20°N & 20°S

Theo ~ Madagascar 74%

 

 

             

 

Theo Chocolate

Origin: Seattle, Washington

Bean Origin: Madagascar

Type: Bittersweet, 74%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario/hybrid

Single Origin, Bean-to-bar, Organic, Fair Trade cacao.

 

Appearance: Lighter brown color, simple non-monogrammed molding, nicked, *factory lines, matted. Very sloppy.

Score: 71

Snap: Light, airy crisp snap. Not too firm, but decent snapping sound, clean break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: Nice robust aroma. Acidic, dry roasted, coffee, slight hints of tar, deep fruits.

Score: 93

Taste: Extremely bitter, tart, acidic, fruit, berries, inky, bold wood flavors, floral notes, lingering bitter flavors on the aftertaste.

Score: 84

Texture: Slightly waxy, a little drying on the palate, but over all smooth and creamy finish.

Score: 90

 

Very disappointed with how the appearance came out. It should be a lovely glossy finish but instead it's matted and nicked.

*It has the factory lines from the machinery it the chocolate was dispensed from. Click to enlarge image.

Rather dull and boring molding. If you are going to use a simple mold, then it should be flawlessly executed with seamless chocolate and a glossy finish. I will say that I love the color. It's a light brown color. Almost like milk chocolate. It's pretty light for a high cocoa percentage bar. Lovely color.

The snap was a nice light and airy crisp snap. Nothing too overly exciting there, but not bad.

Big full aroma. I love that the most about Madagascar bars. The fulness and richness of the beans. Despite loving the aroma, there isn't a whole lot of depth to it. It's very full and roasted, slight acidic, and coffee and tar notes. There is a deep fruit aroma hiding underneath the roasted aromas. It's there and adds complexity, but is completely dominated.

I like that there is a nice complex flavor to this chocolate, but the lingering bitterness is too much making it taste a bit unbalanced. It's acid and tart, boldly roasted with deep flavors of tar and coffee, There is a bright inky flavor with fruits, floral, but dominated by a huge wood flavor.

I think they do okay with the flavor, it's bit overly roasted, but still presents the wonderful hallmarks of Madagascar cacao. The only issue I have with it overall is the bitterness. It's too much, and lingers too long on the palate. I am not left with a pleasant aftertaste because of the bitterness. Too much acidity too. It's simply not balanced well enough.

The texture is a bit of a mixed bag. It has a slight waxy quality to it, and it dry the palate a little bit but over all was smooth and finished creamy. A half and half texture.

Overall this was pretty underwhelming. Overly bitter, unbalanced flavors, sloppy appearance. Not a horrible bar of chocolate, but certainly not a shining example of America's bean-to-bar producers.

 

Final Score: 85.6

   score
  C+

Chocolate Oatmeal Face Mask

 

 

Okay, so remember a few weeks ago I made a quick post about chocolate face masks and how to make them yourself at home? Well, I went ahead and tried one and it worked really well.

Make sure you wash your skin before applying. A helpful and natural tip is to cleanse the face, then use witch hazel as a toner. Also use on a Q-Tip with apple cider vinegar for any trouble spots before using the mask. You want that on on your skin first. You can also use the apple cider vinegar on the trouble spots after you wash the mask off. And be sure to moisturize.

I took some old scraps that had gone passed their prime for eating. Chocolate does have an extremely long shelf life, but these were passed that. Mostly I take chocolate bars, eat enough to review and fully understand, then I take the left over scraps and bake with it. But recently my stock pile is just too much. So, this is a good way to use the chocolate in a constructive way without having to throw it away.

 

I took leftover scraps of a Patric Chocolate Madagascar bar, L'Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica, and some Paul A. Young Valrhona bar scraps. All bitter sweet and 70% and over. I melted them down over a double boiler, I pulled the chocolate off before it all completely melted. Then I added oatmeal and honey and I let it cool down.

 

On whim, I decided to go ahead an add course turbinado sugar after the mixture had cooled so it wouldn't melt the sugar crystals.

 

Duck lips just for Gingerkiller!

 

I slathered it all over my face and waited for about 15 to 20 minutes. It was a bit messy to apply, but the trick is to go around the face more than once with the mixture. Each time you go around, it goes on thicker and thicker. The oatmeal might fall off a bit but overall it stayed on pretty good.

Washing it off, the oatmeal and sugar acted as a face scrub. It felt a little waxy as it was being washed off and I thought I might have to do a second wash with some face soap. But, I didn't have to. It all washed off clean, and my skin was brighter and extremely soft.

Having a glass of red wine while you mask is also fun. The antioxidants in wine is good for you to. You will feel like you are in a spa. Wine, masks, and Ed Norton on tv. La vita è bella!

It will be a while until I see any long term effects because I plan to do this more often. But for now my skin is actually brighter and my face feels a lot softer. Fantastic chocolate experiment.

 

Madécasse ~ Rich 70%

 

 

 

Madécasse ~ Rich 70%

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70%

Bean Varietal: Trinitario, Hybrid

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla.

Sample Size: 2.64 oz or 75g

 

Appearance: Simple square patterned, monogrammed tablet, ashy, medium chocolate brown color, smooth surface. Some minor matted marks on the surface.**

Score: 90

Snap: Good strong snap. Nice audible snap sound, clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: Dried wood, soft roasted cacao and huge dried figs.

Score: 95

Taste: Deeply rich cocoa, a bit acidic, bitter, big cedar wood, mild leather notes, cereal grains, and deep in the back of the flavor of this chocolate are cherry notes.

Score: 87

Texture: Medium-hard, dry, long melt time.

Score: 84

 

**I did not deduct from the appearance of the bar based on it's ashy appearance. It's in great shape for holding on to it as long as I have. I am being completely honest about my Madécasse reviews as I have had their bars since the fall. They are not past their prime by any means, they're not close to being expired yet, but it has gone through the winter with me. I didn't expect a shiny bar after all this time. And it shouldn't be taken out on them that I waited this long.

Very simple descriptions on the nose of this chocolate. It was 3 simple things. Dried wood, roasted cacao, and dried figs. The fig aroma was awesome. It was big, but not too big and it didn't push down the other aromas. Well, the other aromas that I could detect anyway. I even pulled out a tin of dried  Turkish figs for comparison, and they were identical sans the wood and cacao on the bar. Simple yet fantastic.

 

It's all bitterness and acidity up front. Mild acidity, but deeply bitter and it interferes with some of the nuances of the flavors. In the middle, it opens up with big cedar wood flavors and cereal grains, some slight leathery notes. But the bitterness and wood flavors trump a lot of the deep and complex fruit notes. There is a cherry presence, but it's buried underneath everything else.

Although I love big wood flavors in chocolate, especially cedar wood, it's a bit much on this chocolate. It's all you really get out of it. The wood flavors coupled with the bitterness of this chocolate makes it taste a bit unbalanced. I could tell that there could be more going on with this chocolate and more flavors wanted to come out and play but the bully's were on the play ground as bitterness and wood.

The texture didn't do it any favors either. It was hard, very slow melt time and dry. It wasn't horrible texture by any means, but if this were softer and creamier, it could have been a lot better despite its dominating flavors.

 

Final Score: 90

   score
    B

Madécasse ~ Smooth 67%

 

 

 

 

Smooth 67%

Mellow & Subtle Sambirano Valley

 

Type: Semisweet, 67%

Bean Varietal: Probably Trinitario hybrids

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla.

Sample Size: 2.64oz or 75g

 

Appearance: Monogrammed tablet with cocoa pods, simple square bite size squares, A bit ashy, and broken and nicked up,  soft brown color.

Score: 83

Snap: Fairly decent snap. Firm with a mildly audible snap sound. Crumbly break lines.

Score: 91

Aroma: Wood, soft, sweet, mild pen ink aromas, slightly acidic, soft roasted cocoa, soft floral aroma, peppers and berries almost like a pepper jam.

Score: 94

Taste: Berries right up front, a bit of tar and acidity, mellow sweet sugars, then it opens up into bright cherries and huge cedar wood, a bit drying on the finish and soft a wood and cacao finish.

Score: 95

Texture: Medium melt time and medium hard, a bit chalky, but overall smooth.

Score: 92

Slightly harsh on that appearance, but I can't be soft on them with a broken up bar. I am pushing it a bit however, with this bar, and I want to be completely honest and fully disclose that I have been sitting on this bar for a while. While it has a 6/11 expiration date on it, I have had this bar since last fall. I am not deducting point on it's slightly ashy appearance. Just for being destroyed in it's package.

That aroma has a lot going on. This is supposed to be smooth and mellow, and while it is a softer chocolate, it has a lot of characteristics on the aroma. More fascinating was this aroma of pepper jam. It was slightly acidic on the aroma which I think lends credence to this idea of pepper jam.

 

Image via Formaggio Kitchen

 

Not sure what pepper jam is? Here is one example from Formaggio Kitchen. It's a condiment jam for cheeses and cured meats. Hungry Mother in Cambridge is famous for their small plates of homemade biscuits with ham and pepper jam. It's amazing.

But, there are still the light flowery aromas, bright and full berries, a mild hint of pen ink, soft roasted cacao, and cedar wood. This is quite a complicated aroma for something that is supposed to be soft and mild. One thing to note though, the aromas didn't hang around for long. Some chocolate opens up and gets bolder the more it breathes, this aroma popped out and then checked out, leaving the berries and and pen ink aromas to hang around.

The taste is what I have come to know as very classic Madagascar flavors of bright cherries and big cedar wood. It's a bit inky at first but opens up sweet and mellow. A bit tangy and astringent, but not over the top by any means. It's fully flavored of these deep and complex berries, but it's definitely rounded out and smoothed out. Full flavors, but not kick you in the face with flavor. I like that the berries present themselves, dominate, take over the palate and then slip away as the cedar woods finish up and dry out the palate leaving a nice soft aftertaste without being cloying.

The texture could have been a little bit better than what it was. A bit hard, medium melt time, and a bit chalky. Not too bad though. Still, it was over all smooth, but if this was a tad creamier and a tad softer, this could be brilliant mellow semisweet chocolate. The flavors more than make up for it's texture though. Just a good tasting Madagascar chocolate.

 

Final Score: 91

   score
  B+

Mast Brothers ~ Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs (Revisited)

 

This is an evolution of taste and review skills. The whole point of this blog is to watch me grow into tasting chocolate. Learning and understand chocolate better.

This is my first go at Mast Brothers. Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

I have to be honest, looking back I feel like the score I initially gave it was a little too high. That appearance is very streaky and I scored too high. And to be honest I was too generous with the taste score. It wasn't bad chocolate by any means. It still deserves a good score. Maybe in the B-range not the A-range. I still feel like the Mast Brothers have a long way to go with Madagascar beans. They excel with South American and primarily Venezuelan beans. However, I predict they will have one of the top Madagascar profiles in the U.S. And after tasting this bar again they have already improved greatly. They just need to keep working at it and keep tweaking it. Tone down it's rough sharp acidic edges and allow some softness to come through. Soften the sharpness so it's not a distraction to the amazing flavors Madagascar beans produce.

 

 

Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

 

Type: Filled Bittersweet, 72%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Cocoa, organic cane sugar, cocoa nibs.

Sample Size: 2.5oz or 71g

 

Appearance: Smooth simple molding, a few nicks on the molded surface side, gorgeous smooth surface on the flip side peppered with wonderful contrasting cocoa nibs. The nibs make it pop. Darker chocolate color as well. Deeper shade of brown.

Score: 92

Snap: Crisp but thin snap. Clean break lines.

Score: 90

Aroma: First thing it smelled like coffee, char, and roasted peanuts, roasted cocoa and a tart aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Acidic, tart, tangy, fruity, cherries, char, pepper, peanuts, cedar wood finish with lingering coffee notes and very slight medicinal notes on the aftertaste.

Score: 94

Texture: Slightly waxy right up front then opens up smooth, crunchy, not gritty.

Score: 90

 

I think this review more accurately depicts this bar of chocolate. This tastes better to me now but the technical marks more accurately reflect this bar in my honest opinion. I have been learning how to taste better the more chocolate I have and the more I review. That is the point of my blog. Learing and growing with chocolate.

It's becoming more balanced with the Madagascar cocoa. It's still a big tart and astringent, but it's a lot more mellow than it used to be. There is more balance with the flavor of the nibs and the conched chocolate. I got a few hints on cherries from the nibs as well this time. More nutty flavors as well and less dominating wood flavors.

I love how they balanced the texture. The crunchy cocoa nibs are just that crunchy and a bit soft but not gritty. The initial texture however, was a bit waxy this time. But it opened up creamy and had a fast melt time. This is chocolate you are allowed to chew up and not just let rest on your tongue.

Much better bar and I think much more accurate scoring. As accurate as you can get for a highly subjective tasting blog anyway.

 

Final Score: 91.8

   score
  B+

 

Mast Brothers + Stumptown Coffee

 

 

Once again my partners in craft. American Craft Chocolate makers The Mast Brothers. This time they have paired up with Stumptown Coffee. Stumptown is out of Portland, Oregon with branches out in Seattle and now in New York. They make some of the best coffee in the nation. You might see Wil Wheaton tweet about this place a time or two. Sixpoint Craft Ales, another New York connection and fellow partner in the craft world, also uses Stumptown in some of their beer offerings. Locals supporting locals.

 

Madagascar base peppered with coffee beans on top. The beans are direct trade from Africa, part of the Kayanza Province in Burundi. The coffee beans are then roasted in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Madagascar beans are organically farmed in Madagascar and then roasted, cracked, winnowed and stone-ground, and aged in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 

 

 

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Stumptown Coffee

Type: Bittersweet, 72%

Bean Varietal: Unknown but probably Trinitario.

Ingredients: Cacao 72%, organic cane sugar, coffee beans.

Sample Size: 2.5oz or 70g

 

 

Appearance: Amazing contrast between the brown on brown colors of the chocolate and coffee beans. The chocolate was a lighter brown and a bit ashy. But the coffee beans were bright and popped against the background of the bar. The actual molded surface was ashy as well but smooth.

Score: 91

Snap: Decent and firm snap. Clean, but asymmetrical break lines.

Score: 92

Aroma: All coffee. Not freshly brewed coffee, but rich cracked beans. A bit like used coffee grinds. The roasted cocoa enhances the coffee aroma.

Score: 91

Taste: Coffee right up front, but then the tangy sharpness of the madagascar cocoa takes over. Sharp at first and a little bit acidic. But then it's followed by rich fruitiness and roasted wood flavors on the cocoa. Classic Madagascar flavors. It finishes with the crunchy coffee bits leaving a coffee and fruity taste. Very well balanced on the finish. The coffee is also not bitter and not acidic. Just lovely and roasted.

Score: 95

Texture: Creamy and crunchy. It's obviously supposed to be crunchy but the chocolate texture was smooth and creamy and the coffee beans were excellent and crunchy but not gritty.

Score: 91

 

The appearance score should have been a bit lower, but that gorgeous contrast of lighter chocolate and coffee beans saved the day. It was ashy. It's tough when reviewing the Mast Brothers. They shine when their bars are super fresh. With in a couple of weeks. After that they are very sensitive products. It only really effects the appearance in small ways. Maybe some ashy surfaces and maybe some streaking.

The taste on this bar is fantastic. The big bold complexities of Madagascar cocoa is exactly what was needed to balance and play off of the coffee beans. The cocoa added a big spike of acidity and bitterness, but quickly smoothed out with fruits, and roasted wood flavors. This toned down what might have been a double whammy of bitterness from the coffee beans and allowed a lovely rich roasted flavor off the beans. Very well balanced on the finish but the opening was huge for various flavors.

And the texture was great too. Crunchy and creamy at the same time. Not gritty.

I loved this. It's gorgeous to look at and tastes awesome. There is a lot going on with the flavor of this bar. I think this is one of their best flavored bars yet. That's a pretty big statement. If you have ever tried their Salt and Pepper bar then you will know that that bar was tough to beat.

Be advised though, to expect a big caffeine kick. Chocolate naturally contains it and more than most people are aware of. And of course the coffee beans. You will be jacked so I advise eating it little bits at a time. Unless you are at work and really need to woken up, then you can eat this whole thing.

 

Final Score: 92.4

   score
  B+

Madécasse ~ Mellow 63%

 

 

I have been sitting on this chocolate for a short while. It's been stuffed in my massive library I have for review. Not too long though. I bought this chocolate with a small note in the order requesting information. They sent right after my order some details about their company along with their emails to contact them with any questions. Very friendly and it shows they are paying attention to the orders.

Madécasse (mah-DAY-cas) was formed by two men Brett Beach and Tim McCollum. After being inspired from their Peace Corps work, they decided to make a bean-to-bar chocolate with beans grown in Madagascar, and the bars are made in Madagascar as well. Instead of sourcing the beans and made here in the US, they make their product right there on the spot. They pay their farmers above fair trade prices and according to their packaging, making the bars in Africa "creates 4x more income than fair trade cocoa alone." Also mentioned on their website, 85% of the worlds cocoa is grown in Africa, but only 1% of chocolate is actually made there.

 

We’ve spent over 10 years combined working and living in Madagascar as Peace Corps Volunteers, and beyond. The island became home and the people our families and friends. Our products represent that personal connection to the island, a deeper understanding of the rich and complex flavors hidden inside the varieties of cocoa, vanilla and peppercorns found exclusively in Madagascar. The result is unique, satisfying products unlike anything you’ve tasted before.

 

There are only a few companies out there this committed to actually helping the environment and helping the people where their cocoa is grown and sourced. This is a wonderful thing they are doing. They also make vanilla extracts and sell whole vanilla beans, and pepper corns.

 

 

 

 

Madécasse - Mellow 63%

 

Type: Semisweet

Varietal: Unknown, but more than likely Trinitario or a hybrid of.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla.

Sample Size: 75g or 2.64 oz

 

Appearance: Simple molding with a small monogram on each little tab. Smooth and shiny with only a few minor matted marks.

Score: 93

Snap: Nice firm snap, clean break lines, and a good snap sound.

Score: 93

Aroma: Big aroma right out of the package but soft at the same time. Roasted, a little smoky, cedar wood, soft tar, mild hints of berries. That immediate aroma dissipates quickly leaving a mild roasted aroma with smoky hints.

Score: 93

Taste: Sweet up front, hints of tar and bitter wood flavors, slightly medicinal, big cedar wood flavors right in the center of the flavor profile, finishes sugary and sweet.

Score: 92

Texture: Very waxy, slow melt time, it gets more creamy at the end, but it takes a while to get to that creaminess, opens up to a little bit of some rougher texture at the end but very slight. Overall smooth and creamy at the end.

Score: 82

 

It's certainly lives up to it's name. It's very mellow yet there are strong features on it's aroma. Even the taste that has big cedar wood flavors, yet it's still a rather soft and mellow chocolate.

Despite the waxy texture which really tanks the score here, it's very tasty and lovely soft Madagascar chocolate. This is a nice way to break someone into Madagascar cocoa. It has all the favorite things I love about Madagascar cocoa beans which is that big cedar wood flavor and yet has seemed to mellow some of the other flavors like the tar and medicinal flavors which can sometimes interfere in my opinion with the more desirable flavors. A bit sugary on the finish, but not an unwelcome feature. It is a semisweet after all.

To be perfectly honest I am going to take the rest of this bar and melt in a cup of steamed almond milk for a nice Madagascar hot chocolate. The sugary content of this bar will make for fabulous drinking cocoa. I am sure that's not exactly what they intended, but I as my sweet tooth drifts further away from me as my palate is shifting, this is a great way for me to enjoy it better.

 

Final Score: 90.6

   score
  B+

Laurent Gerbaud, Belgium

Image via Station Gourmande

I recently got back from a quick trip to Belgium. The point of the trip was to witness my husband Todd and his brother Jason, get knighted by the Knighthood of the Brewers' Mash Staff (Belgian Brewers' Guild). Yes, it was a trip all about beer. But the beer helped me with a good tip on chocolate.

While visiting Moeder Lambic (probably one of the best beer bars in the world), Jean Hummler of Moeder Lambic recommended Laurent Gerbaud to me. We were discussing side hobbies and passions outside of beer. I told him I write about chocolate and that I am staying the most touristy part of Brussels, the chocolate shops were plentiful and equally touristy. A couple of saving graces for the serious chocolate fan were Valrhona, Galler, and of course the famed Pierre Marcolini. 

Jean told me Laurent's shop was very close to the bar. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it over there in time. I also, wasn't able to make it to Pierre Marcolini. This is okay with me because it just means I HAVE to go back now and maybe I will be back for Christmas. Imagine all the special treats at Christmas time. Nothing is more special than a gaudy European chocolate shop at Christmas time.

Not to worry. On one of our hardcore drinking nights, we naturally ended up back at the Moeder Lambic and amazingly, Jean took time out of his own personal day to get me a few noshes from Laurent Gerbaud. 

Since I wasn't able to visit his shop or speak with him directly, here are some blurbs about Laurent, his concept, and his special blend of couverture chocolate via his website:

LAURENT GERBAUD, chocolatier in Brussels marries chocolate, fruit and spices for 7 years. During a prolonged stay in China, he discovers the rich realm of Asian tastes and smells and begins to coat delicious kumquats (small candied oranges) with dark chocolate: an unexpected delicacy. Back in Belgium he passionately continues to create tasty combinations : "I do only what I like. When I am developing products, my only guide is my personal taste". The ingredients that compose each of his creations are all selected among the best ones in their league, and each delicacy is hand-made: " The chocolate and every ingredient we use are noble and precious: their character can be preserved only through a hand-made treatment."

These jewels are presented in a sophisticated packaging that visually enhances each product and turns them into irresistible temptations: precious gifts or a personal treat. The very distinctive LAURENT GERBAUD's logo features a red seal with the word 'chocolate' in Chinese. The deep and bright colours help create a distinctive identity to the range and contribute to evoke the world of tastes and travels in store.

LAURENT GERBAUD's chocolates are currently sold in more than fifty delicacy stores and specialized tea shops in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, London and other main cities in Europe.

The new range of LAURENT GERBAUD Dark Chocolate 70% is built around an exceptional chocolate couverture prepared by Domori according to an exclusive recipe. Domori, one of the best luxury couverture chocolate makers in Europe, works only with the best cocoa beans in very small quantities, using a manufacturing process that allows the expression of all aromas of the chocolate. This philosophy met exactly LAURENT GERBAUD's own objectives, and so began a very nice partnership. This exclusive Chocolate is to be compared with vintage wines: these wines are made of specific types of grapes which develop special aromas according to their growing soil. The same happens with chocolates: they are made of specific cocoa beans selected for their aromatic and tasting qualities. LAURENT GERBAUD's exclusive mix is composed of Trinitario beans (5% of global cocoa production) originating from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar and of Nacional beans (2% of global production), a Forastero unique of its kind, exclusively grown in Ecuador. The Trinitario beans give the chocolate its richness and aromatic intensity whilst the Nacional beans care for its exceptional length.

Treatment of small quantities of beans as well as low temperatures during the whole manufacturing process are essential factors to the preservation of the subtle and unique aromas of those noble cocoas. Not using soy lecithin ensures the mix is closer to the original chocolate recipe. This Dark Chocolate with intense and powerful taste has been developed especially to fit perfectly with the fruits used by LAURENT GERBAUD in his compositions.

The Milk Chocolate 50% designed by Domori for LAURENT GERBAUD is also a mix of rare Nacional beans from Ecuador. It holds 50% of cocoa, has exceptional sweetness and softness. A touch of Guérande salt completes this subtle picture. The Milk Chocolate contains a very small percentage of soy lecithin.

Now, these got back to the States in the best condition I could manage. They were stashed in my carry on, kept close to me without a lot of bumping. But being loosely packed, don't expect shining displays of glory. I was meant to eat these in Belgium, but selfishly, I stowed them away to write about when I got home. 

 

 

The plain disks were loaded with the aromas from the candied orange peels and candied ginger. But you can taste the cedar wood notes from the Madagascar beans and the drying effect and rounded edges from the Nacional beans. Hints of cinnamon, cherries, cedar wood, and some hidden berries.

Excellent quality. Rich, bittersweet, not heavily sweetened. With the salted cashews, this is the prefect blend. I like that the salt and cashew oils tone down a lot of that cinnamon flavor.

**Todd loved cashews. Too bad for Todd, he was Knighted in Belgium. He got a medal and all the attention he could handle. I am not sharing my Belgian prize of these cashew chocolate disks with him. 

 

Prunes dipped in chocolate. Again this blend works wonderfully with dried fruits. Sweet, prunes, but not overly sweet, and rich dominating chocolate.

However, the dried fruits draw out more of the cinnamon notes. I like the salted cashews which tame the cinnamon notes and allow for more of the raw cocoa taste to come through while being blended with the cashew flavors.

The second picture are chocolate balls filled with a gorgeous hazelnut paste of butter. Lightly sweetened and naturally oily. Like a chunky peanut butter filling but better because it's delicious hazelnuts. Simply fantastic.

The candied ginger and orange peel I passed on to my husband. I am not a fan of candied peels, and I really don't like ginger all that much. I did take a nibble into the ginger, and I can say it did work with really well with the chocolate blend. If I can recognize a good match in something I don't even like, then that is worth noting. Again, not my favorite so I passed it to my husband.

And the other are assorted truffles or bonbons. Again, using the house blended cocoa. Lovely flavors with that awesome finishing touch of Madagascar cedar wood flavors, cherries, and that clean drying finish of the Nacional beans. 

I am so glad this was recommended to me. In a sea of tourist chocolate like Godiva and Neuhaus, this comes a great treat and a shining beacon for Belgian chocolate. 

Next time I am in Belgium, I will have this chocolate with Jean, and take his beer list and do a real comprehensive Belgian beer and chocolate tasting. Those will be true notes to look forward to.

Mast Brothers Brooklyn, New York

A quick trip in to Mast Brothers Chocolate in Brooklyn, New York while visiting over the fourth of July weekend.

I have become quite the fan of the Mast Brothers and even welcomed them to be apart of a special beer and chocolate dinner I hosted last month here in Cambridge. 

The American Craft Beer (Fest) Dinner @ 6/16/210

Click on images to enlarge. 

 

 

Their library of chocolate was running low. Despite these hot summer days, chocolate sales are not slowing down. 

There they are, Michael and Rick rocking the beard masks. Word! And some hand packaging of the finished bars. 

After we took a quick tour, I went with Natasha Mast, the lovely wife of Rick, to a cool little beer hall the Radegast Hall and Biergarten, right next door to watch the World Cup games and drink some beers. They brought a fresh Madagascar bar with sea salt and almonds and the new Grand Cru Patanemo Bar from Venezuela. It was soft and melt-y from the humidity outside, but paired with a Munich Dunkel, it was amazing.

Next time you are in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, stop by their place and get a few bars of amazing chocolate.

American Craft Beer (Fest) Dinner @ Green Street 6/16/10

Easily the best beer dinner I have ever hosted. Easily.

For those who are regular followers of this chocolate blog and may not realize, my day job is working for my husband Todd, who is the co-founder with his brother Jason, of BeerAdvocate.com. I manage and organize all the beer festivals we host in around Boston, and I set up tastings and dinners around the city as well.

The American Craft Beer festival was just last weekend. The week leading up to the festival was Boston Beer Week. Our official event was hosted on the Wednesday before the festival at Green Street in Cambridge with our good friend Dylan Black, the owner of Green Street.

We called it the American Craft Beer (Fest) Dinner not only because it was the official event for the American Craft Beer Festival, but because we included all aspects of American craft featuring beer, cheese, chocolate and cooking. All of which are in the same boat in this journey of making quality foods and drinks using the best ingredients all by fine American producers.

With chocolate being a passion of mine, and beer being the main event for the week we decided to host a beer and chocolate dinner including American craft cheese from New England. Emily Shartin, the chocolate buyer of Formaggio Kitchen, worked closely with me to help make this dinner come together. She helped bring in Jasper Hill Farm, one of my favorite cheese makers in the US and helped us secure our orders for the chocolate. She also regularly brings me chocolate to sample and try of some of her favorites and has been a hero to this blog.

We invited my good personal friend and founder of Sixpoint Craft Ales, Shane Welch to come be apart of the dinner. Sixpoint being from Brooklyn and working closely with artisan chocolate makers Rick and Michael Mast of the Mast Brothers Chocolate from Brooklyn, naturally we invited them to be paired together for the dinner.

I also invited a new friend to the Boston area, Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate in Columbia, Mo. to come and be apart of the dinner. He stayed for the whole weekend to check out the beer festival. Hopefully more beers on the market will be made with his products. Pairing beers for his chocolate was the tricky part. With the Mast and Sixpoint, they already have a good working relationship, Alan sells cocoa to Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, but since Jolly Pumpkin hasn't been available to attend one of our beer festivals for a while, and Patric makes some very serious, and amazing chocolate, I had to find a brewery worthy of the match.

And then it came to me, Cambridge Brewing Co. Local and long time friends Will Meyers and Megan Parisi, both Head Brewer and brewer for CBC. I couldn't have been more right to have chosen them for this dinner and you will see why as I get into this dinner.

This dinner despite all the planning, discussions, and tastings with brewers, really belongs to head chef Greg Reeves. I worked with Greg once before to host the Ithaca Beer Dinner, Green Street's first beer dinner as well as hosting various tastings with Greg for special beer releases paired with Green Street's infamous tacos. Simply put Greg is masterful. If there is a beer he hasn't tried, he just needs a few key descriptors of the beer to knock it out of the park. Most chefs worth their salt can do this, but after having worked with a lot of amazing chefs, I don't think anyone is better at it than Greg Reeves. I do have to honorably mention Steve Brand from Upstairs on The Square who is also very masterful at beer pairings and truly loves beer.

I should preface that this had a very strange sounding menu. Things that sounded odd, and seemed strange ended up being some of the best pairings I have ever had.

I also have to preface that my old, outdated camera that has done me well for so long doesn't like beer apparently. It loves food and gets wonderful shots of food, but never seems to do me any justice on beer pictures. So please don't mind my shoddy photography on the beer.

Welcoming: The Audacity of Hops from Cambridge Brewing Co. A Belgian IPA. From Will's notes, Audacity of Hops (Belgian Double I.P.A., 8.8%): grass/fruit/floral nose, hints of phenol/sulphur yeast Belgian notes, funky. Quick pale malt notes and floral hop finish, medium hop bitterness.

We then opened with some of Green Street's famous tacos. We wanted to get the expected out of the way early. Molé is to be expected with chocolate pairings. Savory and classic. So we introduced a chicken molé taco and the Mast Brothers placed some cocoa nibs on each table which we loaded up inside the taco as well. It wasn't a deep brown mole taco, more of an essence to the taco. This ended up being the perfect match to the Audacity of Hops. It was a little spicy, and the hop flavors from the Belgian IPA interacted nicely. The chicken and the sweet malts enhanced one and other.

[The Audacity of Hops on the right in first pic.]



First Course: Cured & cooked hams with mint, basil, melon, cocoa nibs, and a chocolate aioli. Patric Chocolate Madagascar cocoa nibs, and Patric Chocolate 70% Madagascar Bar with nibs.

Beer: CBC's Spring Training IPA, (Will's Notes) American IPA, 6.3%: fruity/floral/grassy nose, low bitterness, clean malt palate.

[My bad pictures of the beer.]

This pairing came together on one request, that we definitely use Patric's Madagascar cocoa nibs. It was the first thing I sat down with Will Meyers and Megan Parisi to taste. Interestingly enough it worked out really well with the Spring Training IPA. Normally I wouldn't have gone this route haven't had little or no success with pairing chocolate and IPA's together. But with these nibs from Madagascar and the hallmark flavor profiles being woody, cedar wood, cherries, and a tart base, it ended up being a natural fit for the grassy and fresh IPA which isn't hop heavy.

Chocolate aioli? What? When Greg mentioned he wanted to make this, I think all of us at the planning meeting were a little curious. It sounded weird, and being paired with melons and ham it really didn't sounds like it would work. I have learned to trust Greg, and I went with it. Mainly because I was curious as to how we would pull this off. It more than worked.

The Sambirano Delta River Valley at the top Northwest of this map. Just barely inside the parallel of 20N and 20S. This is where Patric sources his Madagascar beans. Read my original reviews for the 70% with nibs to get a full understanding of this chocolate.

70% with Nibs review.



The flavors were all in perfect balance. The light floral, grassy IPA being balanced with the salty hams and sweet melons. The basil added the right herbal pop to the dish. The chocolate aioli made with the melted down 70% Madagascar bar with nibs was salty, buttery, rich with roasted cocoa, and savory adding more of a balance in bringing out the ham's flavors and more of a sweetness to the IPA. This course was fresh, light, and extremely flavorful. A great way to get started.



Second Course: Warm handmade pretzels sandwiches with melted Cabot clothbound cheddar (aged at Jasper Hill Farm cellars) with Mast Brothers Patanemo Grand Cru bar 75% (Ocumare de la Costa, Venezuela) melted for dipping.

Beer: Sixpoint's Righteous Ale, 7.2% Rye Ale

Handmade pretzels with kosher salt, and salty cheddar cheese balanced by sweet malty rye beer, and an amazing new grand cru chocolate from the Mast Brothers. This is the one course I couldn't stop dipping my finger in the chocolate until it was all gone.


A new bar for the Mast Bros. from the Ocumare de la Costa region of Venezuela. This is going back to their roots a bit. Originally the base for their bars was made with Venezuelan beans. Not the same region, but still Venezuelan. They have switched to Madagascar, but I didn't think was entirely the right move. While their Madagascar bars taste good, it tastes a bit unbalanced to me. I found their Venezuelan bars more more balanced and refined.

[Source: travelmarcelo.com]

Ocumare de la Costa is in the northern coastal region in the Aragua State of Venezuela.

Via: The Nibble

•Criollo & Trinitario •Darker, robust •Cashews, peanuts •Spice, pepper

Ocumare 67. Originally from the Ocumare de la Costa valley, a Criollo and Trinitario hybridized blend. Interesting flavors of cashews, peanuts, spice, pepper, and sometimes dairy. The tone is a little darker than Ocumare 61 and it does not possess 61’s sharpness. It is more robust than 61 in overall character, with a heavier body.

The salty pretzel and salty cheddar were nearly too dominating, until you dipped it into the chocolate and took a sip of the rye beer. Then it was magic. Originally I thought the chocolate would be melted into the pretzel together with the sandwich, but the chocolate was so rich, it was better to have dipped each bit in the chocolate.

The chocolate was rich, fruity, and bold. Awesome roasted cocoa flavors which helped soften the cheese and pretzel. I wasn't able to fully get the range of this chocolate with everything going on for this pairing, but the rye was a spot on match for the chocolate. The rye actually stood out on the beer and the sweet malts softened the bitter edges of the chocolate allowing more robust fruity notes to come out and helped tame the salt and bitterness of the cheddar.

Once again something no one quite expected and wasn't sure how would be based on the way it sounded. Salty, big, robust cheddar on a pretzel with melted chocolate. And of all things paired with a rye beer. This dinner just kept getting better and better.


Third Course: Pan Roasted Duck breast, Patric Chocolates Rio Caribe (Venezuelan) 70% Chocolate Rissotto, Cherries, chocolate gastrique.

Beer: CBC's The Colonel. Will's notes: Tart barrel aged Porter with Brettanomyces, 6.5%. Complex fruity nose, tart bright acidity, a little funk/barnyard. palate hits tart and fruity first, then roast characters come out with mellow American oak - hints of vanilla and char - in the finish.

 

This is the chocolate I reviewed like a beer geek might review a lambic or a guezue. Very funky, deep, rich chocolate from the North Eastern coastal region of Venezuela. I ended my review of this chocolate with "I am not even sure if I really like this chocolate, I think I just like how raw and aggressive it is. This is not a beginners chocolate."

Rio Caribe 70% review.


Of course both Greg Reeves and Will Meyers loved it as it isn't even remotely close to what you might expect chocolate to taste like. The funkier and more different it is, the bigger the challenge and the more fun it is to pair is how they both looked at it.

The duck breast was cooked perfectly. Soft and game-y and a little steel-y tasting which I happened to love. The cherries and cherry gastrique added the right pop of sweetness to the dish and interacted extremely well with the beer. The sour Brett notes of the beer along with it's roasted porter notes worked so well with the chocolate risotto.

The chocolate risotto was expected to be slightly bitter due to the chocolate, but ended up being amazing. There was no bitterness, only rich, savory, roasted chocolate notes. Lovely chicken stock added a glossy shine to the perfectly cooked rice, and a hint of a spicy character to the risotto.

The beer was something I was slightly concerned about as I am not personally a big fan of Brettanomyces beers. But this was fantastic. The tartness, was not overbearing and the oak flavors added a lovely richness to the steel-y game taste of the duck breast. Naturally the cherries and the the roasted porter notes were a hit. It was extremely drinkable and delicious.

I have never had anything as odd as this before, yet so right.


Fourth Course: Bayley Hazen blue cheese on toasted brioche with a Mast Brothers Madagascar 72% chocolate-strawberry confiture with Mast Brothers Nibs.

Beer: Sixpoint's Old Krusher, 9.8% Barleywine made with farmed Amish Maple Syrup.

A huge way to end the already super-flavorful night. Sixpoint's new barleywine made with Amish maple syrup and Bayley Hazen blue cheese was a big hit.

This blue cheese is a personal favorite of mine with big Earthy notes, salty, bold, and big steel notes from the blue veins. This can be considered a more rustic blue cheese, but don't let anyone fool you and say it's mild. I usually pair this cheese with Double IPA's for the same reasons behind pairing it with an American-style barleywine. Lot's of hops with alpha acids to cut through the cheese, and sweet malts to help mingle with the steel-y blue veins. It's a no-brainer, natural, and amazing pairing.

The strawberries added the right balance of tart to the course with the sweet brioche that had the consistency of an English muffin and it helped round everything out. I didn't notice much of the cocoa except for a few hints with the nibs. I think the cheese was frankly too big to notice the subtitles of the chocolate, but it still managed to work incredibly well with the beer.

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the beer and I didn't do the right thing by taking a sip of the beer first to try and get an understanding of it before the pairing. I do know I liked it a lot with this course and am anxiously looking forward to finding more of it. 

We finished our night with more beer from CBC and samples of Mast Brothers bars and Patric Chocolate bars. I was able to taste that Patanemo Grand Cru from the Mast Brothers in bar form. All I can say is that I can't wait to review it.

It only took 3 cocktails after the dinner to tone down the effects of the chocolate. I heard from several people that it took a long time to finally unwind and sleep after that dinner.

I had a wonderful time meeting the Rick and Michael Mast of Mast Brothers Chocolate and Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate. It was a very big deal to me that they would travel all that way to come to my beer dinner. And of course it was great to hang out with Will and Megan both of whom I have known for years and absolutely love. And I can't forget my close friend Shane Welch, whom helped me convince those hipsters at Mast that coming up for one of my events would be more than worth it. Dylan Black of Green Street really did a great job of hosting this event and making it all possible for us.

A big thank you to Valerie Conyngham of Vianne Chocolat for coming to attend the dinner and David Goldstein of Boston Chocolate Tours for attending as well. Also on hand were the chocolate makers of Taza Chocolate. 

I am sure a lot of this dinner sounds interesting, bizarre, weird, strange, amazing, fantastic. It was all of the above. If you missed it, I can't say I feel sorry for you unless you live out of town. It was truly an amazing dinner and Greg Reeves is amazing. Everyone had a lot of fun and left very happy and full.

Look for more events of this nature from me through BeerAdvocate as I launch a new series of beer dinners called "Things We Love." I have no doubt chocolate will come up again.