Thoughts and ideas of a dyslexic designer/developer
However with the Fediverse and one of my favourite platforms is pixelfed (like Instagram without all the crap, algorithmic nonsense, enshittifcation and unhuman design).
So with this, I started posting select Chocolates I recently enjoyed there
You can also comment and do the usual social media things there, but safely from your own fediverse account.
Look forward to the feedback
I watched a video about Chocolate and child slavery.
It was quite a watch and as the title indicates, there was a lot of thoughts about not just the big chocolate companies but the whole industry and the reliance on child slave labour. I posted about it on the Fediverse because I felt it was well worth watching with a warning
The same night I had taste of Hasnaâ Qori Inti, Peru, Dark 75% chocolate from Cocoarunners and was surprised to experience a small addition of the cocoa fruits on a postcard in the chocolate.
Just a coincidence but a interesting one….
The only thing which will change the big problem of child slavery in the chocolate industry is awareness.
So a while ago I wrote about Zotter chocolate’s tasting tips.
I shared it out as usual via Twitter and Mastodon. But didn’t really think much more about it, till yesterday during TVX 2019 when a Austrian man offered me a bar of Zotter chocolate from Zotter, who happens to be just around the corner from where he lives..
Amazing gift and completely out of the blue, I forget people actually read my posts. I was dumbfounded when he offered me the chocolate and explained everything, so shocked I forgot to take his name while taking the selfie. Hopefully he will see this post and add a comment.
The chocolate is tricky one, as I’m not totally sure whats in it.
Using Google translate, it says
Schilcher + pumpkin nougat
Two Styrian specialties mix with unique dark milk chocolate with 60% cocoa content. A ganache with sparkling Schilcher rosé wine combined with a tenderly melting layer of pumpkin seed nougat.
The ingredients translate to
Extra dark milk chocolate ° filled with Schilcher ganache ° (30%) and pumpkin seed
nougat ° (16%) – containing alcohol Ingredients: raw cane sugar °, cocoa butter °, cocoa mass °, pumpkin seeds °, whole milk powder °, butter °, glucose inverted syrup °, grappa °, Schilcher ° (contains sulfites), raisins °, skimmed milk powder °, sweet whey powder °, rock salt
Emulsifier: soya lecithin °, whole cane sugar °, vanilla
bean powder °, cinnamon ° Cocoa (cocoa mass and cocoa butter): 60% at least in extra dark milk chocolate ° TradeedMay contain traces of nuts, peanuts, eggs and sesame.
So nothing I don’t think there is anything I can’t eat in it, except I wonder about Nougat.
Wonderful present and massive thank you…
Little reminder of how to really eat chocolate.
Place the chocolate on your tongue and press it to the roof of your mouth. Within thirty seconds, the chocolate should slowly begin to melt around your tongue. Take a deep breath, aerating your palate as you stimulate your sense of smell through the back of your throat.
Try doing this with bog standard mass produced chocolate and you will get a very different taste.
Following this years new year resolution…
Only eat artisan chocolate unless its Kitkat, Twix or Maltesers.
I signed up to the monthly Cocoarunners chocolate box and its been great. Out of the box, I found the above Chocolates really noteworthy in taste, texture, etc. I guess I should have written a review for each one but its hard to do this, so I kept a photo of the ones I would easily go for again.
From top left and across to the right line by line.
I have to give another shout out to these chocolates which simply blew me away
I’ll be continuing my subscription to Cocoarunners for another year for sure…
I have been sticking to my new years resolution.
Only eat artisan chocolate unless its Kitkat, Twix or Maltesers
I like chocolate but I decided a while ago that I should only really eat a certain percentage or higher. My tolerance for lower cocoa is dropping and like my cocktail choices; its time to avoid the rubbish stuff. Chocolate tasting confirmed this and the cocoarunners subscription should offer enough to keep me away from the rubbish stuff. I decided I should give myself some outs.
And there are two very noticeable ones which I have to blog about.
Carolina reaper I wrote about briefly before, but I also want to give heads up on the Manufaktura Czekolady which is simply the best 100% chocolate I have ever tasted ever. This 100% chocolate tastes like 90% dark not 100%, making it far less bitter than others I have tasted in the past.
Both are well worth looking out for or ordering from Cocoarunners.
Found Icelandic chocolate in @takkmcr@briansuda @omnomchocolate.
Looking forward to having it with some earl grey pic.twitter.com/M2uiyDfNVd— Ian Forrester (@cubicgarden) November 24, 2017
I was showing Brian Suda (Never was sure if Brian actually saw the original tweet, as I missed a space in the original tweet) that they have Icelandic chocolate from Omnom in Manchester. Out of the blue Molly (who I’ve never met or spoke to before) jumped in with…
I find this brand to be my least favorite. I would actually prefer a Hershey’s KitKat
— Molly Golightly (@MollyGolightley) November 27, 2017
I was slightly shocked, Hershey’s KitKat is one of the worst Chocolates I’ve ever tasted. Of course I quested how she could make such a statement but at the same time savvy Takk jumped in, saying their partners Cocoarunners supply many types of Chocolates and they are doing a chocolate tasting night in December. I was sold!
Having been to another Chocolate night under Funnzing, I was very happy to see the format was very different and much more interactive. The whole thing was fun and less of a lecture. My worry about nuts was crushed when I asked at the start, to which the answer was none of the chocolates have nuts but may contain traces.
Cocoarunners ran through the different types of chocolates and dispelled a load of myths including the cocoa percentage myth. Higher percentage of cocoa doesn’t always equal more bitterness. The first two chocolates were similar percentage but from different locations changing the nature of the taste quite a bit.
She also talked about why we should consider artisan Chocolate over the others, comparing the choice to artisan coffee and artisan wines.
She showed us how to really taste chocolate (snap, smell, place on the tongue and let it melt). It was a great night and found some chocolates I certainly want to have.
A few of my questions I came with were answered including;
Ultimately I was half convinced of artisan chocolate before I even went along, and still like a UK Kitkat and Maltesers. But life is too short for rubbish wine, coffee, tea and chocolate. Even some of the white chocolate surprised me to be honest.
I was introduced to some very nice chocolates and I will be adding a category for great chocolates to my notes. From the same evening…
65% Naive Ambrosia from Boliva/Lihuania was good, balanced and tasted quite sweet.
100% Manufaktura Czekolady from Czech Republic was so smooth and took quite a few people by surprise. As they assumed 100% would be like “eating dirt” – someone said surprised. To me it was like eating a 85% dark.
70% Solomans Gold from New Zealand had a smoky Lapsang taste and was wonderful to eat. Can imagine it as a late night treat while drinking lapsang tea.
I’m signing up for a monthly chocolate delivery! Can’t wait! Just need to make sure they don’t send me any Hershey nonsense, no matter what others say/like…