{"id":11890,"date":"2019-01-21T18:24:53","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T02:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=11890"},"modified":"2024-10-29T15:14:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T22:14:13","slug":"everybody-go-nuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/everybody-go-nuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Everybody go nuts!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a02018 Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon<\/a>\u00a0sponsored by TasteTV<\/a> (held in November at\u00a0the\u00a0San Francisco County Fair Building\/Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park) was sold out days before it happened, so we knew going in that it was going to be crazier than previous salons. When you get a bunch of people jockeying for chocolate samples, it can get a bit frenzied at the more popular booths. When the crowd is at capacity, it\u2019s nuts.<\/p>\n

\"EMJ
Early on at the Salon, you could still see floor space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the nutty atmosphere, it\u2019s seemed like nuts was the theme. Not unusual for a chocolate salon, but while the trend other years has been booze or vegan, passionfruit or coconut, this time it was nuts. Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, or if not actual nuts, then nutty overtones or aftertastes to the chocolate, and nut substitutes like cacao nibs to add crunch but appeal to people with nut allergies or aversions.<\/p>\n

Salon strategy<\/h2>\n

When you come to these salons, it\u2019s good to have some sort of plan because #1 there is a limit to how much chocolate one person can sample and #2 there are always too many potential samples. So you could hit your personal limit before you get to taste something you were looking forward to or something you didn\u2019t know would be your new personal fav, if you are not careful.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Go in with a plan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My strategy is to focus on SFBA chocolatiers and candy makers, but sometimes even that is too much (15 locals this time). So I also aim not to sample anything I\u2019ve tasted previously.<\/p>\n

I check out the floor plan before the salon and map out a path that moves from local vendor to local vendor with minimal backtracking. When the salon gets crowded, it might take longer to get to the next vendor, but at least I don\u2019t waste time waiting at a booth I am not really interested in \u2014 or swimming upstream against the crowds to visit a booth I skipped.<\/p>\n

In addition, salons are good opportunities to buy chocolate you love. Vendors often have special deals at salons. But popular items can sell out \u2014 and quickly \u2014 so I prioritize who I want to visit based on what I might want to buy.<\/p>\n

\"Socola
Socola\u2019s elusive Crunchy Matcha Green Tea bar might be my favorite white chocolate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Act fast<\/h2>\n

All of my salon strategizing led me to make a beeline for\u00a0Socola Chocolatiers<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0when I got to the Salon. They were fairly close to the door, SF-based, and usually have something new for the salon. Plus I wanted to buy their\u00a0Crunchy Matcha Green Tea White Chocolate Bar, which is very popular.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s white chocolate (! I don\u2019t normally like white chocolate) that is naturally green\u00a0colored due to a solid dose of matcha green tea.\u00a0In addition there are crunchy cookie bits (feuilletine) sprinkled throughout the large bar. Unlike a lot of white chocolate, it\u2019s not too sweet, the chocolate mostly serves to tone down the matcha bite, so it tastes like a good matcha green tea latte \u2014 except in solid form with an unexpected crunch.<\/p>\n

\"Socola
My tap dancing obsession meets my chocolate obsession in Socola Sprinkle Toes lollipop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a good thing I acted fast \u2014 when another CBTB-er visited an hour later, she bought the last one. And that was at 11am of an event that went on until 5.<\/p>\n

Nuts for the holidays<\/h3>\n

At the Salon, Socola was featuring their\u00a0\u201cOn a Faux Bear Rug\u201d\u00a0Holiday Collection, which features 4 flavored chocolates, including 2 nut versions: Hazelnut Praline, a smooth hazelnut flavored dark chocolate ganache full of small crunchy feuilletine bits with a long hazelnut aftertaste; and\u00a0Pecan Toffee, a dark chocolate ganache with bits of roasted pecans and toffee that was a little buttery and a little sweet.<\/p>\n

The other 2 pieces switch from this year\u2019s nutty theme to a previous year\u2019s boozy trend: a salted pumpkin pie spice and brandy caramel, that had a texture more like a dense ganache than a chewy caramel, and a salt top note over a good pumpkin pie spice flavor; and a dark chocolate champagne truffle, which was a little sweet, but had a good chocolate flavor with a pronounced champagne taste.<\/p>\n

There were plenty of other options packing Socola\u2019s booth, such as other big splashy bars with cereal, snacks, or freeze-dried fruits liberally sprinkled over them. Plus other truffle collections, salted caramels, pav\u00e9s, p\u00e2te de fruits, and fun molded chocolates like their new Sprinkle Toes \u2014 a foot-shaped dark chocolate pop covered in multi-color sprinkles.<\/p>\n

I was hoping to pick up a new Socola T-shirt, but the only non-edible merchandise they brought to the salon was socks. Socola co-founder and chief chocolatier Wendy Lieu explained why they didn\u2019t bring more, \u201cWe did a rideshare to the show. And we were carrying so many boxes, they asked, \u2018Are you moving out?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\"Susan
Socola founders Susan and Wendy Lieu and their \u201cmoving\u201d sale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Movin\u2019 on up<\/h3>\n

She also told us that they are busy doing \u201clots of corporate work these days. We did the chocolate for the Moscone Expansion opening: thousands of pillow tops.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is a pillow top? Wendy explained that they are the chocolates put on upscale hotel bed pillows nightly. So in addition to finding Socola chocolates at their caf\u00e9, online or at events like the Salon, you might find them on your pillow the next time you travel.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Socola received\u00a0Gold for Best Traditional Chocolates and Best Caramels\/Truffles; Silver for New Product Award; Bronze for Most Delicious Ingredients Combination; and Honorable Mention for Top Artisan Chocolatier and Best in Salon.<\/p>\n

Socola\u2019s chocolates and candies are available\u00a0online<\/u><\/a>, but for the full line including pastries, coffee and hot chocolate drinks, visit\u00a0Socola Chocolatier + Barista<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on Folsom in SF. It\u2019s also where you can pick up non-edible Socola items, like T-shirts and jewelry.<\/p>\n

\"Matt
Matt with samples of his Heavenly Taste Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Welcome back<\/h2>\n

We were happily surprised to see Matt Elkins\u2019s\u00a0Heavenly Taste Toffee<\/strong>\u00a0at the Salon again. We haven\u2019t seen him at the last couple of salons, and even the website went away. Matt told us he just took a hiatus and was back now.<\/p>\n

He had 3 flavors of his toffee based on his grandmother\u2019s recipe: a classic dark chocolate almond, his black & white cashew toffee (which is a salted cashew toffee coated with dark chocolate on one side and white chocolate on the other), and espresso biscotti toffee, which was new to us.<\/p>\n

Coffee buzz<\/h3>\n

Like all Heavenly Taste toffees, the espresso biscotti toffee was a not-too-hard toffee with chocolate coating both sides. It was a good thickness with what looked like a 50-50 ratio of chocolate to toffee. (Yea! More chocolate!) The espresso was a nice top note, like a little shot of coffee. It\u2019s a very tasty toffee with an unusual licorice hint (from the biscotti crumbs on top). Mostly though it had a good dark chocolate taste, that became\u00a0sweeter at end from the toffee. It was crunchy more than chewy \u2014 no worries about losing a filling.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Heavenly Taste received Gold for Best Toffee and Silver for Best Comfort Food\/Snack Product.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Taste Toffee<\/strong>\u00a0is back and available online, plus they deliver locally.<\/p>\n

Bringing Willy Wonka to life<\/h2>\n

Jeri Vasquez of caramel maker\u00a0Kindred Cooks<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has been very busy lately. She put on a show in San Jose this year called the Kindred Craft Festival, where over a couple of days chocolatiers, candy makers, artisans, and craftspeople sold their wares. This extracurricular activity was a huge undertaking, with some local chocolatiers\/candy makers (such as Salon vendors Basel B., CocoTutti, Michael\u2019s, and Raphio)\u00a0participating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of work,\u201d Jeri told us. \u201cI learned a lot from it. The hardest thing is to get the word out, and I have different ideas for next time.\u00a0The theme will be candy\u00a0with arts and crafts, and I want to incorporate candy into an art competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to help other candy makers,\u201d Jeri continued. \u201cI want to have something fun for other makers too. I think it has the potential to be something. Craft fairs are a dime a dozen \u2013 adding candy brings out the kid in all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jeri
Jeri and the caramel line at Kindred Cooks\u2019 booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As people whose blog\u2019s purpose is to promote local artisan chocolate and candy makers, we like Jeri\u2019s vision. We look forward to the next festival, and will help get the word out when we find out more details.<\/p>\n

In time for the holidays<\/h3>\n

Kindred Cooks debuted a new flavor at salon: peppermint chocolate, a perfect holiday flavor combo. Jeri described it best, \u201cLittle pieces of refreshing peppermint wrapped in chocolate and stuffed into caramel.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a nice candy, incorporating Kindred Cooks\u2019 chewy caramel and a good dollop of chocolate sprinkled with hits of peppermint candy. I liked it as much as her previous mash-up:\u00a0Lavender and Meyer Lemon Caramel, which she said is still very popular.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea so many people loved lavender until I made the lavender lemon piece,\u201d Jeri said. \u201cI got the idea from a lavender mimosa \u2014 which I highly recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the record, I am not a fan of strong floral flavors, but this piece is not overly lavender. The main tastes are lemon and caramel with the lavender in the background.<\/p>\n

Productive candy obsession<\/h3>\n

Kindred Cooks typically has one or two new flavors each time I visit them at a Salon, so I always look forward to seeing what\u2019s new. Jeri said that her challenge in making new flavors is not so much coming up with new ideas but that, \u201cI still want it to taste like caramel.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, I think she has managed that well. And she is OK with being considered a bit of a candy nerd: \u201cIt took me a little time to realize my obsession was candy, which is weird because I make candy,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd my favorite movie is Willy Wonka. I was upset as a kid when I found out it wasn\u2019t real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not to worry, Kindred Cooks seems well on its way to creating its own Willy Wonka world.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Kindred Cooks received Silver for Best Caramels\/Truffles and Bronze for New Product Award.<\/p>\n

Kindred Cooks Caramels<\/strong> are available online<\/a> and in some SFBA locations like Draeger\u2019s<\/a>. They are often at special events like the Chocolate Salons.<\/p>\n

Traditional nuts, non-traditional bars<\/h2>\n

At\u00a0Sweet55<\/a>\u2019s<\/strong> booth, we encountered hazelnut heaven \u2014 which is not unexpected since Ursula Schnyder, Sweet55\u2019s founder and Chief Chocolate Officer, is\u00a0a Swiss-trained chocolatier making Swiss-style chocolate in Half Moon Bay. To me, hazelnuts are the European equivalent of peanuts or almonds in chocolate.<\/p>\n

\"Ursala
Ursala Schnyder and Sweet55\u2019s well-stocked booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of the 2 samples, Sweet55 was handing out at the Salon, one was Branchli, a traditional Swiss chocolate bar made with gianduja,<\/em> which is a chocolate hazelnut paste. Like Nutella, but way better tasting. The crunchy sample was hazelnut forward, with the chocolate definitely playing second fiddle.\u00a0The other sample, a simple 65% ganache was almost the opposite of the Branchli: a smooth, rich chocolatey piece. The contrast between the samples was nice and a good showing of Sweet55\u2019s range of expertise.<\/p>\n

Ursula showed us 2 other bars at the Salon. One was a new bar that was a Good Food Awards finalist. The Triple is a 3-layer bar: hazelnut wafer cookie, salted caramel, and hazelnut gianduja covered in chocolate. It\u2019s full of experiences: light but rich; crunchy & chewy & creamy \u2014 every texture you could want in a candy bar, all in one bar. Plus it has distinct hazelnut, caramel, and chocolate flavors. We thought it was a total winner, but we are not Good Food Award judges.<\/p>\n

\"EMJ
Sweet55\u2019s EMJ bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peaks of flavor<\/h3>\n

The other bar Ursula had at the Salon did win a 2018 Good Food Award. The EMJ (short for Eiger, M\u00f6nch, Jungfrau, a distinctive mountain trio in the Swiss Alps) bar is shaped like its namesakes with white chocolate mimicking snowcaps on top. Not only is it a pretty bar, but it\u2019s full of whole roasted hazelnuts in gianduja. It\u2019s a great crunchy, nutty, chocolatey bar with the nuts also tasting caramelized, which the package described as a praline filling. We agree with the judges on this one: definitely a winner.<\/p>\n

We also picked up the Sweet55 Thanksgiving box, which was their traditional mixed assortment of 16 pieces, specially decorated for the holiday. The boxes are a nice way to taste a range of their flavors, from single-origins to their California-inspired olive oil, but I think anything hazelnut by Sweet55 is what I would choose first.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Sweet55 received Bronze for Best Traditional Chocolates, Best Caramels\/Truffles, and New Product Award; and\u00a0Honorable Mention for Top Artisan Chocolatier and Best in Salon.<\/p>\n

You can buy Sweet55<\/strong> online<\/a>, or take a weekend road trip to Half Moon Bay to visit the store for pastries and coffee \u2014 and the ability to choose your chocolates.<\/p>\n

\"Chris
Chris Sund handing out paper-thin samples of Rainy Day\u2019s dual blends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blending at its best<\/h2>\n

Rainy Day Chocolate<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0can usually be counted on to have something new at the Salons, and this time was no exception. They had just won a bunch of awards at the 2018 Sonoma County Harvest Fair for their chocolates, including a gold medal for a new\u00a0cherry truffle, which contained their signature chocolate blend flavored with morello cherries. They also had a new raspberry bar that was somewhat similar to a CocoTutti Quintet<\/a>, but with more chocolate and less filling.<\/p>\n

Remarkable blends<\/h3>\n

The new Rainy Day offering I really enjoyed was their dual blends: 2 single-origin cacaos mixed in different percentages in 2 bars. Blends of beans from 2 or more origins are usually done to produce a consistent flavor profile from batch to batch. And single-origin bars are made to showcase the unique flavors of the location where the beans were harvested and can vary widely, like wine vintages.<\/p>\n

What Rainy Day is doing is mixing beans from Belize and Madagascar in 2 different ratios to make 2 different tasting bars from the same beans. They also blended the names: The \u201cBeli-Gascar\u201d is 80% Belize cacao and 20% Madagascar. The \u201cMada-Lize\u201d is 80% Madagascar cacao and 20% Belize.<\/p>\n

\"Rainy
Rainy Day\u2019s offerings keep expanding at every Salon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Sund, Rainy Day co-owner\/co-chocolatier, explained that they wanted to showcase the differences in the beans, and it works. The Beli-Gascar was fruity first, then nutty and a little fermented; and the Mada-Lize was savory first, then fruity.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve tried a lot of single-origin bars, this is a fun twist that highlights the difference in the beans but seems almost like a magic trick on your tongue.<\/p>\n

New way to sample<\/h3>\n

The dual-blend samples were almost paper-thin slabs. Normally I like thicker bars for the mouthfeel, but this was an excellent idea for tasting the contrasts between these bars because the thin wafers cover your tongue and melt quickly so you immediately start getting feedback from all the receptors in your tongue.<\/p>\n

It was easier to notice the contrasts than if I had to go through the usual routine of waiting for a thick piece of chocolate to warm enough to melt, maybe chew it a bit to get it started, and roll it around to taste the different notes. Normally that is sweet joy, but in the situation of wanting to compare and contrast these bars, slabs almost as thin as paper was a genius method of delivery.<\/p>\n

Other winners<\/h3>\n
\"Chris
Chris and Jen Sund, partners in chocolate and life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rainy Day had a large selection of their regular items at the Salon too: Dark and milk chocolate covered marshmallows, Belgian chocolate truffles and bars, and their award-winning toffees. They make a great traditional-ish English Toffee with dark chocolate, almonds, and sea salt. And I really love their\u00a0Milk Chocolate, Macadamia, and Toasted Coconut Toffee. It\u2019s a\u00a0good, chewy toffee, not too sweet, and very coconut-y. I confess that I had to shake out the very last bits of toasted coconut and macadamia nuts from the bag, because I wasn\u2019t ready for it to be over. No surprise to me that it was a\u00a0Gold Medal winner at the 2018 Sonoma Harvest Festival.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Rainy Day received Gold for New Product Award; Silver for Best Toffee and\u00a0Best Comfort Food\/Snack Product; and\u00a0Bronze for Best Chocolate Bar and Best Organic\/Fair Trade Products.<\/p>\n

Rainy Day Chocolate<\/strong> is available online<\/a>, at events, and in some markets and caf\u00e9s in the North Bay. Check their website for locations.<\/p>\n

On top of the world<\/h2>\n
\"flying
flying noir\u2019s founder and chocolatier, Karen Urbanek, handing out samples from her expanded poetry and prose collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Checking in with Karen Urbanek at\u00a0flying noir<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0she told us that she had made changes to her \u201cout of country\u201d and \u201cpoetry and prose\u201d collections, her 2 latest collections. We liked both collections in their original form, but because Karen is such an experimental chocolatier, we were intrigued to see what improvements she made.<\/p>\n

News worthy<\/h3>\n

The out of country collection focuses on political issues like immigration with pieces inspired by and named for different countries.\u00a0Karen updated the collection by replacing Sweden and China pieces with pieces representing Haiti and Venezuela.<\/p>\n

The Haiti piece was a dark milk\/bittersweet ganache with honey-cashew praline and habanero in a dark chocolate shell swirled with blue, green and gold mica. When we sampled it, I got a hit of the habenero immediately; the other taster got it last. The praline was a nice nutty crunch, and the slight heat lingered.<\/p>\n

The Venezuela piece was a 38% Venezuelan milk chocolate ganache flavored with a Venezuelan orange liqueur covered with the same dark chocolate and decorated with glittery little brush strokes of silver, blue and pink. It\u2019s like a good orange milk chocolate with a little alcohol buzz that kicks up the dark chocolate in the shell.<\/p>\n

Better than fiction<\/h3>\n

For poetry and prose, in which each piece is inspired by literature and includes a snippet of the relevant poetry\/prose with the ingredient list, she had expanded from the original 6 pieces to 9.<\/p>\n

\"out
Photographs don\u2019t do justice to the shiny, shimmery out of country collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We tried the new \u201cpassionale,\u201d which mixed bittersweet ganache, passion fruit, Japanese whiskey, and shichimi,<\/em> a Japanese spice blend that includes sesame seeds, seaweed, ginger, and chili pepper. The whiskey was very subtle, and the shichimi added a nice savory bite to the tropical fruit flavor.<\/p>\n

Other highlights in the box include\u00a0\u201cdiamond moon,\u201d a crunchy-crumbly cylinder of bittersweet chocolate and caramelized bergamot zest; and \u201cquatre,\u201d a fall spice flavored ganache with a crunchy sugar-and-salt coated exterior.<\/p>\n

I liked the changes to both collections, and look forward to how they continue to evolve. Both collections are very pretty with hand-decorated pieces painted with natural colors and shimmery mica then packaged in flying noir\u2019s signature butterfly closure black boxes circled by colorful strips of paper, either hand-painted or found images like a map. These would make good gifts for your more adventurous chocolate lovers who appreciate fine art.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, flying noir received Gold for New Product Award; Silver for Most Delicious Ingredients Combination, Best Caramels\/Truffles, and Best Organic\/Fair Trade Products; and\u00a0Bronze for Top Artisan Chocolatier and Best in Salon.<\/p>\n

You can buy flying noir chocolates<\/strong> online and at special events. Check their website<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

\"Cru
Cru Chocolate partners Karla and Eddie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To your health<\/h2>\n

New to us at the Salon was\u00a0Cru Chocolates<\/a>,<\/strong> a\u00a0bean-to-bar home-based business started by Karla McNeil-Rueda and Eddie Houston in 2016. They offer a range of single-origin bars and flavored cacao drinks \u2014 including some mixed with mushrooms(?!).<\/p>\n

Eddie gave us samples of some of the single-origin bars while talking about the business.
\nHe told us they work with 1,500 cacao farms to source their beans, which they roast, grind, and temper themselves in their home kitchen.<\/p>\n

Quality from start to finish<\/h3>\n

When you hear \u201chome kitchen,\u201d you might have certain negative assumptions, but from the packaging to the bars themselves, everything Cru speaks quality. The 4 single-origin bars, plus the unique Flor de Ma\u00edz<\/em> bar, have beautiful, distinct wrappers. Each bar has its own visual theme\u00a0with the logo in gold foil on a black square in the middle of a lovely collage involving cacao pods. The packages are elegantly simple and\u00a0secure but easy to open and close. Inside there is more explanatory text, and the bars are wrapped in gold foil.<\/p>\n

\"Cru
Cru single-origin bars make elegant gifts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first sample we tried was the 72% Haiti, which started really fruity and chocolatey, then moved to savory. The label mentions pineapple and honey notes and a floral flavor, but they eluded me. The 72% Dominican Republic was noticeably different (which I find interesting since they share an island): more nutty, less fruity. The\u00a072% Nicaraguan was smooth with a fruity, raisiny taste that had a long chocolatey aftertaste.<\/p>\n

When we tried the 72% Honduras bar, which tasted very fruity with caramel undertones, Eddie told us that Karla\u00a0grew up in Honduras, surrounded by cacao and making everything with cacao, except bars. This led naturally to sampling the\u00a0Flor de Ma\u00edz bar, which Eddie described as a traditional Mayan drink in a bar: cacao, toasted corn, cinnamon, and other spices. In Mayan culture, he said, corn is masculine, while cacao is feminine, so the two balance each other.<\/p>\n

We liked that balance. The bar smells good, and the first taste is cinnamon. It is a grainy bar, which I hadn\u2019t expected, and tastes quite dark. There\u2019s no percentage listed on the bar. The corn and other spices come out later. It\u2019s an interesting, savory bar.<\/p>\n

\"Cru
Cru drinking wheels are packed 4 to a box for 4 drinks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wheels of good fortune<\/h3>\n

Another chocolate option from Cru is \u201cdrinking wheels.\u201d Drinking wheels are big chocolate drops that you dissolve in water for a classic hot chocolate drink.<\/p>\n

They have 9 varieties of drinking wheels from straight-up hot chocolate to Mayan and Aztec themed flavors to fun flavors like matcha green tea, chai, and peppermint.\u00a0Eddie said to expect more flavors in the future.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t have samples at the show, so I can\u2019t testify to the taste, but 6 of the flavors won 2018 Academy of Chocolate in London awards. They come 4 wheels to a box \u2014 and the boxes are very heavy! That translates to a lot of chocolate per drink.<\/p>\n

Chocolate and mushrooms, but not truffles<\/h3>\n

More unusual though were the cacao and mushroom adaptogenic powders, which combine cacao with different types of mushrooms and other herbs, spices, fruits, etc. to have different health benefits. Adaptogens are plants that can help with stress, focus, energy, etc. Cru offers 3 mixes to address different situations, and Eddie told us that you simply add a teaspoon to coffee, tea, water, or smoothies (or take it straight).<\/p>\n

\"Cru
Not a pumpkin or gourd, but a small round Central American cacao pod on display at Cru Chocolate\u2019s booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We tried 2 of the powders: Lion\u2019s Mane for focus, and Queen Reishi for calming. We tried both 2 ways: in warm water, and in mint tea.<\/p>\n

We tried Lion\u2019s Mane first. The powder has a good smell of chocolate and spice (in addition to the cacao and mushrooms, it also has orange peel, licorice root, and nutmeg). The scent instantly reminded me of\u00a0Cacoco<\/a>\u2019s<\/strong> hot chocolate mixes. When we mixed it according to instructions, it is unsurprisingly watery and subtle as opposed to Cacoco drinks, which probably have the ratio reversed.<\/p>\n

The drink was pleasant with a nice aftertaste. The licorice root gives it a licorice feel, but not a licorice taste. While thin, it maintained a chocolate taste. Of the 3 CBTB-ers who tried it, 2 could see sipping on it (I was the 3rd). However, all of us think it\u2019s best plain; when we tried it in mint tea, it was not a happy marriage.<\/p>\n

On the Queen Reishi, we all agreed: While the powder has a good smell, it had that bitter metallic\/dirt taste of Chinese medicine. It didn\u2019t taste of chocolate, and left a bad taste in our mouths. It was slightly better in mint tea, but it still was unpleasant tasting and had a grainy aftertaste. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s disguisable. Probably like Chinese medicine, if you need it, it doesn\u2019t taste so bad. So I\u2019m gonna say that the 3 of us were chill enough that we didn\u2019t need that particular boost.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Cru received Gold for Best Chocolate Bar, Best Organic\/Fair Trade Products, and\u00a0New Product Award; Silver for Best Comfort Food\/Snack Product, and\u00a0Honorable Mention for Top Artisan Chocolatier.<\/p>\n

Cru Chocolate<\/strong> is available online, at Chocolate Covered<\/a> and other retailers, and at special events. Check their website<\/a> for locations.<\/p>\n

Beautiful fall buzz<\/h2>\n

When we stopped by the\u00a0Basel B Inc.<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0booth, we had to wait because chocolatier Basel\u00a0Bazlamit was manning the booth solo that morning. Like the sold-out Salon itself, there was a crowd; while waiting, we joked that he was creating the Basel buzz.<\/p>\n

\"Basel
Basel B created his own buzz at the Salon with visitors swarming his booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The wait was worth it to see his new pieces. As always, he had beautiful chocolates: his signature fancy jewels in the Darkness line, plus a Thanksgiving collection of molded chocolates. Hand-painted, molded chocolate boxes in the shape of a pumpkin and a leaf with more chocolates inside reminded me of Charles Chocolates\u2019s edible boxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Basel
The beautiful Basel B Thanksgiving Collection for 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He also had a smaller molded pumpkin filled with his new flavor: Fresh pumpkin. The filling was very good with real pumpkin in it adding a slightly fibrous texture.\u00a0It also had a good cinnamon\/spice flavor. My only quibble is that the outer shell was too thick and bitter at 80% for my taste.<\/p>\n

Colorful fall leaves<\/h3>\n

I liked the pretty molded and hand-painted chocolate leaves encrusted with cranberries and pistachios on one side. The toppings were good, and I think they would be delicious on a milk chocolate or less dark chocolate leaf.<\/p>\n

\"cranberry
Basel B\u2019s cranberry pistachio encrusted leaves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of Basel B chocolates are 80%, which I think is usually too bitter for his great fillings and toppings. He told me that he is working on his own milk chocolate blend, and said it would be coming soon. I look forward to it.<\/p>\n

Busy B<\/h3>\n

When we commented on the crowd around his booth, Basel said, \u201cIt\u2019s been so crazy busy, I hope to sell out, like tickets for Salon did.\u201d<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t stay long enough to see whether he got his wish or not, but he was still crazy busy when we left. His was one of the buzziest booths at the Salon.<\/p>\n

Basel B Inc. received Silver for New Product Award and for Bronze Best Caramels\/Truffles and Best Organic\/Fair Trade Products.<\/p>\n

You can buy Basel B Inc.<\/strong> chocolates at the Velvet Raven caf\u00e9<\/a> and at special events.<\/p>\n

Check out what\u2019s cookin\u2019 with CocoTutti<\/h2>\n
\"Coco
Coco Tutti\u2019s energetic leader Elyce Zahn and some of her unique bonbons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another super busy chocolatier at the Salon was Elyce Zahn of\u00a0CocoTutti Chocolates<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\"4-cup<\/a>. CocoTutti is a Salon veteran with a loyal following; and as usual, their booth was packed with people sampling and buying. It could be because Elyce always has something unique and lots of samples. This time there were 7 or 8 different chocolates to try \u2014 one reason CocoTutti\u2019s booth was packed \u2014 it takes a while to sample all that!<\/p>\n

Icy Hot on your tongue<\/h3>\n

One piece stood out for its cool weirdness. The Szechuan Peppercorn Toffee with Cashews is a white chocolate English toffee infused with Szechuan peppercorns with more added on top along with salted cashews.<\/p>\n

The peppercorns created a really unusual effect \u2014 it wasn\u2019t so much a hot taste as a numbness that comes at the end and lasts a long time afterwards, along with the saltiness of the cashews. It felt a little like applying an Icy Hot pain patch to your mouth. It was unexpected and weird in a good way. I also have to mention the white chocolate used (Valrhona) was very good: not too sweet and buttery tasting. If you embrace the weird, you have to try this toffee.<\/p>\n

Pretty, tasty barks<\/h3>\n

Other CocoTutti chocolates that were new at the Salon included a Coffee Toffee Bark with Hazelnuts and an Orange Toffee Bark. The coffee toffee bark was big chunks of espresso flavored toffee and roasted hazelnuts in a 64% dark chocolate. The espresso toffee was yummy on its own, but the added chocolate and big nuts took it over the top. The bark was very crunchy due to the nuts and toffee, with an aftertaste of chocolate and espresso. It ended up being a very chocolaty and nutty piece, and not so about the toffee.<\/p>\n

\"cocotutti
Some CocoTutti samples at the Salon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Orange Toffee Bark was a pretty piece with orange-colored white chocolate drizzled over \u00a064% dark chocolate and\u00a0chunks of caramelized orange toffee. It had a nice mouth feel with the crisp toffee in smooth chocolate, and had a good orange chocolate taste.<\/p>\n

Other samples at the Salon were bonbon\/CocoQuintet (CocoTutti\u2019s filled bars) flavors, including CocoTutti classics, like the spicy Ginger Caramel with Peanuts and Thai Chili, which is so hot it makes me cry, but I love the combination anyway. Also the Raspberry with its freeze-dried raspberry dusting on top which makes the raspberry flavor pop. And the\u00a0Liquid Vanilla Caramel, which is a good classic liquid caramel in good chocolate shell.<\/p>\n

\"Luxardo
CocoTutti\u2019s Luxardo Cherry looks like a bright red cherry with a leaf artfully draped over it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rounding out the samples were the Luxardo Cherry and Strawberry-Balsamic, which we swooned over at the last TasteTV Truffle Artistry competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Something to look forward to<\/h3>\n

In the middle of the bustle, Elyce told us what she was up to, first that she\u2019s experimenting on a wasabi crunch flavor, that would be sesame for the crunch, then wasabi at the end. (She would\u2019ve let me sample it too, but since I think wasabi tastes like poison, I declined.)\u00a0She was also experimenting with smoked paprika and cranberry, and back to developing liquor-centric pieces (like the Whiskey Caramel bonbons and bars, that explode with a great chocolatey, boozy taste in your mouth) and working with 2 distilleries.<\/p>\n

Elyce also told us she\u2019s working on a crunch that is not wheat or nut based \u2014 for people with allergies or other food issues. Her latest crunchy medium: \u201cQuinoa, boiled then toasted to use instead of nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told us she\u2019s developing a\u00a0vanilla toffee with spices and quinoa. Other crunchy ideas she\u2019s working on: peppermint toffee with green peppercorns for crunch (I can\u2019t wait to try that), and whole freeze-dried raspberries blended into chocolate for crunch.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t make any promises on when the new crunchy chocolates would be ready. \u201cI go through many iterations,\u201d she said,\u201d before it\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t bring chocolate house-warming gift to this Open House<\/h3>\n

After the Salon, Elyce was looking forward to doing an Open House in December at her new kitchen, where she said people could get \u201ccustomized everything at the kitchen, plus custom pieces not available before. We will have more chocolate than we have ever had at any event on that day, probably 40 varieties.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot, but knowing Elyce, probably not an exaggeration.<\/p>\n

\"CocoQuintets\"
A selection of filled CocoQuintets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A CocoTutti tradition at the Salons is that after 2pm, \u201cbooboos\u201d are for sale. If you want CocoTutti chocolate for yourself and don\u2019t have your heart set on a particular flavor, this is a great option. Any pieces that aren\u2019t up to Elyce\u2019s standards for sale are sold in bulk. At this Salon, that included some of the Luxardo Cherry bonbons, which Elyce told us are a real steal: In addition to being labor intensive including the pretty hand-painted swirls of red and green on top of each bonbon, a\u00a0can of Luxardo cherries costs\u00a0$120. Elyce does not skimp. We definitely snagged some of those to enjoy ourselves after the Salon.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, CocoTutti received Gold for Most Delicious Ingredients Combination, Best Caramels\/Truffles, and New Product Award; Silver for Top Artisan Chocolatier, Best Traditional Chocolates, and\u00a0Best in Salon; and Bronze for Best Toffee and Best Comfort Food\/Snack Product.<\/p>\n

CocoTutti Chocolates<\/strong> are available online, at special events like the Salon, and at select stores. Check their website<\/a> for locations and events.<\/p>\n

\"Elisia
Raphio\u2019s head chocolatier Elisia Otavi-Makmur with their single-origin line (and where can I get that shirt?)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Savoring chocolate<\/h2>\n

While Fresno\u2019s\u00a0Raphio Chocolate<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is a little far to be considered SFBA, I will always make an exception for them and check out what they are doing. They make excellent bean-to-bar chocolate and have expanded into inclusion bars.<\/p>\n

At the last Salon<\/a>, they introduced a \u00a0well-balanced Meyer Lemon Olive Oil bar and a crunchy Coffee bar, which were both excellent; so I was hoping they had more great treats this time around.\u00a0They did not disappoint with 5(!) new bars: 2 inclusions, 2 single-origin, and one sugar-free bar.<\/p>\n

I love a good olive oil bar<\/h3>\n

Of the 2 new inclusion bars, Delicate Olive Oil & Sea Salt stood out.\u00a0As one of my tasters exclaimed, \u201cOMG, so fruity!\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know where the cacao comes from for this bar, but it is very fruity out of the gate with the salt notes coming in later. The olive oil gives it a nice texture, extra smooth and a little slippery. like all Raphio bars, the bar is a good thickness. It melts beautifully, ending with nutty notes. It\u2019s my new favorite olive oil bar.<\/p>\n

While we didn\u2019t swoon over the other inclusion bar like we did the Delicate Olive Oil & Sea Salt, the Fresno Chili Olive Oil was also great. It started very chocolaty with a slight nutty flavor from the roasted chili olive oil. It got hotter as it melted, and tasted more of a\u00a0smoky chili flavor. The heat lasted until the end. I didn\u2019t find it too hot, and I liked its smooth, nut-butter texture and long chocolate aftertaste.<\/p>\n

\"Raphio
My new favorite olive oil bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More newsworthy bars<\/h3>\n

The 2 new single-origins were distinct from each other and very good bars. The\u00a072% Madegascar first tasted like fresh berries, then citrus. The label describes it as having flavor notes of \u201cBright Fruity, Light Brownie.\u201d I think bright is an accurate description, and it got brighter as it melted. I thought it was very pleasant, ending with a fermented, wine-like flavor at the end.<\/p>\n

The other new single-origin bar, the 72% Dominican Republic, was a strong chocolate, a little fruity, ending a little raisiny. It\u2019s slightly bitter. If you like dark chocolate, this is a good one.<\/p>\n

Sugar-free alternative<\/h3>\n

The last new bar from Raphio at the Salon was a sugar-free blended bar sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol, a sugar alcohol. Yohanes Makmur, Elisia\u2019s husband, told us the sweeteners add zero calories and are a zero glycemic index. They created the bar for people who can\u2019t eat sugar.<\/p>\n

I approached this one with trepidation because I have never found a sugar-free food that I would eat again. Metallic tasting, too sweet, and\/or with an unpleasant aftertaste \u2014 life is too short; I avoid them all.<\/p>\n

But Yohanes encouraged us to try the bar, so we did, and we were surprised. While we expected it to be unpleasant and hard to eat, it started out chocolatey enough for me. As it melted, I started to experience a cooling sensation in my mouth. And there was really nothing of an aftertaste like I expect from eating a quality piece of chocolate.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t eat sugar and want to eat chocolate, I recommend this bar.\u00a0It tastes better than chocolate sweetened with stevia or artificial sweeteners, in my opinion.\u00a0It starts out chocolatey but once you feel the cooling sensation, it\u2019s over. Points for no awful aftertaste. If you eat sugar substitutes, you will probably find this bar to be a big improvement on what you are used to. As for me, I will stick with the other Raphio bars with their wonderful flavors, good mouthfeel, and lingering aftertastes.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Raphio Chocolate received Gold for Best Chocolate Bar and Best Organic\/Fair Trade Products, and\u00a0Honorable Mention for Top Artisan Chocolatier.<\/p>\n

Raphio Chocolate<\/strong> has a store at their factory in Fresno, but if that\u2019s too far a trek, Chocolate Covered<\/a> carries their bars, as do some other local stores (check their website<\/a> for locations). Or order online.<\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s been holding out on us<\/h2>\n
\"Michaels
Michael\u2019s Salted Almond Bar is an excellent value<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My last stop at the Fall Salon was one of my newer local favs,\u00a0Michael\u2019s Chocolates<\/a>,<\/strong> the SF chocolatier who makes the most gorgeous, delicious truffles. And it turns out he makes bars too!<\/p>\n

Nut bar perfection<\/h3>\n

When I saw their Salted Almond Bar at the Salon, I said to\u00a0Curtis Wallis, Michael Benner\u2019s husband and business partner, \u201cThat\u2019s new,\u201d and he told me, \u201cNo actually, we\u2019ve had it for 2 years now, but not at events.\u201d<\/p>\n

After digesting this bit of betrayal, he told me the almond bar story. \u201cMichael uses almonds from a \u00a0local farmer at Ferry Building Farmers Market, which he slow roasts and mixes in a 65% chocolate. Finally, he sprinkles Maldon sea salt on back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack at Chocolate Covered<\/a> said, \u2018Don\u2019t even come to me with a chocolate almond bar. I\u2019m so sick of it.\u2019\u00a0So we made one \u2014 and are sold out all the time. Jack said, \u2018Don\u2019t trust what comes out of my mouth\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

As if always-high-quality Michael making a nut bar isn\u2019t enough, it\u2019s a very good value. At the Salon, they were charging $6 for 2.25 oz. bar.<\/p>\n

The bar is great. The 1st taste is a bit of saltiness from that sprinkling on its backside. It\u2019s a thick bar (1\/4\u201d) with chunks of almond throughout. The thickness helps it have a good mouthfeel and good chocolate flavor. The almonds give it a nice chewiness, and the saltiness doesn\u2019t last \u2014 the aftertaste is all almond and chocolate.<\/p>\n

If you like chocolate and almond combos, help keep proving Jack wrong and buy this bar.<\/p>\n

\"Michaels
Michael\u2019s Fall Collection of his signature shiny orbs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fancier options<\/h3>\n

Michael also had several truffle options at the Salon. The Fall collection included a couple of pieces we had just tried at the Truffle Artistry competition<\/a>: The pistachio and cardamom (Good Food Awards Finalist 2019), which does the difficult feat of balancing mild pistachio with spicy cardamom; and the coffee toffee, which does its own balancing act between a white-chocolate-caramel-toffee layer on top and a dark-chocolate-coffee ganache layer below.<\/p>\n

It also included an orange pomegranate truffle, a tangy truffle that was not too orange-y, tempered by the pomegranate. Curtis said that Michael tried to bring out more pomegranate flavor, but it was subtle.<\/p>\n

\"Lemon
A quickly diminishing pile of Michael\u2019s award-winning Lemon Burst Bonbons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They also had single-flavor boxes: the cult-creating Salted Caramels, the Good-Food-Awards-winning\u00a0Lemon Burst, and the\u00a0Old Potrero Rye Whiskey: This is the truffle even your non-drinking friends will love. It\u2019s the right blend of a strong whiskey and dark chocolate, so it\u2019s very chocolatey with a slight alcohol buzz. The whiskey just makes it taste more chocolatey.<\/p>\n

Greater recognition<\/h3>\n

Curtis told us that they were honored this year to be in Dandelion Chocolate<\/a>\u2019s<\/strong> Advent calendar. Each year, Dandelion picks 12 SFBA artisan chocolatiers to work with Dandelion\u2019s single origin chocolates to make pieces for the calendar, which also features graphics by local artists. It\u2019s very popular: This year\u2019s calendar was available Nov 16, and sold out before Nov 21.<\/p>\n

\"Michael\"
Michael Benner is looking forward to what 2019 will bring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael took a break from their busy booth to talk to us. He was excited about a lot of what\u2019s been happening chocolate-wise in his life of late, but he was especially touched meeting his idols through these events, and that they already knew about him.<\/p>\n

When he met\u00a0Alice Medrich at the last Chocolate Salon, she told him she knew him from the Good Food awards. And\u00a0at the recent Northwest Chocolate Festival<\/a> in Seattle, \u201cChristopher Elbow, one of my heroes, recognized me. We\u2019re mostly\u00a0known for the Good Food Awards. We\u2019ve been a\u00a0finalist both times. And I remind myself that we are only just starting.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for that mega-chocolate show in Seattle, Michael said, \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure about going. We shared a table with Raphio Chocolate. The show was mostly bean to bar, so filled chocolates stood out.\u00a0We went to Seattle with 350 boxes, and came back with 10.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lesson learned: \u201cNext year, we\u2019re getting our own table. And we\u2019re working to get own kitchen by end of 2019 to do even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

We and his growing legion of fans look forward to it.<\/p>\n

At the Salon, Michael\u2019s Chocolates received Gold for Top Artisan Chocolatier, Most Delicious Ingredients Combination,\u00a0Best Caramels\/Truffles,\u00a0New Product Award, and Best in Salon; Silver for Best Traditional Chocolates; and Bronze for Best Comfort Food\/Snack Product.<\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s Chocolates<\/strong> are available in some local shops in SFBA. Plus they deliver for free in San Francisco.\u00a0Check their website<\/a> for locations. And check their events page for chances to meet the maker as well as buy the bonbons.<\/p>\n

More local chocolate than I could cover<\/h2>\n

I wasn\u2019t able to meet every local chocolatier at the Salon this time \u2014 my other obsession, tap dancing, presented a scheduling conflict: I had a rehearsal to attend. So I missed new chocolatiers\u00a0Kokak Chocolates<\/a><\/strong> and K+M Extravirgin Chocolate<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(from Napa\u2019s French Laundry restauranteur Thomas Keller), new-to-us brittle maker\u00a0Brittle California<\/a>,<\/strong> almost raw chocolate maker\u00a0Endorfin Foods<\/a>,<\/strong> and fudge maker Z. Cioccolato<\/a>.<\/strong> My fellow CBTB chocolateer, Cacaopod, stayed to the bitter end \u2014 well, at least until 2pm when CocoTutti started selling booboos \u2014 and will file a report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The crowd was nuts, and so was a lot of the chocolate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,168,15,884,222,14,41],"tags":[891,1049,94,275,1052,843,495,825,1050,826,1064,935,892,936,281,274,1053],"class_list":["post-11890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-bay-chocolate","category-events","category-local-chocolate","category-north-bay","category-peninsula-chocolate","category-ourchocolatiers","category-san-francisco-chocolate","tag-basel-b-inc","tag-brittle","tag-chocolate-salon","tag-cocotutti","tag-cru-chocolates","tag-endorfin-foods","tag-flying-noir","tag-heavenly-taste-toffee","tag-km-extravirgin-chocolate","tag-kindred-caramels","tag-kokak-chocolates","tag-michaels-chocolates","tag-rainy-day-chocolate","tag-raphio-chocolate","tag-socola-chocolatier","tag-tastetv","tag-z-cioccolato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11890"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44525,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11890\/revisions\/44525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}