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04/07/2009

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Mark,

I am not a big fan of Valrhona or El Rey. I used to work with both of their products. Valrhona is too acidic for me. El Rey I will have to review again, but I recall not liking them at all. A lot of it was very bland and disappointing from what I remember. I have issues with the uber trendy Taza Chocolate as well, but I have an up coming post about them where I can explain in better detail.

I like both blended and single origin. I currently have a 100% cocoa bar from Pralus. Highest I have ever seen in a bar. I can't wait to review it.

Again I think the French are masters at truffles and pretty chocolates and gorgeous flavor combos, more than they are are pure and raw bean production in to bars. I don't know if I will ever do reviews of truffles and candies. just yet.

I wish we had more Swiss varieties here. We just simply do not. It's why I stressed not giving the Swiss any trouble. I don't know what they are up to having not been there or had their good products in my hands. I do know that there is a very detailed and technical chocolate school out there. I considered going for some hardcore training.

I want to learn and, I think I want to become more of a professional taster. I had an idea of becoming a chocolatier, but what would I do with it? I don't want to make confections professionally. I might take some quick courses on techniques, but I am looking for apprenticeships with people I can form good relationships with versus factory trained chocolate makers. I have time and options right now on my side to think it over and figure it out.

Indeed, you are just starting on this journey. The best Swiss chocolate comes from Felchlin. Max knew what he was doing with Milk and White. That's the chocolate we use at Life By Chocolate. (One can argue that Peters, the people who first made milk chocolate, have a great milk and white but then we're talking personal taste.) For dark, because we make so many vegan chocolates and confections, we use Granada Chocolate company chocolate because it is fair trade, organic and it is vegan. Belcolade makes excellent chocolate as well as does Valrhona and a few others in Europe. Here in the Americas, we have El Rey, Amano,E. Guittard and a few others.

The question single origin vs. a blended chocolate is a very hot topic. Personally, I liken chocolate to champagne or port rather than vintage Bordeaux or Burgundy. The art is in the blending. Even the Krugs knew that they had to give 1/2 the credit to God for their vintage champagne but not to their blended ones. The same with chocolate. Single origin and vintage chocolates are a fad. They may be a fad that lasts but still, the art of making chocolate is the blending. Of course, there are chocolatiers who blend multiple chocolates into one to produce the final blend. (Chocolatiers who make confections as opposed to people who make the chocolate itself.) The same can be said for raw cacao, which isn't chocolate.

Given all that, it's fun to sample all the different products out there. But, as a chocolatier, I find the art to be in making the confections and playing off between flavors of ingredients. The difference here is finding the best carrot and eating it raw, that would be eating chocolate straight, and making a meal that includes carrots and peas and beets and other veggies. That would be a confection.

In either case, the pleasure is in the eating. So enjoy. And no Lindt is not the top dog. Not by a long shot. There are so many better, artisan chocolatiers both here and abroad that I wouldn't bother with the more commercial brands.

Very interesting, indeed. Very thoughtful and analytic. just makes me want to speed to the pantry and grab a big handful of the French Chocolate nuggets that are always sitting there innocently calling my name. Thanks allot! best, s

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