8 March 2017

It baffles me to observe a piece of chocolate being popped into one’s mouth, only to be instantly ground to smithereens. Hold on! How can chocolate be truly and thoroughly enjoyed if it’s just being chewed and swallowed? On this point, have you considered exactly what it is that attracts you to chocolate? Is it the aesthetics of the fancy packaging or glossy temper? The silky smooth texture? Perhaps the enticing aroma and sweet taste or a combination thereof?

If you’ve ever wanted to delve deeper to discover the root of your chocolate passion or obsession, the best place to start is by deriving complete enjoyment from every mouthful. While I’m by no means an expert in chocolate appreciation, here are some tips and lessons that I’ve picked up along my chocolate adventures.

Take Your Time

The act of consuming chocolate is not a competition or race. Pause, be in the moment and take the time to savour every mouthful.

If available, make the effort to read the label or packaging to understand what it is you’re consuming, the ingredients that have gone into its production and the economic, social and environmental impact of the chocolate.

It’s also worth understanding the story of the cacao beans including the variety, region, country of origin, terroir and method of processing. If you’re a chocolate nerd like me, this will be enough to get you excited even before your first mouthful!

Connect With Your Senses

See, smell, hear, touch and taste the chocolate. Use all your senses to experience it.

See the Chocolate

Starting with your eyes, observe the colour. Is it dark brown, red brown, white or almost black?

Look at the surface. Does it have a shiny, glossy sheen or looks dull with whitish or light brown spots? A shiny, glossy sheen is an indication of well tempered chocolate. Conversely, a dull surface with spots is likely to indicate bloom, either sugar bloom (sugar dissolves in moisture from condensation and crystallises upon its evaporation) or fat bloom (fat in the form of cocoa butter crystals deposit on the surface of the chocolate). Both are usually caused by suboptimal chocolate storage conditions and in the case of fat bloom, inadequate tempering. The chocolate is still nonetheless edible but obviously, this affects the overall experience. And on this note, an invaluable piece of advice to always bear in mind – avoid storing your chocolates in the fridge! The optimum storage temperature of chocolate is between 15 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Admire the artistry of the colours, shapes and designs of the chocolate moulds. The latter can be both unique and beautiful, and provide a glimpse into the personality, heritage or background of the chocolate maker. Take for example the chocolate bars from Hungarian bean to bar maker Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé that are moulded to look like 19th Century Hungarian fire place tiles.

Smell the Chocolate

Put the piece of chocolate to your nose, like you would do with a glass of wine, and inhale deeply. Cup your hands around the chocolate and repeat a few times. What do you smell? Is it intense or faint?

Try to associate the smells or aromas with common external stimuli like earth/ soil, trees, herbs, flowers and smoke to common foods like fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and sugar derived treats like caramel and toffee. It’s of course easier to do this with plain chocolates. The sensitivity and breadth of our sense of smell differs from individual to individual, so don’t worry if you smell something completely different to the next person.

Hear the Chocolate

For chocolate bars or squares, break a piece off. Does the chocolate break off with a short, sharp snap?

For bite-sized chocolates like pralines, ganaches and truffles, take a bite. Do you hear a short, sharp snap as you sink your teeth into it?

You should be able to hear the characteristic snap in well tempered chocolate.

Touch the Chocolate

Hold the piece of chocolate between your thumb and forefinger. Rub it and as it contacts the warmth of your fingers, it should start to melt. Is the texture smooth, gritty or uneven? Well conched chocolate should feel silky smooth to touch.

Place a bite-sized piece on your tongue and let it melt. Rub it between your tongue and the top of your palate. As the chocolate melts, does it have a smooth and even mouthfeel or gritty, lumpy texture? Well conched chocolate should have a very smooth and even mouthfeel. However, it’s normal for unconched, stone ground chocolate to be gritty, with an uneven texture.

Taste the Chocolate

Now, inhale deeply and as you exhale, begin to taste the chocolate. Is it sweet, sour/ acidic, bitter, astringent/ tannic or umami?

What flavours do you detect? Are they intense or faint? Are they similar to the aromas you’ve identified such as earthy, spicy, floral, smokey, fruity, nutty, caramel or toffee like, or completely different? For pralines, ganaches and truffles, can you taste the intended flavours?

Are the flavours fleeting or do they build up and linger? Is the flavour profile flat or multi-dimensional and changes with time? It’s not unusual for the flavour profile of single origin and blended good quality chocolate to vary as the chocolate melts. The same holds true for “layered” pralines, ganaches and truffles.

When all the chocolate has melted, does it leave an aftertaste in your mouth? Good quality chocolate should leave a clean finish with minimal aftertaste.

Bringing It All Together

When you consume your next mouthful of chocolate, give these basic chocolate appreciation tips a go.

Pause and get to know the chocolate you’re eating.

See, smell, hear, touch and taste it.

Once you’ve experienced the chocolate in its entirety, reflect on the outcome and revisit the question – what do you love about chocolate? You may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover!

 

 

 

28 February 2017

Sydneysiders and Melbournians are constantly fuelling the friendly rivalry that exists between Australia’s top two cities. Sporting prowess, football codes, liveability and housing affordability are frequently debated, as are fashion, shopping, food and coffee. Spurred on by this friendly rivalry and my growing curiosity of the Melbourne chocolate scene, I’ve decided to throw chocolate into the debate. And to heighten the experience, I’ve set myself the challenge of exploring the city’s top chocolate attractions in a day – my version of the “Amazing Race”, involving chocolates.

Hubby has kindly agreed to join me on this challenge, strategically mapping out the tram routes in advance. Bless him? So, at the ungodly hour of 5am on a Saturday morning, we set off for the first flight out.

Monsieur Truffe

Our first stop is the hip suburb of East Brunswick, to unmask the secrets behind the red door that is East Elevation. A cafe at first glance, bright and airy with a blend of original features including the high vaulted ceilings, concrete floors and unmasked brickwork, until one walks through and sees the antique cocoa press and roaster through the custom built glass walls.

East Elevation cafe is also home to the Monsieur Truffe chocolate factory and a small retail section of its bean to bar creations. If you time your visit well, you can enjoy a meal, sip on custom-made hot chocolate and shop for artisanal single origin and flavoured Monsieur Truffe chocolate bars while witnessing its production in real time – a one-stop chocolate destination.

I’d recommend the 80% dark single origin Dominican Republic hot chocolate for the connoisseurs out there, enjoyed with a single origin bar like the limited edition Samoan 67% cacao.

Cioccolato Lombardo

Next up, we go in search of a hidden gem amongst the many fruit, vegetable, poultry, meat and flowers stalls, in the Prahran markets. Cioccolato Lombardo is a tiny, unassuming chocolate destination that has evolved from a cart to a stand-alone shop within the market.

Tad, its owner and chocolatier, has developed a loyal following of his handcrafted ganaches, pralines, rochers and truffles, made in the minute on-site kitchen using Felchin Swiss couverture chocolate. The chocolate sourdough bar, with inclusions of crisp sourdough bread and available in milk and dark, is also a crowd pleaser. There’s sadly a no photo policy within the shop so I can’t share the extent of the chocolate range here.

Burch & Purchese

Our next destination is best described as a modern day Hansel and Gretel candy “house”. At Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio, this fairy tale is brought to life courtesy of Darren and his team. With interiors bathed in pastel pink and white, and decked out in cakes, tarts, chocolates, biscuits, spreads and ice cream as far as the eye can see, it’s no wonder that Burch & Purchese is a revered sweet tooths’ destination. Why, even the walls are decorated with edible art made of chocolate and intricate sugar work.

If you’re here for chocolate, although it’s easy to be swayed by the tantilising array of other sweet offerings, check out the vibrant bars like matcha green tea in white chocolate with raspberries, explosive raspberry popping candy in white chocolate and single origin 66% Madagascan dark chocolate flavoured with tonka bean and pieces of dried pineapple and banana chips.

Xocolatl

There’s no mistaking the purpose of our visit to Xocolatl (Mayan for chocolate). I’ve read about the handcrafted beauties here and am keen to get my hands on them. The retail outlet cum cafe in Toorak is one of three and the newest for this family owned chocolate business built on passion for creating ganaches, pralines, truffles and gianduja, made from fair trade Belgian couverture chocolate.

The most difficult decisions that one has to make are simply which flavours and how many to purchase. They all look equally as tasty with inventive flavour combinations like botrytis jelly, cardamon, mascarpone and raspberry, basil and champagne, and olive oil and sea salt.

Bibelot

It’s over to South Melbourne next to feast my eyes on jewel-like sweet creations. Bibelot, meaning trinkets or ornaments in French, is most befitting a name for this establishment featuring Chez Dre’s sugar mastery. One can’t help but be mesmerised by the perfectly tempered, glossy chocolate ganaches and pralines, colourful macaroons and impeccable sheen on the cakes and tarts, all glinting like gems beneath the squeaky clean glass display cases.

The chocolate creations here extend to tablettes or bars in white, milk or dark, bite sized chocolate treats, chocolate fudge and house-made gelato ready to be drizzled with dark or milk chocolate from the perpetually running chocolate taps. A true haven for the chocoholic.

Mork Chocolate Brew House

The last stop that we manage to fit in, in this “Race” against time, is a purveyor of artisan hot  chocolate. Located in North Melbourne, Mork Chocolate Brew House processes and blends imported cocoa beans on-site to produce cacao liquor and cacao powder, the starting materials for their exclusive range of hot chocolates, chocolate ganaches as well as small treats of cakes and tarts.

There’s even a house-made cocoa flavoured soft drink. The Cacao Cold Brew is both light and freshening. Plus, the young at heart chocolate connoisseurs may be interest to hear about the new limited release 60% dark chocolate milk, a twist on the childhood treat with a touch of decadence.

Six chocolate destinations later, we are both exhausted but exhilarated. Did we triumph in this “Amazing Race”? Having covered six shops in six different suburbs spread across Melbourne, by tram and on foot, and making it back to the airport in time for our flight home, I certainly think so!

Now, more importantly, which city do I think reigns supreme in the chocolate arena? Sydney, as much as I love you, your chocolates, more predictable weather and world class beaches, I’m afraid I have to hand this one to Melbourne…..for now!

 

 

19 February 2017

I’d hardly call myself an early adopter of anything. You won’t find me queuing up for hours inching to the front of a queue for a new gadget, apparel, food fad, or of a new restaurant or cafe. Hence, months after a good friend first sent me an article about in vogue chocolate experiences around town, I decide it’s time to seek them out!

The first experience comes courtesy of the makers of arguably the most photographed cake in Australia, and possibly the world. If you haven’t already guessed it, I’m referring to the Strawberry Watermelon Cake from Black Star Pastry. It’s one beautiful work of food art! But today, I’m not here for the “fruit” cake. I’ve read about Christopher The’s chocolate creations and am eager for a taste.

A cake made with chocolates from one of my favourite bean to bar makers, Amedei? And paired with layers of gianduja??? Indeed, the Amedei Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte is that and much more. It comprises alternating layers of hazelnut dacquoise, gianduja ganache and chocolate mousse made with Amedei’s Toscano Black 66% dark chocolate. If that’s not enough to get you salivating, it’s topped with ganache made with the highly acclaimed Amedei Chuao 70% and finished off with a piece of edible gold. This Torte does not disappoint in looks and flavour – regal, decadent, rich and chocolatey, it’s every chocolate lover’s dream. I can taste hints of the Chuao in the ganache and despite the heavy chocolate components, find it to be well balanced and not overly sweet.

The vegan chocolate popcorn cake is visually and artistically impressive. A mountain of caramelised salted popcorn, dusted with raspberry powder, sits atop a bed of vegan chocolate cake. The cake itself is dense but soft. The caramelised salted popcorn adds a textural dimension and accents of savouriness, and, together with the tartness of the raspberrry powder, provides a contrast of sweet, salty and mildly sour in every mouthful. The only snag with this cake is the construct of the towering popcorn – it’s just not possible to eat it and the cake in one mouthful.

The next stop provides a “rounded” experience. One of multiple flavours but with chocolate as my main attraction. Many rave on about the donuts at Melbourne-based Short Stop so I decide to find out why. I arrive early to beat the queues, and even have the opportunity to interact with the ladies behind the counter. I hone in on the Chocolate Cake Donut plus the interesting looking and sounding New Orleans Iced Coffee Cruller.

The Chocolate Cake Donut is purely that – chocolate cake-based donut, coated with a generous glossy coating of dark chocolate and dotted with cacao nibs. It’s denser than normal yeast-raised donuts and even sponge cake. It’s nice as far as chocolate donuts go, rich with layers of different chocolate textures, but I much prefer the combination in a cake.

The New Orleans Iced Coffee cruller is fried choux pastry, resembling the Spanish churro – crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I enjoy the coffee infused choux pastry, achieved from dipping it in cold brewed coffee, and subtle hints of cocoa. However, I find the vanilla bean glaze to be overly sweet. Perhaps a dusting of vanilla sugar may work better in this combination.

Does the enjoyment of these chocolate fads stack up against the experience of consuming flavourful, artisanal chocolate? I could be swayed by the Amedei Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte………. but I think I’ll leave the cakes to the sweet tooth and cake lovers out there. Let them eat cake and I’ll stick to good ‘ol solid chocolate for now.

 

12 February 2017

Some months ago, I wrote a post about The Case for Cacao vs. Cocoa. You may recall, in the post, that I’d dismissed the palatability of cacao chocolate. A recent discussion with my colleagues and an ad hoc taste test at work (initiated by yours truly, of course) prompted me to revisit cacao derived or raw chocolate.

Pana Chocolate

The brainchild of its namesake creator, Pana Chocolate is a homegrown success story taking on not just Australia but the world. Pana Barbounis took a gamble when he decided to create cacao/ raw chocolate, tout its health promoting properties and peddle it to cocoa chocolate attuned consumers. Through passion, determination and a strong sense of self conviction, Pana has evolved Pana Chocolate into a household brand in many health conscious and special dietary circles. Not only is the chocolate raw, but it’s also organic, Vegan, Kosher, gluten, dairy and soy free as well as free of refined sugars.

At this point, some of you may be wondering – is it free of flavour too? I had my doubts so  decided to pay a visit to the single Sydney store, located in the industrial-turned-hip suburb of Alexandria. In hindsight, perhaps I could have picked a better day – extreme summer conditions with the mercury hovering around the high 30s to low 40s degrees Celsius and a malfunctioning freezer. Nonetheless, I persist. It’s quiet when I arrive. There’s the familiar sight of the signature raw chocolate bars. On top of this, there’s also a tantalising selection of raw chocolate cake slices, ganaches, pralines, rochers and chocolate squares. It’s too early for cake so I settle on a small selection of ganaches, in particular the Caramel Lava Drop, Turkish Rose, Coconut Barrel and Lavender Heart.

I’m truly amazed by how good they taste! Thumbs up for the Coconut Barrel – a generous centre of dessicated coconut, enrobed in dark raw chocolate. The savouriness of the coconut pairs very well with the dark chocolate, and balances the overall sweetness. The Turkish Rose, far from Pana’s take on the Turkish delight, is in fact pure essential rose oil infused raw chocolate ganache. It’s pleasant on the palate, with just the right amount of sweetness. The Lavender Heart, a perfect Valentine’s Day treat for a loved one, comprises a layer of lavender infused white chocolate, sitting atop dark raw chocolate. It’s rich, smooth, has accents of lavender, a hint of salt and subtle sweetness that just pulls the whole combination together beautifully. The Caramel Lava Drop is dark raw chocolate with a dollop of molten caramel – I like the ooziness of the caramel but this combination is a tad sweet for me.

I’ve also tried several of Pana Chocolate‘s raw bars, namely the Eighty, Raw Cacao and Coconut and Goji Berry. The Eighty bar is pretty intense and ideal for those wanting a taste of 80% raw cacao, sourced from Bolivia and Dominican Republic. The 60% Raw Cacao bar sings tropical flavours of coconut, from the added coconut oil, while the coconut flakes and goji berries add a textural dimension of chewiness to the 50% Coconut and Goji Berry bar.

Pacari

Still on the theme of raw chocolate, I’ve recently discovered the pleasures of Ecuadorian Cacao, thanks to Pacari. Proudly organic, and socially and environmentally sustainable, Pacari is a family owned business that cultivates its own Arriba Nacional Cacao to create great tasting tree to bar raw and dark chocolate bars. I’m over the moon that my local organic grocer, About Life, stocks a limited range of these bars.

I can’t get enough of the Raw 70% Salt and Nibs bar. The cacao nibs and sea salt granules are a play on textures in this rich and smooth bar, sweetened with coconut sugar.

The Raw 85% bar is intensely earthy, both in aroma and flavour. It’s also slightly bitter, mildly acidic and with a lengthy finish of lemons, skins and all. Strongly recommended for the cacao enthusiast.

Now, back to the all important question – can cacao derived chocolate, devoid of dairy, soy, refined sugars, vanilla and other typical additives, be bountiful in flavour? Thanks to my recent discoveries of top notch cacao/ raw chocolate, I’ll happily admit that I’ve been proven wrong☺️

Does this rate as an ultimate chocolate experience? Undoubtedly so, for achieving my eureka moment with cacao/ raw chocolate!

 

31 January 2017

I spent the past weekend in the sweltering summer heat, in the capital of the Sunshine State of Australia. Also known as Brisbane, Bris-Vegas and Brissy to locals, the summer temperatures here average in the high 20s to early 30s degrees Celcius – essentially, the melting point of chocolate. Can chocolates still be enjoyed under these conditions and if so, where?

Noosa Chocolate Factory is the homegrown favourite of many. Here, you can pick and mix as much or as little to your hearts content, and sample along the way. Established just over a decade ago, Noosa Chocolate Factory started out as a contract manufacturing business, eventually finding its niche and going direct to consumer with chocolate-enrobed, Australian-grown nuts, berries and fruits, as well as nut brittles.

The chocolate is made bean to bar from cacao beans sourced directly from farmers in Papua New Guinea and available as 77% dark, 40% milk and 37% white cacao chocolate. The added attraction is the freshness of the chocolates – apparently “made from scratch in the last 72 hours” in their factory in Noosa. My top seasonal picks are the chocolate baby strawberries (they’re actually not that small!), chocolate cherries and the Bowen mango macadamia.

If you drop by their cafe and retail outlet, “The Dark Chocolatier”, just five doors down from their flagship store, do try their hot or iced chocolates. I had the 73% dark cacao skinny iced chocolate and it was delish!

Brownies are brownies…..until you sink your teeth into Dello Mano‘s brownies. These are something else. Born out of passion by the husband and wife team of Deb and Bien, the Dello Mano brownies are lovingly handcrafted with the finest ingredients, right down to the Belgian chocolate made from Ghanaian cacao beans. The jewel-like squares of brownies, wrapped in brightly coloured foil, are almost too pretty to eat.

Phoebe, the owner’s daughter, tells me that the Luxury Classic is the original flavour and their most popular, and offers me a sample. It’s decadent, rich, chocolatey and very moorish. I can definitely appreciate its appeal and end up with several brownies to take home with me, based on Phoebe’s recommendation. Aside from the brownies, Dello Mano also creates a tantalising array of cakes and biscuits to satisfy many a sweet tooth.

A personal favourite of mine is Murielle Vuilleumier Swiss Chocolatier. Here, I am assured of a feast, not just for my belly but also my eyes. Murielle never fails to amaze with her luxurious, artisanal selection of ganaches, pralines and truffles. They are works of art to be admired – vibrant, colourful, and perfectly tempered and shaped.

Murielle takes inspiration from several sources in creating her flavours, including her Swiss heritage (The Matterhorn) and suggestions/ requests by her regular clientele (Alexandria’s Mint).

Another destination worthy of a mention is Couverture & Co. Chocolatier and owner Jessica handcrafts a selection of generous, larger than bite-sized ganaches and truffles in the kitchen at the back of the shop. Here, you can sample traditional favourites like the dark chocolate ganache and peppermint cream, as well as more adventurous flavours like Milo, Banoffee and Blackforest.

I conclude that, thanks to the advent of the humble air conditioner, chocolates can certainly be enjoyed in the Sunshine State. In fact, despite the unfavourable summer conditions, one should not be too quick to discount Brisbane as a chocolate destination. Otherwise, as I’ve discovered, you’ll miss out on some worthy, homegrown chocolate experiences here!