Artisan du Chocolat's Sea Salted Caramel Balls

Sea salted caramels seem to have become a popular confection among chocolate makers and Artisan du Chocolat are no exception.  The ones bought for me arrived in a white box within which was a nice brown plastic tub with a screw top lid.

Unscrewing the lid of this delightful container of chocolate was like opening the door to a chocolate shop.  I was met with the delightful scent of good quality chocolate.  It enveloped me and seemingly wafted through the room, following me as I sat down to try one.

These small balls are just the right size to pop in your mouth and enjoy.  They do need to be chewed as letting them melt takes forever but the yumminess is not harmed.   On biting through the outer chocolate shell, your mouth is bathed in a delightfully runny dark caramel.  With hints of molasses the caramel is strongly flavoured and delightful. It mixes with the chocolate in your mouth and is fantastic.

The chocolate itself is a bit flat in flavour which is slightly disappointing.  It lacks any distinguishing characteristics and is a bit grainy.  It would have been nice to have had a better quality chocolate.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this chocolate to anyone as a gift or as a treat.

Stubbe chocolates are some of the best chocolates in the world.  This is the conclusion I have come to after trying chocolates in various cities across the world and while limited in experience though I may be, this chocolate shop is absolutely fantastic.

Stubbe chocolates creates some of the best chocolates by pairing good quality chocolate they create themselves in the back of the shop with both traditional and non-traditional flavours.  The one chocolate which stood out for me was the blood orange chocolate which has a slightly sharp tang without being sour.

The special milk chocolate truffle had a unique sugar fronting which I thought would make the chocolate far too sweet but in fact was perfect when savouring or chewing the chocolate.

The cappuccino was a triumph of coffee flavouring, which was for once not overpowered by the sweetness of the chocolate.  The white chocolate was used masterfully here to sweeten the coffee without it tasting of nothing but sugar the covered in a beautifully balances dark chocolate.

I wish I could get these chocolates more regularly but have to settle for my annual trips to Toronto.

I highly recommend this chocolate shop and would be confidant buying any chocolates from here as a special gift.

Hidden in the distillery district, the casual visitor will not find Soma. In fact, the determined visitor also may not find Soma, as I found out.  Thank goodness for the kindness of Torontonian strangers!  I finally found my way out of the 30C heat and in to the cool interior of the shop.

Chocolate and heat do not mix.  So too would I say chocolate and a bad attitude or chocolate and the worst directions humanely possible.  Soma may have good chocolate but they have seriously bad attitude.

It is quite possible that Soma does not want new business and is happy to live solely off of the tourist buses and then repeat local custom.  It does not seem to be at all set up for casual visitors. In fact Soma was almost impossible to findin life and online, and only dedicated Soma fans saved me from missing the shop (something I partially wish I had).

I will not argue that of all chocolate in Toronto that I have tried, Soma chocolate was the best.  The complexity of flavour with the high quality of the underlying chocolate married perfectly for me to create a brilliant chocolate.  The complex nature of the base of many of the chocolate was superb.  That is perhaps why they are happy to remain hidden.

When trying chocolates, I always find it helpful to discover the best chocolate by asking the experts – the people who made them.  Chocolate is individual and each person will like different flavours.  Every milk chocolate truffle is slightly different and the best person to ask what their crowning glory is, is the chocolate maker.

I asked here, as I had at many other chocolate shops in the UK, Toronto, Amsterdam and other major cities for their signature chocolate.  The one chocolate of the lot that I, as a reviewer, could take and hold up as the prime example of the mastery of the chocolate makers art.  I was pointed to the sea salt caramel.

At the suggestion for the third time that day that a sea salt caramel was the pinnacle of their art, I did wilt and request an alternate suggestion and was met with irritation.  Upon trying this sea salt caramel, I found the salt on the top of the chocolate to be too intense, the caramel flat and lacklustre and the chocolate of a middling quality.  It was absolutely nothing to recommend.

The balsamic vinegar chocolate was much more pleasurable with a tangy bite and yet not too much acidity balanced by a darker fruity chocolate.  The cocoa chosen married well with the balsamic vinegar to create a subtle and pleasurable combination of flavours.  Not so for the douglas fir but what can one expect from a chocolate named after a pine tree.  It was intense and overpowering and I could not finish it.

All in all I found Soma well worth the trip but I would avoid engaging the staff in conversation.  They have little to no knowledge of the product they are selling.

While most chocolates which are ‘made for the middle’ utilise low quality chocolate in order, as they say, to allow the filling to shine through, I always feel that using a less than best chocolate spoils the overall effect.  So it was with some interest that I tried Damian Allsop chocolates at the extremely busy Taste of Christmas show.

After being a pastry chef for 25 years at Michelin starred restaurants, including a stint in Spain for 5 years, Damian was an expert at working in chocolate.  Spain forced him to rethink how people made chocolate, and combined with his realisation that British palettes were changing he decided to run his own chocolate based business.  He realised that cream changed the flavour of chocolate and rather than seeking a dairy-free alternative to existing chocolates, he created new flavours, new experiences and a new way of enjoying chocolate.  He knows that chocolate changes flavour as ingredients are added and that is why he doesn’t use milk or cream.

I remain fairly conservative in my chocolate outlook but Damian had me as a somewhat captive audience and as such, he went through the full range of mouth experiences with me.  He believes that our tastes in the UK are changing.  His chocolates are at the forefront of that change and he’s working hard to create delicious tastes for everyone.

We started with a ‘pistachio with acidic yogurt’ morsel.  It was an immediate hit of sour then went through to sweet then you got the pistachio nut flavour at the very end.  Surprising and extremely more-ish.  I can see people having to eat many of these at a party.

Salted Crunchy Peanut was the next surprise.  Completely overwhelming the scent or flavour of the chocolate, the salted peanut flavour was the first hit through the nose, then the saltiness hits as you bite and it is finished off with that massive peanut flavour which almost nothing can beat.

The Cloud was next and talk about heavenly.  Blueberry and violet it was a crunchy yet chewy middle light as a cloud.  The flavours are subtle but pleasant and without the harsh artificial flavour sometimes encountered.

At this point, Damian reminds me that with his chocolates, the actual chocolate is not the ‘ego’.  Rather, the filling is the most important part and the chocolate adds that extra rounding dimension.  He uses Amano chocolate and assures me that his use of high quality chocolate enhances all of them – including the flavours which overwhelm.

Jasmine Tea was a delight and I may have to simply buy myself and everyone I know a box of these.  The jasmine tea is not synthetic, as it so often it.  Synthetic, or even essential oil jasmine, has a distinctive flavour that is immediately obvious.  Not so this chocolate, made from a tea which is left for 5 nights next to the blooming jasmine flowers, infusing it with the flavour of the pollen of the jasmine flower, not the essential oil.  The tea is cold infused and this is what gives it the unique flavour.  That and the fact no cream is used and so the delicate jasmine flavour can blossom on your mouth

The penultimate chocolate was a delicious fresh mint.  A chocolate made with fresh mint has an added dimension of the chlorophyll clearly flavouring the chocolate.  It is easy to destroy the flavour and bruise the mint and so to get that flavour in to a chocolate is quite a feat.  This mind chocolate was subtle but delightful.  An added dimension to mind for mint chocolate lovers.

Passion fruit and Coffee rounded off the tasting trial. Having bravely withstood the crowd, I was rewarded with a unique blend of strong coffee and sweet passion fruit.  Coffee flavour outside, strong and sweet passion fruit inside, then another hit of coffee as you chew the grinds.  Strong but pleasant.

The chocolate shop is fabulous if far from the tube.  Right on several bus routes, in a very upmarket shopping area, Demarquette chocolates is an oasis of calm on a busy street.  Within the shop you are met with a stylish interior where delicious chocolates are kept behind glass.  There are more caramel flavours here than I have seen anywhere else.  A heaven for the caramel lover, the shapes are both semi-round and floral.  The flower shapes reflect the scent and flavour of the caramel inside.

The chocolate used is a favourite of chocolate makers in London – Valrhona. The choices of caramel and ganache flavouring were not typical and with a dizzying array of both caramel and ganache chocolates everyone is sure to find something they would enjoy.  I suspect everyone will find something they will enjoy.  Just the shopping experience was pleasurable, looking over the variety of lovely red boxes of chocolate bars and the colours of the various chocolates.

I let the staff member behind the counter select the three chocolates for me and she let me try the sea salt chocolate in the shop.  I also purchased some truffles and a blended chocolate bar.  The sea salt caramel was pleasant – not too intense and balanced.  The chocolate was OK and the caramel did not overwhelm the chocolate and the sea salt balanced off the sweetness of the caramel.

The first chocolate I tried from the selection was an Arabica coffee chocolate ganache.  The chocolate was lovely but slightly bitter off against the coffee.  The filling has a slightly grainy texture which could have been coffee grounds. Not unpleasant and very yummy it was a delicious chocolate.

Blanc manger des Antilles was selected for me.  A spicy mixture with coconut and rum it wasn’t quite to my taste.  There was an odd aftertaste I had detected in some of the truffles – like a chalkyness flavour that is hinted at.  It’s almost like the taste of very hard water.  This has bits of coconut in it was well, adding some texture to the chocolate ganache.  Not my favourite but still demonstrates the high quality of the chocolates.

The raspberry sea salt caramel was interesting but there was not much caramel in it. It was mostly chocolate which was nice but I didn’t get to experience the caramel as much.  There was a hint of raspberry to the caramel lending it an interesting flavour and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

The lavender caramel in the shape of a flower was overpowering.  The extreme floral flavour, which tasted like an essential oil added to caramel, was completely overpowering but might be nice for someone who enjoys floral flavours.  The caramel was sweet but the lavender seemed to be a separate addition rather than a steeped part of the caramel.

The chocolate truffle was fantastic but it seemed I got box of two halves.  Three had that strange chalky aftertaste and the other half were absolutely fantastic.  The chocolate itself was delicious and the filling a perfectly blended centre.  The cocoa dusting did not detract from the chocolate though the shell was slightly more reluctant to melt than other chocolates I have tried.  This was nevertheless a nicely balanced chocolate.

I would never turn down a box of truffles or ganache chocolates from this shop and expect to visit again

The La Maison Du Chocolat is a beautiful, large chocolate shop which has outlets all over the world.  I was at the Piccadilly Circus location just a short walk from the tube.  It was a busy, buzzing beautiful shop with plenty of choices but I had decided to try just three chocolates (I ended up trying 4).  In order to evaluate the flavours I wanted to trust the staff to be knowledgeable about the chocolates and select their star pupils.  This way I also get to experience new flavours.

This heaving shop still had staff who were friendly, knowledgeable and willing to help.  The woman who helped me took the challenge seriously, selecting for me what she felt to be the best of the best in the shop.  She was patient as I tried one chocolate she graciously gave me to sample and very unhurried despite the huge number of people in the shop.  I think of all the shops I went in to, this gave off the most posh atmosphere, with some of the best, most knowledgeable help.  I tried one chocolate in the shop and a further three at home.

Salvador – The chocolate was disappointingly reluctant to melt.  The raspberry pulp filling was nice – not overwhelming but OK.  The chocolate was slightly flat without a well-rounded raspberry filling.  I have to say, the scent of the chocolate was so weak I stuck myself in the nose trying to smell it.  I’m not surprised that the chocolate would not melt as there is likely something in it to help it keep longer or something… maybe

Caracas – again the chocolate coating the centre was bland and reluctant to melt with a slight grainy texture.  The centre was delicious as a simple dark chocolate ganache but I would have chosen a different chocolate base which had a fuller, more rounded flavour which had legs.  The chocolate was overall OK but not great.  A disappointment.

Guayaquil – This chocolate is a heavy disappointment.  There is something on the underside of the chocolate between the chocolate and the ganache which is gritty and unpleasant in flavour.  The chocolate itself still refuses to melt in the mouth and has a grainy flavour.  Very disappointed.

Dentelle – A new chocolate of the season.  It is a praline which isn’t my favourite but this one is OK once heated up by my laptop CPU.  It was a milk chocolate square choc and the chocolate was completely overwhelmed by the praline so it was lacking any personality.  OK but again a disappointment.

As an experience, I cannot rate it highly enough.  As a chocolatier I have serious reservations.  I did not find these chocolates to be in the same league as William Curley or Paul A Young and yet I must say these are miles better than Theobromo and Auberge du Chocolat therefore they earn a place in my “top notch” chocolate selection.

“Everything I do I like and believe in” so said William Curley when I chatted to him about his chocolates. The new William Curley shop at 198 Ebury St in London (SW1W 8UN) shop opened in a flourish of cream, white and shades of chocolate wood in the Chelsea area and is a spectacularly wonderful shop. With a delectable array of freshly made chocolates, pastries and of course cookies (biscuits for you Brits), no one can enter and leave empty handed. Well, perhaps empty handed but full tummy-ed as they serve desserts in the shop.

The shop is an experience in and of itself. A wonderful visual feast, it is a bit of a walk from Sloane Square station but everything in life is worth a bit of extra effort. The chocolates though – the chocolates were an absolute treat.

I started with a sample of the sea salt caramel. Now, everyone seems to think that this is their signature chocolate (except for Adam & Eve) and to be honest, I am really fed up with asking for a representative and getting this. I’m going to get violent soon. This sea salt caramel has been made darker and slightly heavier than others. With a more distinctive almost molasses flavour poking through the sweetness of the caramel, only slightly calmed by the addition of salt, it was perfectly balanced off with the Amedei chocolate covering it. This is a flavour in your mouth that you are happy to have linger.

The house dark truffle was a beautiful chocolate flavour. Perfect mingling of the centre with the whiff of cream, it was covered in Amedei chocolate and dusted in cocoa powder. Quite possibly now my favourite chocolate truffle. In face I’ve decided it is

The olive oil and rosemary – chosen for me by William Curley himself, was surprisingly pleasant. Slightly soft and therefore delicate (probably due to the olive oil), the rosemary flavour, which could have overpowered the whole chocolate experience, was a background flavour, letting the chocolate shine through and creating a comforting balance. I could not detect the olive oil but it likely had brought the tone of the rosemary down. The Amedei Chuao, also chosen for me by William Curley himself, was an absolute sex-in-your-mouth pleasure. The silky centre and beautiful Amedei chocolate has been combined together to create a beautiful chocolate.

The Askinosie chocolate box arrived with the promise of a great deal of joy inside. I’m always keen to learn about new chocolate suppliers and the blog post at Napaman “The Chocolate World Just Got a Whole Lot Chocolate-ier!” about Askinosie was full of the promise of delightful chocolate. My uncle had hooked me up with what I never thought possible – excellent, high-quality from bean to bar chocolate.

The beautiful box of chocolate bars, nibs, cocoa powder and hot chocolate buttons was a delight of unique packaging, exciting printing and wondrous chocolate. Each bar seems to be bagged in brown generic paper which is the stamped up to reflect the Askinosie chocolate content. The name of the bean, area it was grown in, an image of the lead farmer and other details are printed on each bar. It is a beautiful packaging style – rustic and yet very chic. The bars would be at home in the Ritz as well as Harrods and are currently at home in Selfridges in London where I recommend visiting and picking up some.

The box included white chocolate which I must reluctantly admit to leaving not only for last, but for a different day. The joy of the chocolate was too great to risk having it ruined by an oversweet, waxy, un-chocolaty chocolate bar. I lined up the bars from lightest to darkest and set about trying them.

I have often commented that I worry that I am too harsh on chocolate makers. When trying chocolates such as may be found in the finest chocolate halls and finding them wanting, I am concerned mayhap my standards are too high. This chocolate reminds me that my standards are not too high, everyone elses are too low

The first bar is Dark Milk & Fleur de Sel made from Trinitario beans grown in Davao in the Philippines. It is a 62% dark milk chocolate. The fruity favour of the chocolate is slightly hidden here but it is a rich, creamy chocolate with a gentle scent and not overpowering chocolate flavour. It melts slowly in the mouth and is not too sweet but still satisfies those less inclined to dark chocolate with the goats milk offering a creamy finish. The flavour does not linger as long as a dark chocolate would but this is an extremely pleasant chocolate bar. There is no salty flavour and after one particular experience of salt in chocolate went wrong, I was pleasantly surprised that the salt was used to perfectly enhance the chocolate flavour. If you’ve never had a dark chocolate before, or never experienced high quality chocolate, this is an excellent introductory bar. I’m likely to buy lots of these for the holiday season to introduce my team and all my friends to it.

The 70% dark chocolate bar from Arriba Nacional beans grown in San Jose Del Tambo, Equador is a joy. The sharp snap sings the praise of the chocolate tempering and the scent you get as you smell the chocolate before tasting it fills your nose with the smell of ripening beans, fruit and sun. The flavours are intensely chocolaty with a slightly floral fruity flavour wrapping itself around the mouth like a lover. The chocolate scent tickles its way into the nose, infusing every area with this intensely fruity floral sweet chocolate. The chocolate is not sweet from sugar, the chocolate itself is a beautiful gentle chocolate. Of all the bars, this one ended up with most missing from it by the end of the tasting.

Next up is the San Jose Del Tambo Nibble bar with the 70% dark chocolate and crunchy cocoa nibs using the Arriba Nacional bean. That same fruity bean scent is there with this bar but the crunchy sweet nibs (because the bean itself is sweet, not from excess sugar) are liberally sprinkled on the back of the bar. They explode that fruity bean flavour in to your mouth with each bite so instead of letting it melt, I chewed away on it (sorry Paul – don’t be too cross). This has to be the most exciting of all the flavours I have tried recently and I cannot rave enough about it. From the first fruity scent through to the explosion of fruity bean flavour with each bite, this chocolate is as exciting in favour as experience. If you know a chocolate lover and want to get them something different, focus on this bean and if possible, this bar.

Soconusco, Mexico is the origin of the Trinitario beans used in the 75% dark chocolate bar and the origins of this bar show. The earthier flavour of the bean grown in this region give an even darker flavour to this bar, making it a dark chocolate lovers delight. You can taste the dark soil of Mexico in this bar with tobacco, earth and if you can detect it a light fruity finish. You can feel the depths of the surrounding forests in the rich earth as the chocolate melts in your mouth and it leaves you with a hint of mystery – as if there is something more on your palette just out of reach that is pleasant but hard to grasp.

Davao, Philippines Trinitario brans bring us to the 77% dark chocolate bar. Tasting this bar you can feel the difference between the growing regions. From the first tendril of scent that curls up into your nose as you place the chocolate in your mouth, you know this dark chocolate is different. Lacking that dry-mouthed, burnt and slightly sour flavour other dark chocolate bars assault our mouths with, this dark chocolate bar brings the sun, soil and seasons of the Philippines to our mouths. This chocolate dances across the tongue as it melts in your mouth and wakes all your senses up with only hints of the tobacco so prominent in the Mexican origin Trinitario bean and more of the earth itself shining through with a fatty chocolate rich in complex flavours. This chocolate fills your mouth with a complex chocolaty joy while transporting you to the Philippines and the chocolate beans drying in the sun.

Finally the White chocolate nibble bar. This bar and I had been in a standoff for days. I stared at it, it stared unapologetically back. Refusing to apologise for being white chocolate, it remained unashamed of its nature and dared me to try it.
The white chocolate remains a sweet alternative to milk chocolate but Askinosie has added a rich cocoa content which renders not only a beautiful golden hue to the chocolate but a flavourful experience to the sampler. The white chocolate has that deep, rich chocolate flavour which sparkles through in each Askinosie bar. The added cocoa nibs create a depth of chocolate flavour you are highly unlikely to experience elsewhere. The white chocolate from Askinosie finally converted me from a white chocolate hater to a white chocolate fan. I’d never eat anyone else’s white chocolate though – only Askinosie. You always remember your first love.

All in all my favourite is the 70% dark chocolate bar from Arriba Nacional beans grown in San Jose Del Tambo, Equador with the nibble bar a close second. In a strong third place is the milk chocolate with fleur de sel. I think I’ll be popping over to Selfridges and stocking up on even more as I’ve heard rumours of a cookie and mint bark for the holiday season!

Chocolate in the city of Amsterdam. It really doesn’t get much more indulgent than that. Chocolate is a [pleasure that few enjoy to the fullest with too many chocolate makers resporting to a pre-made chocolate for their base and building their flavours off that already inferior chocolate.

I’m passionate about chocolate. To me, chocolate is a symphony of flavours in the mouth. You can both enjoy the singular flavour of the entire orchestra at once or concentrate on enjoying each individual component.

I am not, though, a fan of the Belgian style of putting sweet cream in the middle of thick chocolate so I get goo all over my face. They also tend to be too sweet for me. Nothing against them – lots of people love Belgian chocolate. I just prefer the French style of doing things.

Upon entering this chocolate shop, you are immediately aware of a big difference between this one and others – there is a big glass wall separating the main shop with the chocolate producing area. You can watch the chocolate being made. You know the chocolates will be unique and not made elsewhere and shipped in because you can watch the magic happen. Just because you can watch the magic, doesn’t mean the result is any good.

Imagine my surprise when I liked the Belgian stylings of Van Soest chocolates in Amsterdam. They are in the Belgian style for fillings but a more French approach to the outside (no, I’m not an expert. I just notice trends and generalise a lot). The more bitter, thin outside combined beautifully with the cream inside to take the extreme sweetness out of the equation, leaving a delicious taste in my mouth.

The port chocolate was a particular delight, with a subtle but distinctive flavour.

In addition to the truffles were excellent chocolate beans, revealing the subtle distinctiveness of the chocolate as well as the fullness of the flavour.

One particular favourite were the chocolate coated almonds. Eschewing the common tendency to either make the chocolate coating too thick or caramelise them, this was a balance between roasted almonds, chocolate and cocoa powder.

I highly recommend trying the chocolates here but don’t buy too many. They are rich in flavour and as a result, you can only eat a few before being satisfied.

Van Soest is readily accessible from tram route 4 in a lovely location near a bridge over a canal. Take some time and enjoy your chocolate!

On reflection now, I cannot say how cold it was, only that I was standing and shivering. It was an experience, that, and unassociated with any trauma despite the heat of the day having registered at 33 Celsius. I was shivering and rubbing my cold arms as I stared ahead and slightly down. There was method to the madness of shivering and yet not moving and it was quite simple – chocolate.

Truffles of the chocolate variety had captivated the whole of my attention and demanded more, promising things beyond my wildest imagination like Pimms, Mango, strawberry champagne cocktail and espresso. The delicate dusting of gold, the brush of bronze, the drizzle of cucumber and strawberry, all lightly caressed the darkness which enrobed the seductive interior like a lover embracing his partner one last time before parting forever. Intense and a struggle to part, the truffles merged their flavours and yet remained distinct entities – chocolate and filling.

Beyond the chilled interior of the shop was more yet to come. The chocolate, coming up to a warmer temperature, would be a whole new experience we were promised. I can attest to that. The most pleasure I have ever experienced in a chocolate was a freshly made truffle. The centre had, of course, been prepared earlier but I will never forget the flavour. Each day that passes I mourn that I may never again experience the like. That was at Pierre Marcolini and those who took over the shop – Luento Santoro made me fall in love with Indonesia. The chocolate truffle from Indonesia to be exact. I love the flavour of that chocolate encompassing a delicious ganache filling like a gentle fruit flavour that intensified the natural flavour of the mild chocolate.

I have gone to a few chocolate tastings and each has given me something new to think about. I think I’m almost comfortable when I taste tobacco now but I’m still unsure of leather. I did enjoy the 100% chocolate bar though few others did and was well honoured to get to try the criollo bar which is a rare delicacy. Each taught me even more about chocolate and I hope I’ll be able to pass that along as well. I’m so often asked for chocolate advice now I had better start talking like a professional

Paul A Young fine chocolates have gained notoriety in part through education and in part through celebrity. Paul himself has appeared on TV and was most recently involved in “The Apprentice” where while his creations were highest rated on taste, they were apparently not cheap and mass-market enough for Sir Alan Sugar who seems happier with a Costco model. His shop is tucked away down Camden Passage, not far from one of the LondonSEO pub locations and he has a second one in the city. Perfect for corporate events, the tasting evenings require a minimum of 8 people, a maximum of 12 people and can be the chocolate experience, chocolate and whiskey, chocolate and wine and chocolate and cheese. I’m hoping someone will gift me one of each frankly

This is not your cheap eat a ton with lots of sugar and fat chocolate. Paul takes great pride in the fact that he uses the highest quality ingredients and creates the best quality chocolate possible. That also means you don’t eat as much, the flavour lasts in your mouth for longer and therefore you don’t crave moore and feel full longer. That’s it, I’m starting the chocolate diet tomorrow!