30 October 2017
Recently, I was fortunate enough to align a business trip to the US with the occurrence of the annual Dallas Chocolate Festival. Those who know me well insist that it was the other way around!
A chocolate festival in humid, subtropical downtown Dallas, one may ask? Indeed. I’ve been there and done that so here are my five top tips for a first-rate chocolate festival experience.
1. Get There Early
Purchase VIP tickets to beat the crowds and ensure that you get first stab at meeting with and chatting to some of America’s most celebrated and respected craft chocolate makers. I certainly did.
I was privileged to meet Art from Amano Chocolate, Rob from Fresco Chocolate, Greg from Dandelion Chocolate, Adam and Dustin from Dick Taylor Chocolate, Ben from Potomac Chocolate and the list goes. What an amazing experience listening to them share inspirations behind their chocolate creations and their individual chocolate journeys.
2. Pace Yourself
Chocolates are aplenty to sample and purchase, and rightly so. So pace yourself to ensure that you can get through all the possible tastings from one chocolate maker/ chocolatier to the next. Also, work your way from the lowest percentage of cacao to the highest, i.e. from white to milk to dark milk and finally dark chocolate. And remember to cleanse your palate with water in between each tasting.
3. Latest Chocolate Trends
Chocolate festivals, expos and shows are the ideal setting to pick up on the latest chocolate trends. Fancy a chocolate made purely of cacao butter, minus the sugar and milk in white chocolate? Or perhaps exotic single origin bars made using cacao beans sourced from Asia and the Pacific Islands? Be taken on a journey by country of origin, terroir and unique methods of fermentation and roasting as you sail from one craft chocolate maker to the next.
4. Do Your Homework
If you’re a die hard chocolate aficionado like me, it pays to do a little homework on the chocolate makers/ chocolatiers and their specialities. That way, you know what to hone in on when tasting and purchasing a particular chocolate maker’s signature/ award winning creation(s).
5. Ask for Recommendations
Never assume that you know more about chocolates than the chocolate makers. Ask for pointers and you may end up pleasantly surprised. For example, Art from Amano convinced me to try and subsequently purchase the Dos Ríos 70% Dominican Republic bar. Weeks later, at the world finals of the International Chocolate Awards 2017 in London, this very bar was awarded silver in the plain/ origin dark chocolate bars category. The bar sings beautiful and bright spring and summer flavours of sweet citrus, berries and flowers.
The Verdict:
The Dallas Chocolate Festival presents an excellent introduction to the world of American craft chocolates. While lacking in size and scale of other more notable chocolate events, it provides a more intimate and focused environment for chocolate education and appreciation.
I’m super excited to apply my five top tips in less than 2 weeks’ time, at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle!
