When I discovered fine chocolate, immediately I could pick up on the fact that there was a drastic difference between what I had ever tried up that point, and my first exposure to fine chocolate (and it was a doozy - Amedei's world champion Chuao). Talking with Nick, I quickly gathered that there was a lot to know about a lot of aspects of fine chocolate. And where there are a lot aspects, there are a lot of opportunities to do things right or wrong.
This question often comes up at this point: "What is right, and what is wrong?" or "Who decides what is right or wrong?" The who is basically you, me, and anyone who puts the stuff near his nose or in her mouth. That part is easy - it is fairly subjective. But there are some common threads between what the observant would consider good and bad, and that is what I want to focus on now.
It starts with the plant. Cacao has different varieties the same way apples do. That said, the average layman can tell the difference between a Fuji and a Granny Smith by looks alone. But cacao has its own subtle differences between varieties. But beyond just the variety, the terroir - the special characteristics imparted by the growing conditions - lends even more nuance and flavor notes to the beans. And then every step in the production process affects the flavor profile of the finished product.
Fine chocolate starts with fine beans - grown under fine conditions and treated "finely" in every step of the process. I have a background in manufacturing, so I have caught myself focusing very much on the production of individual bars. I love finding the intrinsic flavors, and I love noticing what notes are accented by a particular chocolatier.
A hallmark of "bad" chocolate is chocolate flavor hidden by cover-ups. Cheap chocolate very often has a strong smell of vanilla if you're lucky - its evil doppelganger vanillin if you are not lucky. The roast speaks volumes about the intentions of a chocolatier, and people using sub-par beans often far over-roast their beans to cover up other flaws. Those producers walk a delicate line between the bitter flavors of cheap forastero beans and too little fermentation - and fancy charcoal briquettes. The strong vanilla hides much of the rest.
So what is "fine" chocolate? Fine chocolate starts with fine beans, and is made by skilled people who care about the subtleties available. What makes the world of great chocolate so great is that those skilled people have different philosophies that come across so differently. The thrill is in the chase of those differences - finding and identifying them and savoring them.
I have some ideas for meetings for the Chocolate Society meetings. One is basically an extension of Caputo's intermediate class. We will taste several chocolates starting from as similar beans as possible. For example, at least 4 of the top chocolate producers use the same plantation for their Madagascar (also "Sambirano") bars, but they come across very differently.
Hopefully, you get a chance to see these attributes for yourself!
--Brian
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Genesis of the Society
My name is Brian Ruggles, and I am a chocophile.
I don't pretend that I am particularly special with chocolate, but I am in rarefied company with the extent of my chocophilia. I love chocolate. A lot.
It began again just over a year ago. I always loved chocolate, but in November of 2008 I discovered chocolate anew. My wife bought us tickets to the Utah chocolate expo as a surprise for me. I had been buying darker and darker bars with ever-increasing percentages of cocoa make-up. Little did either of us know what was in store for us.
The first booth I came across was Caputo's - a Mediterranean market in Salt Lake City. They had this wall of chocolate that blew my mind before I even saw exactly what was going on. In talking with my new friend Nick, he was using all these terms and dropping all this knowledge. I had no idea there was so much to even know about chocolate. Long story short is that I became one of their more devoted students, and I attended multiple classes Caputo's held to teach some basics of chocolate origins, manufacture, and tasting.
Chocolate can be complex. It is a full sensory experience. It has a look and a smell that affect the observer before it even reaches the lips. The taste can have an introduction, plot and character development, a climax and a lingering finish to allow the observant to ponder the subtle nuance long after the chocolate has melted and gone from the mouth. There are so many different bars from different countries from different producers using beans from around the tropical world. There is so much to discover in a single bar, let alone in the large selection of fine chocolate bars available. Chocolate is not necessarily just chocolate - there is far more to it than that.
It wasn't long before I started hosting my own chocolate tastings. I met Art Pollard of Amano (google it - they are the best) - the country's best chocolatier EVER, and he even came out to a special tasting highlighting his chocolate bar line. I determined early on I was terminal. I love to share this new passion and excitement with others open to having their paradigms pulverized.
And that brings me to my next point - I am starting up the Chocolate Society with some friends at Caputo's. We are like-minded souls devoted to advancing the understanding and appreciation of fine chocolate. In April, we will be launching the society which will be open to the willing public. We want to increase the exposure of chocolate as a gourmet food and to work to have more people accept chocolate as far more than mere candy.
More details will come as we decide them. Initially, this blog site will be the forum for spreading information and perhaps posting "lessons" and reviews. Later, we are planning a comprehensive website to cover upcoming events, provide a forum for those interested to discuss chocolate, post comprehensive reviews, and more. For the chocolate devotee, we hope to provide a fantastic and broad resource to fuel your devotion. But mainly, we want to provide face-time between people who love chocolate and want to learn more and more. (And more and more!)
Join us - we hope to see you in April!
I don't pretend that I am particularly special with chocolate, but I am in rarefied company with the extent of my chocophilia. I love chocolate. A lot.
It began again just over a year ago. I always loved chocolate, but in November of 2008 I discovered chocolate anew. My wife bought us tickets to the Utah chocolate expo as a surprise for me. I had been buying darker and darker bars with ever-increasing percentages of cocoa make-up. Little did either of us know what was in store for us.
The first booth I came across was Caputo's - a Mediterranean market in Salt Lake City. They had this wall of chocolate that blew my mind before I even saw exactly what was going on. In talking with my new friend Nick, he was using all these terms and dropping all this knowledge. I had no idea there was so much to even know about chocolate. Long story short is that I became one of their more devoted students, and I attended multiple classes Caputo's held to teach some basics of chocolate origins, manufacture, and tasting.
Chocolate can be complex. It is a full sensory experience. It has a look and a smell that affect the observer before it even reaches the lips. The taste can have an introduction, plot and character development, a climax and a lingering finish to allow the observant to ponder the subtle nuance long after the chocolate has melted and gone from the mouth. There are so many different bars from different countries from different producers using beans from around the tropical world. There is so much to discover in a single bar, let alone in the large selection of fine chocolate bars available. Chocolate is not necessarily just chocolate - there is far more to it than that.
It wasn't long before I started hosting my own chocolate tastings. I met Art Pollard of Amano (google it - they are the best) - the country's best chocolatier EVER, and he even came out to a special tasting highlighting his chocolate bar line. I determined early on I was terminal. I love to share this new passion and excitement with others open to having their paradigms pulverized.
And that brings me to my next point - I am starting up the Chocolate Society with some friends at Caputo's. We are like-minded souls devoted to advancing the understanding and appreciation of fine chocolate. In April, we will be launching the society which will be open to the willing public. We want to increase the exposure of chocolate as a gourmet food and to work to have more people accept chocolate as far more than mere candy.
More details will come as we decide them. Initially, this blog site will be the forum for spreading information and perhaps posting "lessons" and reviews. Later, we are planning a comprehensive website to cover upcoming events, provide a forum for those interested to discuss chocolate, post comprehensive reviews, and more. For the chocolate devotee, we hope to provide a fantastic and broad resource to fuel your devotion. But mainly, we want to provide face-time between people who love chocolate and want to learn more and more. (And more and more!)
Join us - we hope to see you in April!
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