In honor of Valentine's Day I'm writing a series of posts this week celebrating things that I love. This first one is about chocolate, for which I hold a deep and abiding adoration. I delight in trying out all different kinds and keep detailed tasting notes. I take great pleasure in discussing the finer points of the confection, like a wine enthusiast or a serious coffee drinker would with their respective passions. Chocolate is simple and comforting, transcendent and divine.
There are hundreds of chocolate brands to choose from out there and people are doing more and more amazing things with it all the time. It is a very exciting time to be a lover of chocolate. The following are a few of my favorite companies from the past few years. If any of you are strapped for a Valentine's, birthday, housewarming, etc. gift to give, and think that candy will do, you've come to the right place. Heck, buy some for yourself. You deserve it.
(Clockwise from the upper left*)
1) Michael Mischer - This store based out of Oakland sells the smoothest chocolate I've ever tasted. All the bars use Criollo beans and they are beautifully textured and jaw-droppingly delicious. The cayenne-spiced mango and the toffee and salt bars are out of this world. This chocolatier is my newest love, but I think this one is here to stay.
2) Vosges Haut Chocolat - This one is my sweetheart, the light of my life. Vosges' Barcelona Bar is my favorite chocolate ever. Their deep milk chocolate (41% cocoa) has the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. I've tried most of their offerings and you cannot go wrong with Vosges. Their caramel collection? Perfection.
3) Komforte Chockolates - Any company that embraces the combination of savory and sweet is alright in my book. Komforte makes small batch bars in unexpectedly familiar combinations. My friend broke me off a piece of her Ramen Noodle chocolate last year and I just loved the crunchy texture.
4) Amedei - On this Tuscan chocolate maker's website there is a declaration: "Amadei is a dream which takes the shape of chocolate". Truth. These bars are elegant and they are excellent. Truly a fine chocolate experience.
1) TCHO - I was lucky enough to try TCHO's beta testing development squares back in 2007 before they released their 1.0 bars. Ha - sounds more like software than chocolate, doesn't it? TCHO is innovative and passionate, chocolate for the modern age. I love that they are trying to learn and teach the base flavors of chocolate. Their flavor wheel is an awesome thing to experiment with.
2) Theo - "Theo chocolate is proud to be the only Organic, Fair-trade, Bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US." I started eating Theo chocolate because it was fair trade and I stayed because it was interesting, satisfying and flat out wonderful. It is my dream to visit their Seattle factory. They have a wide selection of great products but the Fantasy Flavors, with their whimsical wrappers, are my favorite of all. Theo chocolate is also the most modestly priced of all the candies listed here and you are getting excellent quality for your money.
3) Askinosie - This company blows my mind. They buy directly from bean farmers, pay them above fair trade prices and profit share with them. They are the first small batch U.S. chocolate maker to press their own cocoa butter and make natural cocoa powder. Their packaging is beyond cool. Oh, and they make some damn good chocolate, too.4) Mast Brothers -The only chocolate on this list which I haven't tasted. I am dying to try it. There is just something very special about the style and philosophy of their chocolate craft and I know it will not disappoint. Two bearded brothers who wear pinstriped aprons and run New York City's only bean-to-bar factory? Count me in.
*All photos sourced from company websites except for Komforte chocolate (by Typefiend), Mast Brothers (by Lovely Package) and Michael Mischer (by me).
