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Taste. Better. Chocolate.
Discover the world of craft chocolates through my personal tasting reviews, learn about how chocolate is made, learn to mindfully taste chocolate and find out what's going on in the worldwide craft chocolate scene.

I'm Lilla, chocolatier and certified chocolate taster, chocolate educator and I eat chocolate Every. Single. Day.

I started this blog to share my passion for craft chocolates with others and to celebrate the amazing diversity of flavours and styles in chocolate making, the makers and of course the cacao farmers.

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Lilla - Chocolate Educator
I have been longing to taste some @chocolatasm cr I have been longing to taste some @chocolatasm creation for such a long time, I can't tell you how lucky I feel that Trish @myic2016 sent me this Sexy Nutmeg bar made by Paul John Kearins. #chocswap 🐙 Isn't this huge octopus on the packaging (and the bar!) just mesmerizing? Almost felt sorry for breaking this bar. Almost. But the enticing orange aroma was too hard to resist. The 40% caramelized milk chocolate is enriched with orange oil and nutmeg, a winter-y flavour combo that I could have all year long (who cares about seasons anyway, when today, here in Vienna at one moment we had a huge snowstorm and the next second it was all gone, the Sun was shining on an empty bright blue sky, then half an hour later, sunshine and snowing at the same time...) 🌬️❄️☀️🌦️ 🍊 Now realizing that this bar is actually a double word score as orange in Hungarian is 'narancs' so even more perfect for this week's #tttt_n.  An indulgent bar to say the least. Creamy milk chocolate, sweet orange with a hint of spice, the nutmeg isn't actually that strong for me, but I can definitely taste some spiciness in the background. The sweet orange flavour lingers around for quite a long time which is really nice. This could make a very nice hot chocolate, if I still had some... 😅 oops! Also, I was really inspired by the quote on the back of the bar: "No food, when eaten, should bring with it one single ounce of regret" I totally agree! Almost every day I come across posts related to chocolate talking about guilty pleasure or the opposite, guilt-free. Why are we attaching the feeling of guilt to any food? I tend to say, it's the guilt that makes you put on weight, not the chocolate. And I also ask: 'Does it make you put on less weight if you feel guilty about it?' So why bother? Enjoy, savour the moment and the food, and then move on. Curious what you think about this guilt-culture related to chocolate. 🤔 Have you tasted Chocolatasm bars, bonbons or other delights? I'm dreaming about the marzipan bar topped with pistachios and the chocolate dipped stroopwaffel.
Mexico&Mezcal for #tttt_m week! Gifted to me by @ Mexico&Mezcal for #tttt_m week! Gifted to me by @choccoffeewine in our #chocswap, this is the second time for me to taste a @cunadepiedra_ bar. My first one was their 85% Soconusco, and this time I have a pretty special infused bar. 75% dark from Comalcalco, Tabasco with Mezcal Reposado from Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. I wasn't too familiar with this agave-based Mexican drink, but thankfully the packaging provides some info as well and it seems like quite a complicated process. The minimalist packaging is eye-catching, the inner black foil is elegant and the embossed letters of the mould become visible before even opening up the bar. Apart from the slight shipping damage, the bar looks good. The aroma is slightly smokey. The bar gives a sharp snap and the chocolate melts fairly easily with a powdery mouthfeel (like icing sugar melting on your tongue). Only ingredients are: cacao and cane sugar, and the alcohol-removed Mezcal Reposado. Complex floral, smokey and woody notes swirl around as the chocolate melts and warms up in the mouth. A delicate warmth is brought along by the oak barell aged distillate. As a complete alcohol novice, especially regarding spirits, I wouldn't be able to guess what the base is, it vaguely reminds me of rum&raisin but I know this might sound blasphemous (I need to read Shay's posts more attentively!). A very enjoyable bar altogether, something you would keep for special occasions, for a moment of calm and to share it with someone special in the evening (maybe with a drink, if you do). Have you tried any Cuna de Piedra bars? Do you like alcohol infused chocolate bars?
Actually posting within the right week #tttt_l, le Actually posting within the right week #tttt_l, let's call that an improvement, shall we? Today I brought you the cutest cocoa pod hugging bear ever. 🐻 He's the lazy bear taking a nap on a cocoa pod. And this is a bean-to-bēar chocolate made by my friends @_chococard_ in Hungary. This particular bar was their first bean-to-bar chocolate as they slowly switched from couverture to making their own chocolate. The beans are from Cacao Bisiesto in the Matagalpa region, La Dalia, Nicaragua (fyi French Broad Chocolate and Cru Chocolate are also using these beans). Deep dark brown colour and savoury aroma, a slow creamy melt releasing earthy notes of tobacco, mushroom, toasted sunflower seeds. An almost savoury, umami flavour profile that I really enjoy. I truly wish you get to taste ChocoCard's bars as they are made with so much care and intention. No lecithin, no vanilla, direct trade, extremely friendly and funny couple behind the brand ❤️ Have you tasted bean-to-bēar? I know some of you will soon 😉
Playing catch up on #tttt_2021, so just the usual Playing catch up on #tttt_2021, so just the usual stuff here. But, this bar is quite special, so keep reading. K is for Kampot pepper. It's fascinating how many different peppercorn varieties are out there really. I was obviously really curious to try this bar from @herufekchocolate. They did a complete rebrand and their new packaging just looks fantastic! The only issue being that the whole thing is in Czech so I don't understand much without my friend, Google translate. But the cute illustrations help to get a grasp of what is explained on the inside of the packaging.  I could also gather that this chocolate is made with cocoa beans from Uganda, Semuliki Forest (Bundibugyo) sourced through Latitude Trade Cacao. And the 70% dark chocolate is very generously topped with crushed kampot pepper. This new custom mould looks so cool, isn't it? Reminds me of a chemistry lab, and also honeycomb structure as well.  The chocolate has an intense citrusy-peppery aroma. It is quite thin and melts quickly, it's creamy but there's some heat and crunch because of the pepper. At first, I was afraid because some of the pepper pieces seemed to big, but it's actually quite a mellow pepper, so it only gets too spicy if you really crunch it up with your teeth on its own. It gives the chocolate a slight heat kick and a citrusy spiciness that works well with the creamy, rich dark chocolate.  Have you tried kampot pepper before?
A week late to the game again, but I have a reason A week late to the game again, but I have a reasonable excuse, I have launched my series of (video) podcast in Hungarian to raise the bar in the Hungarian craft chocolate scene. The first episode of @adjrakakaot was a really interesting round-table talk with 3 of the 4 bean-to-bar makers in Hungary. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to these great people and it was especially heartwarming to see how deeply passionate they are about cacao and craft chocolate. So watch out for these guys! We are bringing on the Hungarian craft chocolate revolution! 🙂 But, back to our wonderful Tangential Tasting Twin Tuesdays! I will try to catch up with the posts. So although this week is already all about the letter K, let me show you a very interesting bar going back to week J. I received this from lovely Trish @myic2016 as part of our latest #chocswap. I really like the packaging and also look at this beautiful custom mould design.  Jasper+Myrtle is a chocolate maker in Canberra, Australia sourcing their cocoa beans from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. For this intriguing inclusion bar they paired the dark chocolate with wakame (seaweed) and Himalayan rock salt. This creates a unique salty, savoury, umami-like flavour profile that may be unusual at first, as the salt crystals and the dried wakame hit your tongue. Then, as the chocolate melts and mixes with the ingredients, it all balances out and becomes a very interesting savoury chocolate. First I thought it was too salty for me, but then I just kept on breaking off pieces and munching on them until now it's almost all gone.  Do you like savoury-style chocolate bars? I feel like I should pair this with some cheese or something, do you have any suggestions? #tttt_j #tttt_chocolate #tttt_2021 #darkchocolate #beantobar #wakame #saltedchocolate #savoury #craftchocolate #madeinaustralia #chocolatemaker #chocolateeducator #tastebetterchocolate #chocswap #chocolatefriends #chocolatereview #tangentialtastingtwintuesday
I keep bumping into chocolates made with cacao fro I keep bumping into chocolates made with cacao from India and I have started to like them more and more. This bar from @wm.chocolate was gifted to me by Shay @choccoffeewine in a #chocswap and I'm happy to try another bar from Will (I've had his Honduras bar last year for W week). This 65% dark has such a beautiful light brown colour and perfect snap. A slow melt releases delicious sweet notes of juicy summer fruits layered with a slightly roasted note of peanut butter. Like a PB&J in a bar form!  Last week we had some Indian friends over (our kids go to the same nursery group), and they really appreciated that I showed them this chocolate (and two others) made with cacao from their home country. Do you like this origin? What's your favourite chocolate made from Indian beans?  #tttt_i #tttt_chocolate #tttt_2021 #chocolate #craftchocolate #beantobar #chocolatemaker #darkchocolate #indiancocoa #madeinusa #wmchocolate #singleoriginchocolate #chocolateaddict #chocolateeducator #chocolatefriends #chocolatereview
[gifted] What else for #TTTT_H than some new bars [gifted] What else for #TTTT_H than some new bars from @heindeverre. Ewald and Jan-Willem kindly sent me this amazing selection of bars to try since sadly we couldn't meet again in person at Chocoa 2021 as planned.  Last year, I already tasted the Bold and Balmy Brazil, so in this post I won't detail those, feel free to scroll back to check those out.  Today, I will compare 3 bars made with cocoa beans from Bali and 2 from Peru. They have a QR code that brings you to the website where there's lots of extra info. - Peru Piura 71%: rare white beans from the Norandino cooperative, a blend of two different roast profiles. Lovely soft-brown colour, sharp fruity aroma. Upon melting, the creamy chocolate starts off with a kick of bright ripe fruits, acidity, a very complex flavour. It slowly mellows out and finishes with a more gentle, subtle coffee note.  - Vibrant Peru 37%: cocoa butter from the Kato Sac farmers and Tesoro Amazonico cacao processors in the region San Martin of Peru. The aroma is captivating, sweet dairy notes with a lovely floral overtone. Very creamy, with an intense cooling sensation on the tongue upon melt. Rich notes of clotted cream, vanilla custard (no added vanilla!), white dessert wine (like a sweet Tokaj), or like an eggnog. Refreshing taste, vibrant and lively! Warning: it's best to eat it within a day or so to keep it at its best flavour, well, no issue with that 😅!  - Aged Noble Bali 71%: If Peru was bright fruity, this aged Bali is a more reserved, gentle kind of bar. Light woody aroma, creamy melt. Subtle yet complex and rich notes of aromatic spices, frankincense, wood. - Creamy Noble Bali 55%: sweet aroma and a fabulous salted caramel character, clotted cream, with a kind of umami undertone. Rich, full-bodied, indulgent. - Vegan Noble Bali 55%: vegan mylk 2.0 - H&V don't simply add a vegan milk powder alternative, they created their own mix that resembles in composition to animal dairy. Using oats, rice, banana, coconut and calcium in a specific formulation. Aroma is dominated by coconut, but the flavour profile has a richness of a sweet tropical smoothie (like a piña colada), slight salty edge, hints of caramel.  (Cont.⏬)
Originally wanted to keep this @violetskychocolate Originally wanted to keep this @violetskychocolate bar for V-week because of Violet and Vanilla, but after taking the photos, I couldn't resist munching on it because the aroma is just soooo enticing. I mean just look at this bar, you can hardly see the chocolate from all those aromatic, crunchy pieces of vanilla infused maple sugar. Luckily, the chocolate is made with cocoa beans from Guatemala (sourced through @uncommoncacao) so perfect for #tttt_g. Thanks Shay @choccoffeewine for sending me this fantastic bar in our #chocswap. There's only a tiny piece left now as I'm writing this post. It's hard getting over the instense aroma. Pure bliss. And that crunch! The chocolate itself is creamy and has a rich, earthy note that pairs really nicely with the maple. The packaging is a bit hard to open nicely (well, at least for someone collecting wrappers), but that's probably the only issue I had with this bar. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. Do you agree with me that inclusion bars should be so generously topped with ingredients or do you prefer less? #tttt_2021 #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #chocolatetasting #chocolate #darkchocolate #maplesugar #vanillabean #realvanilla #inclusionbar #violetskychocolate #gifted #chocolatefriends #chocolateeducator #chocolatemaker #beantobarchocolate #singleoriginchocolate #craftchocolate
Well technically this was for F week, but lucky as Well technically this was for F week, but lucky as I am it also goes for G week! 🙈 But keep an eye for another G-week post, too.  This is the second time for me to taste bars made from tree-to-bar in Ghana by FairAfric. I supported two of their Kickstarter projects, this last one was about building a solar-powered chocolate factory right there in Ghana creating lots of jobs for the local community, with no child labour and in a very environment-friendly way. The packaging states that it's climate neutral. I purchased a set of 5 bars from Fairafric and this is the most interesting because it has tiger nut powder as one of the inclusions besides chopped almonds. The packaging and custom mould design are both new developments and I have to say they have improved a lot in this sense compared to their bars from 2018. The bars are thin, proudly showing off "made in Ghana" on each square. The inner cellophane is biodegradable and made from sustainable wood pulp.  The 70% dark bar has a deep earthy aroma with a nutty overtone from the almonds and hint of vanilla (although it is not an added ingredient!). I expect sweetness, and the bar starts off with a quite general chocolate flavour note. It melts easily and then you get hit by a load of small almond nibs to crunch on. Chomping is quite normal in this case I guess. Overall it's a pleasant bar of chocolate with a nice crunch, but not that extraordinary. The way it is produced and the concept behind it is more important. I'm happy to see this example, and this could be one possible solution for the many issues of cocoa growers in West Africa. More local jobs, more income for the farmers and communities, more opportunities to get out of the deep. So check them out if you have a chance.  Have you tasted @fairafric yet? What do you think about their initiative? #tttt_2021 #tttt_f #tttt_g #fairafric #ghana #inclusionbar #treetobar #sustainablechocolate #nochildlabor #veganchocolate #climateneutral #nongmo #organicchocolate #beantobarchocolate #chocolatefactory #chocolatemaker #solarpowered #makeadifference #instachocolate #chocolateeducator #crowdfunding #kickstarterreward
E is for Ecuador #tttt_e #tttt_2021 and I'm tastin E is for Ecuador #tttt_e #tttt_2021 and I'm tasting @solcacao for the very first time thanks to our #chocswap with dear Shay @choccoffeewine. After getting to know this brand through @chocolatenoise's online talk back in Spring 2020 following the #blacklivesmatter events I was hoping to get a chance to try some chocolates from the makers involved. So I'm very happy that now I can also show you this nice 70% dark chocolate made with Ecuadorian cacao beans from the Cedeño farm. Only cacao and cane sugar, pure and simple. The dark shades of the bar imply intensity, the aromas are deep and woody. The slow melt releases rich woody, earthy notes (almost like a barrel aged bar), a roasted coffee note comes along too with a slightly growing acidity towards the finish. Barely sweet, the woody flavour lingers for quite a while. I really enjoyed this bar and its characteristic notes. It's not a very dynamic bar, it develops slowly, but it lets your mind wander as you taste. Have you tasted Sol Cacao before? #chocolate #craftchocolate #madeinusa #beantobarchocolate #ecuador #singleestate #singleoriginchocolate #beantobar #instachocolate #darkchocolate #twoingredients #cocoabeans #smallbatchchocolate #chocolatemaker #chocolatebar #veganchocolate #finechocolate #chocswap #chocolatefriends #chocolatereview #tangentialtastingtwintuesday
D is for dragée! I love chocolate covered everyth D is for dragée! I love chocolate covered everything, don't you? I often find myself looking for some quick snack but something that is of good quality. I think dragées are perfect. Whether it's dried fruits, nuts or in this case whole roasted cocoa beans, the flavour combinations and the contrasting textures always win me over. Dragées are easy to portion, you can just have 1 nibble (although I usually end up with several handfuls 😂), you combine chocolate and fruits or nuts, making it a healthier snacking option than just chocolate on its own. Pictured, you can see a new product development by @_chococard_ in Hungary. They caramelized whole roasted cocoa beans in unrefined cane sugar and then covered them in their own bean-to-bēar dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder. The result is an aromatic chocolate pebble with a very crunchy caramel layer and a lovely nutty, crunchy cocoa bean. The chocolate is creamy and gives a nice contrast to all the crunch that's happening beneath it. The cane sugar caramel is flavourful and complements the slight acidity and nutty flavour notes of the beans. My other favourite dragée from ChocoCard is their chocolate covered cocoa nibs. So addictive! Do you like dragées? What's your favourite chocolate-covered thing? #tttt_d #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #tttt_2021 #dragée #chocolatecovered #delicious #craftchocolate #Hungarian #darkchocolate #cocoabean #cocoa #cocoapowder #singleoriginchocolate #chocolatemaker #tastebetterchocolate #chocolateeducator #chocolatetasting #instachocolate #chocolatecommunity
I can almost certainly say that this is the very l I can almost certainly say that this is the very last bar remaining from my 2020 Chocoa stash. And it's such a lovely bar to finish with. If you know @mario_vandeneede the funny guy behind Chocolatoa, then you know you're in for a treat. I chose this Nicaraguan bar because that's an origin I relly like and I was curious to taste Mario's interpretation. It didn't disappoint. The bar has a delicious deep roasted-earthy aroma. It melts with creaminess and releases a richness of earthy, nutty, umami-like flavour notes, it has a slightly savoury feel to it, that I really like. There's only a few morsels left, just for the sake of writing up this review, because I already munched on the rest 😋 Sweet memories of chocolate festivals when we were able to meet other chocolate enthusiasts.. I hope we'll be able to do that again soon! Until then, craft chocolate unites us though all the miles 🌍 #tttt_c #tttt_2021 #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #darkchocolate #belgianchocolate #belgianbeantobar #craftchocolate #chocolatoa #mariovandeneede #chocoa #chocolatefestival #chocolatefriends #chocolateeducator #chocolateaddict #instachocolate #chocolateloversunite
Can you believe, a #tttt_2021 post that is actuall Can you believe, a #tttt_2021 post that is actually on time? And that's not all, I brought you a chocolate bar that bridges the first three letters of the alphabet. Showing this @cacaobetulia B8 bar for #tttt_b but it would be equally suitable for A or C as the beans come from the Betulia farm which is located in Antioquia in Colombia. They work a lot to preserve the native rainforest areas and have their own rainforest reserve too. The cacao they grow is planted within an agroforestry system. Hacienda Betulia grows specifically propagated criollo varietals known as B6, B8 and B9. Here I have an 80% B8 bar. Look at the colour of the bar and remind yourself that it has 80% cocoa in it. The colour is due to the white cocoa beans specific for this varietal. Simple two-ingredient bar. It has a peppery-spicy aroma. Slow melt, releasing a complex flavour profile that starts off with an umami-like note that turns quickly into a sharp citrus note with hints of a slight bitterness of the lemon peel's pith. The base note has a light sweetness but it goes away as soon as the more acidic notes hit the palate. It is very interesting to experience such a contrast in flavour in one bar. It leaves you with a clean palate and a refreshing citrus note at the end. Have you tried any of the Betulia variants? #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #colombia #antioquiacolombia #haciendabetulia #betulia #cacaobetulia #betuliab8 #craftchocolate #beantobarchocolate #chocolatemaker #criollocacao #agroforestry #savingtherainforest #rainforestpreservation #tastebetterchocolate #chocolateeducator #darkchocolate #veganchocolate #twoingredients #instachocolate
Honestly, I was waiting to post about this bar sin Honestly, I was waiting to post about this bar since August, when I got it. I knew that we would start the alphabet again and wanted to showcase this bar for the letter A, so here you have it. A is for Austra. @austra_sokolade is run by a Hungarian nano-batch craft bean-to-bar maker in Riga, Latvia. Norbi and I have met several times over the years in Budapest and I am always happy to taste his newest bars and see how his chocolate making style evolves as he is trying out various beans and upgrades his machinery. The packaging is still handmade by Norbi himself, and I really like how his own skateboarder lifestyle is reflected in the new, graffiti-like logo. This time, I have a 70% dark chocolate made with beans from Honduras sourced through @mabco.ca. Simple three-ingredient bar with a very well-balanced flavour profile. Slight caramel notes in the aroma. The chocolate melts with ease, revealing a rich chocolate full of roasted nutty, earthy flavour notes. No acidity, no harsh notes. This would make a very nice chocolate spread. From all the bars I've tasted so far from Austra, this is my favourite. I hope it will soon become more available so that others can taste it too. #austrachocolate #austrašokolāde #beantobar #craftchocolate #madeinlatvia #honduras #singleoriginchocolate #chocolatemaker #nanobatch #instachocolate #chocolatefriends #tastebetterchocolate #chocolateeducator #chocolateeducation #chocolateaddict #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #tttt_2021 #tttt_a #chocolatetasting #beantobarchocolate #trinitario #darkchocolate #veganchocolate #70percent
🎉 Never mind it's already 9th January, I still 🎉 Never mind it's already 9th January, I still wanted to share with you my personal top9 chocolates that I tasted in 2020. A highly subjective list, but I guess you understand. 😋 💥 These bars all made me go 'Wow!' and also for some, I was lucky to meet the makers in person at Chocoa in Amsterdam which really added a huge bonus to the tasting experience. 🙏 I hope 2021 will treat me with similarly awesome chocolates as these. Starting from top left corner: ⭐ @fjakchocolate Brown cheese Haiti dark-milk ⭐ @frenchbroadchocolate Nicaragua ⭐ @castronovochocolate Colombia trio of bars ⭐ @obolochocolate Atacama Rica Rica ⭐ @harrerchocolat White chocolate with beetroot ⭐ @9thandlarkin Vietnam, Tien Gang ⭐ @toakchocolate Aged Palo Santo ⭐ @heindeverre Blossom Bali white chocolate ⭐ @aurochocolate Mana and Paquibato Have you tasted any of these bars or other bars from these brands? #chocolate #craftchocolate #best9 #top9 #favourites #beantobar #chocolatemaker #chocolateeducation #chocolateeducator #chocolateaddict #chocolatemania #instachocolate #finechocolate #singleoriginchocolate #tastebetterchocolate #chocolatetasting #darkchocolate #milkchocolate #whitechocolate #darkmilkchocolate #veganchocolate
🎉 Happy Birthday dear Trish @myic2016 🎉 I wi 🎉 Happy Birthday dear Trish @myic2016 🎉 I wish you all the best and many many more chocolate-filled years and decades for you to come! I really hope that one day we'll be able to meet and taste chocolate sitting next to each other somewhere on this globe. 🤗 ♥️ So for today, and after seeing @laurenonthewknd drink her 2019 Solera hot chocolate from Trish on New Year's Eve, I thought it might be a perfect occasion to drink mine. I also used this special moment to set goals for the coming year as you can see if you swipe left. Chocolate community, chocolate friends have always been a top priority for me and Trish was one of the very first ones who started interacting with me here on instagram back in 2015 when I started. She sent me my first chocswap parcel (and then many more over the years). Through her, I had the chance to virtually meet a lot of very inspiring people and taste chocolates I would not have the chance to get my hands on otherwise. Thank you for sharing your chocolate solera with me again, it's such a unique way of sharing chocolate with eahc other despite the distance through air and through time (as these are all tiny pieces from 170 different chocolate bars Trish tasted throughout the year of 2019). Time travel by chocolate! 😅 I want to savour it so today I only used 15 grams of the mix to make a little shot of hot chocolate (mixed with 100ml oat milk). It made a very nicely balanced flavour, no harsh notes, but not dull either, delicious and heartwarming. ♥️ I have one more post to share here about my top 9 bars from 2020 and then we will get into the Alphabet round 2.0 with Tangential Tasting Twin Tuesdays - also a fantastic challenge started by Trish! Anyone can join, the "rules" are really flexible and we are happy to see more and more people join, so looking forward to seeing more of you join in as we go through the weekly themes. If you have any questions about TTTT don't hesitate to ask, we are all happy to give you more details to help you participate. After the rainbow theme, I designed a new layout for my IG grid, so can't wait to get started and see it unfold over the coming weeks! 🎉🍫🎂🐧♥️
I haven't spent as much time on here (on this acco I haven't spent as much time on here (on this account, more specifically) as I used to since I launched my Hungarian page (@kakaonagykovet) focusing on educating the Hungarian consumers and chocolate enthusiasts. Quite literally nearly all of my 2020 posts were part of the Tangential Tasting Twin Tuesday themes, concept invented by @myic2016. After finishing cacao origins, we started an alphabet themed round in March, then a rainbow round with vibrant colours in September. I didn't post for the last two weeks (themes: bling, Christmas), but I wanted to finish off this year with some recaps. First up is my best9 collage with the most popular posts from this crazy year. 1. Chocoa 2020 - chocolate haul. I'm not even surprised 😅 wow, honestly, @chocoa.nl was quite frankly the best part of 2020. 2. @rozsavolgyi_csokolade Venezuela Porcelana for #tttt_bronze week - a delicate and delicious bar made in Hungary 3. @kakaobolaget Sri Lanka for #tttt_s week - a new origin for me this year 4. @mikkelfriisholm white chocolate with nibs for #tttt_white week - stracciatella in solid form 5. @mirzamchocolate 5-mini discovery tasting pack of single origin bars - travelling through chocolate 6. @chocolatenaive Nicaragua, Rugoso special for #tttt_n week - an intense flavour journey in an only 40kg nano-batch 7. Duo of bars by @ritualchocolate for #tttt_r week - Mexico and a blend with nibs 8. I got a fresh cacao pod from the Dominican Republic at Chocoa and opened it up as I got home. Although not the first time for me, I really loved to experience this again. I kept amd dried out the halves and use them as props at my tastings 9. Issue 3 of @readcacao Cacao magazine was a true delight this spring all about fantastic #womeninchocolate Thank you for following my chocolate adventures and thanks for all your supportive comments and messages throughout the year. I'll share with you my personal top9 moments of 2020 in a following post. #bestnine2020 #bestof2020 #chocolate #tastebetterchocolate #tangentialtastingtwintuesday #chocoa2020 #chocolateeducator #chocolateenthusiast #chocolatefestival #chocolatefriends #chocolatereview #chocolatetasting #instachocolate
Jumping in last minute again with my third #tttt_b Jumping in last minute again with my third #tttt_black post. A I took the photo nearly two weeks ago, still posting it late 😂 But it's a nice way to end black week I think. A truly interesting blend of 5 origins, called Opus 5, by @zotterschokolade. The 75% dark chocolate is a blend of cacao beans from Tanzania, Brazil, Ghana, Guatemala ans Belize. They all have their own unique flavour profile, and together they work like the different instruments of an orchestra. Delightful bar! Starts off with a rich caramel and chocolate note, turns fruity and spicy in the middle, ends with a biscuity, nutty flavour. Very balanced and harmonious blend. 👌 Do you have a favourite chocolate blend?
Black week can't happen without a 100% dark bar. H Black week can't happen without a 100% dark bar. Here's the last one I tried from @firetreechocolate. Cocoa beans from the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal. I melted it because it got heat damaged during shipping in the September heatwave. Honestly? This was very enjoyable this way. The smell is gorgeous. Deep and rich chocolate aroma. The mouthfeel is thick yet silky. Powerful for sure, but no harsh notes. Richness of medjool dates, fudge brownie, unsweetened hot chocolate. Do you dare to taste 100%?
#gifted ☕ If you're also tired of 2020, travel w #gifted ☕ If you're also tired of 2020, travel with me and this @solkiki_chocolatemaker bar to 2073. This bar was sent back from future to save the Earth. Swipe to read the full story. This is not the first post where I say I don't drink coffee but I like all things flavoured with coffee. I've said this many times. But this bar is different. This bar tastes like the coffee I sometimes drink (or whenever I tried drinking coffee). A shot of espresso with some sugar. So it's sweet, but still strong, robust and not milky-creamy like a latte. This is a vegan bar. And it's actually a white chocolate. Don't let the colour fool you 😅 Look at the ingredients: undeodorized Madagascan cocoa butter, unrefined cane sugar, speciality coffee. That's it. High percentage of cocoa butter (37%) means that there's not a ton of sugar in it (compared to a usual white chocolate). No added dairy (of course, Solkiki is fully vegan) but also no dairy alternative either (they usually use coconut or peanuts). So this really tastes like a sweet espresso in a practical portable form. You don't need a reusable cup, and it won't spill out in your bag. Futuristic. Thanks a lot Iris&Bob for sending me this bar to taste, and thanks for your vivid fortune-telling, it certainly made me think again about my own dairy consumption.
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