dxboon
[Elite User]
12454
Single-origin chocolates!
Very fancy, Filip! I have hosted chocolate tasting parties before, and people have always enjoyed them. You can buy "tasting kits" here in the States from all sorts of makers including well-known brands like Valrhona. Of the tastings I've done, I remember enjoying the flavor of chocolate from Madagascar. However, to be honest, and perhaps I don't have a refined palate, but for me, the most beautiful chocolates are the results of blending the best, most aromatic beans together, and then treating them expertly during the chocolate finishing process during which cocoa butter and other ingredients are added back to the mix, and the chocolate is tempered. If I'm looking for a good piece of plain chocolate I want it to hit all my senses -- it should have a beautiful color, be well-tempered with no weird blooms of fat; it should sound snappy when broken; it should smell nice -- sometimes good chocolate smells very floral to me; it should feel smooth and not gritty; and it should have a silky texture and rich taste in the mouth. I don't like a chocolate with an acidic finish, but a lot of people do like that wine-y element.
It would be so fun to go chocolate tasting with you in Belgium!
Cheers,
Daos
Chocolat ....
The advantage of living close to the biggest chocolate factory in the world ???? ... Well, from time to time somebody just hops in and drops all sorts of goodies ... . Real bitter chocolate ..( 66 to 73 % of cacao ) is actually the only candy i can still ...
Bim, that is awesome :-) I would love to have one of those today :-)....
The only thing I'd add is a nice smooth cigar S
Well ...
... i already had a few too much and i'm not feeling that good at the moment .... :-( .. PM your home-adress and i'll send you some ... Filip
The breakfast of champions! Coffee and chocolate . . .
. . . but today, it's green tea and dried pineapple at my breakfast table . . . cordially, Art...
For breakfast ...
... i had yoghurt , croissants and champagne (leftover from yesterday) ... the chocolate was my afternoon-bit .... I really should try something more healthy in the future ! Greetz, El Bim
For some reason I am not a chocolate fan.
My wife thought I was crazy, then she decided that would leave more for her.
Damn, Dom Bimbeagnon
You don't only drink...You also eat! I'm a big chocolate fan, my friend...So these one are very hifh in my wish list! Best, my friend. Nicolas
Not sure anymore, but ...
.. i'll give it another try ... tomorrow at breakfast, will let you know ... ... hips ... i think it was PAPUA ... Filip
Single-origin chocolates!
Very fancy, Filip! I have hosted chocolate tasting parties before, and people have always enjoyed them. You can buy "tasting kits" here in the States from all sorts of makers including well-known brands like Valrhona. Of the tastings I've done, I remember...
Errrr ...
... what an explanation Boonie !! For me it's very difficult to say i like this or that chocolate .. as i like most of them ... sometimes even the "ersatz" .... . My problem probably is my early "Alzheimer" which doesn't allow me to remember what i like b...
So cute!
Is that your daughter when she was little? So cute! Like father, like daughter in her love for chocolate! Hope you are back to enjoying all sorts of chocolate soon. The 70% cacao is very strong IMO. I like that strength of chocolate with something like po...
We should start a chocolate-forum.
Hi Daos, the little girl is my godchild and she's very cute indeed .... hmmmm ... i have nothing to do with that ... . She's much more intelligent then i am ... . As for chocolate with Port .... you give me a good idea because i know i have a very good bo...
Love the pic!
I find that when I eat chocolate that bitter, the first and maybe second bites are unpleasant, but when my taste buds adjust, I start to enjoy it. By the final bite, I am wishing for more! Best, Jed
I didn't realize that the chocolate...
Hi Bimbaeno, I didn't realize that chocolate from Venezuela is that good. I was just there for a business trip. I should have picked some up to try it. Oh well, maybe next time.... Regards, ED-209...
Neither did I...
I am familiar with Ecuador's chocolate to be considered as ideal chocolate, but I can't say I'm familiar with Venezuelan chocolate. Madagascar chocolate is also supposed to be considered among the best. But I imagine Venezuela, Ecuador, and Madagascar pro...
I think ...
the cocoa-beans come from Venezuela ... the chocolate-making happens particularly in Belgium nd Switzerland i guess ... . Bim
Wow.... My favorite...
One of my favorite book remains to be Roald Dahl's chocolate factory book. I had no idea that the biggest chocolate factory is in France. I was always assuming Belgium or the United States. I have a great passion for chocolate; La Maison du Chocolat, Pier...
Factory ...
... and me are in Belgium ... i used to eat chocolate by the kilos but i have to be carefull now .... . Filip
Yum!
My wife and I once went to a chocolate festival in Rome...500+ vendors. As you might guess, your post just made me smile.
hey le Bim, what about me? i luuurrve chocolate and its good for the soul
i make sure i have some chocolate every night about 9pm. usually a Twix straight out of the fridge. IMHO chocolate should come straight out of the fridge to be eaten. i cant stand body temperature chocolate unless it comes out of a jar and comes with a br...
Graham, you sinner !!!!!
Graham, i do like certain chocolate varieties fresh out of the fridge ... BUT .... REAL chocolate (TWIX isn't real - only 30 % cocoa + some other things) should be eaten at about 16 to 20 °C. If you're not used to that (like you), you have to do some tast...
70% is sort of my minimum...
I am a lover of dark chocolate, and I regularly eat 70% and up. I currently have a small case of 70% Lindt bars, as well as some 70% with chili mixed in that is very good, and then 85%. Then of course there is this one: As the tasting advice states, this ...
99 uuuurggghh
I've tasted 85 % i think, but can't imagine 99%. After eating the whole lot yesterday i felt a bit sick and had some allergic reaction on my lips (no, i will not post a picture ..) . I'm not sure it's because of the chocolate BUT ... most probably it is. ...
99% Valrhona
I have tried some 99% Valrhona. It had a very strong taste, so I tried "shaving" a bit on top of a shot of espresso which was really quite nice.
That's a great idea!
Hello samir.kilachand! That's a great idea, I'll try that next time I have an espresso. Do you brew your own coffee? -MW
Dark Chocolate and Foie Gras
I do not presently have the skill and equipment to brew my own coffee. I do hope to, but at the moment, am using my Nespresso coffee machine. I recently tried some Jeff de Bruges 85% Dark Chocolate. Very very nice as well. I experimented with it: cut a th...
Hello samir.kilachand!
Hello samir.kilachand, Jeff de Bruges chocolate is delicious! We had some when we were hitting all the macaron and chocolateirs in Paris. The foie gras sandwich does sound interesting. -MW