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Er is niets zoals chocolade, “Nothing like Chocolate”

By on March 28, 2013 in Interviews & Video, On Chocolate & Cacao, Tastings & Events

Choqoa zal vanaf nu ook in het Nederlands gaan bloggen voor jullie. Na meer dan 4 jaar! Er is niets zoals chocolade. Met zoveel rijke gebruiken en rituelen, en evenzo misbruiken en teleurstellingen. Toch blijft het overeind als een zeldzaam product met een ongekende rijkdom aan verhalen en smaken. Het is haast onmogelijk om de vele facetten van cacao en chocolade te vervatten in één enkele documentaire, en toch.

Een aantal maanden geleden steunde Choqoa via Kickstarter project “Nothing Like Chocolat“. Onlangs vertoonde de blog Alle Dagen Honger de film in de Antwerpse coffeebar Kornél. Uiteraard waren we erg nieuwsgierig naar het resultaat, en we waren niet alleen. Kornél zat stouwvol met mensen die niet alleen de docu kwamen bekijken, maar ook nog eens getrakteerd werden op een kleine chocolade tasting.

Deze erg knappe documentaire zoomt mooi en zeer evenwichtig in op verschillende aspecten van cacao verbouwen en chocolade maken, en gaat daarbij zowel kleine als grote thema’s niet uit de weg. De rode draad  doorheen documentaire is The Grenada Chocolate Company, van Mott Green. Deze chocolademaker op Grenada schakelt een heel dorp in om prachtige chocolade producten te creëren, en toont daarmee aan hoe het ook anders kan. Sustainability, fair trade, brokers, ecologie, bio,… het komt allemaal aan bod. En niet te vergeten: het gaat bovendien ook nog eens over echt lekkere chocolade.

De docu wordt verrijkt met allerlei getuigenissen van oa. gehaaide traders, gemotiveerde socio-economen, grote chocolade makers en kleine cacaoboeren. “Nothing like Chocolat” slaagt er in om het verhaal van chocolade te brengen, met respect voor het verleden en inzicht in het heden.

Na de vertoning werden alle gasten vergezeld op een kleine tasting begeleid door Choqoa en BitterZoet. Haast alle aanwezigen waren alweer verbaasd (uiteraard :) door dit wonderlijk geschenk van de natuur, en maakten al proevend kennis met een ongekende rijkdom aan verhalen en smaken. En er is nog zoveel meer om te delen…!

 

Choqoa Introduces Real Cacao Stories at TEDxFlanders / Youth 2012

By on October 25, 2012 in On Chocolate & Cacao, Tastings & Events

TED.com is a fantastic platform where people share there knowledge and experience in passionate ways. Drawing millions of viewers and fans across the world, I was no less than honored to be invited at the local TEDxFlanders / Youth event. The committee appears to be a big fan of Choqoa, the passion and  stories, and proposed to bring both a talk on stage and a workshop to top it off.

Educating some 130! kids from various nationalities and languages about the real taste of cacao & fine chocolate. It wasn’t an easy challenge, but fun! In less than 10 minutes I guided them through the origins of cacao, the difference between cacao and chocolate, a change of cultural habits and false assumptions on its health potentials. I could talk a lot more of course, but I decided to do something better: have all these kids taste fine origin chocolate!

It was my biggest tasting event ever… I distributed a truck load of samples to all of them; 2 chocolate chunks and a cacao bean. And then we performed a “Slow Chocolate” tasting, supporting the campaign from our friends at SeventyPercent.com. It was worth a movie to see all those faces turn into happiness.

The feedback I got from the TEDxFlanders team was more than flattering.

“It was so nice to work with you, and on behalf of our team we thank you so much for your efforts… When I talked to kids at the end of the day, a lot of them thought the chocolate workshop was the highlight of their day.”

Here is my presentation to share with you. Feel free to contact me for any idea or performance. Looking forward to open up the wonderful world of origin chocolate to many many more kids, children and their parents. Will you help?

Origin Chocolate Event, a New World of Chocolate in Amsterdam.

By on October 23, 2012 in On Chocolate & Cacao, Tastings & Events

Origin chocolate still needs to be put at the right place when it comes down to appreciating what fine cacao really is about. Many people still are not aware of the wonderful world out there, to be explored and tasted. We still need a lot of initiatives to gain some traction and broader awareness, surely in our regions (Belgium, Netherlands). Lately the Origin Chocolate Event in Amsterdam did just that. Looking at an impressive program featuring plenty of the world top of origin chocolate evangelists, for sure I was there to share and grab some passion vibes.

The program welcomed leading supporters like Clay Gordon, Martin Christy, Maricel Presilla and crafted chocolate makers Santiago Peralta (Pacari), Philipp Kauffmann (Original Beans), Mott Green (The Grenada Chocolate company) and Madagascar expert Bertil Akessons, with several more. The first day was working with hosted sessions, here are some personal highlights from those I could attend.

Philipp Kauffmann (Original Beans)

Original Beans is a chocolate brand that controls its cacao, and goes far beyond the classic ideas of sustainability. Though I’m often too sceptic on that matter, Philipp brought an inspiring visionary context and also showcased how his company is delivering on those ambitions. Planting a new tree for every bar sold, biodegradable packing are just 2 of many more.

Martin Christy (Seventy %)

In the early days of Choqoa, I travelled to London to meet Martin Christy and participate in a small tasting event. It really was an extra push to start sharing my chocolate passion. He now is the founder of the International Chocolate Awards, you definitely should check the winners list here. With his 70% team he is now running a little campaign, that we will fully support. “Slow Chocolate” is a fun pitch to increase our appreciation for fine origin chocolate, so here’s our advice: “Melt, don’t Bite!”

Santiago Peralta (Pacari)

Pacari is a unique project from Ecuador, to bring fine flavour cacao from various local regions and varieties. Several of his bars won awards on the latest Internation Chocolate Awards. Santiago had us taste some of his finest and latest creations, all of which are true cacao explorations to enjoy. During this session he shared a lot of background information, making his bars all the more interesting and tastefull.

Panel Discussion

One of the more intense moments was the panel discusion. The first topic unfortunately dropped the Fair Trade idea on the table. This is a very complex topic, immediately hijacked the discussion. A topic too complex and in several ways not even relevant to fine cacao. I was glad to speak up with my two cents: the best way to win that battle is to educate people how chocolate craftsmen really make their wonderful bars, and how close they work together with cacao farmers. Consumers need to know what they eat, and how it is made to fully appreciate it and be able to compare real stories beyond labels. A comment that was appreciated by many, it brought Maricel Presilla and me to some closer thoughts.

And off course I care to mention some other people I saw or met again that day: Sepp SchönBächler (Flechlin), Maricel Presilla (culinary historian), Erik Sauer, Geert Vercruysse and so on. There is surely a lot more to tell about my learnings this day, it was an inspiring event that should be repeated for sure. The tight schedule made me not go to Clay Gordon and Mott Green’s talk, but there will be a next time.

For instance the upcoming Salon du Chocolat in Paris, a yearly highlight for Choqoa so we will be there!

 

The Wonders of Fine Chocolate & Premium Whisky Pairings

By on July 25, 2012 in On Chocolate & Cacao

Chocolate and wine is a popular pairing idea. However to my experience this pairing also symbolises the weakness of how we in general think of chocolate. Like we tend to grab a bottle of red with red meat, and put a white next to poultry and fish, a lot of depth, experience and novelty is lost when we start with these assumptions.

Chocolate and whisky have the richness to transcend these prejudices, when we allow ourselves to open up to a level of premium and artisan crafted products.

Our Principles of Pairing.

Below are some of the lessons I learned on our journey to pairings that work. Aromas, flavors, transitions and sensations. All molecules at play, but I am not down on some chemistry lessons. The following experience-driven statements may inspire you too.

Air & Aroma

From my personal experiences, whisky gains its strength on air and breath, chocolate develops its flavors on palate and mouth. These different sensations allow both of the pairing elements to have their own field of play. It makes them blend, fight, join, separate in the joint area of our overall senses. Aromas and flavors both play while chewing, melting, sipping and breathing.

Solid & Fluid

The beauty of this pairing exercise already lies in the fact we combine a fluid drink with a solid food. It allows both to fully cover our senses, palate and mind in order to seek harmony. I’ve learned that top chefs not only craft flavor combinations, but moreover are alert to harmony of textures. Think about how you might appreciate the feel of a fatty, thick, wholesome whisky. Or consider how a dark chocolate may swiftly melt down over your tongue before letting go. Now imagine having both at the same time.

Temperature & Fit

One of the most important aspects of the succes of whisky and chocolate is their matching temperature, though hardly ever mentioned. Chocolate needs to be appreciated through its melting flow. Any pairing that does not take this into account is bound to fail – imho. It does open possibilities for rum, gin?, but dilutes with cold-served champagnes and most fresh beers, I would argue. Whisky fits in perfectly, and the warm sensations it produces even increases the pleasing melt of cacao.

Length & Interaction

These levels of fine whisky and artisan chocolate are not only about flavors, but also about development and length. We have a nose, opening, mid and ending on both foods, at least. With various intriguing timings and transitions. No need to say it makes the successful pairing challenge all the more rewarding. You have reached your goal when there is creative play all over the curves of tastes and transitions in chocolate and whisky, and if the result is an elevating experience.
Taking it a little step further, Peter and I even cross-test the best order, wether to consume first a sip of whisky or start a bite from the cacao. The difference may sometimes be huge.

What’s next?

I hope you enjoy these thoughts, but since I’m all but a whisky expert nor sensorial behaviour analyst, I’m looking forward to your thoughts.
Should I maybe write a little book on it?

 

The New Wave of Chocolate Keeps Trending. Will You Ride It with Us?

By on July 24, 2012 in On Chocolate & Cacao

When I started to write about my passion on chocolate back in 2008, it was because I wanted to share with all my friends, and their friends, what chocolate could really taste like. But also because something new was knocking at the gates of cacao heaven.
Some new brands where showing up on selected shelves. It wasn’t new wrappers for an old story, but genuine new approaches to appreciating cacao flavors, production scale and technique, nourishing a new philosophy on chocolate. All this time later it has become much more tangible and palatable.

And I believe it’s only just starting. To date, as far as I would judge, there are two big trends that are currently at work reshaping a new world of cacao.

1. Small-scale artisan chocolate.

There is definitely a new class of chocolate makers. They are small scale, small batch, open for improving, and cherish an open relation towards the sourced cacao, ideally with the farmers beyond. They elaborate a process and fit the cacao into it.

I believe the vision was – somehow surprisingly, then again not really – ignited in the US, by the likes of Amano, Partric, Rogue Chocolatier, Theo, Askinosie, not to forget Steve Devries… who have been inspiring Fresco, Mast Brothers, Ritual, Dandelion, WoodBlock, Madre and some more.

These brands all with their own stories are spreading to inspire in turn new European brands,  in growing regions like Naive, Bojesen, Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé, and on the other sides of the world starters like Australian Bahen, Danta in Guetemale and even a Marou in Vietnam.

I have had the luck to share several days with some of these new chocolate makers on a cacao tour in Costa Rica. Their backgrounds are very different, from software engineers to winemakers, but one thing keeps them together: making great chocolate in the first place. Origins and limited editions come and go, led by availabilty and quality.

2. Locally produced origin chocolate.

On the other side we also see chocolate companies supporting local production, as a counter movement for the past century. A new way of putting sustainability into chocolate production. Chocolate has been typically a “disrupted product” from the view that stakeholders for growing cacao ‘there’ and those producing ‘here’, where having no relation at all.

Brands like Pacari, Amma, Madecasse, Daintree, Menakao, Sibu, Grenada Chocolate Co have been paving ways and are all contributing to this new philosophy. Providing work, knowledge and pride to the local community, it’s stands for a different approach on sustainable thinking in the world of cacao. Their position is more complex than those mentioned above, here people prevail.
They are less to focus on artisan scale and origins, but envision more human & community driven values, driven and supported with the fine production of top quality cacao.

What’s next?

New micro trends are rising already. However, the goal isn’t to provide and divide all available brands in this post, sorry if I haven’t mentioned your favorite brand. Please share your comments on this post if you like to.
But it’s absolutely a key thing to know that cacao and chocolate are moving forward, that the bars you taste are not one-day hit wonders, and that people are passionately putting their hearts and hands to work for sharing wonderful cacao tastes with us.
I hope you will support and encourage the new wave of cacao. Keep it rolling, by appreciating the wonderful chocolate bars that are coming your way.