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avatarChoco-Laté Festival

By Joanna Maligaya on September 30, 2011 | Comments (0)

People who come to pay a visit at the Bruge’s Choco-Laté Festival, held in the Belfort bell tower, can relish their much loved dessert in whatever shapes & forms possible! So all you chocoholics, listen up and unite. Succumb to your every chocolate craving and indulge in your favorite sweet treat!

Choco-Laté is the annual festival of our favorite guilty pleasure. The vibes that chocolatiers give off at several stands lure the customers and magically bring them to a chocolate haven.

The festival will be hosting an array of activities to make visitors drool with tons of interesting and fun interactive programs such as body painting, chocolate recipe exhibitions, creations such as sculpture by chocolate artists and sculptors, a chocolate village for the little ones, and a “chocolate walk” through the town of Bruges, among many others.

The patrons are given a chance to learn about chocolate creations and recipes that are easy enough to do by themselves during live demonstrations by top chefs, bakers and chocolatiers.

Today, chocolate is used as a health aid and also for aesthetic purposes, not just to curb our sweet tooth cravings. Some of the innovative means of using chocolate are through treatments such as chocolate massages, chocolate packs or cocoa therapies.

Practically any chocolate is tempting, but as with what was stated on yesterday’s blog post, pairing it with a nice glass of wine will surely kick the chocolate delight up a notch. Choco-Laté will be revealing the art of delectably combining chocolate with other delicacies. Case in point: fruits dipped in chocolate fondue, and that is just one of the basics.

And finally, for the true blue chocolate lovers, the festival presents a Choco-Laté junior – a creative corner for kids where they can nourish their imagination in chocolate through fun body painting, sculpting and decorating, and many more.

When: 11 – 13 Nov 2011
Where: Belfort, Belgium,
Cost: €10; under 12s €6; under 6s free
Opening Hours: 10am-6pm

For more details, visit www.choco-late.be/en.

Categories: chocolate in the news,fine foods & beverages
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avatarVietnam Cacao Production

By Bryn Kirk on January 20, 2011 | Comments (0)

Here’s an update on cacao sourced from Vietnam…

Back in October of 2010, I wrote in my blog about the introduction of a limited edition of Scharffen Berger 72% Vietnamese single-origin chocolate bar.

Now, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer has launched the first ever, 100% Vietnamese chocolate available for wholesale, a new business-to-business operation.

Vietnam is new to cacao production.  Plantations have had many setbacks over the years, but since 2005 the production has increased. 

The recipients of the bulk chocolate will be from the bakery, ice cream, and confectionery industries.

The single source Vietnamese chocolate comes in a 70% cocoa content formulation.  It is said to have the following flavor attributes: fruity and spicy, with citrus and cinnamon notes.

The availability of Vietnamese cocoa beans is still pretty scarce, but more is expected as companies heavily invest in Vietnam production.

Although everything is still in the early stages, experts predict expansion is in the works.

The future is very promising for cacao in Vietnam!

Categories: chocolate in the news,fun chocolate facts
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avatarChocolatier Hachez

By Bryn Kirk on August 16, 2010 | Comments (0)

In 1890 Joseph Emile Hachez, originally from Belgium, established the Bremer Hachez Chocolade Company in Bremen, Germany.

In 1922, they began producing what would become their signature product, a chocolate autumn leaf called Brown Leaves.

 

Brown Leaves comes in either solid milk or dark chocolate or praline leaves filled with fine nougat.  This traditional line of chocolates is only part of what they offer now.

I recently indulged in two varieties of Hachez chocolate, Cocoa d’Arriba Strawberry-Pepper and Edel Bitter-Sahne.

The Strawberry-Pepper is made with 77% cocoa from Ecuador and contains dried pieces of strawberry and spicy green peppercorns.

The strawberry flavor notes blend perfectly with the naturally fruity notes of Ecuadorian chocolate.  The heat from the peppercorns is pleasant at the back of the throat

According to the company website, www.hachez.de, Hachez uses predominantly South American cocoa varieties for its chocolate.

My next adventure was tasting the Edel Bitter-Sahne bar.  It is a creamy, dark-milk chocolate made with 43% cocoa.  The texture is soft (maybe too soft) and it melts fast.  The diary notes do not overpower the chocolate and by the end, the lingering blend of both flavors is satisfying.

Categories: chocolate review
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