The Spoofers Are Coming For Your Chocolate Next

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
Some eager-beaver scientists have identified a pile o' microbes that ferment cacao beans into better-tasting chocolate (journal article).

You know what this means: chocolate from country X will be able to taste like country Y, just buy the right yeast pack.

Knowledge is good but what people will do with it... not always.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I can't oppose chocolate spoof. Chocolate isn't for intellectualizing, it's for dessert.
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??!!

Chocolate uses a similar magic of fermentation as wine. It can be a complex and refined product, regardless of when you eat it.

Of course spoof serves a purpose in all realms, just like all wine doesn't need to be produced for our palates...
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
I'm still pissed Lindt no longer makes raisin and hazelnut milk chocolate bars.
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I don't know that particular product, but sounds like something you could rig together yourself at home. For the 'normal' chocolate, we often eat it in various combos, with dates, nuts, etc. Customized as you wish...
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I can't oppose chocolate spoof. Chocolate isn't for intellectualizing, it's for dessert.
Click to expand...

??!!

Chocolate uses a similar magic of fermentation as wine. It can be a complex and refined product, regardless of when you eat it.
Click to expand...
You will never, ever persuade me that "complex and refined" single-origin ultradark chocolate is capable of delivering a fraction of the pleasure of, say, a chocolate sundae.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
You will never, ever persuade me that "complex and refined" single-origin ultradark chocolate is capable of delivering a fraction of the pleasure of, say, a chocolate sundae.
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Maybe you just aren't a fan of chocolate. That's fine. Not everyone needs to appreciate "single-origin" Burgundy either! Plenty of fermented grape beverages for all types and plenty of cacao products to give pleasure to all types.

Not sure what you mean by 'ultradark' but I agree that when it gets too high in cacao percentage, things are less pleasurable. My ideal zone is 70%. And when it's very high-quality, no need to adulterate with anything else. But the cheaper stuff, sure, I love chocolate mousse as well.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
You will never, ever persuade me that "complex and refined" single-origin ultradark chocolate is capable of delivering a fraction of the pleasure of, say, a chocolate sundae.
Click to expand...

Maybe you just aren't a fan of chocolate. That's fine.
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I adore chocolate
 
If you are interested in trying great chocolates that do indeed all taste wildly different, I highly recommend the Cocoa Store in NYC. The owner, Pepi Vi Giacomo, stocks a vast array of bean-2-bar chocolates. [I am a loyal customer and have no financial interest in the store, other than hoping she stays in business for a very long time.]

If anyone wants guidance about bars/origins/etc let me know. Happy to provide notes.

And for the record, as much as I love great chocolate, I much prefer great wine.
 
originally posted by Andrew Zachary:
...I highly recommend the Cocoa Store in NYC.
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Nice. That's nearby, I will have to check it out.

originally posted by Andrew Zachary:
And for the record, as much as I love great chocolate, I much prefer great wine.
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Yes, if we go by expenditures as evidence of revealed preferences, most of us are spending more money on wine than chocolate! And there is a bit more intoxication/excitement factor...

But, health-wise, I don't want to drink wine every day. Whereas I can eat chocolate much more regularly. Happily, I can enjoy both. (Not together!)
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Happily, I can enjoy both. (Not together!)
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Simone Beck, Julia Child's collaborator in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, said in one of her own cookbooks that she loved serving Chateau Margaux with chocolate cake (I think her family had an interest in Chateau Margaux at the time, and wine prices were much cheaper back then anyway, so she could afford to throw it around.)
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I can't oppose chocolate spoof. Chocolate isn't for intellectualizing, it's for dessert.
Click to expand...

??!!

Chocolate uses a similar magic of fermentation as wine. It can be a complex and refined product, regardless of when you eat it.
Click to expand...
You will never, ever persuade me that "complex and refined" single-origin ultradark chocolate is capable of delivering a fraction of the pleasure of, say, a chocolate sundae.
Click to expand...

Yeah, taste is like that. Unpersuadable.
 
I did an experimental tasting of high percentage cocoa (low sugar) chocolate bars a few years ago that I presented in three posts on Instagram. You can check it out. My personal preference is in the 80-85% range or so although Bonnat makes some great bars slightly below that. There were clear winners and losers. And I found empirically that chocolate has terroir.

A chocolate sundae though is a different beast and taste experience. I love them too. But apples and oranges to compare to chocolate per se. As to which is "better," if even comparing, is subjective.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
I did an experimental tasting of high percentage cocoa (low sugar) chocolate bars a few years ago that I presented in three posts on Instagram. You can check it out. My personal preference is in the 80-85% range or so although Bonnat makes some great bars slightly below that. There were clear winners and losers. And I found empirically that chocolate has terroir.

A chocolate sundae though is a different beast and taste experience. I love them too. But apples and oranges to compare to chocolate per se. As to which is "better," if even comparing, is subjective.
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My better half became a dark chocolate addict some years ago; when I traveled I would bring back various Bonnats that were her great favorites. Sadly, acid reflux interfered with her consumption. I enjoy a bit now and then but am not a devotee.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:

Simone Beck, Julia Child's collaborator in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, said in one of her own cookbooks that she loved serving Chateau Margaux with chocolate cake...
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Yes, I think I've heard that story. Or some related stories about people in Bordeaux and chocolate. I've never seen it do the wine any favors. But, there's no accounting for taste!
 
The larger point is that there are certain things where manipulation is the whole point. Chocolate is more like cheese than wine in that respect. Roquefort doesn't taste different from Reblochon because of terroir, they taste different because of the process - and that doesn't make 'em spoof. Sometimes they reach their highest calling with more processing still, like cheese on pizza. That's not spoof either. What's true for wine doesn't have to be true for everything. It doesn't even have to be true for all wine. (Terroir doesn't get the bubbles in Champagne.)
 
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