Tag Archives: USA
Choqoa Video: Charley “Woodblock” Wheelock, on tour in Costa Rica.

Choqoa Video: Charley “Woodblock” Wheelock, on tour in Costa Rica.

by on August 31, 2011 in Interviews & Video, Trips

Meet Charley Wheelock, craft chocolate maker and owner of Woodblock Chocolate.
On the Costa Rica tour I shot tons of video. Finally here’s a first one to share with you!

I still remember the first night at the hotel bar in San José, Costa Rica. Charley just came in late from the airport when he shared some of his samples. His intriguing Rio Caribe was one of the strongest I ever had, well hello nice to meet you too.

Charley Wheelock only recently decided to become a craft chocolate maker. His designer background will surely help him to develop a personal take on the chocolate experience. We shared a lot of time together as two cacao comrades. On the tour he absorbed all knowledge and experience to strengthen his skills, so I’m very happy to see Woodblock came alive. And from what I tasted then, I hope the world gets more of it.

He was a great guy to share this amazing Costa Rica experience with, and I hope our chocolate trails may cross again one day soon. Enjoy the video!

Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.2

Report: Choqoa Tasting Event 10.2

by on March 3, 2010 in Reviews, Tastings & Events

Wrapping up our second tasting this year, again it’s an evening to which I can look back loaded with sensations and discoveries that are changing people’s mind on dark origin chocolate. In our beautiful loft-lounge style setting I introduced the cacao harvest & production process, to show people how careful this pretty sexy tree needs to be treated to give us such fine chocolate. Every tasting session is somewhat different and the Q&A was focused around Belgium not being ‘The Promised Land’ of chocolate (anymore), the scary variety of substances in chocolate bars, en tips to keep and store chocolate.

Choqoa Chocolate Tasting Events
Chocolate and its plethora of surrounding topics always make a great conversation starter, so pretty soon we had a good vibe, getting us open to enter the tasting part. After 4 bars only, people were amazed already by my broad offering and the variety in tasting sensations, even ‘less appreciated aroma’s’ were adding to overall discovery experience. :)
Noteworthy where also organic Pacari, the recent Akesson’s and absolutely the handcrafted Amano Jembrana, which I exclusively got from the USA directly from founder Art Pollard, with a big help from Martin at SeventyPercent as well in London.
These treasures aside I also showed a bloomed bar of Willie’s (don’t know how that happened actually), and wowed them with the Michel Cluizel ‘Grand Lait 45% milk bar’ (‘Is this milk chocolate?!’), shared unroasted and roasted cacao beans I received from Pralus, and put the cherry on the cake with the Pralus 100% as the usual über chocolate experience!

You can tell it was fun if people say they would come back for another tasting session, hope to see you next time as well!

Continue reading for details on the tasted bars…

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From London, with Askinosie

From London, with Askinosie

by on September 23, 2009 in On Chocolate & Cacao, Trips

On last weekend’s visit to London, I wanted to check the Food department at Selfridges again, since I found a ‘godelicious’ collection of Amedei at this place recently. As expected the whole pile of the Italian Amedei luxury bars was gone (it would have been a shock if it were not), but what I found in place in the same small corner was even a superior surprise: Askinosie bars!

Askinosie @ Selfrdiges, London

You never heard of them? No surprise, they are a US brand. Why did I get this fatal attraction? It’s the first time ever I find a US brand selling its artisan chocolate bars overseas, and as far as I know, it must be one of the first times ever in general. I found and bought the Soconusco bar of which I just heard via Shawn’s Askinosie Twitter account, and the Davao is surely also a bar to look forward to.

How different do they taste? Can’t tell you yet, I still have to taste them (and possibly compare with the Bonnat Xoconuzco), but will share with you soon :)