Hot chocolate suppliers
15 April 2004, 08:29 PM
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Hot chocolate suppliers
Where can you buy really good quality hot chocolate other than in a coffee shop? (to consume at home I mean 
)
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Last edited by john banks; 15 April 2004 at 08:32 PM.
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15 April 2004, 11:34 PM
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John,
Have you been to Plaisir Du Chocolat in the High Street (Royal Mile) in Edinburgh? They sell the chocolate bars used to make their hot chocolate which is the BEST hot chocolate in Edinburgh by a country mile. Made with milk with proper chocolate melted in....real chocolate, not cadburys!
It really is sinful and only £2.95 per large cup. Well worth a visit. The patisserie has some delightful chocolate cakes too.
Have you been to Plaisir Du Chocolat in the High Street (Royal Mile) in Edinburgh? They sell the chocolate bars used to make their hot chocolate which is the BEST hot chocolate in Edinburgh by a country mile. Made with milk with proper chocolate melted in....real chocolate, not cadburys!
It really is sinful and only £2.95 per large cup. Well worth a visit. The patisserie has some delightful chocolate cakes too.
Last edited by imlach; 15 April 2004 at 11:47 PM.
15 April 2004, 11:42 PM
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You should also read this article from the Scotland on Sunday earlier this year. All the products are available to buy from Plaisir Du Chocolat in the Canongate (High St).
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=4012004
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=4012004
15 April 2004, 11:43 PM
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In case the link does not work if not registered.....
Sweet sensation
Martin Isark
At this time of year, you’ve no doubt had enough of parties and alcohol, and are ready for something comforting and wholesome. How about a cup of hot chocolate?
Don’t even think about cocoa powders or the thin, insipid apology for chocolate drinks you get from machines. Try real chocolate, which, in its complexity, can offer a pleasure similar to that a drinker experiences tasting the finest wine.
Such quality is not easy to find, however. Just like tea and coffee, most of what is offered in shops is of the lowest quality, and hardly recognisable as chocolate. Make a resolution this January to try a cup of the real stuff.
The three main varieties of cacao beans used in the production of chocolate are criollo, forastero and trinitario. Criollo is the most aromatic and flavoursome and the one that aficionados prize above rubies. Unfortunately, yields are very low if growing conditions are not just right, making it uneconomical. Forastero is much easier to grow and delivers about 80% of the market. The disadvantage is that it hasn’t the seductive nuances of criollo and is extremely bitter. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two and almost as good as criollo. It certainly tastes much sweeter than forastero. The best chocolate is 100% criollo or a blend of that and trinitario. On most wrappers or menus, though, chocolate is labelled by cocoa content rather than variety. If provided, varietal information on packets would be just as helpful as that on wine labels.
Try some of the following. They come in the form of chocolate drops and are very easy to use. Drop three, four or five, according to taste, into a saucepan and melt gently over a low heat, in milk, water, cream or any combination of the three. Taste and marvel at a real chocolate experience.
Chocolat Chaud, Belgian Bitter Couverture (53% cocoa and 47% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), 100g, £3.50
This chocolat chaud, like most couvertures, comes in a solid, small button-like form that melts with ease. Four or five heated and blended with milk reveal a Blue Mountain coffee-like nose of red fruits and a soft, rounded, velvety palate that lingers in the mouth long after the swallow. 7/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Hacienda Conception Couverture (64% cocoa and 36% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Single Estate, Venezuela, 100g, £5.50
Hot or cold, this criollo variety, single-estate boutique chocolate sings to the tastebuds. Melt it and mix it with double cream and you have chocolate heaven: pop one of Michel Cluizel’s oval buttons in your mouth and it slowly melts into a luscious chocolate swirl. 9/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Madagascar Couverture (72% cocoa and 28% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Madagascar, 100g, £4.50
Melted with milk, this one produces the assertive, clean, nutty flavour that gives your palate a hit similar to a strong espresso coffee. The button on its own explodes with chocolate nuts and acidity, so that your palate is left cleansed and wanting more. 8/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Pur Venezuela Couverture (72% cocoa and 28% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Venezuela, 100g, £4.50
Comparing the Venezuela to the Madagascar is like comparing milk chocolate to dark, even though they both have couvertures of 72% cocoa. This one does not have the heady qualities of the Hacienda Conception but it is smooth and very moreish. 6/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Infinite Extravagance Couverture (99% cocoa and 1% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), 100g, £4.90
Don’t bother. The bitterness from the 99% cocoa takes away all the palate pleasure. Even infused with chillies, as the Incas used to do, it’s still not worth the effort of lifting the cup to your lips. 1/10.
All available from Plaisir du Chocolat, 251 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh (0131 556 9524), where you can also sample a cup of the real stuff from £2.95
Sweet sensation
Martin Isark
At this time of year, you’ve no doubt had enough of parties and alcohol, and are ready for something comforting and wholesome. How about a cup of hot chocolate?
Don’t even think about cocoa powders or the thin, insipid apology for chocolate drinks you get from machines. Try real chocolate, which, in its complexity, can offer a pleasure similar to that a drinker experiences tasting the finest wine.
Such quality is not easy to find, however. Just like tea and coffee, most of what is offered in shops is of the lowest quality, and hardly recognisable as chocolate. Make a resolution this January to try a cup of the real stuff.
The three main varieties of cacao beans used in the production of chocolate are criollo, forastero and trinitario. Criollo is the most aromatic and flavoursome and the one that aficionados prize above rubies. Unfortunately, yields are very low if growing conditions are not just right, making it uneconomical. Forastero is much easier to grow and delivers about 80% of the market. The disadvantage is that it hasn’t the seductive nuances of criollo and is extremely bitter. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two and almost as good as criollo. It certainly tastes much sweeter than forastero. The best chocolate is 100% criollo or a blend of that and trinitario. On most wrappers or menus, though, chocolate is labelled by cocoa content rather than variety. If provided, varietal information on packets would be just as helpful as that on wine labels.
Try some of the following. They come in the form of chocolate drops and are very easy to use. Drop three, four or five, according to taste, into a saucepan and melt gently over a low heat, in milk, water, cream or any combination of the three. Taste and marvel at a real chocolate experience.
Chocolat Chaud, Belgian Bitter Couverture (53% cocoa and 47% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), 100g, £3.50
This chocolat chaud, like most couvertures, comes in a solid, small button-like form that melts with ease. Four or five heated and blended with milk reveal a Blue Mountain coffee-like nose of red fruits and a soft, rounded, velvety palate that lingers in the mouth long after the swallow. 7/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Hacienda Conception Couverture (64% cocoa and 36% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Single Estate, Venezuela, 100g, £5.50
Hot or cold, this criollo variety, single-estate boutique chocolate sings to the tastebuds. Melt it and mix it with double cream and you have chocolate heaven: pop one of Michel Cluizel’s oval buttons in your mouth and it slowly melts into a luscious chocolate swirl. 9/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Madagascar Couverture (72% cocoa and 28% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Madagascar, 100g, £4.50
Melted with milk, this one produces the assertive, clean, nutty flavour that gives your palate a hit similar to a strong espresso coffee. The button on its own explodes with chocolate nuts and acidity, so that your palate is left cleansed and wanting more. 8/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Pur Venezuela Couverture (72% cocoa and 28% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), Venezuela, 100g, £4.50
Comparing the Venezuela to the Madagascar is like comparing milk chocolate to dark, even though they both have couvertures of 72% cocoa. This one does not have the heady qualities of the Hacienda Conception but it is smooth and very moreish. 6/10.
Michel Cluizel’s Infinite Extravagance Couverture (99% cocoa and 1% sugarcane/bourbon vanilla), 100g, £4.90
Don’t bother. The bitterness from the 99% cocoa takes away all the palate pleasure. Even infused with chillies, as the Incas used to do, it’s still not worth the effort of lifting the cup to your lips. 1/10.
All available from Plaisir du Chocolat, 251 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh (0131 556 9524), where you can also sample a cup of the real stuff from £2.95
16 April 2004, 11:54 AM
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Probably the only place to get the good stuff is at "Cash and Carry" for commercial users such as restaurants etc. Same as coffee and things like the best tasting bacon or sausages etc. Never seem to be able to find the best stuff in the shops.
Les
Les
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