Delicious smooth and creamy ganache made from single origin beans. You must not miss the opportunity to try these chocolates but since my readers are from all over the world I thought I’d review them here. If you are ever in Toronto though, do try some for yourself.

Madagascar 70% Criollo/Trinirario beans – lovely smooth dark chocolate without any fruitiness and slightly acidic.

Papua New Guinea 70% Trinitario beans – fruity flavour slightly hard to capture

Santa Domingo 70% Criollo/Trinirario beans – the fruity ness is slightly hidden by the acidity of the chocolate. Not as pleasant as the Papua New Guinea one

Venezuela “Sur del Lago Clasificado” Criollo/Trinirario beans – subtle but strong with a distinctive flavour you can really tell the difference here in where it was grown.

Tanzania Forastero beans – very strongly chocolaty and weirdly my favourite of the bunch though not because it was 75% but the bean itself was delicious. I could eat a box of these and not get bored whereas I felt the others were slightly disappointing in complexity. I suppose the Soma chocolate bars are so delightful and help transmit the complexities of the bean flavour so well I was slightly spoiled by them.

Not to detract from the chocolates I’ve been slightly harsh in my assessment because they are all so delicious and high quality. I’ve held them up to a higher standard than usual but if you were to compare them to other high quality chocolates they would stand up quite well.

When I met and interviewed Paul Wayne Gregory, I was gifted with a triad of his new popping candy, chocolate and sea salted caramel pops.  These were kindly gifted to me after a discussion about the sea salt caramel in my other box and chatting in general.  I have to admit some trepidation as I thought it might be too much but I was pleasantly surprised.

The layers of high quality chocolate make biting in to this pop a deliciously messy affair exactly as it should be.  Anyone who has ever tried to bite into a Tootsie pop knows how foolish that is.  Allowing the chocolate to warm as you gently nibble brings the chocolate to just the right temperature to gently bite.

The popping candy is the first experience.  I thought I would be put off by it and yet it was delicious.  It added to the experience by giving an initial kick then fading away.  Next is the salt quickly overwhelmed by caramel to be finished with a touch of salt.  That almost sour flavour balancing the sweet and the beautiful dark chocolate rounding it all out with the last vestiges of the popping candy still thrilling your taste buds.

So… nomnomnom… I suppose my verdict… nomnomnom… is that… *washes sticky hands* I really like it!

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.

While in the famous Fassbender & Rausch shop, I picked up some of the Kleines Konfekt miniature dessert chocolates.  With a solid chocolate base and whipped chocolate body in a plastic cover, they were too cute to ignore.  I chose Latte Macchiato and Chocolate Praline versions of these chocolate delights.

Petit Petit Chocolate Praline – this chocolate delight seems to be topped with real cocoa bean with a sweet chocolate top to the chocolate base.  It’s a bit like a cross between a lush dessert and a naked chocolate.  In fact naked chocolate is the best way to describe it.  There is a slight hint of alcohol flavour to it and it is pleasant and as these are not too expensive they are a delightful party gift.  As this one was quite sweet perhaps one each would be enough.

Petit Petit Latte Macchiato – this is mainly white chocolate and so far too sweet to me but with the most lovely coffee flavour.  Oh if only this had been done in regular chocolate my husband and I would be in heaven.  The coffee flavour though is spoiled for me by the extreme sweetness of the white chocolate.  Despite a layer of milk chocolate, it tasted like sugar candy.  I’m sure for many people who love white chocolate this would be utter heaven.

They don’t travel though as mine got squished and my chocolate one was hard to free from the plastic.  I ended up licking the plastic (so I did enjoy it) and it really made the chocolate one feel like a naked chocolate to me.  I’d love to try others though and next time I am in erlin I fully intend to go back to Fassbinder & Rasusch.

Under a threatening sky the London Chocolate Festival launched the weekend before Easter with what seemed to be more stalls than the previous event. With chocolate makers (a chocolatier is a very special thing and I do not feel qualified to bestow such a qualification) from all around the UK gathering together in one place, it was every chocolate lovers dream.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event where we learned about Valhrona and how all their chocolate is made in a single factory in a small village in France in the Rhone valley and has been there since 1922 despite selling into 65 countries and using 3,000 tonnes of chocolate.  While that sounds like a lot it is apparently around only 10% of the annual production of chocolate.  They walked us through three chocolates in a sampler pack they provided which was lovely and taught everyone how to taste chocolate. I’m sure my fellow foodies were very familiar with trying it in this way.

We then learned about the brain and chocolate and how the brain reacts to the scent and taste of chocolate and got to taste the predecessor of Nutella. We were then treated to Damian Allsop chocolates which were divine.  A delicious jasmine tea infusion and a delightful coffee and passion fruit chocolate, all dairy-free.  He apparently has a new shape for his chocolates as well.

The chocolate show itself was delightful and thank goodness everyone was there!  I couldn’t find Paul A Young but I did find Paul Wayne Gregory who let me retry the sea salt caramel among others, William Curley whose chocolates I love love love, Rococco who do innovative things with chocolate but I have fallen a little out of love with lately and Outsider Tart who have the most lush baked goods ever,

The festival is easy to get to – Just pop to Waterloo station and exit through the Southbank exit.  Now, under the railway bridge and across the square and you’ll see some marquees set up and you’ll be there!  This festival is HUGELY popular rain or shine despite being outdoors and it is well worth the trip.

So stop reading and get out there fast!  The Chocollate festival continues on Saturday March 27th and Sunday March 28th.

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.

I was given some samples of the “Feeding Your Imagination” chocolate which comes with some imaginative names. I got “Yang”, “Seductive”, “Sensual”, and “Mistress” given to me. They are heart-shaped chocolates wrapped in black foil. Very different from what you might be expecting.

This chocolate is very different and its sugary, oily nature places it in the OK category. “Yang” is organic milk chocolate wutg herbal ashwagandha, gokshura and kapikachu. A surprising herbal flavour with a sharp tang inthe aftertaste. This chocolate is OK but not really to my taste. I’m sure that many will enjoy this though because if its very differentness. “Sensual” has a shocking chilli with nutmeg and orange flavour reminding me somewhat of Christmas. The sugary milk chocolate helps calm the clilli a bit but the bite is still extreme. A nice surprise for some I am sure but I found it overpowering.

The dark chocolate “Seductive” heart with ginger, jasmin green tea and goji berries was gentler after the chilli of the “Sensual”. There were lots of goji berries in the chocolate and the dark chocolate was nicer than the milk. I can see these going quickly at a party. “Mistress” was the last one on the plate with chilli, cocoa nibs and acai. This chilli was not as agressive as the milk chocolate heart “sensual” but still harsh. The cocoa nibs were crunchy and the chocolate itself was pretty typical of this level of dark chocolate.

In all, these were interesting chocolates. Probably enjoyable at a party as most people will be familiar with Cadbury or Green and Blacks and so this will be a new taste sensation for them. The organic chocolate makes this an especially tempting treat for many.

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!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked in to Adam and Eve chocolates in Toronto. For sure I expected chocolate novelties of the type one finds in Ann Summers. What I didn’t expect was to find a serious chocolate shop run by someone passionate about creating high quality chocolate with interesting flavours and gelato that melted in the mouth.

Adam and Eve chocolates are situated a walk away from Wellesley subway on the heart of the gay village in Toronto. Set back from the street, they have a wonderful outdoor area just outside their front door. There is a tree and a quaint hand painted sign which does not prepare you for what you find inside.

For more than any other reason, visit Adam and Eve for the luscious chocolate gelato. This has to be the best chocolate gelato I have ever tried. Smooth, flavourful, delightfully well-balanced – this gelato is an absolute must-try!

Walk in the door and the distinctive smell of Callebaut chocolate wafts out mixed with delightful hints of exotic ingredients. The smiling lady behind the counter is well versed in her chocolates and helps me brilliantly until it becomes obvious from my note-taking that I am no ordinary punter and after perhaps the sixth or seventh question about their chocolate which she handles beautifully, she calls one of the owners down who is later joined by the master chocolate maker himself.

The passion for chocolate is clear with this pair as it is in every inch of the shop. The passion is expressed in the desire to be creative with the fillings and create something divine. It seems unfair in the face of such dedicated passion and effort to give it anything but a glowing review. Indeed had the chocolate used as a base been better I am sure I would have been absolutely raving in my review.

As chocolate goes, this is good stuff. It isn’t great, but it is good. The signature chocolate is robust in flavour with an interesting mix. The old favourites are mixed with new imaginative flavours and the experimentation and boundary pushing is clear. This is a chocolate shop with a desire to be different and to stand out and they do. Their chocolate would stand out even more if they chose to depart from their existing use of Callebaut and moved to something like Valrhona or Amedei. The base chocolate is what lets the flavour down.

The effort here is stunning and the care taken is extreme and the love they have for chocolate is evident in everything from the heart shaped chocolate boxes – perfect for a gift – through to the fractal chocolate they carry. This is a shop for people passionate about chocolate. I recommend it to people who are not as picky as I am about the quality of the chocolate they eat. It is good quality chocolate and well worth the visit.

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!