This is a picture of Taza Chocolate's delicious, limited edition 75% chocolate bar that was made with cacao beans that came from a farming community in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. My bar, as you can see, was number 660 of the total 1,392 bars that were made.

Chiapas made it's own special mark on chocolate history in 1648. Here's the story: The ladies of Chiapas liked to indulge in their chocolate drinking several times a day, so much that they were having their maids bring it to church and serve it to them during sermons. The bishop didn't like that, and tried to stop them by excommunicating anyone who dared drink chocolate during church. They didn't like that, and sent him poisoned chocolate. Then he drank it and died! And so the saying went, "Beware the chocolate of Chiapas."

I learned about this story in this book, by Thomas Gage (who was there!) Pg 161.

This is a picture of one of the pretty display cases at Aroa Fine Chocolate, which features truffles and confections made with Venezuelan El Rey chocolate. Aroa opened recently in Boston's South End. My friend Christine and I popped in there yesterday to keep the whole Venezuela theme going after having lunch at the nearby Venezuelan lunchspot Orinoco.

When you taste a range single origin chocolate bars, you can compare them and isolate the flavor characteristics of cacao beans from different places in the world, which is really fun. Over the past couple days, me and my office pals tasted two 70% bars made by micro-batch chocolate-maker Soma (see my previous post for more details). One of them was a blended bar, made of a mix of forastero cacao from Ghana and criollo cacao from Madagascar, and the other was a single origin, made of only forastero cacao from Ghana. (Forastero and criollo refer to the variety of cacao tree, kind of like cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon - both red grapes, but different varieties with different flavor profiles.)

The bar with the criollo beans starts out with notes of mild coffee and nuts and moves to pleasantly fruity/berry flavors right in the middle. Many other Madagascar origin bars that I've tasted have also exhibited dark berry fruitiness. The Ghana forastero was more on the earthy side and also a little less exciting than the blended bar. My office pals detected some fruit aromas, but not anywhere as strong as the blended criollo/forastero bar.

Forastero beans are known for being hardy, plentiful, but a little flat on the flavor side. The vast majority of the chocolate in the world is made with forasteros, which are the most common, and therefore the least expensive. Ghana produces the second biggest cacao crop in the world, and it's pretty much all forastero. (Ivory Coast is #1.) Criollos, on the other hand, are more prone to disease and more difficult to cultivate, and are therefore much more rare and expensive. However, they are also known for their big flavor and complex aromas, which makes them worth paying for - for some chocolate-makers. Less than 10% of the chocolate in the world is made with criollo beans.

Based on this tasting and several others I've done, I'm a pretty big fan of cacao from Madagascar. If I were going to do a single origin Madagascar tasting, this would be my line-up:

Valrhona Manjari 64%
Michel Cluizel Mangaro 65%
Amano Madagascar 70%
Domori Sambirano 70%

My friend Karen emailed me this research brief from the Center for Media Research that states that while passionate female bloggers would give up quite a lot to continue their bloggy lifestyles, precious few would give up chocolate.

According to this survey, for 80% of the female blogging population, chocolate is more important than blogging. So, really, the only way out of this chocolate vs. blog power struggle is to write about chocolate on your blog. OR eat chocolate while writing your blog. Pure genius.

To celebrate, I enjoyed the following chocolate while I wrote this:

Soma Chocolatemaker Africa 70% - Ghana Forastero: Soma is a chocolate maker based in Toronto that makes a line of really interesting micro-batch chocolates. Here's a past post about them. The problem is that I was so focused on writing this blog post, that I forgot to pay attention to what I was tasting, and therefore cannot write an accurate description. So lesson learned, blogging and chocolate are best enjoyed separately, contrary to what I just said two paragraphs ago.

To remedy this situation, I will try the chocolate again tomorrow and then write about it (but only afterward), breaking all convention by posting here two days in a row!

The picture above is of me peeking into a really big closet while apartment hunting at some point last fall. It relates to this post because it reminds me of how happy I will be tomorrow when I re-taste Soma's 70% Ghana bar.

This past weekend, Dan, Eric, Angie and I trekked (in the car, that is) two and a half hours to the Berkshires of Massachusetts to make a day out of two stops (three if you count McDonalds on the way - which is a road trip staple, in my opinion): The first was the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. The second was Chocolate Springs in Lenox.

Chocolate Springs is an artisan chocolatier that I discovered a few years ago (in Boston you can get their chocolates at Formaggio Kitchen). This past Saturday was the first time I visited their chocolate cafe. The beautiful cafe (which is also where they make their chocolate confections) offers countless varieties of handmade truffles that range from classic to quite curious, pure chocolate bars and chocolate dipped goodies , lovely cakes and confections, truffle and nougat bars, mini chocolate sculptures, the ideal hot chocolate, and other chocolate treats too numerous to name. And it's a cafe, so that means that there are tables where you can sit with your friends. And we did, for around 2 hours.


Chocolate tasting with good people is, without a doubt, the very delicious reason that I got so into chocolate in the first place. Here's a great idea for a fun afternoon for four friends:

• Go to the nearest chocolate boutique that offers table seating
  
• Select 10 chocolates (to start) and grab a bottle of water for each of you
  
• Cut each truffle or chocolate into 4 pieces
  
• Taste each chocolate as a group and have a fabulous, magical afternoon
  
• And then get a light dinner somewhere after (Optional, but highly recommended)
  

Creme Brulee: A white chocolate ganache sprinkled with flakes of burnt sugar and dipped in dark chocolate. Wonderful texture, at once smooth and creamy and a tiny bit crunchy sweet.

Rose Tea: A black tea truffle. The tannins from the tea leaves come through in a very interesting way in this tea truffle (as well as other tea truffles that we tried), leaving that sensation on your palette that you have when you've just had a cup of tea.

Venus: This milk chocolate ganache with a touch of rum was an all around favorite. On a side note, we all noticed that this truffle looks somewhat... female. And then Joshua told me that truffle is, indeed, a nipple-inspired design, hence the name Venus (originally "Venus' Nipple").

Mint: Oh fresh mint leaves. Why are you not utilized in more desserts? (Garnish doesn't count.) This truffle was so fresh and delicious. Another instant favorite.

Jas-tea-sia: This was the one that blew us all away. They didn't have any Jas-tea-sia truffles left, so we would not have had the chance to experience this chocolate miracle if Joshua had not popped by our table offering a tiny vessel of freshly made Jasmine tea ganache and 4 spoons. Utterly fascinating. The tannins came through alongside all of the subtleties of gentle, complex Jasmine green tea.

A few more pics from our daytrip on are on flickr.

So I realize that I'm falling a little behind on my posts for Hot Chocolate Fortnight at The Tasty Show. That said, I've decided to extend my deadline. This 'fortnight' will now last through the end of the month and is thus renamed Hot Chocolate Month at The Tasty Show.

Hot Cocoa at Athan's
Moving right along, my friend Jon and I went to Athan's European Bakery in Brookline to check out their hot chocolate. First let me say that Athan's is hands down one of my favorite pastry shops in the city. Their goods are European-style and the owners are Greek, so we've got fruit tarts, classic orange pound cakes, French-style mousse tortes, individual tiramisus, napoleons, and panna cottas alongside a wide array of baklavas, shortbread biscuits, and chocolates.

That said, I had high expectations for the hot chocolate. Probably too high. Athan's offers a hot cocoa (rather than hot chocolate) that is quite sweet, with more of an overall sugary sensation that real cocoa flavor. Jon said that it reminded him of Swiss Miss, and I have to agree that it was kind of instant-y. The hot cocoa at Athan's is made of dutch processed cocoa, dried skim milk, cornstarch, confectioners sugar, and Callebaut milk chocolate. I'm surprised by the use of milk chocolate - I wonder if it would be more up my alley if it was dark? Either way, I'm probably going to stick with the solid sweets at Athans, rather than the liquid ones.

We did, however, ask a lovely Athan's barista for suggestions on what treats to enjoy alongside our cuppa cocoa. She directed us to a bunch of little cubbies that held all different kinds of shortbread-type cookies, which she called biscuits. We tried all sorts of delicious ones and they do, indeed, pair extremely well. Similarly to the brioche that we had with the hot chocolate at Flour, these biscuits were simple and not extremely sweet. And they are dry and crumbly and a little crunchy in a really awesome, satisfying way, particularly when enjoyed with hot chocolate. We tried an almond flavor, a coconut cherry pistachio, and a mustokouloura, which is made with grape molasses and sesame.

Conclusion [regarding hot chocolate + dessert pairing]
Shortbread! Rich, buttery, but not overly sweet shortbread. Delicious with hot chocolate! Not everyone can pop over and pick up some of Athan's delicious shortbread-like biscuits, but shortbread is available everywhere in one form or another and pairs beautifully.

In honor of the cold, wet, snowy, nasty weather, I am designating this week and next as Hot Chocolate Fortnight At The Tasty Show, which is 'officially' running from February 1 - February 14. So that means that I will be 'officially' trying out various hot chocolates with various pals for another 7 days or so. For each hot chocolate, I'll post details about the hot chocolate itself + a hot chocolate-related conclusion.

This week I tried two very different hot chocolates. Here are the two that I tried + two conclusions that we made:

Hot Chocolate at Flour Bakery
I had an entire page of notes that I wrote about the hot chocolate I had with Dan at Flour, but unfortunately I lost them. What I do remember is that it is rich but not overly sweet. And it's a little fluffy, which I liked. It is made with steamed whole milk and dark chocolate ganache. As you can see, I am smiling. We enjoyed our hot cuppa chocolate with a sugar-brushed brioche roll. They went incredibly well together! And it does help that Flour Bakery offers some of the best baked goods in Boston. I tried to take a pic on Dan's phonecam but I'm not sure it really does Flour's array of oven treats much justice (see pic above).

Conclusion [regarding hot chocolate + dessert pairing]
Hot chocolate is a dessert in itself, and should only be paired with something light and gentle. Rich, gently sweet, luxurious brioche does the trick.

Mexican Hot Chocolate at Tu Y Yo
The "Chocolate Caliente de Oaxaca" at Tu Y Yo was made with water rather than milk, & a pinch of cinnamon (but just a pinch) spiced up the deal. It comes in a little earthenware jug (which is great, because I've always liked mini versions of big things).The first and foremost thing we noticed about the Mexichocolate drink is that it was super light and a little watery. It wasn't rich at all. If you're looking for your hot chocolate to transport you to the land of sensual luxurious chocolate decadence with each sip, this hot drink would disappoint you. But if you've just enjoyed a rich, potentially exhausting meal (as we had) and you want to keep it light, then it is perfect. My friend Eric noted that it was much more like a chocolate tea than the thick (sometimes exhausting) hot chocolates we've had elsewhere.

Conclusion [regarding using water as a hot chocolate base]
Try making hot chocolate with water instead of milk for a refreshing hot drink that won't overload you. For a homegrown Mexican hot chocolate, check out Taza Chocolate's Mexicano. If you want to try a made-in-Mexico hot chocolate at home, try Ibarra.

Every chocolate-covered coffee bean I've ever tasted was made with bittersweet chocolate. Bitter chocolate + bitter coffee bean = yes, that's right, a lot of bitterness, which is why I'm not really into it, despite being the dark chocolate lover that I am. Then two days ago I finished an entire box of chocolate-covered coffee beans. I don't even drink coffee. Well, I do, but only socially and on weekends and about 1/3 of a cup every two weekdays. As I was crunching away, I realized what made them so delicious. It was the contrast in flavor intensities.

This particular brand of chocolate-covered coffee beans used milk chocolate. And it was that simple. Rather than overpowering the palette with bitterness from all angles, the milk chocolate and coffee bean pairing offset each other. The sweetness of chocolate softened the bite of the bean without overpowering the coffee flavor. The power of pairing opposites together can apply to other food and chocolate pairings as well (though wines operate a little differently and would not necessarily abide by this rule). I'd pair milk chocolate with a strong coffee the same way I'd pair a dark chocolate dessert with a sweet raspberry sauce or a crunchy bitter cacao nibby tart with a sweet, creamy chocolate ice cream.

That said, I recently wrote an article about chocolate and beverage pairing that is in the December issue of Diversion magazine (for all you leisurely doctors out there). In testing out pairings for the coffee pairing section of the article, I found that lighter, sweeter chocolates are delicious with strong roasts, and darker chocolates are delicious with mild roasts. It goes against the traditional espresso + dark chocolate pairing that you'll find in so many European cafes, but my tastebuds don't lie (at least not to me). Now that I've discovered how delightful milk chocolate-covered coffee beans are, it really highlights the concept of pairing mild + strong to balance and complement each other.

The milk chocolate coffee beans I had are made by a company called Intelligentsia. But they don't seem to have them available online. I got them at my local coffee shop. I found some others that you can get online here (but note that I haven't tried them).

I'm really into food pairing these days. Next time you decide to get all European on your morning coffee, here's a quick pairing guide to try out contrasting flavor intensities in coffee and chocolate:

• Strong black coffee + a piece of milk chocolate
• Mild black coffee + a piece of slightly more intense milk chocolate or a mild dark chocolate (50% - 60% cacao)
• Coffee with cream + a piece of dark chocolate (65% - 70% cacao)
• Coffee with cream & sugar + a piece of very dark chocolate (70% cacao and above)

The 5 Star Bar is most definitely a candy bar. That's what's so great about it. It's a guilty pleasure candy bar for foodies. Gourmets. Food lovers. Gastronomes. Epicureans. Food snobs. Whatever. Last week when we went to the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory, Dan bought a whole box of the 5 Star Bar peanut variety. The peanut bars are chunky, full of whole peanuts that are mixed into a rich peanut butter rice crisp filling then all enrobed in milk chocolate. They're so good that I almost can't believe it. I can't stop eating them.

If you need a peanut butter fix, you can get them at most Whole Foods. They also have hazelnut, fruit & nut, and caramel.

People sometimes ask me what I would get if I was standing in a supermarket checkout line and wanted a candy bar. If they didn't have 5 Star Bars (which aren't found in the checkout area at regular supermarkets anyway), here's what I would choose, in order of priority starting with my favorite:

1. Kit Kat Big Kat: My number one favorite supermarket candy bar. It's a monster version of the regular Kit Kat, and the ratios of chocolate-to-wafer are a little skewed, so there's a lot more solid milk chocolate coating the wafer part.)


2. Reeses Big Cup: Kind of the same theme as my top pick... the Big Cup is a monster version of the classic Reeses peanut butter cup with the ratios switched up in favor of the peanut butter.


3. Cadbury's Fruit & Nut: Not everyone agrees with me on this one, I know. But I think raisins (and other dried fruit) in chocolate are delicious with a chewy, satisfying texture.


4. Peppermint Patties: A classic, really.


5. Peanut M&Ms: No explanation necessary here. M&Ms are totally addictive.

Above Lake Champlain 5 Star Bar Peanut Photograph from Lake Champlain website.

Yesterday I had the following unopened bars sitting on my desk in my office:

• Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar
  
• A selection of 5 of Soma Chocolatier's Micro-batch Single Origin Bars
  
• Taza's Chocolate Mexicano (not really a bar, and this one's actually half eaten)
  
• Scharffen Berger's Bittersweet 70%
  

I've been thinking about mood-matching chocolate a lot lately. Here's a list of 5 excellent pure chocolates that cater to 5 very different moods:

• If you're feeling edgy or impatient: Scharffen Berger's 70% - a burst a sweetness and deep chocolate comes through asap for instant gratification.


• If you're feeling reflective: Valrhona's 70% Guanaja - this bar has a deep aroma that moves into a long, interesting flavor experience with an equally long finish (aftertaste), leaving you lots to think about.


• If you're feeling sexy: Valrhona's 66% Caraibe - this bar is ultra-velvety smooth, mildly fruity, and will coat your palette with sensual deliciousness.


• If you're feeling mellow: El Rey Dark 58.5% - this bar is well-balanced and an all-around crowd pleaser - there aren't many ups and downs in this bar's flavor profile, it's pretty much smooth-sailing from beginning to end.


• If you're feeling angry: El Rey Milk 41% - this sweet, buttery, caramel-y bar always makes me smile.