Now that winter is near, it’s getting to be prime chocolate time.?Ǭ† Chocolate is a wonderful food all on its own, but is wonderful with fortified wine as a little after-dinner snack.?Ǭ† In the spirit of winter, my next several articles will be on chocolate and wine.
Over the past several months, I have discovered that the world of chocolate is almost as complex as the world of wine. There are several chocolate-producing countries, styles of of chocolate (many of them designated by percent cacao), and delicious additives like coffee, nuts, and fruits. My local Wegmans supermarket has a gourmet chocolate section and I love picking out new varieties each week.
I have tried nearly everything they have at this point, and my favorite is Santander Dark Chocolate Columbian Single Origin 65% Cacao. It claims to be the only single-origin chocolate from Columbia, with the cacao grown in the state fo Santander in Eastern Columbia. Who knew that there were chocolate appelations? This chocolate is so complex, it reminds me of an aged Bordeaux. It has fruitiness, coffee flavors, and nuttiness on top of the expected chocolate flavor. It’s texture is a wonderful balance of smoothness and grittiness. You couldn’t ask for a more enjoyable chocolate experience. And the price is very reasonable– usually about $2 for a 70g block.
Tonight, I tried a different variety of Santander with 100% Columbian Espresso Coffee added. This one is 70% cacao. You can really taste the espresso flavors, yet there is still a lot of rich chocolate flavor and smooth texture. The regular 70% cacao from Santander is a little too gritty and powdery tasting, but I liked the version with espresso.
If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend the Santander Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts 36% cacao. It tastes watered down compared with the dark chocolate versions, but will be a hit with those who like it mild.
One other chocolate that I can recommend is Hershey’s Cacao Reserve Dark Chocolate 65% Cacao with Cocoa Nibs. Again, it’s value prices with wonderful flavor for the money. I’ve tried several others that are much less interested but cost much more.
In my next post, I’ll talk about matching wine with chocolate…
Over the past year I have really taken to chocolate. In fact, it is now my primary dessert. If you like coffee, I suggest dark chocolate. In fact, Newman’s Own Sweet Dark Chocolate Espresso and a similar dark chocolate with espresso beans by Endangered Species Chocolate are one of my favorites, and ones that your readers may find it their grocery stores. For added tastiness, proceeds from each go to good causes.