Eating the Chocolate Alphabet

Bonus “B” Bar – Black Mountain Chocolate

When you worry that the “B” of your dreams might actually be a “C” (and aren’t sure you can acquire said “B” in time), you hedge your bets and buy a backup “B” (as if I *really* need an excuse to buy more chocolates!) 😉

Black Mountain Chocolates from the Southern Appalachians was the first bean-to-bar chocolate maker in the Carolinas and has been around since 2007, but I was unfamiliar with them here in California since they seem to be sold mostly on the East Coast and primarily in North Carolina.

I love that when they wrapped the bar in gold foil, they opted to position the bar with the logo facing up, so that this is the first thing that you see instead of the back of the bar with the sea salt inclusion.

The logo of the bear climbing a tree to reach cacao pods is so cute!

Though the chocolate’s country of origin isn’t listed on this 70% Sea Salt Bar packaging or on their website, many other sources point to them using Hispaniola beans from the Dominican Republic, which to me has bright red fruit or berry notes. The delicate fleur de sel Celtic Sea Salt melts quickly and provides a savory counterbalance to the sweetness of the chocolate.

My favorite quote from the short video on their website was owner Brent Peters’ comment that the chocolate factory is his “little red sports car” (referring to what other men purchase when they have a mid-life crisis). I think he made the right choice buying this chocolate company instead…don’t you?! 🙂

If you are ever in the Arts District in downtown Winston-Salem, be sure to stop by the Old Winston Tobacco Warehouse on Trade Street to see BMC’s visible factory or take a guided tour!

For more information, go to: http://www.blackmountainchocolate.com/

B is for Bonnat

“If it is good for your palate, it cannot be bad for your soul.” – Bonnat Chocolatier’s motto since 1884! Now that’s a motto I can fully embrace!

I first heard about Bonnat through Chloé Doutre-Roussel’s 2005 book entitled “The Chocolate Connoisseur” and it has taken me a decade to finally try this chocolate for myself! Was Bonnat the forefather of the single-origin & single-estate concepts? It certainly seems so; since in 1902, Bonnat’s first dark chocolate bars were made with beans from specific countries (Venezuela and Madagascar) and they were the first to propose a range of 75% cacao bars, each made with beans from a specific country. In 1983, they also introduced a single-estate bar, which has since been adopted by others.

The rare, coveted and expensive Porcelana is the purest form of the Criollo bean (one of the three main types of beans in the world) and grows in an ancestral planation located South of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Immature Porcelana cacao pods are said to be pale, translucent, smooth and enamel-like in color and the unripe beans are also pure white. Here is a link to an article with photos of the pod & bean: http://www.somachocolate.com/blogs/news/18222553-porcelana-finally-after-a-decade-of-waiting

As you may have noticed, in addition to learning about different chocolates, I wanted this project to be an opportunity to delve into details that might otherwise be overlooked. One thing usually leads to another & it is easy to lose track of time, falling through the “rabbit hole” of research. Today I was able to satisfy my curiosity on most things, but some remain elusive mysteries…like this coat of arms:

The top reminds me of a rook chess piece or castle wall, there is also a deer-like animal featured with what appear to be two gold rings on the shield surrounded by a wreath of leaves. Hopefully further research will answer the burning questions I still have and provide a back story to the family’s history.

What I did learn was that the Bonnat family comes from a long line of liqueur makers, confectioners and pastry chefs (ancient professions working with sugar and plants). Being unfamiliar with Latin, I was curious about “vis mea in labore” and didn’t really trust Google’s “my business is in trouble” translation…so I turned to a couple of my friends for their assistance. It seems that the translation is closer to “my strength in effort” or “my strength is in work.” Since chocolate making is very much an art, it makes sense that their coat of arms motto would refer to the labor needed in their craft.

Unwrapping the bar from the shiny inner silver foil you see 32 nearly perfect rectangles and the imprinted logo where the center 4 rectangles would have been. “Voiron” caught my eye as an unfamiliar name/term. A Google Maps search led me to a 2012 photo of Ėglise Saint-Bruno de Voiron – a cathedral built in 1864-1873 that just happens to be 0.1 miles away from the Bonnat Chocolatier shop in the village of Cours Senozan in France. I can only imagine what it must be like to daily see the gorgeous gothic architectural gem that is featured at the top left corner of each bar’s outer wrapper.

There was a delicate aroma along with the uniform visual appearance. Separating the rectangles from each other produced a nice snap. Overall the mouthfeel was silky, buttery and smooth probably due to the cocoa butter that was used. Initially, there were earthy and almost coffee-like flavors (maybe based on how the beans were roasted?) Secondarily, there was a subtle fruity, but not overly sweet taste. Despite all these positives, I was a little underwhelmed by the hype of the Porcelana bar and feel guilty, thinking that I should like this more than I did.

As the outer wrapper says, these chocolates are “to be enjoyed” – so follow me on Instagram as I sample seven other Bonnat flavors over the next few weeks (or maybe months?)

To learn more, check out: http://bonnat-chocolatier.com/en

Bonus “A” Bar – Apotheker’s Bee Sweetened Goods

Thanks to Sophia from Projet Chocolat (http://projetchocolat.com/) for introducing me to this unique confection since there are so few places where this is available on the West Coast! I was immediately impressed with the gold foil stamped & embossed outer wrapper and the vintage Victorian era looking font that was used. My only disappointment was that the gold inner foil wrapper was taped to the inside of the outer paper label, making it impossible to slide the bar out. 🙁

What makes this company unique is that they use no refined sugars, sweetening their chocolate only with organic wildflower honey (I was pleased that the wildflower flavor was not as overwhelming as I have experienced with other bars). This Classic Dark 76% Dominican bar is thin, easily bent, has a dull snap and melts quickly when touched. I love that the mold they use has a honeycomb pattern to it, echoing and honoring the bees that helped produce the sweetener.

There is a slightly thick, but pleasant, mouthfeel that reminds me of gritty stone-ground cacao, though I think this comes from the honey crystals rather than the chocolate itself. I’m a “chomper” when it comes to eating chocolate (rather than letting it melt on my tongue), so eating this chocolate was almost a juicy experience (not something I’ve ever experienced before!) I wonder if it has to do with the sunflower lecithin that was used?!

Here is a cross-section of a square showing the honey crystals shining almost like mica.

Aside from the chocolate itself, I always enjoy knowing about the “back story” of the chocolatiers. Apotheker’s has a fascinating story… Russ and Shari Apotheker are an artistic husband and wife team that started the company in 2013 to share their passion for simple, healthy living with small-batch, handcrafted goods made from all-natural ingredients. Russ comes from a long line of herbalists and pharmacists dating back to ancient Jerusalem. In fact, after the family immigrated to Austria and Poland in the 17th Century, they changed their name to Apotheker, which means “pharmacist.”

Check out http://apothekerskitchen.com/ for more information + their other products (chocolate topped marshmallows & hot cocoa).

I’m personally looking forward to finding more of their offerings, especially the Cashew and Red Sea Salt bar!

A is for Askinosie

In late 2014, I was unfamiliar with the name Askinosie. Upon entering a local chocolate & gelato shop, I had noticed a metal canister of cocoa nibs on a shelf. It wasn’t clear to me if this was for sale or just for décor, so I took a picture to research further. After that, I was more aware of their products at other shops around town. Their chocolate bars typically feature the faces and bios of different farmers around the world, but I was never really tempted to buy one. Then, I started hearing and reading about Shawn Askinosie and his commitment, dedication and passion to making a positive impact in the world by sourcing ingredients directly from farmers around the globe. If you are interested in learning more, here is one of the articles that I read: http://www.chocolatenoise.com/askinosie-chocolate/

It was after I saw an Instagram post about an inclusion bar in their collaBARation line that I knew that Askinosie would represent the first letter in my Eating the Chocolate Alphabet series!

Their simple, eco-friendly and biodegradable brown paper packaging belies the exceptional chocolate hidden within the easy to open sleeve. The rustic twine tie used to keep the package closed at the top comes from a bag of beans that was shipped to their factory, recycling at its best!

I liked that the inner packaging was clear plastic (and that it’s home compostable) so that I could immediately see both sides of the bar: the 18 shiny squares with letters spelling “askinosie chocolate” on one side and the generous inclusion side on the other. Living up to the bar’s name, there was a cascade of lightly toasted, shredded coconut that escaped upon opening the package, creating “A Beautiful Mess” seen in these photos.This is a 65% dark chocolate bar made from Mababu, Tanzania beans + coconut sugar + toasted coconut. I was drooling from the aroma while I was taking photos! The chocolate is smooth, has a nice snap, and is also sweetly complex while having a creamy mouthfeel. This all pairs well with the chewiness of the coconut flakes.

Now I’m on a mission to find a bar from their limited release “1098” line!

Check out https://www.askinosie.com/ for lots more information on the journey of this chocolate + the history behind one of Forbes’ 25 Best Small Companies in America.

What are some of YOUR favorite Askinosie bars? Let me know what you think!

Hello world! Coming soon I’ll be Eating the Chocolate Alphabet…one bar at a time!

At the beginning of 2016, I started an Instagram account (@myic2016) to chronicle “My Year in Chocolate.” What a journey that’s been so far! Inspired by other bloggers and Instagrammers, over the next 26 weeks I’ll be eating the chocolate alphabet…one bar at a time.

There will be a bar for each letter of the alphabet, though some letters will have a “bonus” bar since it was so hard to choose just one. For this experience, I’m choosing only chocolate makers/chocolatiers that I haven’t tried before. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a “Q” and “Y” company soon (please let me know if you have any suggestions!!)

Stay tuned…the adventure will be starting soon!