...People new to the
appreciation of chocolate
often ask which is better, the
exclusive derivation or the
blended approach.  Both
options have equal validity,
but as one who thinks the
unexamined chocolate is not
worth eating, I'd say that the
piece of information missing
here is the cacao's origin (or
origins).  This should be on
every package from
supermarket candy wrappers
to boxes of luxe truffles.
Today's boutique chocolatiers
have no reason to follow the
example of old-style corporate
giants who treat their
blending formulas as state
secrets, and every reason to
tell information-hungry
aficionados the exact origin
and variety of all the cacao in
their chocolate. A common
argument against disclosure
is the manufacturer's need to
replace some cacaos from
time to time in their blends.
Yet this should be a part of
the informational literature
handed out to consumers.
The labeling issue has
another dimension related to
the disturbing shifts and
disappearances that I've
described taking place in the
global roster of cacao
varieties.  Truly excellent
cacaos currently represent
less than 2 percent of the
international cacao bean
trade, while a few mediocre
cultivars increase their
comparative share by leaps
and bounds.  Who will have
any incentive to carry on the
demanding task of growing
yesterday's rare and exquisite
cacaos if today's industry fails
to demand fine flavor beans,
pay premium prices for them,
and make their names well
known to adventurous food
lovers?  When information
about provenance routinely
appears on labels, the friends
of fine chocolate may be able
to strike a few blows for
heirloom cacao from
particular region or even
particular farms.
- the New Taste of Chocolate,
Maricel Presilla
At Carter's Chocolates you can experience several
chocolates from around the world just in the
confections that we make.

In addition to that, we typically have several
varieties available for tasting.


To get information on upcoming
tasting events, or to  arrange a
tasting for your group of 12-25
people, email:
matt@carterschocolates.com
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Flavor as a Dynamic Experience

Think about the amount of time that elapses when you taste a dark chocolate (or a
wine). It takes about 6 seconds to experience all the flavors and sensations, and
something different happens during each of those seconds.
In the first second, you feel the chocolate melt on your tongue.   A Tartness or
sourness becomes obvious, followed quickly by wonderful fruity flavors.  The fruit
notes continue but another note appears -- you begin to experience the
mid-palate sensations of smoothness and richness as the fat begins to coat your
tongue.
At this point the chocolate's sweetness begins to react with the fruitiness, which
results in a crescendo of flavors.  As that tapers off, soft tannins excite your
tongue, allowing some of the broader notes to come through. At the finish, a slow
drying sensation combines with a final note of sugar.
If you can imagine those 6 seconds of tasting as a very short symphony, you grasp
what we're trying to do when we blend various beans to make chocolate.  We're
assembling notes -- putting together high fruity notes and lower, broader base
notes to try to make those 6 seconds that you taste a bite of chocolate as
wide-ranging and intensely flavorful as possible.  The flavor notes come first from
all the beans we choose, but we can affect the notes in our chocolate by how long
we roast the beans, how long we grind the nibs, and by the proportions of the
various beans we use in our blends.

--- John Scharffenberger, The Essence of Chocolate