Chocablog (Free subscription) | yesterday
As I was getting ready to leave the shop, my new best friend informed me that the 'Champion du Monde' had a shop just around the corner. The World Champion? The BEST chocolates available anywhere? Too good to be true! How lucky I am, I thought to myself as we set off in search of [...]
Chocolate in Context (Free subscription) | 07/18/2008
Chocolate maker Steve DeVries (left) operates according to the slogan "100 years behind the times." In the context of DeVries Chocolate, that means, returning to preindustrial artisan methods. But in a larger context, the phrase is perfectly suited to my own life because it suggests mindful work, patience, and sometimes just simply running behind schedule. So a full three weeks after the event, here...
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/18/2008
As we drove back through France after three weeks on the road, I suggested a lunch stop in Troyes to my colleague. He agreed, and we pulled in off the motorway, leaving behind torrential rain. Perhaps the brilliant sunshine was a sign of some sort (more choco-karma in action') because while we didn't find the restaurant [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/17/2008
For the first time in my life, I woke up with a chocolate hangover. That’s right – no alcohol, stupid dancing, yelling or shouting the entire pub a round of drinks was involved – just this box of little beauties right here. And it’s all Matt the Lindt man’s fault. He waved these in [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/16/2008
Chocolate. I think one of the amazing things about it is that there are so manh kinds that all fall under that one word. Like this bar. If you ever come across someone who doubts that chocolate is like falling in love, please refer them to a 100% bar. They'll be unable to betray such [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/15/2008
You can probably tell from the photograph above why this bar caught my eye. You can see the bar through the packaging and it's absolutely packed with crystallised ginger. It must have made an impact because I bought this without even thinking about it... and I don't even like ginger! I'm not usually a fan of [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/14/2008
Shortly after my review of the (somewhat average) Gorenjka milk chocolate from Slovenia was published, a rather lovely thing happened. It began with a comment posted by a reader and culminated in her sending me a selection of fine quality Slovenian chocolate for my perusal. So, before I begin this review I ought to [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/13/2008
I’ve always heard about Reese’s pieces and knew that they were powerful enough to lure ET out of the garden shed, but seeing as they’re only available in tiny and expensive little boutique choccy shops and cost a fortune, I’ve avoided trying them until now. Peanut butter M&Ms on the other hand, which [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
Xeni Jardin of BoingBoing TV got in touch to tell us about the latest episode of their wonderful show, featuring a tour of the TCHO chocolate factory in San Francisco. The video explains the first part of the chocolate making process in some detail, so if you have any interest at all in what what you're [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/11/2008
Here's something a little different from the Cocoa Bean sisters - a selection of chocolate discs in a variety of flavours, hand finished and packaged in a funky little cylinder. The hand finished element comes in the wrapping. Each of the seven discs comes enfolded in a piece of brightly coloured tissue paper, and I have [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/10/2008
Last time I reviewed a Kshocolât product, I wasn't particularly complimentary. The pretentious name and the address on the packaging "Suite 64 Glasgow G51 3TR" were my first warning signals, and the chocolate itself was extremely bland. This time, I received two bars as a gift from my friend Paola. And while I probably wouldn't have [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/09/2008
Here is my second Kakawa purchase, also from a French company. It has a nice, simple design, but one slight detail was a little worrisome. It's tilted upward to the right as if it wasn't packaged with much care. Not very good show. However, the bar itself has an elegant design of similar style: twenty-four plain, [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/08/2008
It's always lovely to come across a new company making something that's not only a little different but also delicious. Even better when that delicious chocolatey treat has a more sophisticated, darker sibling, May I present Skelligs' Brandy Plums? Hand made with dark chocolate, these little morsels come in the same package as their milky [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/07/2008
My daughter has been hassling me to buy these for ages because she loves the look of Ferrero Garden’s gorgeous pastel-and-foil colours which are clearly designed to appeal to the girlie lurking inside in all of us. These pretty little things tend to be more prolific during Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, so that [...]
Chocablog (Free subscription) | 07/04/2008
Another offering from Tesco's pet Swiss chocolatier, and this time it's a milk chocolate. This one is made using Ghanaian Forastero Beans, and they give it a full-bodied, very smooth cocoa flavour. The bitterness level of the beans is relatively low, so they're much more soothing and gentle on the palate and consequently what you get [...]
