aguynamedrobert

Yeah I've read their reviews and they give them "Middle of the road" reviews...not good but not bad...I like to hear their reviews sometimes because some of their reviewers are in the Uk so I like to hear what their palates think... Have you tried Pralus before?

Well i justed tasted through Pralus' Papouasie, Indonesie, Sao tome, and Trinidad. I have to say that I was very disapointed. The Papouasie and Trinidad have some flavor that was good but the indonesie and sao tome were horrible in my opinion. The texture was off in Papouasie, indonesie and sao tome as well. I know Pralus has a darker roast on their beans and for my palate I really didn't enjoy it. I think the high roast either killed the flavor or their wasn't good flavor to begin with...I wouldn't munch on any of these so far. The best one out of the bunch is Papouasie but it still was not that great. With that said I am a fan of the lighter flavors...I still think that the flavor is below that of Michel Cluizel, Valrhona, and Amedei but I do know people that like these bars...So taste for yourself...I would like to hear opinions from people that like these bars... So there is one man's opinion...

Hey Alan, I was wondering...What Origins are you going to debut with when you first open sales of your chocolate? Are you going to have single origins or are you going to have some blended chocolates as well? Whatever you could tell us would be great...

Hello Everyone, Well I'm not one that knows a lot about wine but I did a Chocolate and Wine Pairing with a food group in Sacramento last week. The president of the group brought 6 different wines to go with my 6 different chocolates. One wine that I really enjoyed and I think would go with a few different dark chocolates was, Black Muscat. I don't know if that is a brand name or a type(I will have to look more into it) but I really enjoyed the flavor and though it worked well with chocolate... Robert Chocolate Forum

Well I have to agree with you Ling and then some...I didn't like Pralus' Madagascar bar at all...the normal tart/sour notes of Madagascar come out as acidic and dark dark dark. I know this is a 75% but still I think they ruined the flavor of madagascar. Not to say that someone can't like it but I surely do not. With that said I do not like the darker flavored bars. I just think that the roast on this bar is way to much...not a fan... Robert Chocolate Forum

Well I literally have 30 bars of chocolate on my desk and I have tasted through about 10-15 of them in the past week. I have a whole set of pralus left so I hope to get to those in the next 1-3 days...lol wish me luck! But either way I will review those soon...I look forward to it so I can disucss the certain bars you have tasted as well... Robert Fine Chocolate Forum

I love Venezuela as well but mostly for the Chuao region. I think other Venezeual bars are nice but are just ok for my palate...The Chuao Region on the other hand is packed with flavor...I especially like Valrhona's 2002 Chuao bar....umm umm... Robert Chocolate Forum

Anybody have a favorite Country that makes chocolate? Or any certain company within a country? Also, does anyone have a favorite growing region? Mine is Madgascar hands down! Robert Chocolate Forum

Here is a place in the USA to buy Invertase... http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/candies/candyingred.htm Hope this helps, Robert Chocolate Forum

Well I just got samples of Pralus in the mail so I will be tasting through those soon...I also got some chocolate from "Felchlin" in Switzerland. Has anyone tried them before? They are very hard to get in the USA but that might be changing soon as well...I tried two of their bars and I really enjoyed their 74% Organic bar from the Dominican Republic...I did reviews on the bars at the link below but I would also like to hear opinions from others about what they think of this companies chocolate... http://www.chocolateguild.com/chocolatiers/info/35 Have a good one, Robert Chocolate Forum

Has anyone tried "Pralus" chocolate from France? I just got a sampling of their entire line and was wondering if anyone had opinions on their chocolate? Robert Chocolate Forum

I have had one distributor that had it available but Beanie is right...a lot of places don't carry it...If you are going to use large large quantities then sometimes you can get it made for you but other than that you have to find a supplier which can be hard to do... Robert Chocolate Forum

Hey Ling, Yeah wasn't Amano's Chocolate just up and above what you would expect from someone brand new to the game? I was shocked...which one did you like the best? I was a complete fan of the Madagascar as it is so unique from the other Madagascars out there and full of flavor... Robert Chocolate Forum

Scharffen Berger is a nice eating chocolate. I enjoy the tartness that they put into the blend as well...have you tried their specialty bars that they put out every once in a while yet? Robert Chocolate Forum

Well I am not a girl and I did not get chocolate for V-day but I did get samples of chocolates to do on CBS 5 in San Francisco this last week...My favorites are... Lillie Belle Farms in Oregon And Recchiuti Confections in San Francisco Both of those have dinomite combinations of flavors...anyone else a fan of those? Robert Chocolate Forum

Heavy Cream is 36-40% butterfat that is FDA regulated....Manufacturers cream is usually around 42% butterfat but I believe that the term "manufacturers cream" is not regulated by the FDA so it isn't guaranteed what percent it is besides what the producer says...Manufacturers cream is usually only made for professional settings as you can tell because you can't buy it in store... The creams after that are Double Cream - 48% butterfat clotted cream - 55% butterfat These two are primarily available in Europe and only online for people in the USA... If you are doing truffles heavy cream or manufacturers cream is acceptable... Robert Chocolate Forum

Haha, don't you love it when you get caught off guard when a chocolate is soooo good!? I have not had pralus before but I actually have their line being sent to me in the mail right now. Is the one bar all you tried from Pralus? Which bars did you order from chocosphere.com and which, do you think, is your favorite bar so far? Robert Chocolate Forum

I would have to agree. I think we have a great group of chocolate people here at the EG Forums...I have had to deal with other chocolate entusiasts on other forums and have had people who have way to much pride and not enough grace...so thanks to everyone one here for the great conversations! Robert Chocolate Forum

The sugar percentage will be aprox. 28%. Maybe just a little less becuase of the lecithin and Vanilla... I have tried this bar and it is a good tasting bar in my opinion...I am going to sit down and do a thurough tasting but just from a quick taste I did enjoy the bar... It still has a very nice texture without the added cocoa butter... Have you tried it yet? Have a good one, Robert Chocolate Forum

Well Dantodd summed it up rather well and he is right on the money. That percentage is the percent of the chocolate bar that has come from the cocoa bean(cocoa solids and cocoa butter). And yes cocoa butter is usually added to make the melt of the bar smoother and that cocoa butter added is part of that percentage that you see... One thing with sweetness is that the more cocoa butter they add the more sweet it will taste...so with two 70% cocoa content bars side by side, one can actually taste sweeter because there is more cocoa butter in one of them than the other...the cocoa butter isn't sweet but it isn't acidic or bitter either so it means that out of that 70% there will be less cocoa solids so it will be less bitter. Just a heads up... Robert Chocolate Forum

I think it was chocolate and coconut, if I remember right...hopefully this battle will have some good chocolate knowledge in it....I think Food Network falls short sometimes and giving correct and usable information on their shows...hopefully they will portrait chocolate in the right sense and without any wrong details....either way it will be fun to watch... Robert Chocolate Forum

Yeah I think we are going to see some fun things coming from both sides...and of course a great dessert(Iron Chef)...Finally Food Network is putting on some good chocolate shows...let's hope they continue this trend...I really can't wait for the Throwdown episode...I think that one is going to be the most entertaining, for me that is... Robert Chocolate Forum

The only thing I could think of is that is crystalized on you. Did the texture feel any different when you ate it? When sugar crystalized it changes the look/color of the candy. This can be caused from sugar crystals on the side of the pot falling back into the mixture after a boil or even stiring to hard...Let me know if that might match what it looks like... Have a good one, Robert Chocolate Forum

Hello Everybody, Well I just got word that there is going to be a Chocolate Battle on Iron Chef America. This will be airing on February 11th at 9pm. The Battle is against Chicago Chef Graham Bowles. Next and even more exciting is the Chocolate Throwdown with Bobby Flay competing against Fritz Knipschildt. I just got the e-mail from Fritz announcing the battle. Fritz is a Master Chocolatier and is going to put a good name on fine chocolate. This is a must see episode. It is airing on February 8th at 10pm! Great things happening in Chocolate...Stay Tuned! Robert Chocolate Forum

Hey Art, I was just thinking...Do you have any new origins that are already in the making? Not trying to rush you along or anything, just wondering if we will see other origins from you in the next few months? I am eager to see what you do with other beans as they come along...I think you are getting a lot of support because your chocolate is just plain good...and I'm right along with Chris, I'm a big fan of your chocolate(as you know) and I let others know my opinion! lol...can't wait to see what's next. Robert Chocolate Forum