Shcarffen Berger is a company based in the bay area of California. Their chocolates from 41% milk to 82% extra dark. Dean and Deluca carries a couple of their flavors, and I picked up the darkest one there, which was the 70% bittersweet.
I was surprised that the shade was as light as it was. Most high percentage chocolate are darker in color. I predicted that it would be one of the bitter, medium body variety, which I find more and more with lighter color high cacao content chocolate.
The initial smell reminded me cigarette smoke. There was a gray factor to it and made me think of a tobacco flower perfume I once smelled in a beauty boutique. Although it was dominated by the smokey smell, it had a nice floral element to it. It was as if the cacao had been infused by second hand smoke and bitter smelling flowers. Underneath the floral tobacco smell the cocoa aroma carried through yieldingly but securely.
Upon taking a few bites and clamping down for it to melt in my mouth the rich chocolate taste finally took over my mouth. It started dominating the floral/smokey aroma that was so prevalent in the smell and the intial bites. Then when the chocolate was warm and completely melted the bitterness factor went away completely. It began becoming quite sweet. By now the smokey element was completely gone and it was nothing but sweet richness. Rich in a light way, comparable to how swiss cheese is creamy but tangy. It was very chocolatey without overwhelming my mouth.
The sweetness factor was interesting as well. It was sweeter than I usually prefer but with a unique quality. It was pleasantly complicated and forward at the same time. I couldn't figure out what the sweet taste was, so I took another bite, and another, and another, closing my eyes and oxygenating it constantly. After about half the bar, I figured it out. Honey! It's honey! After the bitter/floral/smoke element takes a step back, the rich sweetness fills your mouth, but it's not sugary. It's sweet like honey! Honey, honey, honey... that's what it is! I took a few more bites just to make sure, but by then it stuck out clearly. When the chocolate is melted and starting to disappear in your mouth, you get a honey essence that reminds you of the waxy honey you buy at farmers markets!
The aftertaste is light- the honey finish stays for a minute or two but the cocoa taste is gone almost immediately. Overall, it was very light and refreshing for a 70% variety.
The concoction of this bar was worth my money. I usually prefer darker nutty types but this one is light and memorable. It makes me want to try their other flavors, especially the 82% extra dark. Hopefully, the next time I go to Dean and Deluca, they'll have it in stock.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Green & Black's Organic Dark Chocolate with 70% Cocoa Content
Out of the bunch that I picked up at Dean and Deluca yesterday, this bar was the first that I ate. I have to admit that I didn't take care to enjoy opening the packaging as I often do like Charlie in the Willy Wonka movie, but it was during a break in orchestra rehearsal and I was dying for some chocolate action.
It comes in what I consider to be perfect packaging. The chocolate is wrapped in foil lined paper, which is superior to straight foil, which can make the chocolate taste metallic. Straight paper doesn't protect the chocolate from spoiling. The chocolate was well wrapped in the foil lined paper without any air leaks and the already wrapped chocolate was then doubled wrapped in the outside packaging. Most bars are wrapped only once, with a sleeve over the foil, so this bar had extra protection from getting spoiled.
The chocolate itself was molded in approximately .5"x1x3/8" rectangles, which I consider possibly the best bite size proportions.
I wanted to test the sound of the break accurately, but it was hard to do so sitting in a large room with people talking and playing their instruments. I should have waited until after rehearsal to really allow myself to indulge in the tasting experience, but like I said, I was craving chocolate madly and I just broke it off in kind of a hurry. It sounded crisp enough, and the break was very even and clean.
The color closely matched the color of the outside packaging. It was a rich dark brown and far from black. The finish on it was shiny enough to catch th light, but not glossy by any means. It looked like it might taste a little grainy.
The smell was a little bitter- typical for 70% chocolate- but pleasant enough for me to move right into the tasting. Breaking it with my teeth was no problem. After a 5 or 6 chews it started to melt in my mouth right away. My initial thought was that it had just the right amount of sweetness. It was sweet enough to counteract the bitterness without being noticeably sweet. It had just the right amount of bitterness that I so love in dark chocolate. The texture was not at all grainy, and therefore deserving of being called smooth, but somehow it lacked the utter melt in your mouth richness that I've experienced in other chocolates. Flavor wise, I'd say that it was dark enough to curb my chocolate craving, but not interesting enough to call exceptional. What I got was your typical dark chocolate- very chocolatey and plain bitter. There wasn't a surprising element in the aroma or the taste.
By the end of break I had eaten about half the bar, which reved me up to play more Strauss. The bitter aftertaste lingered in my mouth and stayed in my mouth well into rehearsal with me blowing into my flute and all.
All in all, this chocolate was satisfying but not exceptional. There was nothing to hate, but nothing to love either. After class I went back to Dean and Deluca to buy more bars and noticed that their other varieties aren't labeled with the cacao content. It seemed that they focused more on mixing with other flavors, including common ones like almond and mint.
I visited their website www.greenandblacks.com and found that their company is marketed more towards organic food connoisseurs than chocolate connoisseurs. It is a nice element for them to practice organic and fair trade standards. However, I was skeptical that the bar reviewed here is the only one with a percentage labeled large and bold in the front. Also, it's not clearly stated where their company is based. It appears that they are based in the UK, but my bar says "made in Italy" and the packaging looks to be made in the US. This is the least of the importance in good chocolate, but I was curious and wished that they tell you clearly in their website.
Would I buy this chocolate again? Probably not. It wasn't very inventive and I can't imagine craving this variety specifically. Basically, it's your everyday 70% chocolate bar and it will satisfy your cravings but won't make you think about it next time yor craving hits.
It comes in what I consider to be perfect packaging. The chocolate is wrapped in foil lined paper, which is superior to straight foil, which can make the chocolate taste metallic. Straight paper doesn't protect the chocolate from spoiling. The chocolate was well wrapped in the foil lined paper without any air leaks and the already wrapped chocolate was then doubled wrapped in the outside packaging. Most bars are wrapped only once, with a sleeve over the foil, so this bar had extra protection from getting spoiled.
The chocolate itself was molded in approximately .5"x1x3/8" rectangles, which I consider possibly the best bite size proportions.
I wanted to test the sound of the break accurately, but it was hard to do so sitting in a large room with people talking and playing their instruments. I should have waited until after rehearsal to really allow myself to indulge in the tasting experience, but like I said, I was craving chocolate madly and I just broke it off in kind of a hurry. It sounded crisp enough, and the break was very even and clean.
The color closely matched the color of the outside packaging. It was a rich dark brown and far from black. The finish on it was shiny enough to catch th light, but not glossy by any means. It looked like it might taste a little grainy.
The smell was a little bitter- typical for 70% chocolate- but pleasant enough for me to move right into the tasting. Breaking it with my teeth was no problem. After a 5 or 6 chews it started to melt in my mouth right away. My initial thought was that it had just the right amount of sweetness. It was sweet enough to counteract the bitterness without being noticeably sweet. It had just the right amount of bitterness that I so love in dark chocolate. The texture was not at all grainy, and therefore deserving of being called smooth, but somehow it lacked the utter melt in your mouth richness that I've experienced in other chocolates. Flavor wise, I'd say that it was dark enough to curb my chocolate craving, but not interesting enough to call exceptional. What I got was your typical dark chocolate- very chocolatey and plain bitter. There wasn't a surprising element in the aroma or the taste.
By the end of break I had eaten about half the bar, which reved me up to play more Strauss. The bitter aftertaste lingered in my mouth and stayed in my mouth well into rehearsal with me blowing into my flute and all.
All in all, this chocolate was satisfying but not exceptional. There was nothing to hate, but nothing to love either. After class I went back to Dean and Deluca to buy more bars and noticed that their other varieties aren't labeled with the cacao content. It seemed that they focused more on mixing with other flavors, including common ones like almond and mint.
I visited their website www.greenandblacks.com and found that their company is marketed more towards organic food connoisseurs than chocolate connoisseurs. It is a nice element for them to practice organic and fair trade standards. However, I was skeptical that the bar reviewed here is the only one with a percentage labeled large and bold in the front. Also, it's not clearly stated where their company is based. It appears that they are based in the UK, but my bar says "made in Italy" and the packaging looks to be made in the US. This is the least of the importance in good chocolate, but I was curious and wished that they tell you clearly in their website.
Would I buy this chocolate again? Probably not. It wasn't very inventive and I can't imagine craving this variety specifically. Basically, it's your everyday 70% chocolate bar and it will satisfy your cravings but won't make you think about it next time yor craving hits.
Dean and Deluca
Dean and Deluca is a chain gourmet grocery store/coffee shop that claims to have the most variety of chocolate bars in New York City. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was their produce- their vegetables looked awfully fresh. Everything there looked colorful, interesting, and I was tempted to start grocery shopping. Anyway, I got back on track and found the chocolate section.
Immediately I was taken back by their temperature controlled chocolate display. They had marzapan animals, handbag shaped chocolates, various truffle types, and chocolate squares with very tempting flavors such as vinegar, green tea, and rose tea. It was delightful on my eyes and I felt my mouth starting to salivate. I had to pull myself away from the display and find the chocolate bar section. My aim was to focus only on the chocolate itself, and not the creative molds and flavorings that chocolate is often presented with. I took a few steps around the corner and stood myself in front of the chocolate shelf.
The selection was not nearly as good as I had hoped. Maybe I had high expectations, but they were missing some very important brands including the American brand Dagoba. The only American chocolate company I recognized was Ghiradelli, which in my opinion makes pretty awful chocolate. Anyway, they had about a dozen different brands and I picked up the following:
Michel Cluizel-Plantation "Conceptcion" Venezuela
El Rey-Gran Saman-Dark Chocolate
Galler-Chocolate Noir 85
Scharffen Berger-Bittersweet-Pure Dark Chocolate
Green & Black's-Dark 70%
I felt a bit lost looking at all the different labels. Almost all of the brands they carried were imported and I was wishing that I knew how to read French. Nevertheless, I managed to weed out all the "non chocolate" chocolate bars, and proceeded to the checkout stand.
At this point I'll say a few words on what I do not consider chocolate. Chocolate is the general term that people use to describe anything that remotely smells or tastes like actual chocolate (a.k.a. cacao paste, cocoa beans, cocoa liquor, etc.). This is what contributes to the rich yummy smell that we all know. For example, we call candy like Snickers, Hersheys kisses, and Twix bars chocolate. This is common, but flawed. The FDA requires only 10% cacao content in order to call it chocolate. That's an extremely small percentage of pure chocolate. And as pure chocolate is more expensive than additives like sugar and cocoa butter, companies like Hersheys and M&Ms use the minimal amount required. This means that when you eat a Hersheys "chocolate" bar, you're eating mostly sugar and very little chocolate. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense for me to call something like that chocolate. It's mosty sugar, so it' should be called candy. If I can change the FDA regulation, I would say that it should at least have a majority, or 50% chocolate content. I personally prefer chocolate with at least 70% cacao content, and only eat candy like Hersheys Special Dark when I'm desperate enough and can't find real chocolate. Anyway, the chocolate label issue is a result of commercial interests of large corporate companies, and they probably know better than anyone that they're not *chocolate* companies, but *candy* companies.
(Sidetrack: Have you ever noticed those foil wrapped holiday "chocolate" that don't really taste like chocolate? You know, the kinds that come in Santa Claus or Valentines pink foil with crispy rice or peanut butter? They're not labeled as chocolate and probably have something like 1% cacao content. Also, in case you're curious, the European standard is 1%. This is a result of the chocolate war that happened in the 1990's. Europe was trying to establish food standards and first on consideration was to require at least 50% cacao content to call it chocolate. The countries that made low percentage chocolate (esp. milk chocolate) opposed the idea, and won. The only catch was that they had to print the percentage level on the packaging. Consequently, chocolate companies that make real chocolate print their percentages large and bold in the front while low percentage and more commercial based companies try to hide them small in the back).
Overall, Dean and Deluca failed to live up to my expectation of the store with the highest selection of chocolate bars in NYC. I guess they have enough variety to make such a claim, but I didn't see a striking difference between them and Whole Foods. I think they should either give up the their claim to avoid such a hype, or consider widening their selection.
As far as the service goes, the cashiers I encountered were friendly and nice, and I was not surprised that they did not know the cacao percentage of the Dean and Deluca's own brand of dark chocolate.
Immediately I was taken back by their temperature controlled chocolate display. They had marzapan animals, handbag shaped chocolates, various truffle types, and chocolate squares with very tempting flavors such as vinegar, green tea, and rose tea. It was delightful on my eyes and I felt my mouth starting to salivate. I had to pull myself away from the display and find the chocolate bar section. My aim was to focus only on the chocolate itself, and not the creative molds and flavorings that chocolate is often presented with. I took a few steps around the corner and stood myself in front of the chocolate shelf.
The selection was not nearly as good as I had hoped. Maybe I had high expectations, but they were missing some very important brands including the American brand Dagoba. The only American chocolate company I recognized was Ghiradelli, which in my opinion makes pretty awful chocolate. Anyway, they had about a dozen different brands and I picked up the following:
Michel Cluizel-Plantation "Conceptcion" Venezuela
El Rey-Gran Saman-Dark Chocolate
Galler-Chocolate Noir 85
Scharffen Berger-Bittersweet-Pure Dark Chocolate
Green & Black's-Dark 70%
I felt a bit lost looking at all the different labels. Almost all of the brands they carried were imported and I was wishing that I knew how to read French. Nevertheless, I managed to weed out all the "non chocolate" chocolate bars, and proceeded to the checkout stand.
At this point I'll say a few words on what I do not consider chocolate. Chocolate is the general term that people use to describe anything that remotely smells or tastes like actual chocolate (a.k.a. cacao paste, cocoa beans, cocoa liquor, etc.). This is what contributes to the rich yummy smell that we all know. For example, we call candy like Snickers, Hersheys kisses, and Twix bars chocolate. This is common, but flawed. The FDA requires only 10% cacao content in order to call it chocolate. That's an extremely small percentage of pure chocolate. And as pure chocolate is more expensive than additives like sugar and cocoa butter, companies like Hersheys and M&Ms use the minimal amount required. This means that when you eat a Hersheys "chocolate" bar, you're eating mostly sugar and very little chocolate. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense for me to call something like that chocolate. It's mosty sugar, so it' should be called candy. If I can change the FDA regulation, I would say that it should at least have a majority, or 50% chocolate content. I personally prefer chocolate with at least 70% cacao content, and only eat candy like Hersheys Special Dark when I'm desperate enough and can't find real chocolate. Anyway, the chocolate label issue is a result of commercial interests of large corporate companies, and they probably know better than anyone that they're not *chocolate* companies, but *candy* companies.
(Sidetrack: Have you ever noticed those foil wrapped holiday "chocolate" that don't really taste like chocolate? You know, the kinds that come in Santa Claus or Valentines pink foil with crispy rice or peanut butter? They're not labeled as chocolate and probably have something like 1% cacao content. Also, in case you're curious, the European standard is 1%. This is a result of the chocolate war that happened in the 1990's. Europe was trying to establish food standards and first on consideration was to require at least 50% cacao content to call it chocolate. The countries that made low percentage chocolate (esp. milk chocolate) opposed the idea, and won. The only catch was that they had to print the percentage level on the packaging. Consequently, chocolate companies that make real chocolate print their percentages large and bold in the front while low percentage and more commercial based companies try to hide them small in the back).
Overall, Dean and Deluca failed to live up to my expectation of the store with the highest selection of chocolate bars in NYC. I guess they have enough variety to make such a claim, but I didn't see a striking difference between them and Whole Foods. I think they should either give up the their claim to avoid such a hype, or consider widening their selection.
As far as the service goes, the cashiers I encountered were friendly and nice, and I was not surprised that they did not know the cacao percentage of the Dean and Deluca's own brand of dark chocolate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
