Simple art design for Zotter by Andreas H. Gratze.
Handmade filled or layered chocolate bars with unique flavors from Zotter in Austria. This was given to me by my good friend in London, Angelo Scarnera. I requested some more Zotter products and he found a few of these funky bars to try from some of the local markets around London.
Zotter has a fairly large range of products. All unique and interesting and packaged with awesome artwork. A bean-to-bar producer who works with fair trade and organic ingredients.
"Hand-Scooped"
Via Zotter's website:
Zotter was the first chocolate manufacturer who introduced the term “hand-scooped” in order to create a distinguishing feature that would set his chocolate apart from the usual pure chocolates. Scooping is also an appropriate expression for his manufacturing of unique chocolates and the creative combination of ingredients into constantly new varieties.
The manufacture of hand-scooped chocolates can be carried out without the use of any moulds. Using a ladle and a cylinder our BASiC couverture – the final product from the conching plant – is applied manually to a millimetre-thin layer of paper which has been spread over stainless steel tables with a length of 15 m.
This is followed by the first filling layer, e.g. a deeply red raspberry mass and subsequently by the next layer, for example an aromatic coconut mass. It is applied using a spatula and afterwards distributed evenly. Certain chocolate varieties are composed of up to 6 layers, which are all applied manually. However, the heavy pots which contain the fillings are held by a crane. The BASiC couverture comes into play as the final layer.
The giant chocolate bar is cut longitudinally and transversely by means of a machine which only carries out the arrangement of the bars but is moved manually. 1120 chocolate bars are produced on one table. Afterwards the small 70g-bars are dipped into and surrounded by liquid couverture. Their typical wavy surface results from a flow of cold air with which the surplus chocolate is blown off. The transport through a cooling tunnel solidifies the chocolates and lends them a shiny appearance. After having been wrapped into golden paper, the chocolate bars look forward to being surrounded by their enchanting package bands.
My first experience with Zotter was excellent. I tasted his Labooko bars from Brazil. Two bars of chocolate from two distinctly different regions from one country in one package. Incredible art work as well for a chocolate bar.
Same art designer, simpler design for the Cheese-Walnut-Grapes bar. I kind of like it being simpler. It's an already crazy flavored bar. It doesn't need more bold and wild packaging. At least in my opinion anyway.
Austrian mountain cheese, walnuts, grapes and a touch of balsamic apple vinegar, altogether dipped in fine bitter chocolate.
This bar asks that you open it and let it "breathe" a bit before eating. Like a fine wine. I wonder if they will make a chocolate that is nuanced towards beer palates?
Fine bitter couverture 60%.
Type: Filled, coated in semi-sweet, 60%.
Ingredients: Raw cane sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, walnuts, milk, cheese, fructose-glucose syrup, raisins, full cream milk powder, skimmed milk yogurt, whole cane sugar, apple balsamic vinegar, Grappa, sweet whey powder, skimmed milk powder, lemon concentrate, soy powder, salt, vanilla, Bird's Eye chili, and soy lecithin.
*Fair trade ingredients and controlled organic cultivation.
Sample Size: 70g or 2.47oz
Slight damage to the corner of the bar. Some leaking of the wet ingredients. Minor flaw to the bar. Cool waving pattern on the surface from the chocolate being cooled as it's being coated.
Upon opening it smelled sweet, like grapes, lightly boozy, wet raisins like from a loaf of Challah or raisin bread, and nutty from the walnuts. Once it's "breathed" a bit the aromas intensify mostly the raisins and the boozy esters from the Grappa.
Soft filling in the center, very light chocolate coating. Big roller coaster flavors. Sweet, sugary, cinnamon, big raisins, funky cheese with salty and tangy notes, and chocolate. Walnuts give added lingering flavors and texture.
Very funky and weird, yet very good. You get the sweetness and raisins right away, then it breaks out in the funky cheese, almost like a washed rind or a big blue cheese. Those flavors you think will dominate, but they end up being smoothed out by the sweet chocolate.
The first few bites I didn't notice the Bird's Eye chilies, but as I got closer to the center I could detect small amounts of spicier heat coming through. It's also not as boozy as it's aroma makes you believe. It has a little bit of a milky/ creamy lingering aftertaste with some Grappa and cheesy notes through retro-olfaction. But after all those crazy flavors piled on, I get the lasting bits of chocolate on the front of the palate.
It's like a little European picnic rolled into one bar. Cheese, raisins, walnuts, hints of Grappa, spices, and chocolate. All you need is a bottle of wine or a good Belgian beer, a little bit of bread and this would be a complete picnic meal ready for the park. Although it is very unusual for a bar of chocolate, I an very impressed with this funky little thing.
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