A taste of Chocolat!
January may be the month for kick starting diets and gym routines but a few treats along the way always help so we decided to try chocolate tasting with a fabulous chocolate shop based in Cambridge, Chocolat Chocolat.
As a lover of all things chocolate, white chocolate to dark chocolate, I really thought I had a good idea about tasting chocolate but I learnt a lot and had fun while doing it. The tasting was held in The Cambridge City Hotel just a short walk from the store but since I had time I popped in to the shop for a look around first. From the outside it is such a pretty shop, inviting you in with its promise of hot chocolate and delicious displays. It was very busy and as it is a relatively small store this forces you to take in the lovely sights and smells at a more casual pace. Go in, relax, take a deep breath of cocoa infused air and look around you! As I walked in someone was buying a hot chocolate shot which looked incredible but, as I was about to spend 90 minutes tasting chocolate, I held back. (I’ll be back!)
To one side of the store is a selection of gorgeous handmade chocolate slabs and in the centre is a variety of delicious truffles and chocolates to be picked and wrapped up to take away. There are so many chocolate options you would be forgiven for not knowing where to start but I’d recommend passing by the till to pick up a taster and chat to a member of staff who will help you find the right chocolate to suit your tastes.
Right, back to the tasting…
We were on a table of 8 and after quick introductions were made we were quickly invited to try three types of milk chocolate and asked to put them in order of Good, Better, Best. Luckily there was plenty of each to try so we were able to make really ’informed’ decisions but I won’t give anything away. While we were doing this we also learnt a bit about the history of chocolate and got to hold a real cacao pod where the cocoa beans are found. Having visited Cadbury’s World on numerous school trips I was already aware that chocolate had originally been used medicinally and was fairly relieved not to have a shot of medicinal chocolate. I was intrigued to learn that it was Lindt’s invention, accidental or otherwise, of the Conche manchine that led to the type of chocolate we know and love today, smooth and delicious, and that it has only really been like this for about 160 years. Just how did we cope before chocolate!?
During the tasting we got to do a couple quizzes, pay attention in class as one quiz came with a prize. We tasted chocolates from Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Uganda, Ebony and the Dominican Republic and got to try chocolates with a percentage of cocoa from 29% to 96%. We learnt about distinguishing tastes in our mouth and tried chocolates with unusual flavours. As an Earl Grey drinker I particularly enjoyed the bergamot and also the cinnamon. The main thing I took away from this was that chocolate can taste markedly different depending on the country the bean was grown in, the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate and the quality of ingredients used when making the chocolate. I will be more adventurous with my chocolate selections from now on. So next time you go to buy chocolate just remember it really is worth paying a little extra for good quality chocolate, you’ll get more of the good stuff, less of the nasties, the taste will last longer and I have no doubt it is better for you. Finally, if you think you hate dark chocolate you will probably be surprised by the variety of tastes you can get from different dark chocolates and really, who needs an excuse to try more chocolate?
I won’t lie, by the end I had eaten more than enough chocolate and felt just a touch woozy although that is entirely down to my own greed. However since the shop was open we felt we ought to go pick up some chocolates armed with our new found knowledge and interest in flavours….well, it would have been rude not to, right?
For more information you can befriend Chocolat Chocolat here or follow them here, they really are a friendly bunch.
