Attention bias is when your mind is especially focused on a particular topic, causing you to notice it everywhere. Following that line of thought, cocoa bias is when, for example, after spending years immersed in the topic of chocolate while writing a book, you see chocolate-related themes in completely unrelated places.

Or maybe it’s not completely unrelated.

I find it interesting how everyone who has an interest or passion in a topic, is ultimately interested in the same thing. The common element is the passion, not necessarily the thing that they are passionate about. The act of being interested in something is what we share.

By that thinking, you can read a book about anything that dives deeply into that topic, whether that be wine, chess, tomatoes or chairs, and find nuggets of wisdom that relate perfectly to whatever you happen to be interested in.

I’ve been testing this out a lot over the past few years, reading a range of non-fiction books completely unrelated to chocolate. It started as a way of clearing my brain from the overdose of chocolate it was receiving while researching my upcoming book, The World of Chocolate, but ended up still being all about chocolate, just through a different lens.

The most recent example of this, is the book Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum. I picked this because the one thing I enjoy even more than chocolate are independent bookstores. I could spend all my time, and easily all my money, exploring them.

This little book is from the author of Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop. While her earlier work centres on the fictional stories of people who frequent a bookstore, this follow up is a work of non-fiction that explores why she loves reading so much.

Throughout the book, she shares quotes from some of her favourite books that have helped her better understand life. While reading them, I did the same, that is, until I started seeing chocolate. Then, so many of the quotes took on a different meaning. Cocoa bias in action.

“Those who find books uninspiring may not have found the right ones that’ll bring them joy, meaning or excitement. If you feel like this, why not change the types of books you’ve been reading?”

Change books to chocolate and you have yourself a great quote on exploring chocolate.

Another passage reminded me of the tasting experience itself. In his book Learning to Write Begins with Reading a Book, author Lee Kwonwoo states:

“The focus isn’t on the book, but on the reader, and your experience reading it. It’s not stressful or challenging to write.”

Replace book with chocolate and reading with tasting, and the statement still rings true. Two people can taste the same chocolate and come away with entirely different experiences. There is no right or wrong way to taste, just your way.

This time change, books to chocolate, author to chocolate maker, quote to flavour note, and text with beans.

“Instead of moving on to the next book immediately, spend some time thinking about what you liked about it; maybe there are connections with other books waiting to be discovered. If you enjoy a particular author’s ideas and thoughts, go and find out if there are authors whom they admire. Of, with other books on topics that you enjoy, if a certain quote lingers in your mind, check out the source texts. Books are like spiders’ web; you’ll only get more attached.”

Take a moment after enjoying a particular chocolate to think about what you enjoyed about it. You may find other chocolates from that maker, or other makers using similar beans or techniques that you can try next. One chocolate will naturally lead you to the next.

Here is another, which I wholeheartedly follow, with chocolate:

“I hesitantly confessed that I have an ‘open relationship’ with books, and I was reading more than five books.”

Why finish one bar when you can have a taste, wrap it up carefully, and save the rest for another day.

“I used to think that reading one book at a time was the way to go, but I’ve discovered a different way to love, and there’re no turning back.”

And what about this quote from Lee Deok-mu, author of A Fool in Love With Books, again changing book to chocolate:

“At the right time, with the right friends, with the right book and having a conversation that feels just right in the moment. This is unparalleled joy, but why is such happiness so rare?”

I’ll finish off with French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu’s quote that Hwang Bo-Reum shares;

“I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.”

Except that with chocolate you don’t need an hour, just the few moments it takes to let it melt in your mouth.

Thanks for reading,

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

www.ultimatehotchocolate.com and on Insta @ultimatehotchoc

Seriously, I’m not making this stuff up.

Not much happens in Australia. Frankly, it’s a good place to live.

The very normal, and not remotely bomb-like, container was full of hot chocolate from Melbourne craft chocolate maker Mörk.

Please note that all of these containers are perfectly safe to travel with and you won’t be stopped; this really was an isolated incident! But, I thought it was a great opportunity to share with you all a list of a few other dangerously good Melbourne based drinking chocolates you might also consider travelling with.

Mörk Cacao Artisans

The original culprits of explosive drinking chocolates, Mörk, offer many options from their approachable Junior Dark 50%, a perfectly respectable 70%, and all the way up to their smooth Even Darker 85%, best paired with one of their roasted marshmallows. If you are up for a little more detonation power, try their Dark Milk & Salt 65% with its dark caramel notes, or their newest release, appropriately Atomic Mint. You can also enjoy these at their numerous locations around the CBD in Melbourne.

Hunted and Gathered

Hunted and Gathered produce another equally suspicious looking drinking chocolate canister. Their range starts at a sweet 50% before stepping up through 60% and 70%, depending on your mood. When you’re ready, I highly recommend their 100% drinking chocolate made from beans from the Zorzal Cacao in the Dominican Republic. If you still need a touch of sweetness, pair this with a canister of Buttered Vanilla Marshmallows. Everything is made at their Cremorne factory and can be bought online or at their pop-up shop on Gertrude Street.

Ratio Cocoa Roasters

Ratio Cocoa Roasters in Melbourne offers three drinking chocolates, including a 40% and a darker 60%. Founder Debbie Makin uses her house blend of her sustainably sourced bean to bar chocolates and added panela and coconut blossom sugar to create a bold and decadent drink that is easily enjoyed every day. My personal favourite is the chilli hot chocolate, turbocharged with cinnamon, chili, clove and salt. You can visit their shop in Brunswick to taste it in person or even take a factory tour to see how it is made.

Monsieur Truffe

Monsieur Truffe has an equally explosive drinking chocolate canister, a mix of cacao mass, cacao butter, soya lecithin and vanilla extract. I still miss the days when this chocolate was mixed with all sorts of fabulous flavours and sold at the now sadly closed East Elevation café. Another option I recommend, with equally suspicious packaging, is their dark gianduja which makes for one highly volatile hot chocolate.

Living Koko

Living Koko sell range of drinking chocolates made from cacao made from Samoan cocoa beans and packaged in equally suspicious canisters. Their lineup includes a 100% alongside chilli and peppermint variations. Equally, if not more dangerous (in a good way) is their Kokolove bomb, a 70% dark chocolate ball filled with marshmallows and their 100% drinking chocolate, to be enjoyed with hot milk, water or even coconut water. Best handled with caution.

Thanks for reading,

Giselle

Chief Drinking Chocolate Sipper over at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com and author of upcoming book The World Of Chocolate.

When I worked in Paris for many years, my go to breakfast was picking up a pain au chocolat from my favourite bakery and savouring it as I walked to work. In Paris, I was spoiled. Every now and then I’d try a different bakery, and more often than not, it would be great too. It was a good life.

Since then, good pain au chocolat have been a bit harder to find…until I moved to Australia. On a recent trip to Melbourne, I decided to find the best pain au chocolate, at least in South Melbourne (and a few in the CBD). Of course there are many more, and please tell me which ones I missed so I can visit them when I am back in a couple of weeks.

But I didn’t just try them. I’ve also been working on my scoring system. It started to look a bit like this…

· Presentation (out of 5): How good does it look?

· Chocolate (out of 5): How good is the chocolate inside? This includes both flavour and generosity. Is it a hard stick or does it melt nicely.

· Taste & Texture (out of 5): Is it light and crisp or dense and doughy? Do the layers of buttery dough mix nicely with the chocolate or are the two not on speaking terms.

· Experience (out of 5): The café, the service, the atmosphere, the weather, the mood — everything counts, including the price.

Please note that, one, I’m being picky and, two, If I had any of these again, as I likely will, they may score differently the second, or even third time. Not only is each pastry a bit different each time, but my mood and taste buds are too.

South Melbourne Bakery (Price $8) A first, this bakery looked like a traditional Aussie bakery with lots of cakes and meat pies that are all fine, but not great (every neighbourhood seems to have one). But no, this is not that. It is a warm hug full of friendly staff, friendly locals, and one delicious looking pain au chocolate. This one is brushed with apricot jam on top which I was skeptical about at first, but sold on after my first bite. The clincher…look at that gooey chocolate goodness.

Presentation: 4.5/5 Chocolate: 4.5/5 Taste 4.5/5: Experience :5/5 Total: 18.5/20

Cobb Lane Bakery (Price $8.50). This one had beautiful layering but was a little doughy when eaten. The chocolate was so sweet and a little bitter and had a burnt aftertaste. But Cobb Lane Bakery is literally the cutest little bakery you have ever visited, so major brownie (or chocolate croissant) points there.

Presentation: 4.5/5 Chocolate: 3/5 Taste: 4/5 Experience: 4.5/5 Total: 16/20

Agathé Patisserie ($8). This pastry shop inside South Melbourne Market always has a very long line up due to its social media friendly branding and desserts. Maybe because of that, I didn’t expect much. But if you go first thing before the tourists are up, not only is there no line, but the staff are so friendly (they even remembered my son’s order from the day before). The pain au chocolate is MASSIVE, bigger than my daughter’s head. The chocolate inside was very sweet and rock hard so there was a bit of a disconnect between all that air and the chocolate stick.

Presentation: 5/5 Chocolate: 4/5 Taste 4/5: Experience :4/5 Total: 17/20

Woodfrog Bakery (Price $6) I really wanted to love this one so much. With that price tag (Australian food is expensive), and the promise of “creamy Belgian chocolate” my expectations were high. But, sadly, it just didn’t quite deliver. The pastry was too doughy for my liking, lacking the light crisp flakiness I was hoping. The Belgian chocolate was one of the better ones I tasted, but wasn’t creamy but hard batons. Perhaps my expectations were unfairly high. Their sourdough is beautiful. And they named their bakery after a small burrowing frog that doesn’t eat bread, which I respect immensely.

Presentation: 3.5/5 Chocolate: 4/5 Taste 3.5/5: Experience :4/5 Total: 16/20

Chéri (Price $8) This isn’t a pain au chocolate. It is a dessert. Layers of sweet covered in sweet and filled with sweet. But gosh, isn’t it gorgeous? This one makes for a stunning photo, and probably nice enough accompanied by a cup of strong tea, but this ain’t breakfast folks. I couldn’t find the brownie, but nevertheless the name is fitting. Service was surprisingly bad (lots of staff chatting but no one working despite a long line and then not serving the line in order…) which didn’t help with the experience score.

Presentation: 4.5/5 Chocolate: 3/5 Taste 3/5: Experience :3/5 Total: 13.5/20

Standing Room (Price $8) In the CBD, Standing Room has a great atmosphere, great coffee and, drum roll, a great hot chocolate. They also have a pretty great pain au chocolate. Votes for the cutest looking (we saw googly eyes, if you see something else, shame on you). Generous chocolate, great layers, no complains here. Click here to see my full review of Standing Room’s hot chocolate.

Presentation: 4.5/5 Chocolate: 4.5/5 Taste 4.5/5: Experience :5/5 Total: 18.5/20

Lune (Price $8.50) Lune ownes the title of best croissant in Melbourne. They have the best story (founder moved from designing race cars to designing croissants, you can’t beat that). But the pain au chocolate? Standing in line with 50 tourists waiting to try the “famous croissants” doesn’t help things. Plus I’ve had these croissants, a lot over the years, and have fallen in and out of love with them. But this morning, I must say, it was really good. Good size, flakiness, chocolate, everything was balanced.

Presentation: 4.5/5 Chocolate: 5/5 Taste: 5/5 Experience: 4/5 Total: 18/20

Which ones should I try next?

Thanks for reading,

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com, @ultimatehotchoc on insta and very very shortly releasing The World of Chocolate book.

Selamat pagi!

I’ve just finished going through the third pass of the manuscript! It is exciting to see it come along. As soon as I know more about the launch date, cover etc, I’ll let you know!

This week, we are doing one last little trip through Malaysia before we move onto another country. Enjoy!

Only a couple of hours by train from Penang, Ipoh makes an easy and rewarding stop. In the 19th century, the city boomed thanks to the tin mining industry and earned the nickname City of Millionaires. It isn’t quite as opulent today, but still shinning in its own way.

In the morning, that shine is found in its kopitiams, traditional Malaysian coffee shops. Ceiling fans spin slowly, spoons click against thick ceramic cups, the radio up on the wall broadcasts out the latest news and regulars greet one another over seeming mugs of coffee.

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1. Start with breakfast. Choose from dozens of kopitiams around town, many clustered along Jalan Bandar Timah, especially towards Kinta River. Two famous ones, conveniently located right across the street from each other, are Kedai Makanan Nam Heong and Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong. We tried, and loved, both.

2. Find a seat if there’s one free, or join the line outside; it moves quickly. Locals treat these kopitiams like their dining room at home: a quick breakfast, a chat with a neighbour or two, and then off to work, school, or shopping.

3. Order your drinks. A server will come by to take your drink order. You basically have three choices. The must-try drink in Ipoh is white coffee, or kopi, the Malay word for coffee. According to local lore, Hainanese migrants arriving during the late Qing dynasty were introduced to bitter Western coffee during business meetings with colonial traders. To make it more palatable, they began roasting the beans in palm-oil margarine and serving the brew with condensed milk, creating Ipoh’s famous white coffee.

Your other options is teh, or tea, also served with condensed milk.

Chocolate isn’t the drink of choice here. While cacao grows around Ipoh, it is not sipped. The best you will find to satisfy a chocolate craving is a mug of Milo, a sweet cocoa powder-based drink from Australia that is hugely popular here.

4. Start with the typical Malaysian breakfast: kaya toast. Two slices of white bread are lightly toasted and spread with butter and kaya, a rich jam made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaves, which give it a greenish colour. This is served alongside two soft boiled eggs, cracked into a bowl, seasoned with a bit of pepper and a splash of soy sauce. Dip the toast into the egg, or the teh, and enjoy.

5. Order more food. Many kopitiams share space with one or two small food stalls, each run by a different vendor specialising in a particular dish. You can buy foods directly from them which you can enjoy at your seat (or take away). Each has a different selection. Kedai makanan Nam Heong has incredible dumplings for example, while Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong had curry buns and delicious noodles. Order at the stall and pay when the dish arrives at your table.

6. Take it all in. Kopitiams are modest, but full of small details: historic photos on the walls, regulars greeting one another, and the ritual of toast being dipped into eggs. It’s hard to eavesdrop on the latest neighbourhood gossip if you don’t understand the language, but you can imagine.

7. Come back later. Kopitiams aren’t just for breakfast. They are open all day. Come back for lunch, a mid afternoon snack. Try something different each time. Several kopitiams sell jars of homemade kaya or sambal, to take home.

Explore Ipoh

Ipoh is a beautiful city to walk around. A few things to include in your to do list.

• Buy a pomelo. If they are in season, they are everywhere, sold in various sizes and colours. Think of them as a giant grapefruit, but sweeter. They’re a bit tricky to peel, but once opened can be eaten like an orange.

• Visit Cameron Highlands. Only a few hours away, the cool highlands are very popular with Malaysian tourists. While there are plenty of tourist traps, some more interesting than others, the area is also famous for growing strawberries and tea.

• Explore the cave temples. They are truly impressive, even if you aren’t one to visit temples. There are many around the city, easily accessible by taxi (use the GRAB app). For example, Perak Tong and Ken Lok Tong.

• Eat a lot. Ipoh is one of Malaysia’s food capitals and good food is everywhere. We especially loved Cowan Street Chicken by Ann Xin and the terraces around Jalan Yau Tea Shin and Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar.

Between the kopitiams, the cave temples, and the endless food stalls, Ipoh rewards anyone willing to slow down and wander. Start with breakfast, and see where the day takes you.

And what about chocolate?

Cacao grows around Ipoh in some of the Indigenous communities. In Kuala Lumpur, you will find this turned into chocolate by Chocolate Concierge. Around Ipoh itself, you are more likely to see cacao pods sold at the local market. If you do, grab a few. They have generous amounts of really fragrant pulp, very lively citrus and lychee notes.

We had a pretty tasty chocolate icecream at Four Beans Soy Desserts which was served in a small ceramic toilet, with a shovel shaped spoon. Questionable presentation, excellent ice cream.

For more hot chocolates from this trip visit A Chocolate Tour of Kuala Lumpur, A Chocolate Tour of Penang, read this interview about Chocolate Concierge or learn more about Malaysian cocoa stamps. There is also the hot chocolate page over at Ultimate Hot Chocolate.

Thanks for reading!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com and on insta @ultimatehotchoc

Kuala Lumpur (or KL) is a fantastic city, especially if you like to eat. It is easy to get around, very walkable, and packed with interesting things to see and do. There is a beautiful mix of ultra-modern and deeply traditional and the Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences across the city make it fascinating…and tasty. They have plenty of impressive independent bookstores (high on my list of requirements for a great city), and, of course, chocolate made using Malaysian beans!

Despite this, there weren’t as many great hot chocolate options as I had hoped. I’ll admit I ended up drinking far more teh tarik than hot chocolate, a black tea with condensed milk that’s mixed by pouring it back and forth between two vessels (a bit like how chocolate drinks were once made…funny that.) It did make me wonder why none of the local chocolate makers offered a chocolate version: a teh with white chocolate instead of condensed milk, or even a milk chocolate variation. I’m experimenting with this at home at the moment, and will share with you whatever I land on.

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The Land of Milo

Milo is the chocolate drink of choice in Kuala Lumpur (and Malaysia more broadly). It’s a chocolate-flavoured malted powder product considered the country’s unofficial drink, even though it’s originally Australian. Made with malted barley, milk powder, sugar, cocoa and a range of vitamins and minerals, it sounds healthy but really isn’t. It is incredibly sweet…healthier than just eating sugar, I guess.

Still, when in Rome…

We (the kids, mostly) drank a lot of Milo, though I didn’t write up full blog posts on each one. After a few dozen, we did learn that not all Milos are created (or prepared) equally. Our favourites (with write ups) were:

- Kafei Dian paired with a fantastic traditional Malaysian breakfast (Click here to read review)

- Jiak Kopi, alongside the best Nasi Lemak we had on the trip (Click here to read review).

The Hot Chocolates..

Chocolate Concierge is a must visit in KL if you love chocolate (and even if you don’t). They have a few cafes, all a bit of a trek away from the tourist areas, but well worth it if you have the time. Beautiful chocolates with origins from around Malaysia and transformed into either single origin bars or a range of stunning and tasty bonbons featuring Malaysian flavours such as pandan and durian. A few others we visited ...

- Gioia - great gelato, with lots of local flavours, plus a decadent hot chocolate made with Valrhona. (Click here to read review).

- Kakao Origin - a bean to bar chocolate maker with a stall in Central Market, Chinatown. (Click here to read review).

- Boom - a trendy bakery where we had pain au chocolate with an iced chocolate. (Click here to read review).

- Kedai Coklat - not our favourite hot chocolate, but some interesting chocolate desserts (Click here to read more).

-Cacao Mixology & Chocolate - a stunning, chocolate themed bar on the 75th floor of the Park Hyatt (Click here to read more).

What To Do in Kuala Lumpur

· Climb the 272 colourful steps to reach the Temple Cave at Batu Caves, one of Malaysia’s most important Hindu pilgrimage sites (about a 30 km metro ride from downtown)

· Explore Central Market, an art deco building that was once the city’s wet market. Located in Chinatown, it now houses a food court and many small shops

· Visit the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world (375 m). Behind them is a beautiful park with a lake that hosts a nightly sound and light show. The shopping mall inside is, unsurprisingly, full of food—and an excellent bookstore

· Walk… in any direction, stopping frequently to eat. For example, take an evening stroll through Bukit Bintang and stop at Restoran Mon Chinese Beef Roti for a beef roti

The main thing to do in KL is to eat.

There is so much good food in KL. Visit one of the main food streets, the most popular with visitors being Jalan Alor Food Street in Bukit Bintang. Another is the food street in Kampung Baru. Don’t miss (but this is really the tip of the Malaysian iceberg)

- Nasi Lemak, coconut rice served with sambal chili, fried anchovies, peanuts, egg and chicken.

- Beef rendang, a slow cooked braised beef

- A traditional breakfast of kaya toast, soft boiled eggs and teh

- Roti…with anything….

- Evergreen Tea House for teas

For more chocolate from my 2 week trip to Malaysia, see

- A Chocolate (and food) Lovers Guide to Penang

- A few of my favourite things…Malaysian Cacao Stamps

- A Hot Chocolate with….Ning from Chocolate Concierge

Thanks for reading!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

“I’ll have a hot chocolate, please.”

You repeated back my order with a warm smile. “Yes, a hot chocolate”.

I was waiting in line at Coventry Bookstore in South Melbourne, ready to buy a different book, when another book caught my eye, or rather, called my name. Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama. I wouldn’t usually spend $35 on books placed near the cash register. I normally consider all my book purchases carefully (there are so many I want, I need to restrain myself). But it was Thursday, and cold, and hot chocolate suddenly sounded like a great idea. Before I knew it, the book had leapt into my hand, then onto the counter, and was mine within a minute of meeting me. Cheeky bugger.

Back at our borrowed apartment, I made myself a hot chocolate and sat on the balcony overlooking the hustle and bustle of South Melbourne Market. Taking advantage of a rare quiet moment, I opened to the first page. I expected nothing, and, at first, I wasn’t overly impressed. Lukewarm. But as I kept reading, and it’s a quick read, it warmed up to a nice drinking temperature. It felt like a friendly chat with a stranger, an embrace from a friend, or a sip of a hot chocolate.

The main character, if there is one, drinks hot chocolate, apparently a very good one. Mine was made from chocolate from Atypic, sold just across the street at the market. I finished the book that afternoon and soon after felt a small sadness that the gentle embrace was over. Nothing revolutionary or life changing, but a lovely moment I’ll fondly remember.

So, here is a list of the 9 Easter treats I either bought, or wish I’d bought, or tried to buy but they wouldn’t ship because it was too hot in Perth.

1

When Sue Lewis Chocolatier starts selling her Bunny Pots in Perth, Western Australia, I know it’s Easter again. Each pot is filled with mini eggs and mini bunnies and they are available in a mix white/dulcey/milk/raspberry or dark/yuzu/raspberry/passionfruit. All her chocolates are made using Valrhona chocolate.

2

Mork’s Golden Emu Egg is but one of Mork’s products that make them the clear winner in the Australian Easter chocolate takeover. Made with caramelised chocolate, smoked sea salt and a dash of 23K gold. Inside is macademia cream, Tasmanian honey ganache, pepper berry, lemon myrtle and a crunch of whole honey-roasted macadamia to finish.

3

It should be a crime to sell hot cross buns at any other time of the year except for Easter. What is great about these delicious little buns, best enjoyed cut open, toasted and then slathered with butter and a sprinkle of salt, is that they are only available for a short amount of time. There are so many incredible hot cross buns across Australia, but my go to are these chocolate ones from Wild Bakery in Fremantle, Western Australia

4

If you need the hot cross bun in chocolate bar form, Hunted + Gathered in Melbourne, Victoria has a Hot Cross Bun bar made with spices, candied orange, roasted almond and dried fruit folded through 60% Dominican Republic chocolate. If you want to go really crazy, take a hot cross bun, toast it and place some of this chocolate on top, wait for it to melt ever so slightly, and enjoy a double chocolate hot cross bun. You are very welcome.

5

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier in Adelaide, South Australia’s winning combination of Ardbeg whiskey ganache and salted caramel in a chocolate Easter egg using Valrhona chocolate is out of this world. Move over kids, Easter is for the adults.

6

I feel like these bite sized, 100% dark chocolate eggs made from cocoa from Anamalai estate in South India are the perfect size, like a daily vitamin for good health. I hope that Foundry Chocolate in Silverdale, New Zealand will considering keeping them in stock all year around.

7

In France, they have competitions to identify the best marshmallow filled chocolate teddy bear. This is serious stuff. But Ratio Cocoa Roasters’ raspberry marshmallow filled chocolate bunny made from their own blend of chocolate made in house (from the bean, of course), would give the French teddy bears a run for their money.

8

You need to be fast to get one of Messina’s limited edition Gelato Easter Eggs, like buying Taylor Swift tickets online as soon as ticket sales start fast. The dark chocolate shell is filled with layers of chocolate cheesecake gelato, baked cheesecake chunks, chocolate cream cheese with chocolate crumb mousse, salted caramel chocolate cookie mousse, and a salted caramel centre. They are pretty big, but you don’t need to share if you don’t want.

9

If you really want to share your Easter treats, then pick up Baron Hasselhoff’s Legend of the Double Yolker Easter Egg. Apparently, according to the Baron (and the company’s website), he discovered, deep in the Black Forest (in New Zealand?), a breed of bunny that lays double yolk Easter Eggs. This inspired this chocolate version made with their own bean to bar chocolate and filled with marshmallow, one raspberry and pomegranate and the other with spiced hazelnut praline. One for me and one for you. Or two for me.

Happy Easter!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

This weekend I’m taking you all back to Malaysia with me, this time to Kuala Lumpur where we will meet Ning-Geng One from Chocolate Concierge. Ning’s is the first in a series of interviews I’ll be sharing leading up to the launch of the book, introducing you to some of the fantastic people who have helped me along the way. I’m calling this series “A Hot Chocolate with…”.

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What are we sipping today?

Ning: 100% Malaysian cocoa, whisked with hot water, with a touch of salt and freshly grated cinnamon.

So, why chocolate?

Ning: I didn’t start with chocolate, I found my calling in it. I spent about 10 years abroad studying physics and computer science, then working in tech, but I was always drawn to fermentation. There’s something magical about it, the scents, the transformation, the way it feels alive yet almost programmable. It sits between controlled chaos and rhythm.

When I returned to Malaysia, I started brewing, aging cheeses, and tasting coffee and chocolate. Then I realized I could experience single-origin chocolate from all over the world, but not from Malaysia. I kept asking myself, “Why?” That question has guided me ever since.

And that question led to Chocolate Concierge—how did it begin?

Ning: It began with a simple desire: to taste Malaysian cacao. I started seeking out local beans, and more than a decade later, I’m still on that same path.

We focus entirely on Malaysian cacao, not because other origins aren’t beautiful, but because Malaysia’s story is rarely told. With our single-origin bars, we take a very light-touch approach so the cacao can express itself fully. Each region has its own personality; some are bright and fruity, others nutty or floral. We don’t want to blend that away.

We also work closely with farmers and indigenous communities. When we name a bar after a community, it’s not marketing, it’s recognition. And sustainability is core to what we do: agroforestry, biodiversity, fair pricing, long-term relationships. Chocolate, to us, begins with the land.

What do you wish more people understood about Malaysian cacao?

Ning: How diverse it is. Malaysia’s tropical landscape, its soils, elevations, and microclimates, creates a wide range of flavour profiles. It’s not one identity, but many voices.

I also wish people understood the level of craft involved. From growing and harvesting to fermentation, small decisions can have a huge impact on flavour. We’ve even conducted research into fermentation methods to improve both taste and nutritional qualities.

Most of all, Malaysian cacao doesn’t need to imitate other origins. It stands on its own. When someone tastes it for the first time and pauses, surprised. That moment means everything.

Your packaging is beautiful—what’s the idea behind it?

Ning: Each bar features a cacao pod from its origin. It’s a reminder that chocolate is grown, not just made.

Many people never get to see cacao pods in their natural variety of shapes and colours, so I wanted to use the bar itself as a canvas to show that. It’s not always a conventional choice, but it’s intentional. We’re celebrating the diversity of Malaysian cacao.

If someone could try just one thing from Chocolate Concierge, what would you recommend?

Ning: I would start with drinking chocolate, or even cacao tea. Before chocolate became bars or confections, it was a drink. There’s something deeply grounding about holding a warm cup and experiencing cacao in its purest form.

Our drinking chocolate is just cacao and hot water, no sugar or dairy, so nothing masks the flavour. It’s thick, silky, and meant to be sipped slowly. Cacao tea, made from the husk, is lighter but surprisingly complex, with notes like honey and toasted grains.

Starting with a beverage changes the experience. It moves chocolate from being just a treat into something more, a ritual, a moment to slow down and connect.

To read my blog post on the fantastic hot chocolate at Chocolate Concierge, visit the ultimatehotchocolate.com.

Read more...

Have a great weekend,

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

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I’ve collected a lot of interesting, cacao and chocolate themed items on my travels. In this new series, I’ll share some of my favourite things. Since last week we travelled to Penang, here is a little something I picked up in Malaysia.

The central post office in Kuala Lumpur is a maze of rooms. I started in the basement in my search for this stamp. They sent me to Level 1, then to Level 2. By this point, I was starting to lose faith. Maybe this Malaysian stamp featuring cacao that I had seen on the internet was fake news.

The stamp I was looking for is a 5 sen stamp first issued on October 25, 1986 that features a cacao tree with golden yellow cacao pods. It is part of a series of agro based products grown in Malaysia which includes coffee, coconuts, black pepper, rubber, oil pam and paddy. These are all crops that were important for the country’s economic development, especially after it gained independence in 1957.

Cacao was first introduced to Malaysia in the late 19th century and became a significant crop in the 20th century. In the 1960s the country was one of the world’s top producers. But in the 1990s, the country shifted towards palm oil and other crops, and cacao was largely pushed aside.

I showed the man at Level 2 the photo of the stamp. “How many would you like?” he replied. A sheet? “That’s 100 stamps”. Ok? At 5 Malaysian cents each, this came out to only a few dollars. Sold. Now, what to do with all these fantastic stamps!

Salam!

SIPS by Ultimate Hot Chocolate is back! I know I’ve been quiet for a bit. I’m still sipping, and working on some exciting things, but for personal reasons needed to take a break. The good news is that I have a lot of fantastic things to share with you! Many trips, interviews, products and a surprise or two. I also have a book coming out this year! So, I hope you’ll come along for the ride (and bring a few friends along too). Let’s start with something familiar, a good old trip report. Thanks for following, and happy sipping.

In January, we made a very last minute decisions (just three days before hand) to spend two weeks in Malaysia. We knew that Penang Island had to be one of our stops, and it did not disappoint. As a family that travels for both chocolate and food, we chose Penang because it is known as the food capital of the country. The historic central area of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, since 2008. Founded in 1786 as a port to serve British interests, the city become a hub for global trade where Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures met and coexisted. This rich cultural blend shaped its unique food and lifestyle. The multicoloured shophouses throughout the central area are long and narrow since land taxes were once based on street footage. Most host local artists and artisans, cafes and restaurants, as there is a rule against large corporations from setting up shop so that it doesn’t risk losing its cultural charm.

Penang is also known for its beaches, but since I live in the city with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, we chose to focus solely on the food.

Cacao grows in Penang

I’ll share more about cacao in Malaysia in future posts, but the short answer is yes, cacao grows across Malaysia, including in Penang. However, it is clear that many farmers prefer palm oil, which is everywhere. We came across many houses in the countryside that had a tree or two growing in the backyard. You can also see cacao growing at the Penang Tropical Fruit Farm.

Where to sip

Penang has some pretty amazing coffee shops sourcing beans from around the world and roasting them on site. A few, thankfully, had pretty great drinking chocolates too.

• Osso Roastery & Brew serves two options of single origin, Malaysian cacaos for their hot chocolate. One, Kelantan, has notes of apple, red bean and sweet potato and the other, Kota Marudu, has notes of sea hawthorn and red fruits (apparently, I didn’t taste any of this, but loved them both).

• OME by SpaceBar Coffee If you are looking to pick up some chocolate made with Malaysian cacao, here you can buy Malaysian craft chocolate maker Chocolate Concierge’s chocolate. They also use this chocolate in their drinks.

• Norm Micro Roastery, housed in a stunning repurposed warehouse, offers drinks made with Australia’s own Mork chocolate, each served with a freshly roasted, house made marshmallow.

Click here for more hot chocolates in Penang.

What to eat in between sips

The food in Penang is outstanding. If you’re planning a trip, consider adding days just so you can eat more!. For a full selection of dishes we tried and recommend, visit @Lucaloveslunch. Here are a few highlights.

• Samosas from Penang’s Famous Samosas, a small food stall in Little India.

• Order a selection of small dishes from Nyonya lah by Javu, including blue rice, eggplant and long bean with soy sauce, Kopitan curry chicken and a local favourite, stinking bean (which tastes infinitely better than it sounds).

• Penang Asam Laksa, a tangy, spicy, fish based noodle soup. Every vendor has their own approach, so try a few from the road stalls, especially the night market, and pick your favourite.

• Curry at Hameediyah Restaurant. Forget the fork and instead enjoy them with your hands (right hand only, of course).

• Pani puri at Tea Kadai. The original savoury version has a nice little kick to it, but they also have a slightly less traditional chocolate version that is a must! Best paired with a glass of teh tarik.

• Cendol from Penang Road Nyonya Cendol (or any other cendol stand). Shaved ice with coconut milk, palm sugar, red beans, and green jelly noodles (if this doesn’t sound particularly good to you, trust me, it’s amazing)

• Nutmeg juice made with Penang grown nutmeg and available on roadside stalls or at Chowrasta Market.

• Don’t miss Kimberley Street Food Night Market.

What to do

If you are visiting for the first time, find a place to stay in the UNESCO Heritage Precinct and spend your days wondering up and down the streets in this area.

• The street art! George Town is one large open air gallery, with murals and sculptures everywhere. Many are on main streets but they are also down little laneways, higher up on walls.

• Visit the Hin Bus Depot, a fantastic space that has been transformed into a makers market but also has a number of great stores for those that love unique fits. My favourite: Kazimi Paper where you can make your own personalised notebook made.

• Beryl’s Chocolate Story is a Malaysian favourite. They have a museum in the central area which is free to visit. Georgetown Herittage Chocolate (yes, with two ts) also has a small museum. Both offer a range of very sweet, flavoured confections which don’t use local cacao, but do use local palm oil and infused flavours.

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. and on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

P.S. If you enjoyed this, please share it!

1. The chocolate dessert at Nordic inspired restaurant Freyja on Collins Street in Melbourne CBD. Chocolate mousse with rhubarb, Campari, Sichuan pepper and sour cream.

2. Mörk Chocolate’s new store at 13 Centre place in Melbourne CBD! Watch out for events they sometimes hold on the second floor (think cheese and chocolate pairings).

3. S’mores made with crackers, chocolate and caramelised burrata cheese at Ugo Burrata Bar in South Melbourne Market.

4. Hojicha chocolate ice cream wrapped in mochi at Hareruya Pantry in Melbourne CBD.

5. A French style hot chocolate from JC Patisserie in Melbourne (Abbotsford).

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6. The Mexican hot chocolate with chilli, Himalayan salt and orange bark from Güras Cacao in Prahran Market in Melbourne.

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7. The 72% dark chocolate hot chocolate with fior di latte and marshmallow gelato and hazelnut croccante from Pidapipo in Fitzroy.

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8. The Nama Chocolates from Hareruya Pantry in Melbourne CBD, available in several flavours, all good.

   

9. The pain au chocolate at Publique in Melbourne CBD. Everything a pain au chocolate should be!

   

10. Sake and chocolate pairings at Sakedokoro Namara in Melbourne CBD. They sold the sake, we snuck in the chocolate.

Have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Hola!

If you follow me on Instagram (@ultimatehotchoc), you will know that I have been travelling quite a bit lately. Before I get to sharing bits from those fantastic trips, I need to finish telling you about Spain! So here are a few hot chocolates in Valencia. Honestly, I fell in love with Valencia. If you are thinking of visiting Spain, I strongly recommend that you make sure you spend time there. Rent an apartment if you can, shop at the local market and make sure to pack good walking shoes. Ok, here we go….

Xoco & Vero

This family run business has been making chocolate since 1823 and continue to make chocolate using the formulas and techniques of their ancestors. Their specialty is to make bollos, unrefined cylindrical chocolates wrapped in paper. For 2 euros you can get a small cup of their chocolate a la taza artisan either plain or flavoured, with a whip cream or liquor, or all the above!

Santa Catalina

I love Valencia. There is just something so warm and inviting about this city. It is easy; easy to get around, easy to talk to people, easy to eat good food, easy to find good chocolate. I don't know what it would actually be like to live there but I'm willing to give it a try. I’d set up near Horchateria de Santa Catalina, the place to have horchata, a typical drink made with tiger nut and served cold along with a sweet sponge cake called a farton. They also serve chocolate and churros. Everything I had here was fantastic and the location is stunning. Come at least twice, once to sit in the downstairs area and once to sit upstairs and admire the colourful ceramics depicting the history of the city.

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Also, make sure you visit Utopick, a craft chocolate company where Juana Rojas and Paco Llopis make beautiful chocolate. You also need to buy their small chocolate bombs called Peim that have anise liquour hidden inside.

What to do in Valencia

• Visit Mercy Central, the largest market with fresh produce in Europe. While there, try to grab a seat at Central Bar for some really good tapas.

• UNESCO World Heritage Site La Lonja

• Walk to the City of Arts and Sciences Monument. We just walked around the outside, which is impressive, but you can also plan to spend quite a bit of time inside. There is Europe’s biggest aquarium, a huge 3D cinema, Science Museum, Arts Palace, open access garden and conference space.

• Plan your trip to coincide with March 19 to experience the Fallas. Every year two Fallas are saved from being burnt and these are all exposed at the Fallas Museum.

• Paella originally comes from Valencia and there are many good places to try it. Try La Peptic, Levante and Casa Roberto, but there are many more. Good paella is made to order and takes time, so don’t rush it.

Good morning!

If you are following me on Instagram you know I am actually in Melbourne, not in Spain. I’m slowly getting through all of the hot chocolates I had on my trip to Spain.

Chocolateria San Gines

What you need right now is a warm mug of thick, dark chocolate with 3 or 4 crispy, golden, still warm churros to dip into the chocolate. At least this is what I need right now. You can find these all around Spain, but Madrid had my favourites. But it seems that I am not the only one that feels this way judging by the long lines outside Chocolateria San Gines. Luckily, they are open 24 hours a day and have been since 1894. They are still making their churros using a traditional technique called “a hombre” where the churros are mixed by hand and pressed into a long circular string before being fried. If you are to believe their website, they have made 929 million of these and 73 million cups of chocolate. I believe…

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BomBom

Bombon is my local in Madrid. I don't actually live in Madrid, so I don't have a local bar/cafe either, but if I did live in Madrid, I'd probably start my apartment searches around this area because of Bombon. They sell (or used to) not only an impressive range of craft chocolate from around the world, but many hot chocolates, both plain and flavoured with any number of spices and even nut butters, most made in house. Add in great music (the owners are musicians) and you have a winner! Unfortunately, Bombon felt the COVID restrictions hard and had to close. I'm not sure whether the current Bombon is still run by the original owners, or even if there is still a focus on chocolate. Therefore, this post is more of an ode to what Bombon was when I visited and what I hope it will still be when I visit again.

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More Spanish Chocolate…

The Association for the Promotion of Artisan Roast Bean to Bar Chocolate in Spain is a good place to start if you are organising a chocolate themed tour of Spain.  

I spent a bit of time looking (drooling) through their websites. I’m intrigued by the 100x100 bar which includes cacao from the Philippines and cacao mucilage from @cacaokankel in La Rioja. @kaitxo2017 in Balmaseda has a milk chocolate with liquorice and violets. I really want to try @somospuchero ‘s chocolate with churros in bar form in Valladolid.

A Few Travel Tips and Links

• If you are staying in Madrid for more than a few days, consider switching accomodation half way through so you can experience two different neighbourhoods.

• Spend time at San Miguel Market just off Plaza Mayor

• For more good food, sign up for one of Devours Food Tours early on in the trip to learn about all the best spots to eat.

• Chocolatier Oriol Balaguer sells what he calls “high tech chocolates” with lyophilised although he doesn’t explain what that is (seems to be a fancy word for freeze drying…).

• Taste heart shaped Palmeras de chocolate pastries at El Riojano on Calle Mayor, 10. They have been making them for over 160 years.

• Cacao Sampka on Calle de Orlellano 4 has beautiful chocolates. Buy one of each.

• Museo National del Prado has several chocolate themed historic paintings

• For a very long list of amazing churros to taste, click here.

Have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

I just realised this morning that I hadn't finished sharing posts from my trip exploring the history of chocolate through Spain. I left you high in the mountains in Sotres, siping hot chocolate and eating Cabrales cheese. I know that isn't a terrible place to be left, but it has been far too long and it is about time I finish telling you about this chocolate fuelled trip that dates back to pre COVID years (remember those?).

First stop, Astorga

It is a beautiful drive from Sotres to Astorga, one of the first European cities that tasted chocolate when shipments started arriving into Spain (which was the first European country to enjoy chocolate). The chocolate industry quickly grew here and the first chocolate factory in Astorga opened in 1580. It eventually became one of the main producers of chocolate in Spain. Today there are still several historic companies including Lenin Chocolatier, Chocolates Santocildes and La Cepedana. La Cepedana is a chocolate shop/museum and I could have spent all day sipping my hot chocolate while admiring old chocolate making machines and sipping cups.

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Salamanca

The Cathedral, Casa de las Conchas, Casa Lis, Salamanca is filled with architectural marvels and food, lots of good food. Sit and enjoy a drink at Plaza Mayor, one of the largest squares in Spain. If you do stay the night, which you should, Parador de Salamanca offers stunning views across the city and historic rooms. When you are ready for your hot chocolate visit Chocolate Valor for chocolate with churros.

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Toledo

Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site also considered to be one of the most beautiful places in Spain, rises up in layers. At the bottom there are narrow medieval streets and further up renaissance spires and bell towers. If you don't know Toledo as the first capital of Spain (until Madrid took over in 1561), you know it because of the famous novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Here is the land where his knight explored and you will see evidence of this connection throughout the historic centre including all sorts of statues in honour of this knight (including one made completely out of marzipan). The region is known for its marzipan which is sold throughout town. We had an ice cream at Chocolate Experience and a hot chocolate at Cafe de las Monjas.

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Cuenca

Mid way between Madrid and Valencia is the historic walled city of Cuenca. The UNESCO World Heritage city is famous for its "casas coladas" or handing houses with wooden balconies that hang straight out over high cliffs. If you walk over Puente de San Pablo footbridge you get excellent views of these. We only partially come here to see the city; we also visited for the chance to stay in the Parador de Cuenca. Paradores are state run hotels that are set in restored castles, monasteries, convents and fortresses. This one is located in a 16th century convent just opposite the hanging houses. The Parador also has several common spaces where you can sit down and enjoy a traditional thick Spanish hot chocolate, and pretend this is your castle.

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If you have more time in Spain, also consider visiting Monasterio De Piedra, considered to be the first spot in Europe where chocolate was made. Today it has a chocolate museum and you can still visit the rooms where chocolate was made.

Chocolate News

What is the definition of handmade in chocolate? The kiwis have been rocked by a chocolate scandal that impacts us all; products using the term handmade that aren’t. Basically a local company “handcrafted” pineapple pieces dipped in milk chocolate, neither product made by the company itself. @lukeowensmith comments on this further on instagram. What is handmade in chocolate and can chocolate even be called handmade? Let me know what you think and I’ll share thoughts in a future issue.

Here is a list of different mushroom hot chocolates which seems to be the next big thing (I have Raaka Magic Mushroom hot chocolate on my shopping list).

Toblerone bars will no longer have the image of the Matterhorn mountain on packaging because the bars are no longer made in Switzerland (they can still be melted down into a hot chocolate…).

The 5 best milk frothers according to chefs (what about according to chocolatiers? Any recommendations?)

Leaving you with a bit of science. I recently learnt that there is a thing called the Hot Chocolate Effect which you can recreate at home.

Have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Happy Monday to you all.

I thought I’d help you start off your week right by taking you on a very quick, 5 minute tour around the world to meet some of the superstars of Craft Chocolate. We start and end in Seattle where I met all of these fantastic makers. You can read more about the US based makers in last week’s post.

Passport (and wallet with large saving account dedicated to chocolate spending) ready? Ok! Here we go…

VENEZUELA!! 20/20 Chocolates

Some amazing cacao is grown in Venezuela, usually bought up by makers in other countries to make their chocolate. 20/20 is Venezuelan, making Venezuelan chocolate from Venezuelan beans from both their own farms and local producers. Not only do they grow some varieties of cacao that make for beautiful chocolate, but they are also doing it in an agroforestry system. Founded by the Esteves family in Carabobo in 2017, the name makes references to the area of the world where cocoa can be grown (the cacao belt) which is 20 degrees north and south of the equator. Their Green mango and salt dark chocolate and their 70% Yaracuy are both on my shopping list.

VIETNAM!! Marou

Vincent, an advertising exec from San Francisco and Samuel, a recovering banker living in Saigon, met in Vietnam and visited a cacao plantation on a whim. Today they have been one of the drivers of craft chocolate, in particular this idea of terroir, that crops taste different based on where they are grown, the soil, the environment etc. They make chocolate from cacao grown in different regions of Vietnam which showcase the diversity of flavours in the country. You can travel to the Bén Tre Province, the jungle hills of Dong Mai Province just by eating a piece of chocolate. https://marouchocolate.com/

Thailand!! Thailand Craft Chocolate Festival

Visiting Thailand is never a bad idea really. But if you are going to visit, visit in February so that you can visit the Thailand Craft Chocolate Festival and Tony! Thailand has a long history with cacao and doesn’t only grow it, but has a growing number of chocolate makers locally turning it into very nice bars. I really enjoyed the box that showcases cacaos from 10 different farms around the country.

TAIWAN!! Fu Wan Chocolates

Fu Wan Chocolates has been making fine chocolates, using cacao sources from around Taiwan, since 2014. But Fu Wan is so much more than that. One of the many very interesting things that Warren does with his chocolate is to play around with different approaches to the fermentation of the cocoa beans by adding in different fruits, yeasts and flavours. I bought a lot of chocolate here, a few bars where beer yeasts were added to the ferment. Fu Wan Chocolates also has accomodation, farm tours and chocolate making classes available.

JAPAN!! Green Bean to Bar

I love Green Bean to Bar (I’ve reviewed their hot chocolate on my site here). They have a beautiful cafe in Nakameguro. We even chose a hotel just a few blocks away so that we could linger here most of the day. You can watch the chocolate making process, buy products and sip their hojicha hot chocolate. They make chocolates, and bonbons, using cacao sourced from around the world.

NORWAY!! Fjak Chocolate

If you ask my kids to name a craft chocolate company, chances are they will tell you about Fjak. I got lots of parent brownie points for introducing them to the Milk chocolate and brown cheese bar and the white chocolate and cheese hot chocolate. Trust us, this combination is perfect!! The cheese, along with all the rest of the ingredients they add to their chocolate, are local, celebrating the flavours of Norway. Think reindeer moss, lingonberry, oak smoked salt, gingerbread and blackcurrants.

UNITED KINGDOM!! Willie’s Cacao

Willie Harcourt-Cooze is both a chocolate maker and farmer, who doesn’t only make chocolate, but takes it to a whole new level in the UK. This chocolate is made both from the cacao he grows on his farm, Hacienda El Tesoro in Venezuela as well as from other local makers. The company sells many different products (including a very nice hot chocolate) and lots of special seasonable mixes.

MEXICO!! Cuna de Piedra

Cuna de Piedra doesn’t only make chocolate from cacao grown in Mexico (where it is growing primarily in Tabasco and Chiapas regions). Their products also look beautiful. They sell a Starter Kit with a selection of most of their bars in a small black box. I reached for that first, but ended up splurging and buying their modern take on a metate; a wooden tool used to froth up hot chocolate, as well one of each of the hot chocolates. I also ran back to spend my last pennies on their chocolate with Mezcal (both woven and reposado).

Uncommon Cacao

Last but not least, I wanted to share this video from Uncommon Cacao, a company that sources high quality cacao from around the world and sells it to craft chocolate makers who turn it into chocolate. They publish a annual Transparency Report outlining who they are working with and the prices they pay for cacao. The market prices for cacao are very low, as are the Fair Trade prices, lower than you would ever imagine (which is why most cacao farmers are very poor). All the makers above, and Uncommon Cacao, pay much more for beans than Fair Trade prices, which is worth thinking about if you are looking to support farmers through your purchases.

Before you get back to work after this whirlwind trip around the world, I just wanted to show you these eggs from The Chocolate Detective. I don’t get into chocolate holidays that much, but love the idea behind this range of Easter eggs that look like the real eggs from different birds in the UK, and even sold in little egg cartons.

Have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Good morning Seattle!

I’m a bit behind sharing some of my chocolate filled trips with you. The problem is that I drink too many hot chocolates on trips like this … it just takes a long time to write them all up (especially because chocolate is only 50% of my day job…the better 50% obviously). Let’s deal with Seattle first and then I can get you all back to Paris and to Spain (remember that!! I haven’t finished telling you about that trip either!!). These are good problems to have…I’ll take these problems any day.

So, imagine you are in Seattle. You teleported there, so no jet lag, and you have a magic card (because who uses cash…) that will buy you all the chocolate and food you want. Not sure where to start? Read on for answers.

A Hot Chocolate at Maiz Maiz

Maiz Maiz in Pike Place Market serves champurrado, a chocolate based atole (a drink made from corn) that is typical in Mexico. And they do it so well. Maiz Maiz is one of my new favourite places because of how they highlight dozens of different varieties of corn on their menu. There are hundreds of corns in the world…yet we talk about corn in the singular…like we do with many other fruits and vegetables we eat. Here corn is celebrated…and it is delicious!

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A Hot Chocolate at Frans Chocolate

Frans Chocolate is an institution in Seattle (and beyond). Making chocolates since 1970 (using a special blend of Valhrona chocolate), they also make a beautiful hot chocolate using 68% Dominican Republic dark chocolate (fair-trade and organic). You can get it to take away from their shop either as a shot or with added milk and, of course, a dollop of whipped cream.

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A Hot Chocolate at Seleuss

You need to ring the doorbell and wait for someone to let you in. Don't worry, they will. But for that brief moment before they open the door, we must all look like little kids with our noses pressed up against the glass window, drool starting to form at the corner of our mouths as we look at the spread of chocolate delights. There are enough bottles of liquor displayed on the walls to turn this into a neighbourhood cocktail bar, but that would be a waste because they all find their way into his chocolates. The hot chocolate is generous both in the amount of chocolate in it and the size!

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A Hot Chocolate at Indi Chocolate

Amazing bean to bar (and more) chocolate maker based in Pike Place Market. At her factory/cafe, you can see how Erin Andrews turns beans sourced directly from farmers around the world, into really good chocolate, and hot chocolate. She also serves a wide range of other chocolate products, from mole sauce to chocolate spirit infusion kits. Its like a superior version of Willy Wonka.

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A Hot Chocolate at Rey Amargo

This cafe has dozens of different hot chocolates available, all made using cacao sourced from the Tabasco region of Mexico. I went a little crazy and ordered two hot chocolates (yes, for myself), the Xocolatl with various spices and a Pumpkin spice beause that seemed to be all the rage in the US (when in Seattle…). They were both very sweet like syrup and I wished the chocolate, which I suspect is quite good, was showcased more. Still, I’m a fan of any cafe that serves pretty much only hot chocolate!

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I also got to taste this pretty amazing hot chocolate made with Felchlin chocolate BY Felchlin people. They don’t look like the little workers in Willy Wonka…but still did magic with this hot chocolate made with Maracaibo 65%, topped with softly whipped cream, caramel fleur de sel (aka fancy salt), chocolate shavings and Tahitian Vanilla Bean Marshmallows. Yes, it was incredible.

There are three more chocolate shops you should visit that are all bean to bar. Although I know there are many more, these are the ones I visited (none had hot chocolates, but still, I won’t judge). The first is Theo Chocolates. Established in 2005, this bean to bar maker offers tours and tastings at its factory/headquarters in Seattle. Second is Seattle Chocolate which also offers a tour. Third is a new arrival on the scene, Spinnaker.

Obviously, you will need to eat a little food in between all of these hot chocolates. Pike Place Market will provide all the food you need. A few favourites include Pike Place Chowder (a must), the Mac n Cheese at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and Piroshky Piroshky for piroshki (obviously).

If you get to Pike Place Market and you decide to skip the food and get more chocolate, stop at DeLaurenti Food & Wine, one of the biggest spreads of bean to bar craft chocolates from around the world. This is like the academy awards of chocolate. Tap into that savings account and see how many you can take home with you (thank me later…or better yet, invite me over to help you finish them). I’d start with everything on the fourth row personally…but I’m not fussed.

And if you, like me, have to buy a present for the kids, stop at Robot vs Sloth and buy either the stuffed sloth animals or the bats with undies (hidden under his wings). And no, that wasn’t my plane unfortunately, I had to wait at the airport for 8 hours because of a change in schedules…not mine obviously. Luckily these two kept me company.

I’ve run out of room for today, so hot chocolate news will have to wait, but will be back soon. Thanks for reading and see you next week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Good morning!

It has been a few months now since I was at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle, where chocolate makers (that is, those who make chocolate from scratch from cacao beans) from around the US, and the world, gathered to sell, taste and educate.

While there, I had the chance to film some mini interviews with several amazing craft chocolate makers. So this week I thought I’d introduce you to just a few of the many incredible chocolate makers in the US. Many of these people are full on celebrities in the world of craft chocolate! Each video (click on each to view) is only a minute or so long and in each case they share what is unique about their brand as well as their favourite bar!

Personally I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day (it is as silly as hot chocolate day…again, everyday is Valentine’s Day AND Hot Chocolate Day). Forget the little chocolate hearts…use this as your shopping list instead.

Fresco

Fresco (Italian for fresh, the way chocolate should be according to their website), was started by Amy and Robert Anderson in 2003 after they were inspired by a tour of the Scharffen Berger factory in 2002. One of the many things that Fresco’s is famous for are their experiments with different roasts. They will take the same batch of beans and roast some of them lightly, others medium, and others darker and create three seperate bars. Buy all three to taste the impact that roasting has on the final bar flavour. @frescochocolate

Dandelion Chocolate

Oh, Dandelion. I can’t hide my love for thee. The many Dandelion hot chocolates I have had both in San Francisco and Tokyo….the Mission Hot Chocolate that is oh so spicy. The beautiful packaging, the flavours, the flight of brownies all made using different chocolates that all taste different but equally delicious. Nothing says love more than Dandelion. @dandelionchocolate

Goodnow Farms

I’ll admit I have two loves when it comes to US hot chocolates. If you are coming to visit me from the US, I won’t open the door unless you have a bag of Goodnow Farms hot chocolate. If you live in the US you really shouldn’t be hurting your body by drinking anything but this. Not only do they make amazing chocolate, but they press their own cocoa butter/powder using the same beans. The Asochivite hot chocolate is the makings of a perfect moment. While you may not think that a caramelised onion chocolate bar is very Valentine’s Dayish…I’d argue it is. @goodnowfarms

Amano

Located in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range in the heart of the rockies, Amano sources beautiful beans from around the world and creates really good chocolate from them. I love this quote from Megan Giller’s book on America’s craft Chocolate Revolution. Art Pollard, founder of Amano chocolate said “I want people to swear when they eat my chocolate”, that you should be so delighted by the great taste that you scream out “Holy crap!” or whatever your four letter word of choice is! What says love more than that…Buy the Cardamon Black Pepper or Mango Chilli bars and put a red bow on them. @amanochocolate

Madre

Hawaii is the only place in the US where cocoa is grown and transformed into bars. Nat Bletter uses his expertise in Ethnobotany to research and make chocolate. Madre pairs many of their chocolates with native fruits and spices. They also make a bar using a different type of Theobroma, Jaguar Cacao! You’ll remember the flavour of their Triple Cacao made from cacao pulp, cacao nibs and dark chocolate, much longer than those dozen roses will last.

Fruition Chocolate

Buy your true love a membership to Fruition to receive a box of their chocolates every month to their door. Like that every 14th of the month will be Valentine’s Day. That also means you won’t need to choose one of their chocolates because frankly they are all equally good. @fruitionchocolate

Scharffen Berger

Mention Scharffen Berger to any chocolate nerd and a long discussion will follow. The original bean to bar chocolate maker inspired many other makers before being bought by Hershey’s and then returned to private ownership in 2020. Their baking chocolate start up kit (paired with the chocolate recipes on their website) could make for a sweet date night.

THIS WEEK’S HOT CHOCOLATE NEWS

Fairtrade launches new map to identify human rights and environmental risks in cocoa

Forbes magazine’s list of best chocolates for Valentine’s Day

@hotchocolatefest is almost over in Vancouver. I feel for you all. Next year I have to go.

Over 55% of cocoa exports from Ivory Coast “untraceable”

You don’t need this 250k hot chocolate this Valentine’s Day (no matter what they say)

Ultimate Guide to Chocolate in Boston

Best hot chocolates in Riyadh

Some new chocolate desserts to try in New York City

Tempted to try this Black Forest hot chocolate recipe this week.

Salmonella in chocolate

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Yesterday was National Hot Chocolate Day in the US. Although I don’t celebrate hot chocolate day (it’s a silly idea since every day is hot chocolate day), I wanted to contribute by starting a hot chocolate revolution (too strong? I don’t think so…). If you are a chocolate lover, chocolate maker, chocolate grower or have chocolate anywhere in your personal introduction, please read on.

As you all know, I love a good hot chocolate. I have been sipping, and writing up my experiences, for well over a decade at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com.

So, the thing is, hot chocolates are not really getting better…at least not as quickly as I was hoping. The coffee is getting better: you can choose origins, roast profiles and brew styles. The tea is getting good, often served in fancy pots and with stories of the origins of the leaves. The cakes and food are made from local, sustainably grown ingredients with the farmers named in the menu. You can get freshly squeezed seasonal juice and every type of milk under the sun. But the hot chocolate is most often a mysterious brown coloured liquid (sounds bad…it is bad), too often served without the love put into the other offerings.

Hot chocolates are still a mystery (but not a good one)

Most menus around the world have a hot chocolate listed somewhere, but you never know quite what you are going to get. Every time I visit a café I ask:

“What’s in your hot chocolate?”

The top three answers I’m given are:

1.     “It’s a powder, I’m not sure which one”.

2.     “It’s a syrup, we use it in our mocha”.

3.     “I don’t know, I just work here”.

Can you imagine if you went to a café or restaurant and asked the same question about an ingredient, or a wine, or your coffee? What would you do if they answered this way? So why is it ok with hot chocolate?

Hot Chocolates are more important than you think

Firstly, as a consumer, it’s important that we get to know the foods and drinks that we are eating and sipping. What we consume matters, not just for our health, but to many others along the supply chain.  

Secondly, that hot chocolate, that chocolate, has a story and it’s a fascinating (and delicious) one, one that is worthy of a better answer than “I’m not sure, but it comes with a marshmallow!”.

But it’s more than that. There are more places in the world serving hot chocolate than selling chocolate, in particular craft chocolate. The more cafes that take their hot chocolates seriously, the more they may also start exploring, talking about, and selling quality chocolate and supporting craft chocolate makers.  Hot chocolate is the way we can start the conversation, to raise awareness with consumers about sustainable chocolate options, and even what chocolate is to begin with, and we can get baristas and café owners to do a lot of that work for us. Let others be your messengers (so you can focus on what you do best: eating/making/growing etc).   

Let’s change this!

The more we ask, the more likely cafes will start taking notice and want to offer something they can be proud to talk about in the same way they do their other products. Next time you visit a café, ask

 “What’s in your hot chocolate?”.

Even if you don’t plan on ordering it, still please ask.

“What’s in your hot chocolate?”.

Let’s make it even easier for them. Next time you visit a café, give them feedback on their hot chocolate either by sending the card below to their social media. Tell them the name of a local craft/fine chocolate maker who makes a fantastic hot chocolate mix and recommend they explore their options.

Look around you. Do the other customers look like they are more a ‘large mug of hot chocolate with whip cream on top’ crowd, or a ‘shot of dark chocolate with a pinch of salt on top’? Tell the cafe what you would like them to serve and what you would buy if they served it.

If you are a café owner and you serve a good hot chocolate, tell your customers! Bring the words “hot chocolate” on your menu to life!

And please tag #whatsinyourhotchocolate. My reasons for doing this are purely selfish. I want better hot chocolate options when I visit cafes and I want coffee drinkers to look at the beautiful rich coloured liquid in my mug with jealous and admiring eyes.  

Lastly, I’m working on a Hot Chocolate Manifesto and I’d love to know what you guys think. What do you look for in a hot chocolate? What hot chocolate laws should not be broken? Let me know at giselle@ultimatehotchocolate.com or at @ultimatehotchoc.

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com.

Happy Monday to you all!

This week I have been exploring the world of camel milk. It all started with a recent trip via Dubai where I spent a few very jet lagged hours. After my attempts to find Butler’s Chocolate to try their hot chocolate failed (I was in the wrong Concourse), I ended up at Comptoir Libanais. They offer a very nice milk chocolate infused with cinnamon and tahini with halva sprinkled on top.

Read the full review here.

I was hoping to try a camel milk hot chocolate but it seems that all the restaurants in Dubai airport are from the UK (are the restaurants in UK airports all Middle Eastern?).

While walking through the airport it is impossible to miss Al nassma chocolate. Al nassma makes milk chocolate bars using camel milk. Founded in 2008, apparently they have 3,000 camels that they milk twice daily (I say apparently because they don’t really have a website, but there are quite a few articles on the web about them). Some of the milk is bottled and sold locally, some is freeze dried to be used in chocolate. There is 21% camel milk powder in their bars (in addition to sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, honey and bourbon vanilla). Interesting although it says made in UAE, the information I found suggests that the milk is sent to Austria where it is turned into chocolate and then sent back to Dubai (and other countries) to be sold.

Camels in Australia

One thing that you may not realise is that there are actually more camels in Australia than there are in the Middle East. In the 1840s, thousands of camels were imported to Australia to assist with work in the outback where the conditions are dry and difficult. Those thousands are now over a million. We came across big groups of wild camels when we drove across the outback last year. They are feral here, but efforts to create a market for the meat and milk have largely failed. There is a very small industry for camel milk and we are lucky enough in Perth to be able to buy fresh camel milk from a farm just 2 hours away. Apparently camels will only let humans milk them if they feel relaxed and safe. Smart camels.

What does it taste like?

We did a taste test comparing our usual full fat milk with camel milk. The price is already a big difference ($15 for a litre of camel milk versus $5 for milk). For that reason alone I won’t be switching to camel milk anytime soon. The cows milk smells and tastes a lot sweeter. I had never realised how much sweetness is in cows milk until now. The camel milk on the other hand is much more watery and has a definite salty taste. It doesn’t have a particular flavour (apart from salty). It does taste very fresh, like it would be a great drink on a hot summer day (which I plan to try!). It has significantly less fat which changes the way it feels in the mouth too. It is also much whiter in colour than cow’s milk (see picture below), not that that means anything, just interesting to note.

A few details from the back of the containers:

Sugar: 3.2g per 100 camel. 4.4g per 100 cow

Fat: 2.5g per 100 camel of which 1.2 saturated. 3.6 per 100 of which 2.2 saturated

Sodium: 90mg per 100ml camel, 40g per 100ml cow

Potassium: 220mg in camel but nothing in cow

Calcium: 130mg in camel vs 120mg in cow

Energy: 210 kilojewls per 100ml, 271 in cows milk

Protein: 3.6g per 100 for camel and 3.3g for cow

Camel milk is rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and contains three times more vitamin C. It also has less saturated fats than milk. Camels produce much less milk than cows, 6 litres per day vs 24 litres per day for a cow. It also contains less lactose. Similar to chocolate, if you search for health benefits of camel milk you come up with all sorts of impressive but not necessarily scientifically backed claims that it cures everything from autism, to diabetes, even cancer.

I made a few hot chocolates using the camel milk and the dark chocolate worked best for me. A bit of salt actually brings chocolate to life so the saltiness of the camel milk was a nice addition. I did find it needed a bit more chocolate than I would usually use in a cow’s milk hot chocolate to balance the saltiness.

I did a search looking for other chocolate makers or even chocolates using camel milk in their offerings, but I didn’t find much. QCamel makes chocolates using camel milk that they farm here in Australia. Mission Chocolate in Brazil also had a limited edition Camel Milk Bar to celebrate the Arabs who make up Brazilian culture. She used powdered camel milk from Dubai.

Has anyone else tried camel milk chocolate or tried to use camel milk in their chocolates? I’d love to hear about it.

THIS WEEK’S HOT CHOCOLATE NEWS

• Chocolate Monkey has a new series on how to be a better taster on Instagram.

• My favourite hot chocolate festival is on right now in Vancouver:145 flavours in 95 locations. Chez Christophe Chocolatierie for example offers a Canadian Winter with a Kick Hot Chocolate with 41% milk chocolate with cayenne, chilli powder, cinnamon, maple syrup paired with a small, spicy bacon pull-apart. If that doesn’t interest you, they also have a butter beer 34% white chocolate infused with butterscotch and butter flavoured popcorn milk with a mystery lollipop on the side.

• Industry funded study of the week: ultra-processed foods are ok, really

• After five years, recipe to end deforestation from cocoa remains elusive

• Callebaut has recently launched 2nd Generation Chocolate (which looks like what craft chocolate is doing, and the way chocolate has been made most of its history so I’m not sure what is 2nd generation about it, but still good that Callebaut is engaging).

• If you are in Austria, visit Zotter Chocolate and read this article to find out why

• The usual pre Valentine Day chocolate articles are starting early. This one from the Guardian on whether ethical and affordable chocolate is possible.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc

Bonjour!

In case you are in Paris, or wish you were at this moment, here is a little hot chocolate themed walk through the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. No need to pack anything except an empty stomach and a full wallet.

Start at Les Halles, a huge shopping centre in the centre of the city that is also where most of the metros have stops. Look up and admire Eglise Saint Eustache. Just outside of it there is a famous statue called L’Ecoute by Henri de Miller 1986 of a large human head which is worth a ponder. On certain days, this area is a market with lots of stalls, including a few selling big blocks of chocolate. Avoid these, please. Save yourself. There is better coming. Rue Montmartre turns into a farmers market on Thursday afternoons and Sunday mornings. Take the road next to it, Rue Montorgueil. Soon after you start walking up, you will pass Charles Chocolatier, a family run chocolate shop founded in 1910 that makes their chocolates using traditional recipes. I reviewed their hot chocolate back in 2013 (click here to read it, doesn’t look like it has changed!).

Keep walking up. If you haven’t eaten yet, there are so many options on this road. Al Boustan is a quick Lebanese bite. L’Escargot Montorgeuil is a very famous, historic French bistro that offers snails (which if you haven’t tried, you must). Cross Rue Etienne Marcel and continue up Montorgeuil for even more busy terraces and great food.

Your first stop, before or after lunch, is Fou de Patisserie. So, imagine this, you have made a list of all of the famous chocolatiers and pastry chefs and their signature desserts that you just have to try. You look at your schedule and realise that you will never get to them all. No need to worry, that is what Fou de Patisserie is for. They carry desserts from all of the famous pastry chefs around town, all in one place. You also need to stop at Stohrer just next door, a pastry shop founded in 1730 that is famous for their Baba au Rhum. No chocolate, but lots of rum, which is good too. GROM, a little further up sells incredible ice cream but also has some good hot chocolate. Just after GROM, turn left on Rue Leopold Bellan. I once went to visit an apartment on this street to rent. It has no bathroom and no windows, but I considered it because of the location. Luckily, I found something better at the time!

Continue on Rue Leopold Bellan until you reach Rue Montmartre and turn right. Continue to Librarie Gourmande; a bookstore entirely dedicated to books on food. Yes, that’s right, only food. Once you have spent a small fortune here, keep walking up the road until you reach L’Éclair de Genie Cafe. They are famous for their eclairs so buy one (at least) and order a hot chocolate. I had one with salted whip cream which was really nice but they often have, depending on the seasons, others more innovative options. Click here to read the full review.

When you are done, you are ready for the highlight of your walk. Plaq. Turn right on Rue Reamur and walk until you reach Rue des Petits Carreaux on the left side of the street. Turn up and then take the first right down Rue du Nil. There are a few beautiful food stores, one of which is Chocolate Maker Plaq. Plaq not only makes its chocolate from bean to bar, using sustainably sourced beans from around the world, but they turn these into irresistible chocolate desserts and, of course, hot chocolate. Click here to read the full review.

Retrace your steps back to Rue des Petits Carreaux, turn right and walk up until it turns into Rue Poissoniere and turn left on Rue des Jeuneurs. You can take a little detour and continue up Rue Poissoniere do the Choco Story Paris, a chocolate museum. If not, continue along Rue des Jeuneurs to Rrraw. I didn’t enjoy this hot chocolate, but I would recommend a poke around and to try some of the samples to see the difference in flavour with the chocolate you just had at Plaq and raw chocolate. Click here to read the full review (and mini raw chocolate rant).

Continue along the road until you reach Rue Montmatre again and walk up to Bd Montmatre. Turn left and continue along the road until you reach Lafayette Department Store on the right and the Opera Palais Garnier on the left. Continue on, crossing the road and just past the Opera is Galleria Lafayette Gourmet Food store. Inside there is a whole area devoted just to chocolate, not supermarket chocolate, high quality chocolate makers or chocolatiers. Here you can drool over Jean-Paul Hevin, Alain Ducasse and many other famous French chocolatiers. There is also a stand selling (and giving out samples) of Valhrona chocolate, a very well known couverture chocolate company that is used by many chocolatiers.

Believe it or not, there is even more chocolate stops you could make on this walk. Paris is one giant chocolate shop if that is what you are looking for, but this should definitely get you started. If you want more, you can walk up to A La Mere de Famille on 33 Rue du Faubourg, a very famous French treat shop in a beautiful building. From here turn left onto Rue du Faubourg and keep walking until you reach Rue des Martyrs. This street has many chocolatiers including Alain Ducasse (who is also a chocolate maker) and Maison Le Roux (famous for his caramels). Once you get here, you might as well keep going up and turn right on Av. Trudaine and then continue onto Rue de Dunkerque to visit Ara Chocolat, one of my favourite chocolate makers. Stay here for a while, take in the smells, chat with the makers, spend the rest of your money and then continue along the road until you reach Gare du Nord. From here you can easily take a metro back to Les Halles where you started…or walk it because you are likely to find even more chocolate shops on the way back.

OR…you can keep going all the way to Montmatre and visit Kosak, a great little shop selling craft chocolate from around the world. So many options:)

If you want to see where all of these hot chocolates are, I have been working on adding all of my reviews to country maps. The France map is still a work in progress but you can check out the progress by clicking the map below.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com. Follow on Instagram @ultimatehotchoc