We enjoy trying chocolate from different sources. The selection of the cocoa beans, the way they’re roasted and treated, and how they’re combined with other ingredients make each bar an edible work of art.
Window Box Blooms from Christophe Artisan Chocolatier
Christophe Paume is a third-generation French chocolatier who makes his home in Charleston, South Carolina. He created his Charleston Collection to pay homage to the city. There are flavors such as French Quarter Crunch (milk chocolate with caramelized hazelnuts), Holy City Hello (dark chocolate and pineapple) and Rainbow Row Charm (white chocolate with nonpareils), with each bar’s label featuring the work of Charleston artist Sarah Winecoff. We bought a bar of Window Box Blooms, a white chocolate bar dotted with flower petals. There are rose petals, lavender and marigold in the mix. The combination is striking, and totally different from any white chocolate we’ve tried. Let the chocolate melt in your mouth, and then nibble on the flower petals. Each flower contributes lightly floral notes to the white chocolate, and, when you nibble on the petals, you get a little pop of stronger flavor. It tastes like a summer garden party.
$8.95 per 3.9-ounce bar. Available at christophechocolatier.com.
Credit: Andrew Harmon
Credit: Andrew Harmon
Dark chocolate bars from SRSLY Chocolate
We enjoyed two dark chocolate bars from Austin, Texas-based SRSLY Chocolate. The Sal De Rey bar features hand-harvested salt from La Sal Del Rey, an ancient salt lake in the Rio Grande Valley. The salt is sprinkled on dark chocolate bars made from beans roasted, cracked, winnowed and ground in Austin. And, we tried their bestseller, the sea salt and almond bar, with lots of nuts, just enough salt and plenty of rich chocolate. We loved that the wrappers include chocolate tasting tips that incorporate all the senses. Look at the bar, listen to the snap, smell the chocolate, and taste it by letting it melt on your tongue. Following those tips will keep you from devouring the bars all in one fell swoop! There are other Texas-centric flavors, including bars that incorporate Revolution Spirits gin, Texas pecans, toasted sourdough crumbs (what a great idea, and who invented that?) and Texas peanuts. They also offer a bar that’s 100 percent chocolate, perfect for baking or grating on a fabulous dessert.
$8 per 2-ounce bar. Available at srslychocolate.com.
Credit: Bethany Moore
Credit: Bethany Moore
Brackish Blend chocolate bars from Cocoa Academic
Chocolatier Bethany Moore of Cocoa Academic in Charleston, South Carolina, started her career as a chocolate and pastry apprentice in her native Scotland. In 2015, she returned to Charleston, where she had attended high school, and the next year she opened Cocoa Academic. She offers 11 varieties of chocolate bars, and also sells cocoa husk tea, cacao nibs, chocolate buttons and even whole roasted cacao beans, if you want to try your hand at making your own chocolate (we hear the whole beans also are good for snacking). We enjoyed just browsing through the names of the bars, which are like a trip down the South Carolina coast — Folly Beach Dark Chocolate (sea salt and cookies), Southern Salted Pecan (milk chocolate and salted pecans), Charleston Sweet Tea (milk chocolate with tea and lemon) — but our favorite name and combination was Brackish Blend, which is 70 percent cacao and sea salt. The name immediately transports you to the Lowcountry marshes, whether Georgia’s or South Carolina’s, and the sparkling salt crystals will put you in mind of cooling sea breezes. Right now, Moore is donating one meal to the Lowcountry Food Bank for every sale of packs of 10, 20 or 40 chocolate bars.
Bars are on sale for 40 percent off, and are sold in boxes of 10 for $24, 20 for $48, and $97 for 40 1.2-ounce bars. Available at cocoaacademic.com.
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