Chocolate and its plethora of surrounding topics always make a great conversation starter, so pretty soon we had a good vibe, getting us open to enter the tasting part. After 4 bars only, people were amazed already by my broad offering and the variety in tasting sensations, even ‘less appreciated aroma’s’ were adding to overall discovery experience.
Noteworthy where also organic Pacari, the recent Akesson’s and absolutely the handcrafted Amano Jembrana, which I exclusively got from the USA directly from founder Art Pollard, with a big help from Martin at SeventyPercent as well in London.
These treasures aside I also showed a bloomed bar of Willie’s (don’t know how that happened actually), and wowed them with the Michel Cluizel ‘Grand Lait 45% milk bar’ (‘Is this milk chocolate?!’), shared unroasted and roasted cacao beans I received from Pralus, and put the cherry on the cake with the Pralus 100% as the usual über chocolate experience!

You can tell it was fun if people say they would come back for another tasting session, hope to see you next time as well!

Continue reading for details on the tasted bars…

List of tasted bars

1. François Pralus “Madagascar”
   a fresh, bold and citric opener on which most agreed it had a short aftertaste
2. Michel Cluizel “Los Ancones”
   so creamy, complex and rich in taste
3. Valrhona “Guanaja”
   the nutty one, and more gritty than the Los Ancones bar
4. Bonnat “Ceylan”
   This is a very spicy and leatherish bar, dark tones and though not varying in flavour, it keeps its strong character in an unusual sustaining & lasting curve
5. François Pralus “Dominique Républiquaine”
   very different reactions on this fresh feeling bar, but raisins was at the center
6. Michel Cluizel “Vila Gracinda”
   I think still the most special sensing and tasting bar from Cluizel, very surprising opening that leads to tropical fruit sensations
7. Domori “Sur del Lago”
   I think Domori’s style is iconic like an Italian fashion brand, you may argue on taste, but it’s all in all a very special signature carried over all his bars
8. Pacari “Esmeraldas”
   Something new and organic from Ecuador, and the Arriba’s freshness was for many participants a never experienced sensation in chocolate, leaving them hungry for more.
9. Amano “Jembrana”
   Something very special from the USA, this bar reigned in lengthy subtleties topped with pepperish sensations. Although I had only received 2 bars, one participant was so crazy on I couldn’t refuse to give the second one to him
10. Akesson’s “Brazil”
    More novelties with Akesson’s Brazil creation, feeling pretty melty on the palate, and evolving surprisingly spicy over time. Also here people really liked it a lot.
11. François Pralus “Le 100%”
    My favrourite tasting bar to see how people would react, and this time thye reported both sour & salty sensations, however despite its 100% label, bitter was not a word used, again.
12. Michel Cluizel “Le 45% Grand Lait”
    To clean the 100% from the palate I offered Cluizel’s award winning milk bar, and not to my surprise people were stupefied on how a milk chocolate could taste that good, mentioning a lot of caramel flavours. Bingo again!

Related posts:

1. Report: The 2nd Choqoa Tasting Event
2. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.1
3. Report: The First Choqoa Tasting Event

Among the attending chocolate explorers we had Gunther, one of the founders of a chocolate brand (Baru, Diepenbeek), eager to learn about making his own chocolate in some future; Geert, a dedicated chocolatier & patissier who passionately cares about his base Valrhona couverture (Patisserie Vercruysse, Kortijk); and Mo, who runs an inspiring lunch bar and is a former winner of the Best Sandwich competition!

I found it pretty intriguing given their background they often did heard of several of the top chocolate brands we tasted, but hadn’t take the effort or had the chance to taste every variety that they could get their hands on? On the other side also some US brands like Taza and TCHO were not unknown and I was happy to have a TCHO ‘Fruity’ bar on the tasting table (thanks to @ActiveLife). And with brands like Zotter and Pacari, I had something new to offer even for these professionals

It was utmost pleasant and charming to see how participants discovered variations in freshness, color, melting patterns and lingering aftertastes by themselves. Even to the detail where they felt one bar more coming up in front or gathering in the back of their tongues and palates. All added their views and knowledge on chocolate and food so we got some lenghty talks along the tasting session as well.

Eventually, again this gourmet chocolate tasting event was full of fun, sharing tasting impressions and notes, discovering the immersive world of real fine chocolate, and brainstorming on future possibilities!

Continue reading for details on the tasted bars…

List of tasted bars:

• Michel Cluizel “Plantation Mangaro”
  as always a fresh citric opener
• Valrhona “Guanaja” 70%
  the bar that basically initiated the whole origin movement two decades ago, named after the place where Columbus first encountered cacao beans
• François Pralus “République Dominicaine”
  a great bar giving a whole different tasting sensation than the nutty Valrhona and citric Mangaro. A fresh ‘cooling’ experience on the palate
• Domori “Apurimac”
  Domori is like a brand you like or dislike, there is hardly a neutral zone! The oh so typical creamy conched aromas that aggressively escape from the bar are only tamed in their flavors by Domori.
• TCHO ‘Fruity’
  Enter USA, a whole new chocolate experience, with a full bodied tasting curve that is like none of the above
• Bonnat “Puerto Cabello”
  To my surprise Bonnat didn’t make the top appreciated this time! Maybe it was put in the wrong place and time, but most were less impressed by this Bonnat bar, although it’s one of his icon bars
• François Pralus “Cuba”
  A bar full of subtle flavours and the typical bolder character that comes with every Pralus
• Zotter “Labooka Peru 80%”
  I did not reveal the percentage beforehand, and even if the taste may not be about bitterness (rather smoke tobacco) , all of us guessed by the deep intensity of the overall flavour that this is a high percentage bar.
• Pacari “Los Rios” 72%
  Now here a very different chocolate sensation from Ecuador that really stood the 80% we had before. Pacari’s organic process delivers really interesting freshness that surpasses the classic chocolate flavours
• Michel Cluizel “Los Ancones”
  From subtle flavours to more expressive complex aromas with this one. An expressive bar that show how complex a bar can be in containing a variety of aroma’s. Our professional jury evaluated and detected super tiny nibs that would help achieving this result. Something to research…
• François Pralus “Chuao”
  No need to tell a lot about the mythical Chuao to this crowd, but they were all eagerly exploring the enormous complexity of flavours every bite of this bean releases
• François Pralus “Le 100%”
  My favourite chocolate experience still, not for its taste only, but Pralus’ mastering the Criollo bean in its purity delivering an experience and sensation that goes beyond chocolate.

Related posts:

1. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.2
2. Report: The 2nd Choqoa Tasting Event
3. Report: The First Choqoa Tasting Event

Amedei: La Tavoletta Toscano Black 70%

No need to introduce the Italian brother and sister Tessieri that helped putting fine cacao crafting on the map like no other. The 70% Tavoletta smells fresh and flowerfull and this packaging design is timeless.
Chewing on it, it keeps its really fresh character, and almost reminds me of eating fresh raisins. An always present very light chocolate flavour gives persistent support to coffee, red fruit. It won’t let you go that fast and melts down really slowly. The taste curve keeps its pace and sustains a continuous experience, really ‘fleshy’ almost, forcing you to discover the subtleties. A lingering aftertaste only slowly leaves you waiting… for the next chunk.

Zotter: Labooko Nicaragua 80%

This rather new Austrian chocolate maker has some very interesting and unique origin offers, like this Nicaragua. The whole Zotter ‘Labooko’ series come in a unique design wrapping and a 35gr pocket fit size.
A well designed bar that smells very tobacco and leather. This Zotter bar takes a breath, starts slowly and then speeds up to a powerful release of unique flavors: liquorice, pepper, coffee that build up strong to the 80% and then go steep downhill your throat with a clear end point, a remarkable experience curve, hinting for molasses, walnut and mushroom, ending with surprising fruity goodbye.

Bonnat: Puerto Cabello 75%

I could not resist more chocolate and had to unfold another one. With a fresh delivery of some Puerto Cabello bars, I looked forward for what is said to be one of Bonnat’s best bars in his white wrap collection. Opening the bar you recognize the typical perfectly tempered bar that looks shiny and silky. The smell is a promise for something deep and rich, chocolaty, with nuts, caramel and cinnamon or clove?
Put this bar on your tongue and you will be welcomed by a very mature cacao experience, entering your palate with a polite bow. Then it starts to dance and waltz to every bud on your tongue releasing one flavor after the other back and forth: cookies, cloves, nuts in a moving mouth choreography with berries and tropical fruit. There is not a single touch of bitterness at all, and the 75% makes it a perfect balance of intensity and flavor. Damn I ate it all!

The Verdict

I’m not taking into account the wonderful Bonnat here. As for the experience itself, the Amedei and Zotter were a perfect opposites attrack! Amedei slow and straight, the Nicaragua like a tsunami.
Depending on your music preference, I’d say Amedei is that great piece of Classical music, where the Zotter Nicaragua rather plays the contrabass solo on a standards jazz record. Look at the packaging differences, it says it all! Though all three are awesome bars, I felt pretty jazzy today, so for me Zotter ‘Lobooka’ Nicaragua wins on points from Amedei ‘La Tavoletta’!

Related posts:

1. Tasting Battle: Amedei Chuao, Porcelana vs. Valrhona & Marcolini
2. The London Collection feat. world’s best Amedei
3. Battle of Bonnat: ‘Manufaktum’ Madagascar 100% vs. Cacao Real del Xoconuzco

Last year in January, I went to one of my first food related events other than only chocolate. “The Flemish Primitives” in Bruges, Belgium, was an ambitious setting, crafted around the theme of foodpairing, staging the world’s best cooks. On stage we were thrown into serial ecstasies by chefs like Serge Vieira (France), Ben Roche (Moto, Chicago), Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) and many other leading chefs and scientists.
Being an obsessive amateur of fine origin cacao bars only, it was with hindsight the first time I gained a level of respect for a chocolatier when I lived the experience driven sensations Dominique Persoone set on stage. And after a not less than mind blowing, though inspiring day, I’ll never forget the last presentation of an overwhelming series: Albert Adrià from El Bulli gave us pure visual poetry through food.

I have the unique opportunity to go back this year, to see an even more impressive list of the greatest chefs on earth. And I’m sure the experience will be of an inspiring added value to all of the Choqoa projects in 2010 as well!

No related posts.

Yes, you’ve probably read that Chocolat Bonnat opened my mind and started my deep passion for origin cacao more than a decade ago, but long before that I was already hooked onto dark chocolate, it being the only ‘candy’ I allowed myself. The repeat question actually made me wonder again lately… what is really the very first remembrance of chocolate that I can bring to my mind?

The answer didn’t took me more than 10 seconds. I guess I was at the age of 5, or 6. It was at my grandmother’s place, where in the lower right space from the cupboard was always laying a big 500 gram bloc of chocolate, wrapped in dark blue paper with a bright yellow border. It had bold white letters ‘BLOC’, and I remembered vividly that at every visit it offered me a piece of bittersweet pleasure. It was the typical so called ‘bittersweet’ chocolate from that era, astringent in flavour by nature and sweetened with sugar to soften the taste.

I tried to find it back online, but it was – again- my ‘chocolate aunt’ from France that was able to pass me the real brandname of that chocolate: Martougin! I googled around and shivered when I saw back that unforgettable blue-yellow wrapping, to discover that this was in fact a very respectable chocolate factory, made in Antwerp (Belgium) with a pretty nice heritage, but more on that later, maybe.

For me it’s a wonderful trigger to my youth, and proves again that chocolate really does something to childhood memories. And it will for sure do so many more things in the future…

So, what is really the very first remembrance of chocolate that you can bring to your mind?

No related posts.

Pralus recently took some time at The Salon du Chocolat in Paris to offer us a brief video interview, joining my previous talks with Clay Gorden ‘The Chocophile’, Frederick Schilling from AMMA and Stéphane Bonnat. It took me some time to add the subtitling, but now at least all of you can enjoy his passion.

François takes his own angle on the same questions I’ve been asking all of the above cacao icons. He really hunts for high quality plantations, passionate people and aroma development. It’s very inspiring to see how different all of them respond and share their proper focus on building wonderfull chocolate stories.

Enjoy the short video interview with François Pralus (though I was a bit distracted), the last in the video interview series I shot at The Salon in Paris. I hope it makes you discover and appreciate his chocolate in a new way as well!

Related posts:

1. Video: Interview with Clay Gordon “The Chocophile” at Salon du Chocolat
2. Video: Childhood Memories with Stéphane Bonnat at Salon du Chocolat
3. Video: Frederick Schilling & AMMA Chocolates at Salon du Chocolat

Learnings from previous sessions made me make a selection with bigger care and offer a broader variety of cacao experiences. I also therefore bought some Domori and found myself a bunch of bars I hadn’t taste myself yet: Zotter, Pacari, and Bouga.
I started with a small introduction into cacao trees and pods, the bean-to-bar process, and to all delight Sofie from Callebaut passionately helped explain into detail the various steps, with good interaction from the crowd.

Off to the tasting! I projected the Amano tasting wheel in the screen to give guidance to the tasting, and people really enjoyed discovering such a chocolate sensations. This time I had a good variety that really added value to the tasting experience and was more than appreciated. It was pleasurable to see people taking chocolate to the next level! Everybody shared his impressions so the atmosphere was pretty comfortable. Halfway already people giggled and said they started to feel the chocolate raising to their brain, giving them the cacao ‘high’ Yes it’s positive magic.

All in all we had 10 different chocolates, list & details are below, and everybody really said to have enjoyed, and even would return another time! Everybody happily took their 2 included bars home, bought some more even to continue sharing the passion.
I’m already looking forward to the next event, you’re all invited to join Choqoa!

Read on for details of all the tasted bars!

List of tasted bars:

1. Michel Cluizel “Mangaro”:
   Always a great opener, everybody loves this citric bar.
2. Valrhona “Guanaja”:
   Introducing a classic, this bar was the first to delight the lovers of bitter dark chocolate. I explained that this legendary name refers to Christopher Columbus when he landed in 1502 on the Island of Guanaja, discovering the cacao been the first time.
3. François Pralus “République Dominicaine”:
   A light tinted bar with rougher sensations switching from a fresh start to a deeper chocolate melt down.
4. Domori “Sur del Lago”:
   Domori has a very strong aroma and a swift powerful tasting curve, with coffee, caramel, butter and light fruity flavors.
5. Pacari “Manabi” 65%
   First time trying this ‘raw cacao’ bar. The specific fermentation gives good taste and fruity aromas, a nice discovery!
6. Bonnat “Hacienda El Rosario”:
   Definitely one of Bonnat’s best bars, lengthy tasting pleasure, approved by the public.
7. François Pralus “Indonésie”:
   A sharp starter bar, a whirlwind of spices, marking the signature taste of a chocolate maker, like François Pralus.
8. Zotter “Nicaragua 80%”:
   Excellent discovery from Austria, this 80% Nicaragua bar contains a secret pinch of salt, and gives a very pleasant aroma evolution for such an intense cacao.
9. François Pralus “Le 100%”:
   From Madagascar this very red colored bar is an experience, not a chocolate. It’s always fun to see people react to this
10. Michel Cluizel ‘Grand Lait 45%’:
    Time for a break, an awarded milk bar that makes you rethink milk chocolate.
11. François Pralus “Chuao”:
    Revealing the story of the Chuao village and cacao war, people enjoyed to discover the complexity of this bean, that offers so many aromas that each bite has its own pleasure.

Related posts:

1. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.2
2. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.1
3. Report: The First Choqoa Tasting Event

We were with a nice group of about 10. After some earlier small informal tryouts I took some learnings with me and started off with a small introduction on the sexy cacao tree, pods and beans, and briefly explained the making process. We had some good questions then on the differences with industrial brands like Callebaut and I showed some pics of the Amano Chocolate factory.
Mosts really appreciated this introduction, because the cacao tree is funny, sexy and full of secrets, and how often do you wonder yourself about the source of your food?

Off to the tasting then! I learned from Martin Christy, founder of SeventyPercent.com, to make a program instead of just grabbing for some bars, so I made small plates with chunks from all the bars to hand out. I also distributed some sheets to take notes and a tasting wheel to have some reference to our taste buds. All this helpst to take the clutter of the table and focus on tasting chocolate. The Amedei was a great opener to ‘set the bar’and we then moved on to plenty of other bars, the full list is below this post.

Time after time most were pretty intrigued by the variety of aromas and sensations, though they suggested getting some more guidance in what flavors they should detect. A good point to work on! I would also have put some more variety in the selection, I still had too many options, but off course it also depends on your stock as well.

One of the participants, Johan, is doing a great job in sharing the message for me and he brought me a fresh Amano Ocumare milk from San Fransisco. All of us were really surprised by this very untypical milk sensation; it’s a superb bar that gives a whole new level to milk chocolate. I’m leaving the idea of ‘percentages’ more and more and this bar proves it’s very very possible.

As a special for this evening I also served a double fine whisky and chocolate pairing: but you can read all about this tantalizing pairing experience in my previous blog post.

Those true discoveries were the better moments, and most likely everybody said to have had a very nice tasting experience and gladly returned home with their own chocolate bars.

Check out the next Choqoa tastings en events on my EventBrite page, see you soon!

Read on for details of all the tasted bars!

List & some details of tasted bars:

1. Amedei La Tavoletta 70%
   A good opener to introduce the idea of changing flavours and melting sensations
2. Michel Cluizel ‘Mangaro’
   This is to my experience a perfect entrance bar. Everybody likes it from the start for its freshness and mild citric flavors.
3. Francois Pralus Colombie
   I once thought this is the perfect served espresso coffee, just in the shape of a chocolate bar.
4. AMMA 75%
5. Francois Pralus Brésil
6. Akesson’s Brésil
   “The Brazil 3″: I gave these bars without revealing the details upfront, and have them pay attention to the differences amongst them. Only then I revealed that they were actually all from the same plantation owner, and even from the hand of the same chocolate maker, who’s helping out the other 2 brands as well.
   The AMMA feels like a ‘nouveau Beaujolais’, jumping around flavors like a freshborn foal. The Pralus has more maturity and a balance on deeper aromas, and the Akesson first gives you the melt first but then all of a sudden flips over to spices.
7. Bonnat Trinité
   Everybody adores this grandmother style wrapper design, reminds them of their youth… Bonnat offered a sensation of smooth and creamy, with obviously an excellent melt.
8. Amano Ocumare milk
   As said above, it’s a superb bar that gives a whole new level to milk chocolate. I’m leaving the idea of ‘percentages’ more and more and this bar proves it’s very very possible. I really want more Amano!
9. Francois Pralus Le 100%
   Always have fun with this one, it upsets people! Along extreme facial reactions they discover this 100% tastes rather sour and hardly bitter at all. This Criollo bar also offers and intriguing reddish color.
10. Francois Pralus Equateur (with Carn Mor Vintage Collection whisky, pairing 1)
11. Francois Pralus Papouasie (with Carn Mor Vintage Collection whisky, pairing 2)
12. Francois Pralus Chuao tablets
    All in the end I treated a last piece of the new Pralus Chuao, for a last round of a very complex sensation.

Related posts:

1. Report: The 2nd Choqoa Tasting Event
2. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.2
3. Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.1

From the plethora of bars on display at The Salon du Chocolat in Paris, I’ve made a modest selection that takes you on an imaginary tour of the cacao growing belt:

Michel Cluizel takes us to the Sambirano valley in Madagascar and to the Dominican Republic, where we experience an entirely different character from the same brand. Francois Pralus leads the way to Brazil and demonstrates – together with AMMA Chocolates – how similar beans can be mastered in different ways. Finally, Bonnat takes us back to the heart of fine cacao:  his Venezuelan masterpieces from the mythical Chuao cacao beans.

I hope this selection pushes you forth into the exploration of real, original chocolate. Whether you’re in for trying different regions, different percentages or different ways of production – that’s entirely up to you. As long as you’re having fun, you can discover anything you want in a great chocolate bar.

With the sampler I hope your fine origin discoveries will only make you hungry for more!…

Related posts:

1. Report: The First Choqoa Tasting Event
2. Visiting the Salon du Chocolat 2009
3. Preparing for the 2009 Salon du Chocolat in Paris

Of all the interviews I did at the Salon, this one felt most special to me, for obvious reasons. It’s interesting to see how all of the chocolate people respond differently to the same questions I’m asking them. It reveals a lot of their particular viewpoints and playgrounds, and makes the rich world of fine cacao all the more interesting!

La Maison Bonnat celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, and Stéphane was passionate in sharing his vision and thoughts, and at the end he definitely touched emotions when he started evoking memories of the childhood stories we all share. It’s the unique place chocolate merits in our youth, that he seeks to translate in gorgeous gourmet bars for grown ups.
Such passion makes you appreciate fine artisan origin chocolate even more!

It took me some time to get this whole video subtitled, but now at least all of you can enjoy Bonnat’s take on Chocolate! Enjoy the interview

Related posts:

1. Video: Interview with François Pralus at Salon du Chocolat
2. Video: Interview with Clay Gordon “The Chocophile” at Salon du Chocolat
3. Video: Frederick Schilling & AMMA Chocolates at Salon du Chocolat