{"id":15540,"date":"2020-07-29T14:20:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T21:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=15540"},"modified":"2025-05-24T15:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T22:54:10","slug":"bright-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/outsidechocolate\/bright-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"Bright chocolate"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a small pool of contenders in the\u00a02020 Best White Chocolate Awards<\/a> by TasteTV, and a citrus theme dominated the flavors. The tangy flavors of lemon, orange, and the more unusual bergamot and yuzu were a good contrast with the sweetness of white chocolate, and made for most of the best entries. There were no\u00a0SFBA contestants, but I still found a few pieces and chocolatiers to recommend.<\/p>\n

Best of Show<\/h2>\n

They don\u2019t really have that category in this competition, but if they did,\u00a0Tandem Chocolates<\/a>, Reno, NV, would have won it. And that\u2019s not just my opinion. They swept the awards with their 2 truffle entries, Elderflower Lemon Cordial and Raspberry Yuzu Crunch. Both truffles were beautiful and tasted delicious.<\/p>\n

\"Tandem
The best piece in the show was Tandem\u2019s Elderberry Lemon Cordial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Elderflower Lemon Cordial<\/strong>\u00a0was a white dome liberally splashed with yellow and gold. The white chocolate shell was soft, and the inside was\u00a0semi liquid with a light lemony smell.\u00a0It tasted like lemon meringue pie, and ended a little buttery. A\u00a0very good, not too sweet white chocolate truffle, it was my favorite piece in the competition.<\/p>\n

I think it was everybody else\u2019s favorite too: It won the Gold in all categories (Best Ingredient Combinations, Best Taste, Best Texture, and Most Unique). It was rated the #1 Best White Chocolate for 2020 and received\u00a04.5 stars (the highest possible).<\/p>\n

\"Tandem
Running a close second was Tandem\u2019s Raspberry Yuzu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tandem\u2019s other entry was very good too. The\u00a0Raspberry Yuzu Crunch<\/strong>\u00a0was a raspberry colored dome dragged with gold luster dust. Like the Elderflower Lemon Cordial the white chocolate shell was a smooth, soft texture, and the inside was an interesting\u00a03 layers: semi liquid on top of praline and ganache. It had a\u00a0good raspberry smell, but I tasted the citrusy yuzu taste first, then raspberry. It was a nice blend, and the raspberry lingered afterwards.<\/p>\n

It did very well in the competition, with\u00a0Silver for Best Taste and Best Texture, and Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations and Most Unique. It was rated #3 Best White Chocolate (in a 3-way tie), and also received\u00a04.5 stars.<\/p>\n

You can buy Tandem Chocolates online<\/a>\u00a0or at their storefront in Reno.<\/p>\n

Smoke & fog<\/h2>\n

Another chocolatier\u2019s entries I liked almost as much as Tandem Chocolates\u2019 were from competition veteran\u00a0Panache Chocolatier<\/a>, KS, known for their big truffles. Like Tandem, they had 2 white chocolate truffle entries, and both did very well in the competition.<\/p>\n

\"London
London Fog truffle had a little puff of \u2018fog\u2019 decorating the top<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0London Fog<\/strong>\u00a0truffle was another citrusy entry with Earl Grey tea and Madagascar vanilla as its main flavors. It was a simple all-white sphere with a single squirt of more white chocolate on top \u2014 like a wisp of fog. \u00a0It had a thin shell and a\u00a0nice earl grey smell.<\/p>\n

The vanilla tempered the tea, which can sometimes be perfume-y,\u00a0so the flavor ended up being more citrus overall and not strongly identifiable as Earl Grey. It also wasn\u2019t too sweet, which I am always glad to see in a white chocolate. The truffle description said it was based on England\u2019s London Fog latte, which I now want to try \u2014 if we Americans are ever allowed to visit other countries again.<\/p>\n

It received Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations,\u00a0Best Taste, and Best Texture. It was rated #3 Best White Chocolate (in a 3-way tie), and also received\u00a04.5 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Smoked
The Smoked White Chocolate truffle was big enough for 2 or 3 tastings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Panache\u2019s other entry\u00a0was a big, thick rectangular all-white piece, with an intriguing name, Smoked White Chocolate.<\/strong> Its description said the ganache had been smoked with fruit wood.<\/p>\n

The ganache was a light brown and smelled fruity. It also tasted fruity, but not a specific fruit to me, and not too sweet, with a little smokiness at the end. I thought it was interesting and tasty. I wish other chocolatiers would try this technique, maybe add other flavors too. It received an\u00a0Honorable Mention for Most Unique, and rated\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

Panache Chocolatier\u2019s website is also currently under construction, and they ask that you call or visit their shop. Check their website for details.<\/p>\n

Honey, the other sugar<\/h2>\n

Another double truffle entry was from competition veteran\u00a0Seleu\u0161s Chocolates<\/a>, Seattle, WA. Both pieces were honey themed, big domes that looked similar. The only way to tell the difference was one was slightly darker than the other.<\/p>\n

\"Seluess
Seluess honey truffles were packed in a bright yellow box embossed with a honeycomb pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The darker blonde, the\u00a0Bavarian Acacia Honey Truffle,<\/strong> had a light brown ganache that smelled healthy. It was too sweet for me and didn\u2019t taste like honey to me. Still it received\u00a0Bronze for Best Taste and Best Texture, rated #3 Best White Chocolate (in a 3-way tie), and ranked\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

I liked the lighter blonde better. Seleu\u0161s\u2019s\u00a0Eden\u2019s Honey Truffle<\/strong>\u00a0had a honey colored ganache with an immediate honey flavor. I thought this was what a honey truffle should taste like. It received Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations and Best Texture, and an Honorable Mention\u00a0for Best Taste and Most Unique. It rated #2 Best White Chocolate and ranked\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

Seleu\u0161s Chocolates are not currently available online. You can buy Seleu\u0161s Chocolates at their boutique in Seattle and some retail locations in Seattle and surrounding cities. Check their website<\/a> for locations.<\/p>\n

\"Coco
Coco Gusto\u2019s Hibiscus Passion truffle had an interesting asymmetrical shape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More passion<\/h2>\n

The last truffle entry in the competition by\u00a0Coco Gusto Chocolates<\/a>, Denver, was eye catching, painted with yellow and red luster dust, and shaped like a square that dipped down at 2 opposite corners. The\u00a0Hibiscus Passion Truffle<\/strong>\u00a0didn\u2019t include a description or ingredient label but it seemed to be flavored with some alcohol with the hibiscus and passion fruit. It didn\u2019t have enough inclusion\/flavoring for me, and was instead\u00a0too much white chocolate. It received\u00a0Honorable Mentions for Best Taste and Most Unique, and rated\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

Finally, a contestant with a shop on their site! You can order Coco Gusto truffles<\/a> and bars online.<\/p>\n

\"Tres
For Pete\u2019s Sake labels were better than nothing, but missed some important info<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mystery entries<\/h2>\n

There were a few other mysterious entries besides the no-description truffle from Coco Gusto. Two were from a mysterious chocolatier,\u00a0For Pete\u2019s Sake Chocolate, which has\u00a0no website, no social media, and not even an address on the label. It\u2019s a shame too, because their\u00a0Tres Leches<\/strong>\u00a0bar was good. The butter, cream, and milk tempered the white chocolate so it was not too sweet, and I liked the bar\u2019s milky taste. It received Silver for Best Ingredient Combinations, Bronze for Best Taste, and an Honorable Mention for Best Texture. It rated\u00a03.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Their other entry,\u00a0Raspberries & Cream,<\/strong>\u00a0looked like a ruby chocolate bar with its dusky pink color, but it was white chocolate flavored with milk, cream, and freeze-dried raspberries. I didn\u2019t like it, it was perfume-y and needed more raspberries to balance the white chocolate and milk. It received an\u00a0Honorable Mention for Best Texture and rated\u00a03 stars.<\/p>\n

\"For
For Petes Sake Raspberry Cream bar looked like ruby chocolate and the Tres Leches looked almost blonde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The third mystery entry had no label. It was just a 4″ long narrow yellow stick of white chocolate in a clear cellophane envelope. It was unusually hard, since white chocolate is just cocoa butter, it\u2019s normally softer than other chocolate. It smelled citrusy and tasted like lemon chocolate and wasn\u2019t too sweet, but for me it was actually too lemony, bordering on chemical strength. It was only after I got the judging sheets that I found out this was an Organic Meyer Lemon Stick<\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0BACI Chocolatier<\/a>, Windsor, CA. So there was a local entry in the competition!<\/p>\n

\"BACI
Turns out this mysterious entry was local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BACI\u2019s Lemon Sticks received Bronze for Best Taste and Best Texture, and a\u00a03.5 stars rating.\u00a0You can order BACI chocolates and other sweets on their website.<\/p>\n

White chocolate toffees<\/h2>\n

There were 3 white chocolate toffees in the competition, 2 flavored and 1 plain.<\/p>\n

\"Holm
Holm Made\u2019s Orange Creamsicle Toffee was attractive and had plenty of nuts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 2 flavored entries were by veteran\u00a0Holm Made Toffee Co.<\/a>, OR. Their White Chocolate & Raspberry Toffee<\/strong> was also entered in the toffee competition<\/a>, where it received an\u00a0Honorable Mention for Most Unique. It\u2019s a pretty toffee with raspberry swirls in the white chocolate; and in this competition, it received an\u00a0Honorable Mention for Best Texture and rated\u00a03.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Holm Made\u2019s other entry,\u00a0Orange Creamsicle Toffee<\/strong>, was a very good toffee, as can be expected from Holm Made, with a good crunch and lots of chopped hazelnuts. It was a\u00a0little too sweet for me, and the orange flavor wasn\u2019t pronounced until the end, which was a disappointment after the name gave me expectations of a creamy orange flavor. It did well in the competition, winning\u00a0Silver for Best Taste and Best Texture, and Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations. It rated\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

You can order toffees and other hazelnut treats from the Holm Made website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Crackd
Crack\u2019d White Chocolate Toffee had an extra hit of white chocolate from chips in the toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The third white toffee entry was from another competition veteran,\u00a0Crack\u2019d Toffee Company<\/a>, who also competed in this year\u2019s toffee competition. Their\u00a0White Chocolate Toffee,<\/strong>\u00a0like their other toffee entries this year suffered from a lack of nuts. There was plenty of white chocolate, drizzled on top like icing, plus white chocolate chips in the toffee, but at most there was a dusting of nuts. The result was sweet and a little chewy, but not nutty, which I found disappointing. It received an\u00a0Honorable Mention\u00a0for Best Taste and rated\u00a04 stars.<\/p>\n

You can buy Crack\u2019d Toffee online, at some CA retail locations, and at special events. Check their website<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n

\"Calgary
Calgary\u2019s simple packaging showed off their attractive Kulfi bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mithai chocolate<\/h2>\n

Finally, a new competitor had 3 entries with a very Indian dessert vibe to them. I don\u2019t know anything about\u00a0Calgary ChocoSweeats Factorie<\/a>, in Alberta, Canada, but based on the ingredients and level of sweetness in their entries, I\u2019m guessing there\u2019s some Indian background to the company.<\/p>\n

The entry of theirs I liked the most was the\u00a0Indian Kulfi Bar.<\/strong>\u00a0It was an attractive bar of white chocolate with lots of dark bits scattered throughout. Reading the label, the dark bits were rose petals, green cardamom, pistachios, and cashews. Kulfi is Indian ice cream, and these ingredients would be typical flavorings in kulfi.<\/p>\n

The bar smelled strongly of\u00a0cardamom, and even though the first ingredient listed was rose, the rose was\u00a0not pronounced; instead, it balanced the cardamom. I mostly liked this bar except it was pretty sweet, and the cardamom was not finely ground. Instead it was more like cracked pepper with some big pieces that I found unpleasant to chew.<\/p>\n

But our newest chocolateer at CBTB, chocoloco, didn\u2019t mind the big pieces and liked the bar. She said it reminded her of cracked peppercorns used in other foods, like CocoTutti<\/a>\u2019s Szechuan Peppercorn Toffee with Cashews, which I really like, so I think it was a case of the blast of cardamom from the big bits was too much for me. It received a\u00a0Silver for Most Unique, and Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations and Best Taste. It rated\u00a03.5 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Calgary
The Organic Green Tea bar had a bit of an \u201ceverything but the kitchen sink\u201d look to it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their other bar,\u00a0The Organic Green Tea Bar,<\/strong>\u00a0was a mashup of matcha flavored white chocolate covered with dried strawberries, cranberries, coconut, and little green and red sugar pills. The overall flavor was\u00a0fruity, but I didn\u2019t like texture of the dried strawberry slices; and it was too sweet, with not enough matcha to temper the sweet. (I\u2019d recommend Socola Chocolatier<\/a>\u2019s Crunchy Matcha Green Tea White Chocolate bar if you\u2019d like to try a good white chocolate matcha bar.) Also, the coconut flavor got lost in everything else going on. But it did well in the competition winning\u00a0Silver for Best Ingredient Combinations,\u00a0Bronze for Best Taste, and an Honorable Mention for Most Unique. It rated\u00a03.5 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Coconut
The red heart on Calgary\u2019s Coconut Rose truffle was actually filled with red icing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their third entry,\u00a0Rose Coconut Truffle,<\/strong>\u00a0looked like it was supposed to be a riff on a cupcake but it got squashed\u00a0somewhere on its way to me, so I\u2019m not sure. It was a soft pink truffle covered in coconut flakes, placed in a mini-cupcake liner and topped with a plastic heart that upon closer\u00a0<\/span>examination was filled with a sugary red semi-liquid\/icing that you could squeeze out, I guess if you wanted more sugar.<\/p>\n

I did not like the smell or the taste of the coconut and rose combination. On the plus side, the truffle was not as sweet as the 2 bars, and it had lots of crunchy chewy coconut flakes, so it was\u00a0coconut first on tasting. But when the rose came in later, it tasted weird to me. It rated\u00a03 stars.<\/p>\n

You can buy Calgary ChocoSweeats Factorie\u2019s competition chocolates and more on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visit the International Chocolate Salon site to see the full list of winners<\/a> from the 2020 Best White Chocolate Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small competition this year, but some big flavors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":15619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,168,884,13,169],"tags":[1483,1182,1178,1166,1179,442,1176,1180,1101,1161,197,522,659,1021,629,538,1026,1177,1175,543,1181,393,719],"class_list":["post-15540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-chocolate","category-events","category-north-bay","category-outsidechocolate","category-reviews","tag-baci-kitchen","tag-calgary-chocosweeats-factorie","tag-coco-gusto-chocolates","tag-crackd-toffee-company","tag-creamsicle","tag-earl-grey","tag-elderflower","tag-for-petes-sake-chocolate","tag-hibiscus","tag-holm-made-toffee-co","tag-honey","tag-lemon","tag-orange","tag-panache-chocolatier","tag-passion-fruit","tag-raspberry","tag-seleuss","tag-smoke","tag-tandem-chocolates","tag-toffee","tag-tres-leches","tag-white-chocolate","tag-yuzu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15540","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=15540"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45929,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15540\/revisions\/45929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}