Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Too Much Chocolate?

So, do you think there’s a such thing as too much chocolate for one person? No, I don’t really think so either, but there was a time in the last couple of weeks when I began to ask myself that question. I was in New York at the Fancy Food Show searching out some new chocolates to bring into the store as well as getting a glimpse…and a taste….of some new products from some of our current chocolatiers. One of my goals was to find some more single-origin chocolates that were manufactured in the same country that the beans come from. Well, after having eaten countless samples of different types of chocolates….bars, truffles, toffees, caramels, you name it….I’m happy to report that I’ve found some wonderful new products. We now have some bars made of chocolate that is grown, crafted and packaged in Madagascar, as well some new chocolates from Equador…again grown, crafted and packaged there….which include some chocolate covered berries and banana pieces. We also have some delicious new chocolates from Sao Tome and Principe Africa…the beans are grown and the chocolate bars are produced there by the farmer and his two sons. And, finally, at least for now, we have some chocolate discs that are made in a very traditional Mexican style that uses stone mills to grind the beans into a coarse texture. So....too much chocolate? Never!