Guest Chocablogger Natasha Faria is back with another offering from South Africa…
This may be a flavour that has been done many times before, but what better yardstick to measure a chocolatier by than how well they do the classics, before you move onto how awesomely inventive they are?
Once again, the quality of Von Geusau’s chocolate does not lie in the ingredients list on the wrapper (there isn’t one), but rather in the colour, sheen and snap of their chocolate. All of these are good – a nice glossy finish on some well-travelled chocolate is always a good sign, the colour is warm and even, and the reassuring snap means that I’m in for a treat.
I like chilli bars, but not when they resist my nomming. In other words, I don’t want them to be so hot as to discourage me from decimating them. This is not the case with this slab. What we have here is the equivalent of a good curry (if you’ll allow me to run with my awful metaphor). The chocolate carries the spice well, and they work together in the most delightful way. However, the spiciness adds to the flavour, as opposed to destroying large portions of your mouth. It’s almost the chicken korma of chocolates – spicy enough to matter, but not so spicy that you run crying home to Mother.
Again, Von Geusau have managed to pull two lovely flavours together, and I commend them for that. However, realistically, it has to be said that they are not doing anything new – but they are doing the classics really well.
It’s time for something weird and wonderful from Zotter – that slightly mad Austrian bean-to-bar chocolate maker. This time we have a 60% dark chocolate with an olive and lemon filling – something which sounds positively tame by normal Zotter standards.
The first thing I like to do with a Zotter bar is check the ingredients. Not because there’s anything bad there (the bar is certified organic and fair trade), but simply because they tend to use even more bizarre ingredients that don’t get a mention on the front of the wrapper. This time, we have such delights as lime, full cream milk, cane sugar brandy, honey, hazelnuts and birds eye chilli.
Awesome.
The format is the same as the Cheese, Walnuts & Raisins bar and primarily consists of a thick slab of filling with a thin coating of chocolate. It’s the same 60% dark chocolate used in that bar too, which while pleasant enough, isn’t spectacular.
But it’s the filling that’s the main event…
The inside of the bar is divided into two layers. The top, pale yellow layer seems to contain the citrus flavours, and the bottom layer is what I can only describe as an olive oil ganache.
The bar consists of 7% olives and olive oil. Not being a fan of olives, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, but as it turned out, I enjoyed it a lot. The olive flavour isn’t too strong (something that’s fine by me!) and is mostly overpowered by the sharp, citrusy lemon hit that greets you every time you pop a piece into your mouth.
The inside of the wrapper contains the words “The passionate and fresh lemon conquers the olive, an all-rounder with a strong character”, which I think sums this bar up rather well. The olive flavour is definitely there, but the lemon is so intense that it doesn’t stand a chance of coming to the front.
Unfortunately, neither does the chocolate, but that’s not really an issue. You don’t buy one of these filled Zotter bars to savour the cocoa flavours, you buy it for the wonderfully strange flavour combinations inside. So while I don’t think I’d buy this regularly, I ‘m certainly glad I got to try it.
I recently had the pleasure of a short stay at The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa in Riverside, California. Built in the nineteenth century (never as an actual mission, as the name suggests) and standing like its own castle community, it makes for a gorgeous getaway, complete with fine dining. I didn’t get a chance to sample any of the restaurants, but I did sneak into Casey’s Cupcakes and Cappuccinos. Casey Reinhardt uses her grandmother’s recipe to make “a treat so perfect you almost don’t want to eat it. But of course you will.” Cupcakes aren’t what you normally think of as exquisite, yet walking into Casey’s, you do feel you’re in a special place. From the pink bistro tables outside to the white chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the rhinestoned logo shirts for sale to the display cases themselves. A hint at old-fashioned, seasoned with lots of pink, both pale and bright shades, creates a look that’s girly without being easily dismissable.
Oh, strange of days, I didn’t feel like getting the Decadent Dark Chocolate cupcake, going instead with the lighter-looking Marvelous Milk Chocolate. Other tempting (although non-chocolate) flavors include Scrumptious Cinnamon Sugar and Blissful Banana. If I visit again, I’ll make it a point to try a hot chocolate or cappuccino, as well, but for now, let’s look at the cupcake.
Though they come with a $3.50 price tag, let me explain why I find this perfectly reasonable. Casey’s cupcakes are desserts, not just bland cake with average frosting and a pretty design on top. How much is a dessert at the average sit-down restaurant? Five dollars? That’s for something incredibly cheap whose only merit is the wonder of eating sugar.
But Casey’s. First you have the lovely location and shop, complete with the outside seating. The box is simple in its style, folding out to double as a plate. Inside the folds like flower petals is the cupcake. It, too, is simple. It doesn’t try to dazzle with intricate designs, staying rather with shaved milk chocolate and a disc of dark chocolate. And did I mention the forks? Not plastic, but wood, set with the Casey’s logo.
As you start digging in, you find how thick the frosting is. Its depth equals that of the cupcake above the liner. But no waste of space is this. This frosting has substance, while still being airy and smooth; it’s sugary sweet in the right way. The cake is vanilla, tasting fresh and with just the right texture. Those bits of milk chocolate are very light, with a soft and silvery nutty taste. Their addition to the whole is small, but I did opt for the lighter chocolate experience, after all.
Can I ever eat a regular cupcake after this? It’s the best I’ve had, for all that I didn’t choose deep chocolate decadence. Though too far from my own abode, Casey’s is conveniently placed. The Mission Inn is a popular wedding site, both for services and receptions, and those cupcakes are good enough to make a welcome part of wedding menus. There is also a room available at Casey’s for parties, and a Casey’s Spa Parties service offered in conjunction with Kelly’s Spa at the Inn.
Thus I must call these cupcakes… exquisite.
Tea chocolate is very much the in thing right now. I think the fact that Katie Christoffers, the brains behind Matcha Chocolat sent us this new collection in the same week as the Paul A. Young & Henrietta Lovell tea chocolate launch is proof of that.
This new “Jade Selection” from Matcha seems to be a “summer update” and features four new chocolates and one that we’ve seen before. As you can see from the box, the packaging is unchanged – and that’s a good thing. The boxes are well made, brightly coloured and professionally made.
But enough about that, let’s talk about the chocolates!
Masala Chai
Milk chocolate ganache infused with Masala Chai enrobed in a dark chocolate dome and topped with crystalised ginger.
This forms the centrepiece of the box, just the same as it did with the Emperor’s Collection, so I think this is Katie’s favourite. I think it deserves pride of place too. It’s an Indian Black tea and is packed with ginger and spices, but the flavours remain gentle and the cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cloves and aniseed, all come through, without overpowering the dark chocolate.
China Rose
Milk chocolate ganache infused with Rosebud Gong Fu tea.
I love the flavour of rose in chocolate. It brings back childhood memories of Turkish Delight, without all the sticky gooey stuff. This chocolate is the perfect example of that. The ganache is smooth and soft and delicately flavoured with rose, and I enjoyed it very much – but I didn’t pick up a lot of tea flavour here.
Sencha
White chocolate ganache square infused with Tamaryokucha Koga.
If it’s not clear already, I don’t really know my teas, so all I can tell you about Tamaryokucha Koga is that it’s a variety of Sencha tea. I couldn’t tell you what Sencha tea is.
I can tell you that this particular chocolate wasn’t my favourite. Although the subtle flavour of the white chocolate did let the tea flavour come through, it was just a little sweet and creamy for me. The taste is distinctive and flowery, but it’s not my thing.
Strawberry Summer
Dark chocolate ganache with scented strawberry tea and English Breakfast tea.
Now this is much more up my street. As light and subtle as the China Rose chocolate, but with a beautifully soft and refreshing strawberry flavour. Again, the tea flavour is very subtle, but I think this is my favourite of the box.
Liquid Jade
Dark chocolate ganache with green tea liqueur and Uji Matcha tea in a white chocolate dome.
I much prefer this one to Sencha (the other white chocolate), as the dark chocolate ganache helps to counteract the sweetness of the white chocolate shell. The tea flavour is quite noticeable here too, and is really quite pleasant, with a gentle fruity & flowery taste. There is a tiny hint of alcohol, but in general I think the tea liqueur simply helps concentrate the flavour.
Overall, a very nice box of chocolates. The Sencha wasn’t my thing, but others may like its sweet and creamy texture. But I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the box, and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to anyone.
I actually prefer Katie’s approach to tea chocolates to Paul A. Young’s. Tea is always going to be a subtle flavour that’s difficult to get right with chocolate, and while I found Paul’s White Sliver Tip Tea ganache very pleasant, I didn’t pick up any tea flavour at all.
Many of these Matcha chocolates have additional summery flavours, yet more often than not, the tea still comes though, and I actually feel like I’m eating something a little unusual.
Definitely my cup of tea.
