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Fine Chocolate

aguynamedrobert

By aguynamedrobert
in Pastry & Baking

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aguynamedrobert

aguynamedrobert

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Well I just tasted the first Askinosie Chocolate bar which is from Ecuador. It is a 70% with 2% added cocoa butter(within the 70%). It definitely had the Ecuador flavor that is common. They didn't destroy the flavor at all...the flavor is ver potent and noticeable. I am not the greatest fan of this flavored chocolate so I didn't like it a great deal but the overall quality and taste is there. So someone that likes more of the Ecuador flavors will really enjoy this bar!

Some Chocolate Guy

Chocolate Guild - Home Base for Everything Chocolate

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Tarek

Tarek

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Posted
Well I just tasted the first Askinosie Chocolate bar which is from Ecuador.  It is a 70% with 2% added cocoa butter(within the 70%).  It definitely had the Ecuador flavor that is common.  They didn't destroy the flavor at all...the flavor is ver potent and noticeable.  I am not the greatest fan of this flavored chocolate so I didn't like it a great deal but the overall quality and taste is there.  So someone that likes more of the Ecuador flavors will really enjoy this bar!

Robert,

Thanx very much for sharing your insights, did you happen to try the Olivier line of french

bars? I just tried the ghana and tanzania, but I'll wait for your opinion

Tarek

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  • 3 weeks later...
aguynamedrobert

aguynamedrobert

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Just a heads up for everyone....Cost Plus World Market is going to be expanding their chocolate selection this fall to include a 3-4 great new brands...They are not all set in stone so I won't list them yet but they are all fine chocolate. That will make them one of the best places to get fine chocolate after that...

Just keeping you guys posted...

Some Chocolate Guy

Chocolate Guild - Home Base for Everything Chocolate

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  • 2 weeks later...
aguynamedrobert

aguynamedrobert

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Hey Everyone,

I just got a hold of a chocolate that isn't as well known. It is in the El Rey Line of chocolate. It is their Rio Caribe line. One of their chocolates in a 60.5% and it was fantastic. I usually don't like to go that low with percentages but this one really brought out some flavor at the low percent. Anyone else tried this line yet?

Some Chocolate Guy

Chocolate Guild - Home Base for Everything Chocolate

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  • 2 weeks later...
Lior

Lior

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WOW!! I am so impressed! Both delights look amazing! I have an indian curry mix but it is spicy. I have a curry plant growing in the garden... I can't get the kind of mix you mentioned. Any ideas of what to do? I just must try this recipe. Also, I tried to find the marshemellow recipe minus the vanilla, but could not. Could you direct me? Thanks so much-you are so helpful and kind!

Lior

My egullet foodblog

Ganache Chocolate

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gfron1

gfron1

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WOW!! I am so impressed! Both delights look amazing! I have an indian curry mix but it is spicy. I have a curry plant growing in the garden... I can't get the kind of mix you mentioned. Any ideas of what to do? I just must try this recipe. Also, I tried to find the marshemellow recipe minus the vanilla, but could not. Could you direct me?  Thanks so much-you are so helpful and kind!

Lior

Flattery will get you everywhere with me :wink:

I've tried a few different Madras Curry blends. The brand is not important because the sweetness of the marshmallow will tame whatever spicyness occurs. If you don't have any type of madras curry, then pull a recipe from the internet and it will work just as well.

I'm not sure what you are asking about the "minus the vanilla" recipe. If you haven't already, make sure you check out the marshmallow topic which has a wealth of information.

Cheers.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

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Ling

Ling

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I found a limited edition bar from Amano at DiLaurenti's in Pike Place if there are any Seattlites reading. (They have the other two bars Amano produces as well.) The limited edition is a Cuyagua bar and it is velvety smooth and very creamy for a 70% bar. Absolutely delicious.

Lorna Yee

the cool kids at belltown lofts

The Cookbook Chronicles

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ibjack

ibjack

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Ok so this is super late. I did manage to go by and visit Art and his team, Clark, at the Amano factory. First off let me say what a tremendous asset these guys are to the world of chocolate. I had made arrangements to come by and due to rain and getting lost Art called me to see when I would be there, I think he thought I would miss something. For those of you have never been to a chocolate producing factory you just can't believe what a great aroma it has almost intoxicating. I was able to spend about 2 hours with them asking every concieveable question, which they answered. When I was there they running the batch of chocolate through the refiner and I had the opportunity to taste it as it came out. It was unlike anything I have ever tasted. Their dedication to the craft and the techniques and effort that they put into the product shows in the finished product. I purchased a dozen bars from them and I have yet to finish. This chocolate is not to be consumed but savored. Thanks again to Amano for their hospitality and if you haven't tried it yet order some for Christmas as a present to yourself.

BTW if I could figure out how to post a picture I could show you what Art and Clark look like. :wacko:

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Intellidepth

Intellidepth

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Hi, I'm a brand newie to couverture chocolate and had a fun and educational visit to your Chocolate Guild website - fabulous! I'm in Australia and haven't seen one of the chocolate brands mentioned on this thread here in the "banana republic" :hmmm: - is there anyone who could help me with, ideally, local (Aussie) suppliers please? I'm keen to begin taste-testing after reading all your posts...

Thanks!

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KKLL00b

KKLL00b

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I just got a sample of Dole Foods 70% Waialua Chocolate to experiment with. Beans come from Dole's plantation on the North Shore of Oahu and are processed into chocolate by Guittard. Production of the chocolate is extremely limited and it only comes in 1.75 ounce bars. My samples were "bulk" with no wrappers.

The bars have a "soft snap" compared to the "hard snap" of Valrhona, Scharffenberger, Cacao Barry, and Amedei chocolates I've used. The chocolate has a strong berry-like after taste. A friend of mine who loves milk chocolate and does not care for dark chocolate perceived it as a "sour" taste. The chocolate is creamy and has a nice mouthfeel. I only had a small nibble because I wanted to use the samples for ganache and enrobing.

I made Wailalua Chocolate truffles flavored with Chambord, Orangecello, Amaretto, and Waialua coffee beans.

The Chambord truffles turned out to be to "overflavored" for my tastes, so I will have to back off a bit on the Chambord for my next batch. The Orangecello truffles turned out to be a bit too soft, so I will have to adjust the cream/chocolate blend to get it a bit firmer. The orange flavor was "PERFECT"!!! The Amaretto truffles were one of the BEST truffles I've ever made. Nice creamy texture, rich chocolate flavor, then the Amaretto sneaks up on you and leaves a pleasant almond lingering.

I've been developing a Kona coffee truffle using, but lost my source of beans when my friend sold his farm and moved to Oahu. When I requested the Waialua Chocolate sample, I also asked if I could get a sample of Waialua coffee beans and Dole obliged.

The Waialua coffee truffles were my least favorite (but still pretty good). I had too much coffee and not enough cream and honey so the truffles were very firm. I also had a friend grind the beans into a Turkish grind which is the finest (smallest particulate size) grind. I left the grinds in the ganache so the truffles had a slightly gritty texture. Next time, I'll back off on the amount of coffee and strain the cream before adding to the chocolate. The truffles have a very nice flavor, with quite a bit of bite. I may also add some vanilla to round out the flavor a bit on the next batch.

The truffles were enrobed with the following:

Chambord - Cacao Barry 64%

Orangecello - E Guittard 61%

Amaretto - Combination of what was left of the Cacao Barry and E Guittard

Waialua Coffee - Waialua 70%

I'm very pleased with the results of the truffle experiments and look forward to using Waialua Chocolate in the future. I may even make several large batches to give away as Christmas gifts. Waialua Chocolate costs about $15.00/pound as opposed to $6.00/pound for Cacao Barry and $12.00/pound for E Guittard.

I help a friend develop products for his company "Made in Hawaii Foods", so I'm thinking of an "All Hawaiian" line of truffles using Waialua Chocolate, Waialua Coffee, Kona Coffee, Hawaiian Vanilla beans, Alii Kula Lavender (from Maui), and local honeys I get from my beekeeper friends. They glady trade honey for truffles so I have an extensive supply of all kinds of honey.

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tammylc

tammylc

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I'm trying to assemble a list of what I'd term "micro-chocolate-makers", particularly the US ones. Small operations - usually one or two people - making bean-to-bar chocolate. here's the ones i know of: Askinosie, Amano, Patric, DeVries and Rogue. Is there anyone else that fits that category?

Thanks!

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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A Patric

A Patric

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Posted (edited)
I'm trying to assemble a list of what I'd term "micro-chocolate-makers", particularly the US ones.  Small operations - usually one or two people - making bean-to-bar chocolate. here's the ones i know of: Askinosie, Amano, Patric, DeVries and Rogue. Is there anyone else that fits that category?

Thanks!

To my knowledge, there is no other US company making fine chocolate that could fit within the "micro-chocolate-maker" category, except perhaps The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory. I say "perhaps" because I have never read reviews of their chocolate, nor tasted it myself. I just know that they exist, and are small.

If you would like to include Canada, there is a company called Soma Chocolatemaker that does some bean to bar items. I have also never tasted their chocolate. They wouldn't ship to the US.

Best,

Alan

Edited by A Patric (log)

Alan McClure

Bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker

Patric Chocolate Store

Patric Chocolate on Facebook

Patric Chocolate on Twitter

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