I had the opportunity to visit the Pierre Marcolini factory in Brussels (well, just at the edge by the airport). I actually had trouble planning my visit due to work and whatnot as it was in March during the height of the preparations for Easter. I ended up spending the weekend in Brussles, taking in the sights, walking , frites, (no watertooi unfortunately), beer (kreik), and waffles (proper long Belgian, not the round sugar-coated ones) with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I discovered something interesting about Brussels and chocolate which I want to save for another blog post.

I regrettably was stuffed up from a cold the people at the office generously shared with me. Thanks guys – I’ll do something to pay you back I’m sure. So there I was in the heart of chocolate country with a nose cold. Could have been worse I’m sure. I walked, tracked down a number of chocolate shops I found on Qype, did some shopping and on Sunday I slept and worked trying to beat the cold. All to prepare for Monday.

I was being collected at 8am on Monday morning to go to the factory and meet Pierre Marcolini himself and see how they did things. With Nestle taking a 30% stake in the company and rumours of all sorts flying around and after my own discoveries, I wanted to see with my own eyes what was actually happening. Thanks so Soma I had a bit of a clue but I wanted to see for myself whether they really did go from bean to bar.

We started in Pierre’s office after he had just tasted some macarons. The violet was subtle and so I could not taste ot too well with the nose cold but WOW the macaron blew me away. After 2 days of crappy macarons making me realise I was probably too harsh on Pierre Herme and had only ever had fresh, top-of-the-line macarons before Pierre Herme, I finally had a decent macaron in Brussels! We walked through to the bean storage warehouse to see where the beans were stored. This, I knew, was one of the most contentious issues around. Whether Pierre Marcolini went from bean to bar, adulterated it with other chocolate and whether Nestle was invading the process.

Now, I know about the size of the bags of beans Soma gets, and I am aware of how much chocolate that makes. From observation, I can see how much Pierre Marcolini sells on a slow weekend and I can estimate the Japanese appetite for the chocolate. From that, I can tell how much is needed for someone to go from bean to ganache/bar without adulterating it with additional coveture over a year. I have seen the bean storage facility and I have met and spoken to the woman responsible for every step of the bean buying process (exceedingly complex and with the beans from Cuba, a process taking over 2 years just to arrange export!). I have carefully noted everything I saw and spoken about the number of tonnes per year they use.

I believe that, as someone not a professional in but educated about chocolate, they are buying beans in sufficient quantity and storing them in such a way that I have confidence that they are using *only* their own beans to go to bar or ganache. In fact, I had the opportunity to smell the porcelana beans in storage in the warehouse and that same complex mix of scents – including the volatiles – was still present in the porcelana bar and in one of the chocolates. I am, however, not a professional so perhaps another trip back is in order… just to check of course!

So, the beans were there in sufficient quantity with places like La Joya in Mexico selling 3 tonnes, their entire annual crop, to Pierre meaning he really did make his own chocolate. But perhaps he misses a step? Nope. Next we went and saw his roaster and saw how it was gently roasting beans at that moment. It was the scent I had smelt on my way in and my guide Emannuel said that he only notices when they are not roasting as it is so rare. Another indication they really are going bean to bar. The winnower thingy to take the skin/casing off the bean was next to the roaster and so the two large machines (larger than Soma’s) were in but one room of the factory. There was more yet to see.

We went to the room where the machine that grinds the beans into an almost glutinous, pasta-like mass was stored and then followed the process through to the two different refining machines plus the conching machine. These were huge and while I was there they were working pistachios but wow – warm refined pistachios are lovely! I did get to see the conching machine in action keeping the chocolate-to-be warm and moving. The conching process is actually something that happens over these three steps so that the conch actually happens during refinement too and so the cocoa can become overworked here. The conching machine itself could both allow volatile scents and flavours to dissipate or be captured by closing the large vents on top.

Conching isn’t the end and in the last room we saw the tempering machine which was hard at work keeping chocolate at just the right temperature to make the hazelnut bars. These were the very bars I had commented about which resulted in this visit. I saw how they were made, I saw the raw nuts, I watched as they were made and it was explained to me that there was not degradation to the quality of the chocolate as a result of the ‘bloom’. The ‘bloom’ wasn’t real bloom but rather the oil of the nut itself rising up. Apparently this has no affect on the quality of the chocolate. The chocolate used to make the bars is also used to make the ganaches and seal the chocolates. The scent you could detect on the beans carried through to the bar and chocolates in the shop. It was amazing.

We ended the day with a view of these gorgeous easter eggs and some rochers which I got to see being made. In case you ever wondered how they made them so perfectly and so quickly. Well, there will be a video coming soon. Shhhhh… don’t tell!

Back in the office, Pierre patiently answered my questions and I realised how important a youth misspent in school was as I was able to understand much of the French he was speaking. It wasn’t perfect but it was great to be able to understand. He gifted me with a box of the raw ingredients used to make their chocolate including *cream* and not milk powder. Yes, they do full fat that the factory and I’m sure everyone is grateful I also met the design genius who invented the logo and everything since. He is behind the square boxes of a uniform size, the glossy advertising, the storage box precision and also with Emmanuel the shipping boxes and trays which ensure everything arrives in perfect condition.

We continued on to the shop where I was able to try some of the filled chocolates and had the opportunity to try some of the limited editions. Did you know that Pierre Marcolini is the only person in the world currently allowed to export beans from Cuba? May I also suggest you are unlikely to find the same interplay between red fruit and tobacco anywhere else. Besides this, Pierre Marcolini also developed a line of chocolates to go with the Nespresso rane. While some a this point may raide a sceptical eyebrow, I can assure you from my intense and oblique questioning I was unable to uncover Nestle influence. In fact, Pierre had been adamant at the factory that Emmanuel tell me no additional chocolate is used. Pierre Marcolini prides itself on having full control of their chocolate making process, creative direction and bean to bar/ganache process. Having seen it first hand, I’m a convert.

There is more to come but I shall leave it here for now but there will be a competition or two related to Pierre Marcolini coming up after Easter!

This is another of the bars I picked up while I was in the US.  I figured a nice milk chocolate bar would be something that would be an easy to eat bar and quite enjoyable.

Of themselves, they say “In 1993, a simple but remarkable concept took root in Portland, Oregon. That concept was to handcraft superior chocolates – chocolates that would not only taste exquisite, but that would look exceptional, as well. The result would be a chocolate indulgence for all the senses.”  I have to admit the truffles look amazing but I only bought the bar as I knew I’d not have time to review the truffles properly.

This is a fun chocolate bar.  I was initially attracted by the dark blue wrapper and fun logo and I decided to buy the chocolate because it just looked fun.  The gold foil has been wrapped on an angle and the chocolate squares are triangles.  I decided to do a bit of digging and see why there were so many triangles.  They set out to make chocolates that not only tasted different but also looked different and I can’t think of a more radically different look than triangles.

Of the milk chocolate, they say “A creamy chocolate sensation. Derived from rare cocoa beans from Java, our Milk Chocolate Bar boasts a 31% cocoa content, resulting in a slightly sweet, full cream flavor with subtle cocoa, caramel and nut background notes.” (American spelling left in tact).

It is creamy and extremely sweet.  Ever since I low carbed and switched to darker chocolate, milk does taste extremely sweet to me and so it satisfies much more quickly.  I wasn’t expecting greatness from this bar and I was not surprised.  It has the typical soy lecithin aftertaste along with a strong vanilla flavour.  This with the milk chocolate makes it extremely rich but as milk chocolates go I must grudgingly admit Amedei trumps the rest.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I’m not the biggest fan of Belgian style chocolates with their high fat whipped sugary centres and moulded shell but I will always try then and give them a fair chance.  This was the case when I went to visit chocolate maker Delight in Toronto and interviewed the woman behind them and tried a small number of the huge variety of fillings which change with the season.  Not all Belgian in style, the fillings complimented the flavour they were carrying.  The level of expertise and willingness to experiment was awesome.

Maple Butter Chocolate – The milk chocolate shell was, I thought, a bit of a risk given what I knew would be a sweet centre but I soldiered on. Biting in to the soft centre made the chocolate squish but wow was it ever a delicious maple centre.  Yes I know I’m not a fan of this type of whipped centre but I *am* a fan of all things maple and this certainly was one of the most delicious maple centres.  I am thinking no more maple creams from Laura Secord.  This may be my new favourite maple centred chocolate!

Chocolate Caramel with Smoked Sea Salt – Again, I challenged myself as I am not a fan of the smoke flavour, avoiding it even in my bacon but I wanted to try this in a caramel.  Here we depart from the high fat whipped centre and move to a soft but not runny caramel inside a dark chocolate shell.  The caramel was superb and the caramel held a light but distinct flavour of the smoke.  It was subtle enough that I was able to finish the whole chocolate unlike my experience with Charles’ Tea Chocolates.

Ice Wine Chocolate – while not uniquely Canadian, it is something we are most proud of and I can say that 2010 will be an extremely excellent year for Ontario ice wine.  This dark chocolate shell topped with gold leaf shows to what high standards Canadians can hold their ice wine and the creations they make from it.  With its ganache filling, I was pleasantly surprised by the intense flavour of the ganache.  The fruitiness didn’t quite come through for me but this was made with Callebaut chocolate(my notes were wrong – curse my bad handwriting!) fair trade single origin Dominican Republic chocolate as a base and so the brilliance of the filling was fighting with the lack of fruitiness in the base chocolate used. The bravery in not using a jelly to enhance the flavour and still achieving that slight acidity with a hint of fruity wine I thought was amazing.

Spiced Hot Chocolate – dark but sweet, the hint of spice here was delightful.  Not overpowering but suffused through the centre, it was a delightful combination of sweet chocolate in the milk chocolate covering, and a warming spicy centre.

Of all the chocolates, the only one I couldn’t finish was the maple because it was a very big dollop of sweet.  The sea salt in the caramel, while challenging to me as a non-smoke lover, was delightful and the spiced hot chocolate was a delight.  I think the one I was most impressed by was the ice wine because knowing the base used, and tasting how well the ice wine made it through the chocolate ganache, I could see the skill right there.  This was my second trip back to Delight and so you’ll get to see more of the backlog of blog posts about them soon

One of the seemingly toughest people on himself as a chocolatier, Patrick Smets of Ambiance Chocolat in Toronto makes some of the BEST chocolates around.  Why? He uses Valrhona and Michel Cluizel chocolate.  By starting with some of the best, he’s getting some of the greatest flavours out of it.
In fact, if you can’t get me Stubbe chocolates for Christmas, pop out here and get me some of these – wait… lots of these. With someone as hard on himself as he seems in this interview, it is no surprise he makes excellent chocolates.

This is one of the bars I got at the lovely Chocolate Unwrapped event from the amazing ethical chocolate company Chocolate and Love.

The bar is a lovely 100g bar in a wrapper that extols the ethical origins of the cocoa beans.  I just love the wrapper and how it displays the information about the beans and ethical origins of the bar.  It really displays a passion for chocolate and ensuring the chocolate doesn’t harm the environment.  It is also gluten free, dairy free, GMO free and safe for vegan diets!

The chocolate itself as has a very slight burnt flavour coming through as the chocolate melts in the mouth.  It is smooth with a lovely flavour and isn’t too sweet or bitter.  It isn’t as acidic as I usually like as I am a huge fan of the fruity flavours I tend to get in Soma chocolate but the chocolate isn’t bitter which is a huge bonus because too many dark chocolate bars are bitter.

I really hope, dear readers, that you will consider making an ethical purchase and buy this for cooking, eating or sharing

Interviewing Damian Allsop was a real pleasure.  You can tell he has a passion for chocolate and importantly MILK FREE CHOCOLATE.  Yep – all you lactose intolerant people can have some of the finest chocolates available from this lovely man.  Yes, from him directly as he is still involved on a daily basis with the business.

He was great to chat with and I’ve spoken with him before so I know about his passion for chocolate.  I’m in love with his jasmine tea chocolate –hope you enjoyed the interview with Damian Allsop from Damian Allsop Chocolates

This creamy delicious almost molasses-y milk chocolate is almost too rich to take!  At £4 for 50g it is one of the most expensive bars I have ever bought so it is a good thing it is too rich to eat more than a single piece at a time.

If anything will teach you to slow down and enjoy a deliciously gorgeous piece of chocolate, this certainly will.  This creamy milk chocolate won’t allow you to rush it – it will demand you to slow down and enjoy it slowly.

The flavour of the chocolate is subtle – so subtle that it is almost lost to the flavour of the dark sugar and creamy milk.  These flavours are so strong as to almost overtake all chocolate flavour.  When it hits the chocolate is delightful and light, with none of the bitterness some other chocolate can have.  These beans have not been over fermented at all.

This bar is a delight and while I might love Askinosie an awful lot, this bar is arguing with my taste buds for supremacy.

I bought this chocolate bar some time ago and finally got around to trying it out.

The flavour is delicate and pleasant and not at all too earthy or leathery.  It was slightly flat in my mouth but it was still a smooth, delicious taste.

This is definitely a blended bar and that comes through in the interplay of flavours in the mouth.  The smooth, creamy taste is almost too creamy for a dark chocolate bar as though it is trying to compensate for something or balance out the darkness.

This is probably the kind of dark bar someone who enjoys milk chocolate might like.  It would be a smooth and easier introduction, without the sometimes sour, drying flavour some dark chocolate has.

William Curley has a wonderful shop within which are some fantastic chocolates filled with the most lovely ganache made from some of the best chocolate, co0vered in a thin coating of that same delectable chocolate. From their selection I chose Earl Grey Tea, Mulled Wine and Sea Salt Caramel.

Earl Grey Tea chocolate – This chocolate had the lovely scent of dark chocolate but none of the lush bergamot scent.  Biting into this chocolate releases the most lovely delicate flavour of real Earl Grey tea.  It is subtle and delicious and not overwhelming.  I could eat a box of these!

Mulled Wine chocolate – Once again, this chocolate does not reveal its interior from outside with the delicate scent of the Amedei chocolate used the only scent.  Biting in to it releases the flavour of the jelly mulled wine interior with the chocolate ganache.  Yummy and delicious, this is a lovely chocolate.

Sea Salt Caramel – different from other sea salt caramels I’ve tried in the past, this is a thick base chocolate with a liquid caramel interior closest in flavour to Kraft caramels from my childhood.  The caramel oozes out in deliciousness making you gobble the whole chocolate up.

Whoops… looks like I munched these before I had a chance to photograph them!

Born on the 1st of July 2008, Xococava is one of the newer chocolate shops to hit Toronto.  Located in Deslie Court just north of the St Clair subway station, this ideally located chocolate shop brings some of the most innovative chocolates to Toronto.  From the perennial salted caramel favourite – a popular chocolate in the shop – to the exotic churitzo including real meat, this shop pushes the boundaries of chocolate making to a higher art form.

Laura White, a former pastry chef and 5 year expert chocolate maker, invents some of these innovative chocolate flavours at the front of the shot in full view of the window to the outside tables where people sup on home baked cookies with some of the finest chocolate chips nestled in excellent dough.

Utilising Tuscano Amedei chocolate in her creations, Laura balances the flavour of the base chocolate against the exotic fillings.  Often utilising Belgian style chocolate as a carrier for her more exotic flavours, Laura uses her knowledge of flavour and chocolate to balance flavours off.  Marrying tea and coffee both with chocolate but in very different ways, she is committed to creating delicious and innovative chocolate.

I found her sea salt caramel to be one of the flavours of hers I liked best.  The chocolate did not seem to be the highest quality but the sea salt caramel was lovely. The Earl Grey tea was way more intense than I was used to but it didn’t detract from the overall experience.  The chocolate covered almond dragees were nothing I hadn’t enjoyed elsewhere in the UK but I have a feeling they are a rarity in Toronto.  As such it is nice to see these lovely roasted almonds with caramelised sugar covering them before the delicious chocolate and powered cocoa finishes it off.

Pop by and try the chocolates.  They are yummy and unique and fun at a dinner party.