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The Chocolate Tree, Scotland

 

 

In the name of all things generous, the fine folks at The Chocolate Tree in Edinburgh, Scotland are right up there. In announcing the end of my writing hiatus, The Chocolate Tree reached out to me about sampling their products. They managed to ship me some products all the way from Scotland to Denver, Colorado. I am floored anytime this happens. Not only am I grateful but I truly thank them for sending products all the way out here. Thank you, Ali! Thank you forever.

The Chocolate Tree are small-batch Bean-to-Bar chocolate makers, Alastair Gower and Friederike Matthis, in Edinburgh, Scotland. They specialize in organic bars and handmade bean-to-bar chocolate bars. As well as hot chocolates, spreads, truffles, and macaroons. They also retail Marou Chocolate. Fantastic Vietnam bean-to-bar artisanal chocolate. I personally love Marou and love their packaging. Good company to keep.

The package that arrived to me contained 3 products. Two bean-to-bar chocolate bars and an organic signature bar.

 

Via their website:

We are proud to be one of the first UK chocolatiers to not only produce fine chocolate work, but also make chocolate from bean. We work directly with growers of cacao to encourage growing of heirloom cacao which will sustain biodiversity and fine flavour chocolate into the future, as well as providing the growers with the best possible deal; cutting out the middle men.

In December 2009 we opened a classical yet contemporary chocolaterie at 123 Bruntsfield Place, in the boutique shopping district and much loved residential area of Edinburgh. We aim to provide a unique and comfortable atmosphere for you to explore the delights of fine flavour chocolate.

Organic farming on small plantations is in fact the best way to grow the cacao plants. The pesticide free farming allows midges to thrive and fertilize the cacao flowers, thus helping the plants to create the cacao beans from which the chocolate is made. Not only is this organic technique the best way to farm cacao, it is the only good use for a midge we have ever heard of!

 

Read about their trip to Peru sourcing cacao. Trip To Peru 2013

And here is a good interview with Ali Gower for Ragged Online. This deals with fair trade, organic and coops. It's long but well worth listening to.

 

Nibs & Salt Peru 70%

 

Type: Filled and flavored dark.

Bean Varietal: Nacional

Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar, nacional nibs, sea salt.

Sample Size: 90g

60 hour Conch.

 

Appearance: Two textured bars with raised tiles and signature patterned molding. A few surface nicks, but nothing major, smooth surface, muted matte surface not ultra shiny, a lighter brown color, and larger nibs leaving a larger raised surface on the backside.

Score: 89

Snap: Clean crisp snap, light snapping sound, slightly crumbly in it's break.

Score: 90

Aroma: Roasted cacao, citrus, inky, dried wood.

Score: 92

Taste: Bold, bitter, inky, fairly tangy, slightly acidic, berries, roasted nibs, good balance of sugars, then a later salt hit in the taste.

Score: 94

Texture: Good crunchy nibs, smooth creamy chocolate texture, medium-fast melt time.

Score: 94

 

Just a couple of surface marks, I judged it accordingly but it must be noted that this chocolate traveled all the way from Scotland to Denver. I don't expect perfect condition considering any number of factors that may have contributed to surface issues. Really it's a small detail but one that must be counted.

I like the molding and raised tiles. It' gives a nice unique look. And it's signature is cacao leaves and flowers. It's snap was good because of the thickness of the bar but a little crumbly. That could be because it's filled. But big lovely pieces of nibs. I really hate it when bars give very fine chopped up nibs. I like bigger pieces for a fuller crunch and better nib flavor.

It's aroma is very straight forward. Sometimes you get lots of descriptors on chocolate and sometimes it's fairly basic. But that doesn't mean it isn't good. It's a nice strong aroma of wood and citrus and big inky notes. Simple but good.

The flavor bounces all over the place but in a good way. Each taste presents itself individually and then lets the other tastes come through. It opens up very bold and bitter. Nice for 70%. And then it's sharp and tangy and very fruity with good berry flavors. Then the crunchy roasted nibs come out with full roasted and dried woody flavors. Then it's finished with the salt. Really good bar. It's the full real flavor of the Peruvian cacao and then playful with nibs and salt. Nothing is really dominating except it's natural flavor. Even though it's technically a flavored bar because of it's salt, the salt is not on the main stage. Very good balance. Great flavors.

A few minor surface issues gives it this score, but I say ignore the technical part of the score and go for how it tastes which is great.

 

Final Score: 91.8

score
B+

 

 

Bergamot & Raspberry Ecuador 55%

 

Type: Flavored Milk

Bean Varietal: Arriba Nacional

Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar, milk powder, cacao butter, bergamot and raspberry oils.

Sample Size: 90g

 

Appearance: Same patterned molding and raised tiles, muted matte surface, lighter brown color in a darker chestnut color, no real major surface nicks or matted marks, slight damage with a broken piece, but surface appearance still intact.

Score: 91

Snap: Good hard snap, nice snapping sound, and clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: A full savory aroma. Tart, buttery milk notes, black pepper, orange-y bergamot notes, and a subdued raspberry aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Spicy, peppery and orange bergamot right up front, creamy buttery flavor, the raspberry is not very apparent. Dominating bergamot. Lingering cacao flavors with milky finish.

Score: 90

Texture: Smooth, creamy, medium-fast melt time.

Score: 94

Again with the traveling, I am not taking major points off here for a slightly broken bar. Just one piece broke and it's really no big deal considering how far it came. I have been known in the past to be tough about this sort of thing but the surface of this bar held up better than the unbroken Nib & Salt bar. I think that's more important. It is an issue if you get it broken from the store. But in this case, I am not reviewing that aspect harshly.

Great snap. Very full and strong with a nice popping sound and no crumbles.

Interesting aroma. You expect a bigger Earl Grey tea smell but it's toned down and not too big. Neither is the raspberry. There is a tartness on the aroma but the raspberries are subdued. It's interesting because it's a savory kind of smell. It has orange notes and bergamot but also a buttery milky aroma.

The bergamot dominates the flavor of this bar. It's primarily a milky, buttery, creamy bar with orange and peppery bergamot flavors. The raspberry is completely lost. There are some remnants of it's presence in the finish but it's muddled with the milky after taste. It leaves a milky aftertaste similar to eating white chocolate. The cacao flavors are present at the finish. Slightly rich and bitter and also savory on the flavor as well as the aroma. It does have those drying qualities that Arriba Nacional beans tend to have but it's not as noticeable with the lingering milky finish.

The texture is fantastic. Soft, good melt time and smooth and creamy.

It's very good if you like spicy bergamot. It's very strong and flavorful chocolate. But my biggest issue with it is the milky aftertaste. It's a little cloying at the end. But it is a higher percentage milk chocolate with makes it richer than a typical 45%.

 

Final Score: 92.4

score
B+

 

 

 

The Chieftain

 

Type: Flavored bar 55%

Bean Varietal: Unknown, blend

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, vanilla powder), Pinhead oats, Haggis Spice (sea salt, coriander seed, mace, thyme).

Sample Size: 100g

 

Appearance: Smooth shiny surface with some plastic matted marks on the top surface, Deep dark brown color, standard small tabs tablet,

Score: 87

Snap: Good firm snap. Nice thickness on the bar and a good crisp snapping sound. Clean break lines.

Score: 94

Aroma: Huge spicy aroma. All mace. A little savory and herbal with thyme, oranges, black pepper aroma.

Score: 93

Taste: Big spicy taste, mace and herbal flavors. The thyme is bigger on the flavor and gives fairly big green  herbal taste, a little like pine tree sap, peppery, oranges, and red fruits from the cacao, cereal grains from the oats. Very slight spicy heat kick as well. Fruity lingering aftertaste of big rich raisins. Small pops of salt intermingled.

Score: 95

Texture: Medium hard with a slower melt time. Not as creamy as the others, but still smooth with a little crunch from the oats.

Score: 91

This bar is super fun. Love the tartan plaid wrapper and the very idea of a signature Scottish bar of chocolate with Haggis spice. While Haggis may not sound/be very appealing to the masses, the spices and aroma of this bar are awesome.

A matted surface. This is the only negative side effect from plastic packaging. I prefer plastic to hold the aromas and flavors on the bar longer. But it can lead to this kind of surface appearance. This could be from the traveling too. You never know what kind of temperature issues may affect the contents of a package in shipping. But you can see the integrity because it's still fairly shiny.

Nice thick bar with a standard mold. Clean but very film snap.

The aroma is huge. It's all mace which has a clove like aroma, oranges, black pepper, slightly herbal with the thyme. I didn't know what classic Haggis spice was, but this blend here makes for a good rich aroma on chocolate. I like it. It is really strong though. I could leave this bar out like a reed diffuser for the house.

It's pretty funky chocolate. I liked this a lot. It's interesting, it's different, and it actually works really well with the oats. It probably could have used more oats mixed in it. It has an awesome fruity aftertaste mingled with mace and spices. Not being that familiar with Haggis, I don't know how true to form it is in terms of taste, but what I get out of it is a huge holiday bar. This is something you want to pass around with friends and family.

As spicy as this chocolate is, it's still pretty balanced. You get a little bit of everything coming out. It's rich and deep for only a 55% too. But lower percentages and more sugars lend to a bigger fruity taste in chocolate. The lingering raisins and rich cacao flavors sort of halt a cloying aftereffect from something this heavily spiced. It's really wonderfully balanced and big at the same time.

It's score is another victim of technicalities. While important as a whole, I say ignore them and definitely try this bar. I loved it. It has so much going on and it was truly unique and fun. Plus you get to tell people you are eating Haggis chocolate. This is probably one of the most fun bars I have had in a while. I am so into the plain dark origin bars that I forget how fun and interesting good spice blends can be in chocolate when done properly.

 

Final Score: 92

score
B+

 

Thank you again, Ali. I appreciate the shipping and the skill shown in these bars. Deeply impressed with the Chieftain. The richness in the Nibs and Salt bar were great too. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your chocolate passion with me.

Chocolatier Blue

 

 

Chocolatier Blue out of San Francisco with shops in downtown Denver. This was my birthday box of goodies from my husband.

Handmade truffles with seasonality as a factor in certain flavors of truffles. The bases used for the chocolate are from Domori. World class Italian chocolate.

And a little blurb about Chris Blue the chocolatier from their website:

Chris Blue spent his childhood summers on a self-sustaining family farm in Nebraska. It was on the farm that Chris learned about organic agriculture, the importance of supporting local farms, and the meaning of hard work.

In time, Chris decided that he wanted to be a chef and he asked his Mom for advice concerning what type of culinary school he should attend. His mother’s advice was to learn about what he liked eating the most: chocolate.

It was decided that the French Pastry School in Chicago, where Chris would learn the intricacies of French chocolate making, would fit the bill. Always the perfectionist, Chris threw himself into chocolate candies and spent every spare minute mastering the techniques. While learning his trade, Chris began working at Charlie Trotter’s world-renowned restaurant and was able to combine his childhood experiences with organic agriculture to craft new, innovative confections.

In pursuit of a more perfect confection, Chris traveled the country, learning as much as possible at a variety of acclaimed establishments.

This experience led to the opening of Chocolatier Blue, a creation Chris shares with his fiancé Jessica Steeve. Jessica, an art major from the University of Iowa, has honed the aesthetic appeal of each chocolate to reflect the exquisite taste of each filling. While the flavors and designs of the chocolates change frequently, Chris works diligently to maintain the highest standards of his craft.

I can't say what the shop looks like, I haven't been in yet, but I can say the truffles are not made in house. They flown in fresh from San Fransisco. A little disappointing that they are not made locally, but fresh is still important and the store person assured my husband that they are flown in either daily or every couple of days.

 

 

 

 

**Truffle descriptions via Chocolatier Blue.

 

Sugar Cookie - The Cookie of the season is baked fresh, mixed with white chocolate and encased in chocolate for a holiday bite.

I am not sure if cookie of the season means it changes for each season. But I am assuming that's what the description means. With that, I am not sure which cookie has been used for this particular truffle. It smells buttery and a little creamy. It tastes creamy and buttery but is a little dominated by the white chocolate. It's sweet and little sugary but the chocolate shell on the outside lends to a lingering milk chocolate taste. It tastes like a butter cookie.

I liked this one. I was kind of hoping for more of a cookie dough center rather than a white chocolate blend. But two bites in and the dominate white chocolate taste goes away for more of a buttery taste. First impression was ehh, but it ended up finishing strong in my opinion.

 

Mulled Wine - This tantalizing brew of the best red wine and rich spices in dark chocolate is sure to leave a lasting warmth.

 

Smells spicy but a mellow spicy kick not too strong. Big spicy flavor though. Lots of cinnamon and cardamon, a rich and very soft buttery center and sweet dark chocolate case.

Really good balance. The spice is strong right up front but all are showcased here with the rich creamy center and the sweet and sharp dark chocolate finish. The spices do dominate any real wine flavors but the combination is still perfectly balanced and superbly rich. Great truffle.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole - A classic crowd pleaser is made with fresh-roasted sweet potato caramel and layered with marshmallow wrapped in a milk chocolate shell.

 

The real reason we're here. I was looking up chocolate cake on my birthday and found this shop. When I saw they had creative truffles like my holiday favorite sweet potato casserole, Todd was sent on a mission 10 minutes later for chocolates.

It has a very mellow aroma. Mostly the milk chocolate. It tastes like a savory truffle of butter and sweet potatoes. not spiced, a little bit of the marshmallows. First bite is a little obscure, second bite is exactly like a sweet potato casserole only covered in chocolate. Very fun truffle and very holiday appropriate.

 

Cookies & Cream - No need to dunk oreos in milk when there are blended into white chocolate filling with a rich dark chocolate shell.

 

The aroma smells like the shell of the truffle. The taste is interesting. The cookie covers up the white chocolate milk taste, but the white chocolate filing tones down some of the chocolate-y cookie taste of an oreo. This truffle was okay but could have been a lot better. I am not sold on the white chocolate blended centers kind of like the sugar cookie truffle.

 

Vanilla Rum - Fresh Madagascar vanilla bean are the idea enhancement to dark spiced rum in a white chocolate filling with a dark rich shell.

Lovely vanilla aroma. Soft and pretty. Soft buttery taste without a big boozy kick. You can taste the rum and the vanilla blended up with a butter white chocolate filling. The dark chocolate did not interfere and was a very nice after finish taste. Great balance on this truffle. The alcoholic in me wished it had a bigger hit of booze to it but then the rum would be too over powering.

 

Sage Honey - Wild California sage honey is blended into white chocolate and encased in dark chocolate for a perfect harmony of flavors.

Soft nose. But sadly the rich honey flavors are lost by the white chocolate filling it's blended with. The dark chocolate at the end seems a little out of place as a last minute flavor on top of the white chocolate. Sage is a robust flavor and should have been more pronounced even from sage honey. While it's there there, it's too subtle to pay attention to and the honey flavor is also lost. White chocolate is the dominate flavor.

 

 

Lemon - Fresh local lemon zest and juice is intermingled with rich milk chocolate for a perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Apparently I didn't want to wait before cutting into this one and take it's picture so there is only one to see. But at the top of the post is a picture of the box and in the bottom right hand corner that's the surface image. Really enjoyable truffle and again good balance.

Soft lemon aroma mixed with milk chocolate on the aroma. Big bright lemon flavor. Great balance with the milk chocolate. Soft creams and bold tart lemons. Great little pop and lived up to it's description.

 

Pistachio - Highly esteemed Sicilian pistachios are slowly roasted and delicately blended into a smooth creamy filling with milk chocolate.

 

Another soft aroma, rich buttery filling nicely balanced with the milk chocolate shell. Nice truffle but to be honest, the nutty flavor wasn't as rich as I hoped it would be. It's more creamy and buttery than it is nutty with pistachios. Still the milk chocolate was a nice accompaniment to filling.

 

Grapefruit with Rosemary - Fresh rosemary is used to craft a creamy caramel with-farm cream and fresh rudy red grapefruit for a combination that is second to none.

A soft herbal aroma with citrus. The center was not a soft caramel but more of a creamy ganache filling. The grapefruit comes off more as an orange flavor with a slight hint of the rosemary. To be honest it tastes like something else entirely. As with the Sage Honey, the rosemary is offset and dominated when it was a flavor I was really hoping would come through more. Orange and chocolate is not my favorite combination and because the grapefruit tastes like oranges, it's not a winner for me.

 

White Russian - Fresh brewed Flying Goat coffee and vodka in tempting dark chocolate is a tribute to this classic drink.

 

Smells nutty and roasted. The chocolate makes the coffee smell a bit like coffee grinds. Tastes like creamy coffee and slightly like Kahlua. The coffee should be more pronounced than it is and I wish it had more vodka esters or heat on the finish. There are some esters that come later in the finish, but very slight. It's okay.

 

 

Pumpkin - Fresh sugar pie pumpkins are slow roasted with a touch of pumpkin and a bit of white chocolate for a taste that rivals any holiday dessert.

Nice spicy aroma. Spicy creamy taste. Like pumpkin pie but finishes with a white chocolate taste. There is an odd plastic taste to it. It might be from the spices and the white chocolate flavors. It completely interferes with a perfectly good truffle. I don't know what causes that kind of flavor. The spices on the first taste were a good blend and even the creaminess of the white chocolate lended a good buttery taste. But something else is interfering making this not very good and a complete plastic taste. Spices can be hard to maintain. I learned about this with pumpkin ales. If they are over spiced, they can sour a beer once it begins to warm to room temp. I suspect something similar happened here.

 

Passion Fruit Caramel - Fresh tangy New Zealand passion fruit juice is finished into a creamy decadent caramel with a touch of dark chocolate.

Nice passion fruit aroma. Very zippy little truffle here. Very bright and tart passion fruit flavors finished with nutty and almost coffee-like flavors on the dark chocolate. Nice butter caramel center on the second taste. Good flavors all around. Tart, fresh, passion fruit taste, creamy, buttery, and a nutty coffee chocolate-y finish. Nice roller coaster of flavor here.

 

75% Dark Chocolate - Single origin dark chocolate from Domori blended with cream and organic butter for a flawless chocolaty indulgence.

 

Of course you know what I am going to say here. Which origin? Nerd Alert: to chocolate geeks, it makes a huge difference knowing which origins were talking about. Madagascar is hugely different than Vietnam cacao, or Venezuelan. Let's see if I can take a gander here at which origin.

Tastes like a classic fudgy brownie truffle with a butter cream taste. I am afraid I can't tell where this comes from.  Sometimes I am that good. This time I can't tell. Fudgy brownie qualities are hallmarks of Ghana cacao. But the butter and cream could muddle it and make it something South American as well. I know I should call the shop and ask. But I don't want to out of defiance. It should be listed already. If it's from south America, it's possibly Peruvian. If it's from Africa, it tastes like Ghana cacao. I will update if I ever find out.

 

Espresso - California Flying Goat coffee is steeped in fresh-farm cream then blended with organic butter and a rich dark chocolate creating a perfect luxury.

Nutty coffee grinds aroma. More buttery than coffee. Not as rich and luxurious as mentioned. It's slightly nutty and coffee-ish but nothing really stands out here as an espresso truffle. They seem to hold back a lot on flavors or the flavors dissipate quicker than expected. It's a fine truffle just not as rich as I hoped.

 

Root Beer Float - A perfect after dinner treat of fresh vanilla root beer filling poured into a thin dark chocolate shell.

Smells like root beer and licorice root. It tastes exactly like root beer. It's more like a root beer caramel but the spices and flavors are more pronounced than the buttery notes like the other truffles and caramels. It's a good match and a good blend. If you are not into root beer you won't like this. But if you remember that taste its a great little truffle and leaves a lingering licorice taste with the dark chocolate.

 

Hazelnut - Award-winning Ennis hazelnuts are meticulously roasted with fleur de sel salt and blended into a flawless textured filling.

Really good. Gianduja is a fantastic flavor. Blended chocolate and hazelnuts. Good balance of salt and little crunchy pieces. This is simple, classic tasting, and very good.

 

PB Crunch - An over the top peanut treat created with homemade peanut brittle ground into fresh peanut butter and enclosed in milk chocolate.

You had me at peanut brittle. Not as crispy as I was expecting but the taste is everything. Good sweet candy taste of the brittle almost like pb and honey, roasted peanut butter and good salt balance. I am a big fan of peanut butter and this was a good little truffle. I just wish it was slightly more crunchy for more of that brittle texture.

 

Peanut butter and Strawberry Jam - A little milk chocolate with fresh ground peanut butter is layered with strawberry jam for an instant summer flash regardless of the time of year.

Peanut butter and strawberry jame is how I eat my sandwiches at home. I am a lover of this combo. And it tastes like pb & sj. I wish it had a slight bit more of the strawberry because the peanut butter is a big flavor. But that's a small observation. It's a nice truffle worthy of childhood memories or your favorite lunchtime sammie.

 

 

Todd gets points for being a good husband and bringing his wife fun holiday truffles. He gets negative points for failing to get a Chili truffle in the box and a Cranberry-Sage truffle to try.

Overall these are good truffles. I wish some of the flavors were bigger or more pronounced. The coffee truffles were lack luster on the coffee flavors. As were some of the more creative spicier truffles like the Sage Honey and Grapefruit Rosemary. Some of these were very original in flavors. I loved the idea of cookie dough and sweet potato casserole. I would love to try the cranberry-sage next time too. Some of them were a miss for me. I am not a big fan of white chocolate. It muddled some of the flavors in my opinion.

I'd say the Passion Fruit caramel was a big win for me. The Hazelnut, Vanilla Rum, Mulled wine, and the Lemon were the best in this box. The peanut butter truffles were great too.

 

I am back!

 

I have taken a short hiatus from writing about chocolate to reevaluate some things and to get my priorities in order. I have recently moved from Boston to Denver, Colorado. Very big change and uproot in my life. But well worth it. I am in Ritual Chocolate territory now. I am deciding what to do with my current rating system for chocolate. I may keep it, I may not. But for now I think I want to just write about products I find without scoring and just talk about the products more in depth.

New companies interested in my reviews or write ups about their products can contact me at [email protected].

Thanks for staying a fan and following me on twitter or facebook.

 

@ChocoAdvocate

 

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