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The chocolate fairy came


paulraphael

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Courtesy of worldwidechocolate.com. I bought a sample pack of all the single origin chocolates and picked the Vila Gracinda. And had to get some of the 99% as well

 

They sent me 1kg of Cluizel cocoa powder last week when the Valrhona ran out. I'm looking forward to trying all of this in some ice cream.

 

 

 

Raphaelson-1.jpg

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Notes from the underbelly

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Valrhona also makes a sampler pack of some of their dark chocolates, something I found very useful in deciding what chocolate to purchase; I'm sure the Cluizel pack was helpful as well.  Some time ago I tried to talk Chocosphere into creating sample packs of various brands--for example, a few pieces of the various white chocolates they carry.  I thought (and still think) it would be a major help to confectioners/chocolatiers/ice cream makers, who would be willing to pay for the labor involved.  Since online suppliers often repackage chocolate to create their own sizes to sell, the bags are already open.  But the idea did not spark any interest.

 

I see that World Wide Chocolates does not carry Felchlin.  Too bad, since that company has, IMHO, some of the best chocolate I have tasted.

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The Cluizel pack was helpful, although I think something was wrong with it. The sampler chocolates are kind of waxy, and the flavor takes a long time to develop, and seems muted. This is the opposite of my experience with cluizel in general, so I just assumed my palette was tired, or I was in a bad mood, or something. I could still tell the difference between them, and was able to pick the one I liked most.

 

Then when the bulk chocolates arrived (these are repackaged in 1lb bags by WWC, as you can see) I tasted them and they nearly blew my head off. Shazazm ... this was the Cluizel I remembered. My girlfriend and I compared to the chocolates from the sampler pack, and indeed, those still tasted waxy and muted. 

 

I wrote to WWC to find out what they think. Could chocolate go bad? They didn't look bloomed, or have any of the textural qualities I've found in old chocolate.

 

Re: Valrhona, my go-to blend was about 2/3 Guanaja and 1/3 Manjari. That gave a balance I really liked between the bright fruit of the manjari and and the intensity and long finish of the Guanaja. 

 

This is the first time I've bought Cluizel in bulk. It used to cost about twice as much as Valrhona, which put it out of my reach for cooking. But now the prices seem about the same.

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Notes from the underbelly

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  • 2 weeks later...

I saw the topic...'The chocolate fairy came'...and thought: why that topic is meant for me.  It's not Valrona, but it is a new chocolate maker in Canada, just outside of Ottawa, Hummingbird Chocolate.  Yesterday was my birthday, 75 to be exact (although I'll be d*mned if I know how I got here from 23) and my sister-in-law and her husband, playing chocolate fairy, sent DH and me a package of Hummingbird chocolate bars which just blew me away.  We are starting in on the tasting with great enthusiasm.

 

Oh, DH's birthday is on the 25th.

Chocolate from JoAnne & Paul, June 16.JPG

Edited by Darienne (log)
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Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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Uh oh .. I missed it .. Happy Belated Birthday, Darienne ... and many, many more to come! And did you know that every smile takes a year off your age? You have a whole box of smiles there, I hope! And Happy Birthday to your husband as well.

 

My dad would have been 99 tomorrow, and I just took some flowers today to a lady (who, by the way, is spry, still drives, very active socially and when I arrived to visit she had just taken a delicious looking currant bundt cake out of the oven) here in the Canso area who turns 89 on the 26th. You are very young yet!

 

At any rate, suddenly I know all sorts of people with late June birthdays! :) That will help me remember yours next year! 

Edited by Deryn (log)
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