The Chocolate Thread - Valrhona Gourmet Chocolates

[Astronuc]

Well, we have a food thread, but chocolate is a special case.

I was watching a news program during a flight yesterday, and one of the pieces was about the Valrhona company, which makes gourmet chocolate.


So I thought it would be appropriate to start a chocolate thread -

http://www.valrhona.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valrhona

The even have a school devoted to chocolate. :tongue2:

http://www.valrhona.com/fr/egc/dyn/present.php3?m0=0labo&m1=1egc&m2=2a&typ_clt=P&vlang=A

Chefs are invited to the school to learn how to incorporate chocolate into their recipes.


Valrhona has three cocoa plantations in Madagascar, Trinidad and in Venezuela.


And they have professional chocolate tasters. :tongue2:

 

[CaptainQuasar]

The best chocolate I've ever had is bittersweet German Scho·Ka·Kola which comes in little triangles in a tin that looks like this:

It contains coffee and Kola nut, the African nut that's the base of the flavor of Coca-Cola.

Also, here's a tip for anyone in the Boston area: if you're ever passing along the little stretch of US Route 95 New Hampshire (if you're driving from Massachusetts to Maine, for example) a very short detour will take you to the Lindt and Sprüngli factory and factory outlet in Stratham. Just search for zip code 03885 http://www.lindtusa.com/stores.cfm" . The address of the factory is “One Fine Chocolate Place”. :!)

There's also a chocolate festival in Portland, Maine every year, unfortunately just past, usually at the beginning of February.

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[Pythagorean]

I'm afraid feelng this good is wrong. You can not exceed your credited dopamine levels. If you would like to purchase more dopamine credits, please contact your local DMV.

If you'll please hand over all chocolate and chocolate paraphernalia so that I can store it safely in the evidence locker and then we can both get about our business tonight and I won't even write you up.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

And they have professional chocolate tasters.

I bet they spit it out.

 

[turbo]

I bet they spit it out.

And rinse with beer?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

And rinse with beer?

And spit that out too.

 

[turbo]

Whoa! Talk about hell on Earth.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Whoa! Talk about hell on Earth.

It's worse than that, it's not beer, it's water. At least you get to spit it out.
Valrhona doesn't have a local outlet. That's probably for the best as I would probably waste my money there. Lots of money.

 

[Andre]

Note that chocolate and wine combines even worse.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm afraid feelng this good is wrong. You can not exceed your credited dopamine levels. If you would like to purchase more dopamine credits, please contact your local DMV.

If you'll please hand over all chocolate and chocolate paraphernalia so that I can store it safely in the evidence locker and then we can both get about our business tonight and I won't even write you up.

:rofl:

Don't worry, the sisterhood has excellent security, and a special vault in the evidence room to store contraband with such a high street value. We just take a small amount out of each batch for testing to ensure the contents are correctly identified.

 

[Poop-Loops]

I don't know what my favorite is or anything, but I'll tell you that chocolate, and sweets in general, are my Achilles' heel. I'm worse than a woman when it comes to chocolate. It isn't helping my dieting plan AT ALL.

 

[Evo]

It's got to be DARK chocolate. None of that milky diluted junk.

I think I need to make a pan of my super dark fudge tonight.

 

[belliott4488]

I suspect a conspiracy ...

I never considered myself a chocolate fan until this past year - I had zero interest in milk chocolate (still do) and would indulge willingly in dark chocolate only when the opportunity presented itself but never went out of my way to acquire it. That has all changed in the last six months - just as the gourmet chocolates with cocoa percentages boldly proclaimed on their labels began to appear. Now I doubt I've gone more than a week without getting my grubby paws on some good dark chocolate for months!
What is going on?

And BTW, since I am now hopelessly in the grips of this insidious marketing scheme ... I can tell you my Personal Cocoa Percentage Preference (PCPP): 60% - 65% - no more, no less. What's yours??

 

[_Mayday_]

I love it so much, but the shape is so annoying it always hurts my mouth

 

[CaptainQuasar]

belliott4488, I'm tellin' ya, you've got to try that Scho·Ka·Kola stuff if you can get your hands on some.

I never thought about that, Mayday, I know what you mean about the shape of Toblerone. What is with that? Maybe it's supposed to be encouragement to hold it in your mouth until it melts?

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[_Mayday_]

I think the shape itself is somehow supposed to look like the Swiss Alps as it is a swiss product. The shape if well known to be the one of toblerone it kind of differentiates it from other swiss chocolates I would have though. Absolute mission to eat one though! When you eat them they can poke your gums which ache!

 

[Huckleberry]

I'm cursed! When I eat chocolate I sneeze! The darker the chocolate is the more severe and immediate the reaction. It only happens once or twice after I first start eating, but I have to be careful to not spray a brown mess. Otherwise I love chocolate.

 

[_Mayday_]

I actually prefer darker chocolate, as white and milk are both a bit too sweet. I once tried some of this Japanese 90% cocoa stuff and it tasted like tar.

 

[belliott4488]

I actually prefer darker chocolate, as white and milk are both a bit too sweet. I once tried some of this Japanese 90% cocoa stuff and it tasted like tar.

Amen to that! I can't even eat the 80% stuff. I read an article by some chocolate connoisseur (how do you get that job??) who said that it's a silly fad to eat the really high percentage chocolates. His point was that what distinguishes the finest chocolatiers is their blend of ingredients. Once you're over 70% or so cocoa, there's too little of anything else to matter - it is like eating tar (or pure cocoa, which is apparently a similar experience).

 

[belliott4488]

I'm cursed! When I eat chocolate I sneeze! The darker the chocolate is the more severe and immediate the reaction. It only happens once or twice after I first start eating, but I have to be careful to not spray a brown mess. Otherwise I love chocolate.

My deepest sympathies! I've known people with severe allergies to chocolate, but their reaction was head-splitting migraine headaches. I knew a guy who would still endure such headaches once in a while, just to be able to enjoy a little taste.

 

[belliott4488]

belliott4488, I'm tellin' ya, you've got to try that Scho·Ka·Kola stuff if you can get your hands on some.

mmm ... coffee and chocolate - a match made in Heaven!

Here's another fiber for this thread: who loves dark chocolate covered coffee beans?? MMMMM!

 

[Evo]

I'd say I'm a 70% or higher. Funny, a couple of years ago we had a thread about chocolate and most people said they preferred milk chocolate, now I see more people preferring dark.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Here's another fiber for this thread: who loves dark chocolate covered coffee beans?? MMMMM!

Amen, brotha! Tes-ti-FY!

(or sistah, not sure)

⚛​

 

[_Mayday_]

I used to like the really milky and sugary ones evo, infact anything that had an extreme taste whether that be sweet or something salty (not salty chocolate) but I have acquired a dark chocolate taste.

 

[Evo]

mmm ... coffee and chocolate - a match made in Heaven!

Here's another fiber for this thread: who loves dark chocolate covered coffee beans?? MMMMM!

Those are really good, haven't had any in ages though.

I used to like the really milky and sugary ones evo, infact anything that had an extreme taste whether that be sweet or something salty (not salty chocolate) but I have acquired a dark chocolate taste.

Glad to hear you've come over to the dark side. :tongue:

 

[Moonbear]

I think the shape itself is somehow supposed to look like the Swiss Alps as it is a swiss product. The shape if well known to be the one of toblerone it kind of differentiates it from other swiss chocolates I would have though. Absolute mission to eat one though! When you eat them they can poke your gums which ache!

Yeah, the shape of Toblerone is their trademark...you know what brand it is as soon as you see it. I've never had any trouble eating it though.

I enjoy a good quality milk chocolate for the melt-in-your-mouth texture as much as I enjoy the richer flavor of dark chocolate...not TOO high of cocoa content though, or it loses the pleasant texture I enjoy and starts getting too bitter.

 

[Moonbear]

I used to like the really milky and sugary ones evo, infact anything that had an extreme taste whether that be sweet or something salty (not salty chocolate) but I have acquired a dark chocolate taste.

Mmmmm...salty chocolate! (Chocolate-covered pretzels.)

 

[Kurdt]

I don't like chocolate to melt in the mouth so I'm probably a bit of a heathen since all chocolate goes in the fridge for me.

 

[Evo]

Any nut covered in chocolate! Even those canned chow mein noodles coated with semi-sweet chocolate chips are wonderful, I never would have guessed.

Dark chocolate covered cherries, the real kind with liquor in them. I miss my Italian candy connection!

 

[_Mayday_]

Glad to hear you've come over to the dark side. :tongue:

:rofl:

Yeah, the shape of Toblerone is their trademark...you know what brand it is as soon as you see it. I've never had any trouble eating it though.

do you put the whole cubes in your mouth or slowly grind away at them. I just chuck the whole cube thing in my mouth...

Mmmmm...salty chocolate! (Chocolate-covered pretzels.)

My mum said she saw somewhere on TV a panini with cheese and chocolate inside...and the people seemed to enjoy it. I could not bring myself to do it. Sometimes when I make peanut clusters some of the salt is left over and you get that dodgy sensation...

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Mmmmm...salty chocolate! (Chocolate-covered pretzels.)

Y'know, when you go to a movie theatre in Britain, you can choose between popcorn that has salt on it and popcorn that has sugar sprinkled on it? (I think I've seen some places in the U.S. doing that in the last decade too.)

But not to derail this essential discussion of chocolate. Speaking of the U.K. I must say I highly approve of the things done over there with texture in chocolate, like the Aero bars or those flaky Cadbury thingies. Clearly the Brits are at the forefront of the cutting edge of chocolate technology.

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[_Mayday_]

Y'know, when you go to a movie theatre in Britain, you can choose between popcorn that has salt on it and popcorn that has sugar sprinkled on it? (I think I've seen some places in the U.S. doing that in the last decade too.)

But not to derail this essential discussion of chocolate. Speaking of the U.K. I must say I highly approve of the things done over there with texture in chocolate, like the Aero bars or those flaky Cadbury thingies. Clearly the Brits are at the forefront of the cutting edge of chocolate technology.

⚛​

Ah Quasar, you reminded me I actually have a few in the cupboard...

 

[Evo]

Ah Quasar, you reminded me I actually have a few in the cupboard...

AAARGGHH! What are those things?

 

[CaptainQuasar]

❊Drowns in drool❊

Those, Evo darling, are voluptuously curved chocolate manifolds produced within the High Energy Chocolate Accelerator facility in Cadbury's secret underwater North Sea base.

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[_Mayday_]

Flake Chocolate, basically its like a chocolate bare but as it says it "flakes" it has lots of layers and crumbles really easily. It has to be one of the best big name brittish chocolates.