for the last six months. It will be easy to get caught up, just expensive. The one on 4th is Bond Street and I bought a dozen chocolates this morning at FIKA down here near Bowling Green. Martine's on 82nd and York.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
OK, now I feel like an idiot. Thanks very much for this info. Heretofore, much of my bar-buying has occurred at Fog City News in SF, as I'm out there about once a month, soThe Meadow is a real find. Ironically, I was right around there last night for dinner. I was actually unfamiliar with chocomap andhalf the places you mentioned. I should probably lose my chocophile membership card or do penance by being forced to eat carob. Many thanks for the info here!
Keith
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I visited the Xocolatti shop on Thompson, near Vosges, Kee and Maribelle on Broome. They are all near each other. Jacques Torres is only 4-5 blocks away also. Christopher Norman closed a few months back near Wall Street. The Black Hound in on 2nd Ave off of 14th, I think. You should go in and see Max Brenner on Broadway near 14th. Roni Sue in the Essex Market. The Chocolate Bar and Li Lac or close to each other on 8th Ave near 12 st., I think. The Meadow is a short walk away and probably the largest selection of bars. Burdick and Chocolate Moderne are on 20th and 22nd near 6th and Broadway. Another near Broadway and St. Mark's or 4th street, I can't remember now. I stumbled across the Three Tarts on 19th or so on 9th Ave. Cocoa Bar on Clinton near Houston has some good hot chocolate.
I just keeping finding out about more and will begin exploring New Jersey soon.
Google, chocolate map nyc and you can find most of them.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Speaking of shops around Manhattan, I've haunted La Maison, Michel Cluizel, Leonidas and Jaques Torres. I've had Vosges elsewhere. Anyone I'm missing?
I heard there was a Xocolat shop downtown but can't seem to get any info. I tried their choc/oliveoil bar at Fog City News in SF and liked it. A bit odd, but good.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I don't think that it is the chocolate that causes the weight gain per se. For me it was the introduction of a very calorie dense food into my diet which didn't change my other eating habbits, so I would eat normally and then add on top, or in between the extra caloric hit from 50-100g of dark choc per day. It wasn't that significant either but having weighed 69kg for as long as I can remeber, I noticed the variation - especially when not excersising regularly.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I think I read it in Mort Rosenblum or something like that, book on chocolate. It is a good read.
I tend to gorge on chocolate on occasion. Because I make micro batches at home and have a cheap supply of paste to grind, and started playing around with making ganches for truffles, bons bons and the like, and have gotten very good at chocolate cupcakes of various sorts; on would say I get somewhere between 100 and 200g a day of chocolate. There are times where I take a day or two off, but miss it. I have also been testing out various chocolate shops around Manhattan over the last six months, and over the course of an afternoon and evening, a dozen truffles or bon bons are very easy to enjoy. My wife and I will sit down and share two or three and then I have a couple more as the evening goes on.
I don't find eating chocolate has affected my weight in any way at all.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
My understanding is that Chloe does indeed spit out most of the chocolate that she tastes. I can't remember where I heard that, though.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Exercising is essential, but not just to allow for chocolate. I just like to be active anyway and it's good for everyone to do what they can to be active. Of course, the benefit is that it provides a nice "ace in the hole" by allowing a few more discretionary calories -- that most of us would prefer to spend discretely (or not) on good chocolate!
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I agree that chocolate should be it's own food group. I'd take it a step further and say that really good, high-quality, high-cocoa content stuff should be a deductable medical expense, but the powers that be don't seem to agree.
Re: Chloe, like I said, she couldn't actually eat that much on a daily basis. Gotta be way overreported. Unless she tastes but spits out, like the wine and coffee tasters do, but that would seem to be a real waste of good chocolate.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I'd do maybe 50 to 100g per day, lets say 50g average. I make a lot and also buy bars of the good stuff, constantly tasting and re-tasting. I find with dark chocolate that you are about right,30g and I'm good for a while.
Its interesting you mention the weight gain their Brad, I also found that when I started making chocolate, it was much easier to gain weight when not excersisingwith that muchchocolate as part of your diet. I currently ride 150km per week to and from work and do weights regularly too toenable myself to enjoy the amount of chocolate that I do.
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
A POUND of chocolate per day??? Wow.... Chloe either has the metabolism of a mouse, has the exercise regime of an elite athlete, or weighs 400+ lbs herself!
As far as I'm concerned, chocolate is it's own food group, and I put down MAYBE 100g per day as I'm tasting various confections and recipes. Even with that small amount, I find I have to exercise extensively to keep the weight off. Usually over the course of November/December when I'm between dirt biking seasons (not riding or exercising), just those two months alone see me gain 6-7lbs. The only thing I've done different in my eating over the past 10 years is introduce chocolate into my diet about 5 years ago. Before that I never gained weight over the winter.
I can't even begin to fathom how many times I'd have to run the stairs to work off 2800 calories of chocolate per day! Yikes.
Brad
How much chocolate do you eat per day, on average?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
When I read that Chloe Doutre-Roussel in The Chocolate Connoisseur wrote that she ate something like a pound of chocolate a day, I didn't believe it and I still don't. I just wondered how much people usually eat per day, on average. If there's aforum/discussion about this, I missed it, so please excuse.
I know that for myself, a 100 gm bar lasts about 2 days. That's way more than the "per capita" consumption, but in a group like this, it might be far lower. Just wanted to find out how it is for you all. If you respond, just be honest. No one's making any judgements here. Hell, many of my friends think I'm insane for spending $11 for a 100 gm bar of good stuff. I usually counter that they'd spend much more on a bottle of wine that wouldn't last as long, but I digress. If you're on this forum, then I'm assuming good chocolate takes you to your happy place (maybe good wine, too).
Good stuff should be savored, in my book, so I try to take my time eating it. Usually I find that after an ounce or so, I'm good for a while, but that may be just me. Mind you, I'm not inquiring about how much you COULD eat, just how much you do on average.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
updated by @Keith Ayoob: 04/10/15 03:43:50
Chocolates not releasing from PC molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Update: so, i washed the molds with warm water, no detergent whatsoever, used cotton balls to remove the chocolate that was stuck in them, and them polished them dry with cotton balls. Today i polished the molds with cotton once again, tempered the chocolate and i put them on the balcony for 2 hours. And every single shell fell out, i tapped the mold lightly twice, most of them fell out then, the rest i just lifted with mu fingers. I couldn't be happier. 
Thank you, Mark, for the advice.
Chocolates not releasing from PC molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you, Mark, i'll try that next!
Chocolates not releasing from PC molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Retry warming the molds, but no where near that warm. Your fingers typically are about 92F, so if it felt warm to you they were probably warm enough to remelt the chocolate poured against them and lose your temper. The molds should be the same temperature as your tempered chocolate to about 5 degrees cooler. Molds too cold will also cause problems as the cocoa butter will set up too quickly in untempered state, before the seed crystallizes the rest as it should.
Chocolates not releasing from PC molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hello, everybody, happy new year!
I'm very new in chocolate making and was very happy when i found this website. I tried searching for similar discussions and was not very successful, it could be my keywords were all wrong. So i apologize if this was already discussed at lenght and will appreciate anything you can tell me.
I bought martellato polycarbonate molds for praline, the first time i used them, the chocolate shells i made (i made liquer filled chocolates) almost fell out on their own. I followed the procedure for making chocolates that i found on theblog chocolate covered kitchen: i put the temperated chocolate in the mold, put it in the fridge for 5 minutes, emptied the molds to obtain chocolate shells, put that in the fridge for the next 15 minutes, then to the freezer for 7 minutes. The molds have the washing machine sign imprinted on them, so i washed them in the washing machine. One of the molds became cloudy, the other is still clear. My next attempt at chocolate making was not so successful. The chocolates got stuck in the molds and i could not get them out no matter how hard i banged them at the countertop. So i washed them (and the chocolate out of them) with hot water and dish detergent. Then i polished them with cotton. Some googling and asking questions showed i should not have put my molds in the dishwasher, wash them with hot water, used the detergent, put them in the freezer ... pretty much everything i did was (supposedly?) wrong. So i washed them with tepid water and a bit of hand soap once again, still with no success. Then i read someplace that i shouldn't wash the molds at all, that the water is bad for the PC plastic, so i used the blow-drier to melt the chocolate and cotton balls to clean the surface and polish the cavities. Out of 58 chocolate shells i should have gotten, i got 22 out in one piece. Then i called martellato and told them of my problems and they advised me to rub some cocoa butter in the cavities. I also got another piece of advise from a different source to not have my molds too cold, so i used a blow drier to make them warm to the touch. I couldn't get one single chocolate released from one of the molds, from another i got 9 that were in one piece and usable.
I should also mention that i had tried other methods of cooling the chocolate, i read someplace that the best temperature is 18 C, so i put the molds in the room with 18 C, left them there for 2 hours, also turned upside down this time (the advice about the temperature and upside down cam from the same place, keylink), but my molds are not so straight as they seem, so i got some chocolate hardening around the cavities and i still couldn't get them out in one piece, so i switched back to the method that first worked for me.
Another piece of information that is probably usable is the type of chocolate i am using: at first i used a 70 % chocolate i bought in lidl, and added 15 % of cocoa butter to it. Then, encouraged with success, i bought kessko chocolate (the only chocolate available in bulk where i live) and i am now using this one. I know i am tempering the chocolate correctly, because it does get nice and shiny and it does snap. Any advice on what a novice enthusiast working with chocolate at home can do and what am i doing wrong greatly appreciated.
I have asked Janice from chocolatecoveredkitchen and she said that, contrary to what she reads, putting the chocolates in the freezer for longer times if they don't want to release from molds is what works for her. I tried that and the longer they were in the freezer, the less it seemed to help.
I should also add that i am retempering the same chocolate (with as much "new" chocolate as needed) i got left from previous attempts.
Thank you for reading this, i know it is long.
updated by @Maja Zorga Dulmin: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Baking Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
The trick to using liquor instead of cocoa powder is to understand that liquor by weight is +/- 50% fat. You can't use liquor and not adjust the other fats that the recipe calls for (butter, vegetable oil, etc).
For example if your recipe calls for 1/4 c of cocoa powder, you need to use 1/2 c of liquor and reduce the other fat in your recipe by 1/4 c. it's really that simple.
I think you'll also find that by reducing other fats, your baked goods will be much lighter and fluffier than using shortenings, or oil. At least that's been my experience.
Cheers
Brad.
Baking Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Willie Harcourt-Cooze first book had recipes only using cocoa liqour, his Uk company runs a line of premium cacao liquors of various origins. I too use my bean to bar liquor in my baking, you cant beat it for flavour control, though i find i have to invent most of my recipes to get the chocolate hit that i am after.
Baking Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'm interested in hearing whether or not chocolate makers who sell at fairs and festivals have had any success selling unsweetened baking chocolate. I love using my bean-to-bar chocolate in baking, of course, but would like to hear if vendors at these kinds of events have tried it. My thought is packaging it as four 2-oz bars with about four recipes included......basics like brownies, cookies, cake, etc.
updated by @Denise Brennan: 04/11/25 09:27:36
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Oh yes and get yourself a reliable tabletop tempering machine ( I have good experience with Chocovision but not sure what is available in Wales) you def need that to start.
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Being a chef you prob have the nous to get along well with chocolate. No its not impossible to start up a self taught choc business. Some instruction is handy. Online resources and books can teach most theory but you will need time to experiment and perfect your recipes. The Greweling book is excellent but many of the recipes are more complicated than what you might like to start with. Also you need a passion and desire to succeed to keep you focused while learning from your mistakes. I would say that its entirely possible to teach yourself chocolate making but having business success depends on whether you can make the right products for your market, how much business you get vs initial investment, location etc Good luck!
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Thanks very much for the advice guys, I'll definitely take everything you've said on board and learn from it!!
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
As Scott said:
practice practice practice! save the money and time of "ecole chocolat" you better buy 1 professional book at time and learn!
If you can buy one of those melanger from cocoatown and a bag of beans, try to understand cocoa beans and chocolate.
This forum as well is very helpful!!
As chef you should be already aware of food costing and recipe calculation, that should be an advantage.
Keep working in a kitchen (to make money..) and start as hobby till you have a budget and feasiblebusiness plan.
Buy small tools first (few spatulas, bowls, policarbonate molds) and use a double boiler to melt your first batches of chocolate to temper.
Careful, cause specialized tools and tempering machine of any sort can cost a lot, but practically you can start with few $100...
plan your self 1 or maybe 2 years before you go solo...
h of corse i forgot.. you need a lot of passion! chocolate makes you first happy and maybe later rich... is a lot of small money, but it is worth it every time someone bites into one of your creation and they smile!
Best of luck and keep posted, there are a lot of "friends" here to help!!
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
If you are on a tight budget, start with making chocolates as a hobby. Develop your skills with chocolate and sample them out to friends and family. When you start to get several dozens of replies like "You should sell these" and getting several personal orders, then you could consider a small side business similar to your wife's preserve business. Should you quit your day job and become a full time chocolatier tomorrow with no developed skills? - the answer is definitely not. Just as you developed skill as a chef, the same effort is required for professional level chocolate work.
Peter Grewelings book is excellent, but there is no such thing as too many books. There are many specialty books on chocolate and confections available. Research and buy what interests you at the time. The key to books is you actually have to use them. Don't be a collector of chocolate books, be a user of chocolate books. Collecting is easy, using them takes a lot of work.
Be willing to "unlearn" what you've learned incorrectly. No one book has "ALL" the answers. Authors of books write with certain assumptions about what you may or may not already know. There are certain details about recipes that are assumed and would be too laborious in detail to specify. This is why having many books for reference is necessary. If you are having a problem with a certain recipe, you need to be able to cross reference with other books in order to find out what you are doing wrong.
Find someone who can be critical of your results. Hopefully your wife has good taste buds and can tell you if something is good or it needs more work. Having someone keep you in line and tell you whether or not something is good is critical. Self teachers tend to be a little too easy on themselves, when they need to be corrected.
If you are going to self teach yourself chocolates and confections (as with any major subject), it will be a long road, will take much effort, there will be significant struggle, but in the end it will all be worth it.
Good luck.
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
hey Jacob,
I recommend ecole chocolat's online course. Very useful in depth info and will for sure help you start up your business.
New guy here, Looking to setup a chocolate nad confectionery business!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Hi guys,
My name's Jacob and I'm from a town called Pontypridd, in Wales UK. I'm a chef by trade but have always had a passion for chocolate and confectionery like hard candies and jellies. I've decided that, after helping my wife setup a business making chutneys and preserves, I want to set up my own venture making chocolates and confectionery. So I've bought a book called "Chocolates and Confections" By Peter Greweling to try and teach myself to make chocolates as I'm on a tight budget.
My question is am I going to get enough of a grounding in producing chocolates to start a small chocolate business just by learning what is being taught in that book or are there other books I need to learn from beforeI even consider starting a chocolate business?
Is it even possible to start a chocolate business being self taught?
PS I have looked at chocolate courses in the UK, but they are expensive residential courses.
Thanks in advance for reading!
Jacob
updated by @Jacob Anthony: 04/11/15 02:56:02
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
No worries Jun, just telling it how it is, i'll send those bars soon, it is still scorching down here...too hot to send yet.
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
Thanks for including the Philippines in your 2011 best chocolate you have tasted. The confidence youve given us is PRICELESS!
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
See the attachment for a list of the 101 bars that I reviewed in 2011. I taste them all, so there were some that I didn't enjoy very much (to put it politely).
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Vera and everyone,
I agree with Geert that it's not really possible to talk about "best" so I prefer to only talk about "favorite" instead. Here are some of my favorites from 2011:
| Company | Name | Percent | Class Rating | Overall Rating |
| Fresco | 212 Dominican Republic | 72 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| Fresco | 210 Jamaica | 70 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Mast Brothers | Brooklyn Blend 2010 | 74 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Rogue | Rio Caribe 2011 | 70 | 9.3 | 9.3 |
| Pralus | Vanuatu | 75 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
| Christophe Morel | Fortunato no.4 2011 | 68 | 10 | 9.1 |
| Duffy's | Corazon del Ecuador | 72 | 9.1 | 9 |
| Friis Holm | Johe 2011 | 70 | 9.1 | 9 |
| Mast Brothers | Chuao 81% | 81 | 10 | 8 |
| Vosges | Peppermint Candy Cane 2010 | 62 | 10 | 8 |
| Moonstruck | Fortunato no.4, 2010 | 68 | 9.2 | 8 |
| Askinosie | Tenende 2010 | 72 | 9 | 8 |
| Askinosie | Cortes 2010 | 70 | 8 | 8 |
| Duffy's | Honduras Indio Rojo | 72 | 8 | 8 |
| Fresco | 213 Dominican Republic | 72 | 8 | 8 |
| Mast Brothers | Chuao 76% | 76 | 8 | 8 |
| Madecasse | 80% | 80 | 9.5 | 7 |
If I had to choose my favorite companies of 2011 they would be Fresco and Rogue. I'd like to have more Christophe Morel and Duffy's, but they are hard for me to get. Askinosie is one of the most consistently enjoyable companies for me too. Mast Brothers also has 3 bars on this list.
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Geert and Tom, Thank you so much for sharing. I love both your stories. Chocolove, Vera
What's the best dark chocolate you tasted in 2011?
Posted in: Opinion
Good idea for a thread! Well my access to new and exciting chocolate brands is a bit limited living in Australia but here are my highlights from 2011, which was quite an exciting year in chocolate for me. I really enjoyed Pralus study in Venezuelan chocolates 'Les Crus d'Excellence' and Valrhonas El Pedregal. It was interesting to see the difference in the Porcelanas. I really loved teh strenght in the Valrhona offering, sometimes i find there chocolate a little muted. I also really enjoyed the Elderflower and dark milk chocolate from Coppeneur, a really amazing combination I thought. I also made some chocolate from the Philippines which had the most fantastic golden syrup flavour note, like Sebastian's these are not commercially available. Also made an extremely complex chocolate from, again non commercially available Samonan beans..... now I know what is ment by 'strawberries and cream' flavour note in chocolate.....amazing!I also got to visit a cacao plantation for the first time which was the most incredible experience, i made chocolate from the bean while i was there and tasted the fresh pods of the same bean. I was surprised to be able to taste the same flavour notes in the fresh bean and the finished chocolate, incredible.2011 was a very good chocolate year!