Tag Archive for 'chocolate'

Pairing Chocolate & Whisky at the Choqoa & WIB Masterclass

Published on July 7, 2010 in Tastings & Events. 0 Comments Tags: Balmenach, Bonnat, Braes of Glenlivet, Caol Ila, Carn Mór Vintage Collection, chocolate, Clynelish, combination, Cuba, Ecuador, Equateur, Francois Pralus, Glengoyne, Glenlossie, masterclass, Michel Cluizel, Pacari, pairing, Papouasie, Speyside, tasting, Trinidad, whisky.

Since Choqoa and WIB found each other, we recently had a third Whisky & Chocolate Masterclass, which was initiated ‘due to popular demand’. At regular Choqoa tasting events people are often inspired trying out the rich tasting chocolate they just discovered with other premium foods and drinks, and if I mention the whisky option, well it boosts the interest let’s say!
After the first Masterclass at The House of Marketing, we also had a private one for a global company Agile as the cherry on the cake for an intimate VIP event with their top clients and preferred partners. Our latest one welcomed both new people and those who even already attended a Choqoa tasting.

With Whisky Import Benelux we have an excellent offering that specifically works with pairings of the Carn Mór Vintage Collection. More than just putting some whisky and chocolate together, we have been specializing and having fun in taking the idea of whisky and chocolate a step further with carefully selected one-on-one pairings. Bart from WIB is a truly passionate whisky ambassador and has an excellent nose for matching aromas. We have been working on a list of wonderful whiskies that create an exciting combination with special selected origin chocolates.

On the list are chocolate from François Pralus, Bonnat, Michel Cluizel and even a superb Pacari pairing. So far my two favorite combinations are the fruity Pralus Papouasie with a single cask Balmenach 2001 and the iconic and incredibly sour “Le 100%” with a very wholesome Caol Ila 1983. It’s just wonderful to feel how both build upon each other in new dimensions.
The whiskies have enough power to give balance to these upfront tasting origin chocolates, and blending something edible with something aromatic fluid must be a key to give a delightful experience on the palate.

Though taste is always personal, it’s encouraging to surprise people to change their mind with this level of both chocolate and whisky. So you could never believe dark chocolate can taste like this? I didn’t know whisky can be so fine either . We learned from our first tasting, and now people really where enthusiast about the idea, the combinations and the way we present them. After all, great taste is something to share anytime!

If you ‘re inspired, we’ll continue our tastings after the summer break, so stay in touch with our blog, websites, and both our Facebook Fanpages (Choqoa – WIB)!

Choqoa joins “The Flemish Primitives”

Published on January 12, 2010 in Tastings & Events and Trips. 0 Comments Tags: Albert Adrià, Belgium, Ben Roche, Bruges, chef, chocolate, chocolatier, El Bulli, food, foodpairing, Heston Blumenthal, Moto, restaurant, Serge Vieira, The Fat Duck, The Flemish Primitives.

Flemish Primitives Event Bruges

Last year in January, I went to one of my first food related events other than only chocolate. “The Flemish Primitives” in Bruges, Belgium, was an ambitious setting, crafted around the theme of foodpairing, staging the world’s best cooks. On stage we were thrown into serial ecstasies by chefs like Serge Vieira (France), Ben Roche (Moto, Chicago), Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) and many other leading chefs and scientists.
Being an obsessive amateur of fine origin cacao bars only, it was with hindsight the first time I gained a level of respect for a chocolatier when I lived the experience driven sensations Dominique Persoone set on stage. And after a not less than mind blowing, though inspiring day, I’ll never forget the last presentation of an overwhelming series: Albert Adrià from El Bulli gave us pure visual poetry through food.

I have the unique opportunity to go back this year, to see an even more impressive list of the greatest chefs on earth. And I’m sure the experience will be of an inspiring added value to all of the Choqoa projects in 2010 as well!

Choqoa’s First Whisky and Chocolate Pairing

Published on November 3, 2009 in On Chocolate & Cacao and Reviews. 1 Comment Tags: Balmenach, Brésil, Carn Mor, chocolate, Clynelish, Dominican Republic, Equateur, Glen Grant, Glengoyne, Glenn Ort, Indonésie, Madagascar, Michel Cluizel, pairing, Papouasie, Pralus, Trinidad, Vintage Collection, whisky, WIB, wine.

A couple of days ago on an afternoon I sat together with WIB, an importer of great fine whisky, to tryout some pairings with chocolate. So far I only did once a pairing with chocolate and wine, which was really fun, but whisky was really an unexplored space for me… and that had to change!

Bart is an exclusive importer and brought a fantastic Vintage Collection of 24 different small whisky bottles, and the first thing I have to say is that he made me (re)discover whisky! Just like I share my passion to help you discover great chocolate, this kind of whisky stands out from everything I had so far, because I just didn’t know better so far!

Given the idea that this pairing was new for both of us, we just started tasting some bars and bottles, all of them were wonderful, but off course finding a good match takes some more tasting along. The first thing to do to match alcoholic drinks and chocolate is to find the right tasting technique. I think enjoying chocolate with wine is very different from pairing it with whisky. With wine you’d melt a piece half in your mouth and sip in some wine, with whisky however it soon became clear we had to seek a different approach because of the strong character and the alcohol.
What did work was sipping the whisky first, swallow and only then join in the chocolate chunk. The melting chocolate then eagerly mixed with the evaporating flavours of the whisky that last long in your mouth, and that’s a ticket for some nice experience!

Before, I assumed whisky would need by definition a strong chocolate bar, high in cacao percentage like a Michel Cluizel Infini 99%, or a Pralus 100%. But it unexpectedly got a lot more interesting and pleasant to discover that with these particular bottles from a Carn Mor ‘Vintage Collection’, any chocolate had a chance to match. We sipped from exquisite single cask whisky distilled by Balmenach, Clynelish, Glenn Ort, Glengoyne, Glen Grant,… and munched mainly on Pralus with his bars from Trinidad, Equateur, Madagascar, Indonésie, Papouasie, a lovely Brésil and Dominican Republic!

Just as with wine some made war, some separated ways only halfway, and some made love from the start! But above all it was a great discovery to have this sensation of whisky and chocolate finding each other on a long adventure of flavours, and from both ways enrich each other’s aromas and sensations.

To our own pleasure, and because we were really enthusiast ourselves on this experience, our final winning pairings are going to be launched in a limited box, so let me know if you may be interested in this as well!

Great books on New Chocolate and Cacao history

Published on November 6, 2008 in On Chocolate & Cacao and Reviews. 0 Comments Tags: Amazon, Bonnat, Books, cacao, Chantal Coady, chocolate, Clay Gordon, History, Rococo Chocolates, The Chocolate Society.

I finally received the 2 great books on chocolate I ordered at Amazon. I bought “Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate” written by Clay Gordon. Accompanying this book focusing on “the new”, I also ordered “The True History of Chocolate“, authored by Sophie and Michael D. Coe.

Amongst the huge pile of chocolate books available, these clearly stand out since they are not limited to recipes again, but dig deeper to the roots of this wonderful fruit.

“Discover Chocolate” touches the new ways of appreciating chocolate, by illustrating a lot of insights, connoisseur’s experiences and debunking myths along the way. US based Clay Gordon is a ‘chocolate critic’, who also runs the fun website The Chocolate Life.com. A creepy though inspiring secret I’ve found out about Clay Gordon and me is that I myself got the chocolate virus almost at the same moment as he did, in the early nineties, but on top of that through the same brand: Chocolat Bonnat!

It was another book, Real Chocolate from Chantal Coady, that led me to the “The True History of Chocolate“. Chantal Coady is a real crusader of chocolate: in the late 80′s she launched the “Campaign for Real Chocolate”. She is also the owner of Rococo Chocolates, a specialty chocolate shop in London, and on top of that co-founded The Chocolate Society. Her mouthwatering book contains exquisite cacao recipes, she introduces also a little the background of chocolate, but eventually referred to “The True History” book.

Both books are mouthwatering, have great photos and illustrations, and both the design and size are very elegant. Happy reading!

Gut & Gerne chocolate bar in Dusseldorf

Published on September 29, 2008 in Trips. 1 Comment Tags: Amedei, bar, cacao, chocolate, Coppeneur, Domori, drinks, Dusseldorf, Hussel, Maglio, Pralus, shop.

Interesting things are happening on dark chocolate in Dusseldorf, and as ar far I would be able to tell in Germany in general. With brands like Hussel and Coppeneur it seems Germany is fighting with success for a place in the high level cacao markets, mostly dominated by master chocolatiers like Cluizel and Bonnat in France, and Amedei and Domori in Italy.

A particular spot I found admirable is the “Gut & Gerne” Chocolate bar and shop in the heart of Dusseldorf’s old town, on Burgplatz 3. Bettina Dahl is running the spot for some years now with passion, and as the manager of the shop she really helps customers through discovering the vaste collection of the more than one hundred! different bars, she claims to offer in her collection. Though Gut & Gerne also offers sweets and chocolates, the focus definitely is on exclusive, high-end origin cacao bars. Next to the classic top brands like Amedei, Domori, Cluizel, Valrhona and alike, she also offers less known chocolatiers like Dolfin and Maglio in many variaties. Bettina also offers great info cards on the brands you buy from her, so you can learn about the specific chocolatiers, beans, plantations, roastings etc that define the many different aromas. Share this info with your peers and you’ll sound like an expert.

Next to the shop, she also has a chocolate bar next door where you can relax for a while from your wanderings through town, and taste from her sweets, chocolates and cacao, to be accompanied by a delicious hot chocolate prepared on the spot. Just as in the store, the atmosphere is very warm and cosy with a lot of wooden tables and cupboards, making this a place with a charming German touch. From the menu you can pick from a great selection of hot drinks ranging from hot white chocolate, over a selection of different percentages of cacao including a 100% cacao hot chocolate.

This one was absolutely gorgeous, and the cups come in huge portions so you have to take the time to relax and enjoy. This was definitely one of the yummiest hot chocolates I ever had.
Here are some more pictures from Gut & Gerne, if you’re in Dusseldorf, put this spot definitely on your list!