Tag: Rozsavolgyi Csokolade

P is for Pálinka

My original goal for this round of Eating the Chocolate Alphabet was to feature lesser-known or new-to-me alcohols. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lilla (aka Little Beetle Chocolates) for sourcing this chocolate bar directly from Hungary!

According to Wikipedia, pálinka (a fruit brandy commonly made with plums, apricots, apples, pears or cherries) has been around since the fourteenth century and might have been used medicinally by the Hungarian King and Queen during the Middle Ages to treat their arthritis. Like champagne and Parmigiano-Reggiano, pálinka has a PDO (protected designation of origin), meaning that unless the beverage was mashed, distilled, matured and bottled in Hungary, it can’t be called pálinka.

Now to taste the chocolate!

Just look at this gorgeous mould design that reminds me of a fireplace tile! {forgive the slight frosted appearance since the “best by date” is actually tomorrow 😲}

Lucky for me (depending on how you look at it), I didn’t have my usual pangs of conscience in breaking off tasting morsels since the bar was already segmented into various pieces. I could immediately smell and taste star anise, which surprised me, until I read the ingredients: fennel is listed at the very end!

Slow to melt on the tongue (likely due to the condition of the bar), it definitely becomes creamy on the palate after a few moments. Once the chocolate has warmed up, then it’s easy for your tongue to encounter chunks of candied nibs that add texture and crunch. I wonder what specific type of pálinka was used to soak the Venezuelan cocoa nibs before they were candied since fennel is the overall flavor note that I can taste (which isn’t a bad thing, mind you!)

If you are curious about Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé, take a look at my post from 2016 where I provided more details on the makers and their packaging.

For those of you in the U.S., you can buy a variety of bars from Caputo’s: https://caputos.com/rozsavolgyi/

Now I’m on a quest to find a bottle of pálinka, preferably apricot, since Lilla shared a filled chocolate ball that had this exotically perfumed and potent spirit. Have YOU tried pálinka? Leave me a comment!👇🏻

R is for Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé

Like some famous personalities that need only go by their first name (think of Prince, Cher or Madonna), Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé requires no introduction to aficionados of fine chocolate since their molds are visually so distinctive and unique!

The husband and wife team of Zsolt and Katalin started making chocolate confections in Budapest, Hungary in 2004 and they chose the name “Rózsavölgyi” (meaning “from the valley of the roses”) to pay tribute to the neighborhood that they lived in. Soon after Katalin honed her skills learning from various chocolate makers around the world, they knew that switching to bean-to-bar (instead of using other people’s couverture chocolate) would provide them more control over the natural chocolate flavors of their creations. This particular 71% dark chocolate bar is made from Porcelana Criollo beans grown by the Franceschi family in Venezuela.

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There is so much to look at and notice on the outer packaging; from every inch of the sturdy cream colored paper decorated with gold foil birds, insects and flowers to the anthropomorphized logo of a single-eyed heart with outstretched arms, wearing a bowler hat.

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That endearing logo was intriguing to me, so it was disappointing to read that Katalin (a former graphic designer) had simply drawn this, but no significance was attributed to the image’s various elements.

Removing the informational band from the outer wrapper allows the graphics to be better seen/appreciated.

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Another eye-catching item on the packaging is a sticker celebrating their 2015 Bronze Award from the Academy of Chocolate for the best dark chocolate bean-to-bar under 80%.

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Gently removing the clear & black logo sticker keeping the paper closed and carefully undoing the precise origami-like folds, another cheerful heart-logo sticker greets you from the inside, keeping the parchment paper inner wrapper closed.

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Now for the moment of truth…would the gorgeous mold that reminds me of Batchelder fireplace tiles from the American Arts and Crafts movement era be intact or would the square bar be split into multiple pieces?!

Ta da…the glossy, symmetrically decorated reddish-brown bar was pristine, aside from some minor scuff marks and evidence of air bubbles.

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My initial impressions of the aroma ranged from floral, fruity, reminiscent of raisins to lightly baked rye bread. It seemed like such a shame to break into such a beautiful mold…but it had to be done! The chocolate itself seemed to flex under the pressure of the knife instead of breaking sharply; I attribute that to the current heat wave, though I’ve seen other Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé bars also described as “bendy.”

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Time and temperature certainly make a difference. This morning, after taking several photos of the bar, the snap was dull/soft…however, revisiting the bar just now, after keeping the chocolate in a wine fridge at 65 degrees for several hours, the snap is sharp and well-defined.

The mouthfeel is smooth and the segments melt evenly in the mouth. Porcelana is known to be mild and subtle, but to me the initial taste was tangy and mildly acidic/tart. My second taste was more earthy and dry. Both tastes had a long, almost woody aftertaste/finish.

Now I’m on a mission to find more of their offerings, especially their hot Hungarian paprika inclusion bar, which Matt Caputo from A Priori (a specialty food importer & distributor) said reminded him of “goulash-meets-chocolate” around 2:23 of this YouTube video!

To read more about this award winning Hungarian success story, check out this link. Another informative article from 2013 can be found here.

In addition to single-origin tablets and flavored bars, Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé also sells hot chocolate mixes, bonbons, truffles, dragees and more. Hopefully a location near you carries their products, so check out: http://www.rozsavolgyi.com/en/index.php