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Sunday, March 11, 2007

charles chocolate: chocolate with attitude.......

"what is your attitude for chocolate?" it was my question because i started talking about spiced chocolates and chuck said he didn't like those flavors...his answer was "immediate pleasure".

he started charles chocolate 2004 october, since then this company has grown remarkably; the first year, in 50 stores. in 2006, in more than 300 stores....what was the success factor? chuck said "quality, and natural, fresh ingredients." charles chocolate is known for its peanut butterflies, which fill with caramelized sugar and crushed roasted peanut (it's not peanut butter!). another interesting flavor was mojito heart, which he got inspiration from the mojito drinks one day...

charles chocolate was not the first company he started. he started the first chocolate company, attivo, when he was 25 years old...he was neither a chocolate confectioner nor a pastry chef..he just really loved making chocolate and found out people around him loved his chocolate. that's how he started....since then he taught himself and getting inspiration everywhere for different flavors...i think this is why he became so successful in the chocolate industry....working on something he loves.....

the retail store in emeryville has not been complete....he showed me the blue print of the complete stores and cafe, which will be open this april...the space for the chocolate cafe was huge..the cafe will include seating, kitchen and some part of chocolate manufacturing process place...so once it is done, customers can watch the kitchen. most fun part, they can watch how the charles chocolate is made....in some restaurants, you can watch how the food is prepared, which is fun to watch...however, i haven't seen anyone tried this in chocolate cafe....so it will be interesting to see what's the experience like...i'm sure it will be a lot of fun!

the reason why he wants to open this chocolate kitchen to public is because he wants to *demystifying* chocolate..he added that the open cafe will contribute to people's knowledge of chocolate. they can understand better and will appreciate more....can't wait to see this open!!

Christopher Elbow Hot chocolate event.....





Some of you have probably seen Christopher elbow's artisan chocolate from cocoa bella stores. last wednesday night, there was a hot chocolate taste event @ cocoa bella union st. store. this is a sort of new product line introduction event from Christopher elbow.

at the event he introduced 5 flavors: coconut curry, passion fruit, cacao noir, citrus, venezuelan spice. cacao noir tastes mostly pure dark chocolate (it comes from 73% dark chocolate bars), however, it has more sweeter side than pure dark chocolate bars...passion fruit has fruity, but more strong dark chocolate taste...coconut curry was the most interesting one. it really has savory, curry taste....my favorite was the venezuelan spice! christopher said this flavor is probably the very similar the way mayan culture drinked hot chocolates....it blended with 2 chillies and 6 spices together...fabulous! i didn't have a chance to taste citrus, however, i am sure that it would be wonderful considering citrus is one of flavors present in cacao fruit.....

i asked him how he comes up with new flavors...he said he tries out a lot of different flavors and spices...especially he loves trying out spices with chocolate....no wonder he introduced coconut curry and venezuelan spice...

christopher said he has a plan to introduce about 15 new hot chocolate flavors. currently there are 2 flavors available at the stores, cacao noir and chocolate spiced, which is venezuelan spice...he also said he will open hot chocolate drinking cafe around this summer in SF..good news for chocolate lovers....it will be the most delicious summer =)

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory Tour


If you've never been to this tour, i would recommend. it was a fun and tasty tour! You will sit in a room for about an hour and listen the history of the company and founders and mostly learn about chocolate. The rooms was filled with rich chocolate aroma from the factory. how rich was it? oh gosh, i feel like i was soaked in cacao bed, almost you feel like you are drinking wine....feel tipsy from the smell....

then you will have a chance to taste their signature dark chocolates, 70%, 60% and 41% milk. wait about 6--8 sec until the chocolate is melt in your mouth to taste full flavors. most of people will notice pepper, cherry, berry, wine, sometimes citrus....their milk chocolate has caramel and scotch flavors, which makes their milk chocolate was unique....

interesting factor for chocolate from this tour i learned was about its impact on brain, neuron cells. chocolate is known for energy food because it stimulates brain, however it's not from caffeine, it's from anandamide, which acts like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana....

because of many health benefits in chocolate, FDA changed chocolate to functional food category from the snack food 2 years ago. so now chocolate doesn't have sales tax!

if you are a chocolate lover, this place is really worth of stopping by....at the end of tour, you can also stop by cafe cacao where you can see many interesting menu....

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

chocolate causes migraine?

in my case yes...i have to admit that i have allergy to chocolate. i know it's really sad that i have a food allergy to something i like....i found out this when i had half block of 82% dark chocolate. I suffered from migraine for 2 days. it was really aweful....since then, if i overdose chocolate, i always have migraine......it's not new, there is some controversy whether chocolate causes migraine directly.....some researches say no, some say yes....in my case, yes. direct cause...from the medical research----Phenylethylamine, theobromine and caffeine are chemical triggers present in chocolate. They may cause a headache by altering the cerebral blood flow......yeah...it's sad.....i cannot eat more than 2 pieces of chocolate a day, otherwise i suffer.....

cacao nibs with goat cheese

Cacao nibs are roasted cacao beans. They have a crunchy texture with a scent of chocolate flavor. Since this is no sugar added pure cacao, you will have full advantage of enjoying health benefits from cacao.
I tried an interesting recipe lately with cacao nibs.
goat cheese with cacao nibs: mix crush cacao nibs with goat cheese. use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of nibs for every ounce of goat chees. for a hint of sweetness, add 1/4 teaspoon of honey, graulated sugar or ginger preserves for every ounce of cheese. combine all ingredients, cover and refregerate for at least an hour or overnight. before serving, spoon into a small bowl and dust them lightly with cocoa powder...tangy goat cheese flavor goes well with cacao scent from nibs....

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Tasting Domori red line.......


I found this italian chocolate brand yesterday, called domori...it has extremly intense flavors, almost you feel like you are drinking wine....it also has very nutty fruity taste, especially has strong cherry flavors....i would recommend this with your favorite wine....

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Perfect marriage: dark chocolate and scotch....

a curious, almost magical thing occurs when dark chocolate is tasted with an aged scotch....to try this, choose a well-aged single-malt scotch. take a bite of the chocolate and wait until the final flavor note has peaked in your mouth. then sip the scotch. a burst of flavor. its because chocolate has more than four hundred flavor components. the chemical components in chocolate are directly related to the complexity of a chocolate's flavor. similar components in scotch have an additive effect. vanilla, an ingredient of fine chocolate, is also a flavor scotch acquires as a result of aging in oak barrels. the caramel notes that are common in scotch can also appear in chocolate......try this with a variety of chocolates and your favorite single-malt scotch......