10 Tips for Keeping Chocolate Fresh

HOW TO STORE FINE CHOCOLATE

We finished with Valentine’s not long ago and although most of you have polished off the last bits of your bounty by now, I know there are few of you out there that want to savor your chocolate over weeks or even months.  Or maybe you are building yourself a fine chocolate collection in the way that some people collect wine.  Either way, you’re in luck because chocolate bars can last several years when stored properly.  Years?  I know, I know, chocolate doesn’t last but a couple of days in your home, but keep in mind that chocolate can become a mess in a matter  of days if kept poorly.

So what do you need to know to preserve the best flavor and texture of your bars?  There are three main enemies of chocolate:

• Heat
• Humidity
• Strong odors

You could add sunlight, but this is rarely an issue.  If you want to defeat the enemies of chocolate, just follow these ten tips:

Some completely abused and bloomed bars. My wife bought these on a summer road trip as a surprise for me and accidently left them in the hot car. Although these bars were beyond edible (I tried), your chocolate won't even come close to this disaster state if you follow a few simple rules.

1.  Store your chocolate bars between about 60 and 65°F (about 16 – 18ºC).  Heat will slowly drive away aroma and then flavor.  In the extreme, you’ll get melting which can wreck the texture besides disturbing any art that’s molded into the bar.  A fat bloom can also develop as a whitish haze on the surface of the bar that, while unpleasant looking, won’t hurt you at all.  Bloomed chocolate may have poor texture, but more importantly, bloom is an indicator of poor storage.  What to do with a hazy bloomed bar?  Just taste it and see.  Rarely will you want to through it away.  If it seems sub-par, but still edible, it can be used for baking, put into your oatmeal or crumbled on dessert.

Storing chocolate under too cold conditions may disturb the crystalline structure of the chocolate and affect texture, cause bloom, or both.  Chocolate makers take great care to create a bar where the cocoa butter and cocoa solids are intimately mixed.  Extremes of temperature can undo this hard work.  Still, I would worry less about cold than heat.

Now these are ideal conditions.  Your chocolate is not going to suddenly turn to junk at 66ºF, so don’t stress out.  Choose one of the storage methods in Tips 7 – 10 and your chocolate will stay smooth and potent.

2.   Store chocolate in a dry place.   Ideally, the relative humidity should be below 50%.  Excess moisture can condense on the bar and draw out the sugar onto the surface.  A sugar bloom, like a fat bloom, won’t hurt you and simply disturbs the texture.  Again, give it a taste to decide its fate – eat it, mix it or toss it.

3.   Keep chocolate out of direct sunlight.  Not only will it heat up the chocolate, but sunlight will also degrade flavors.

4.  Avoid strong odors.  Thou shalt not keep chocolate in your refrigerator next to the garlic and kimchee.  Chocolate absorbs strong odors like sponge.  Also keep flavored bars such as mint, coffee or Theo’s Chai Tea chocolate in a separate box away from your plain chocolate and everything will taste as it should.

5.  Have no fear of the “best by” date.  Here’s a confusing little secret of the chocolate industry:  they put “best by” dates on the bars because packaging laws say they have to, but the dates are somewhat arbitrary.  Some chocolate makers are at a loss as to what date to use, so they basically copy the other guy.  Food needs moisture to grow bacteria and go bad.  Chocolate contains very little moisture and most of the moisture it has is bound up with sugar.  So, chocolate doesn’t really go “bad” in the sense that it can make you sick when it gets old.  Does the sugar in your sugar bowl ever go bad? No.  What does happen is that the fats in the cocoa butter break down under the influence of heat, light and oxygen causing off flavors to develop [3].

With properly stored chocolate bars, nothing much happens except some flavor and aroma slowly, very slowly, go away.  Even milk chocolate bars are very stable since they contain milk solids with very low moisture [1].  Yes, the fresher, the better, but if you discover something that’s out of date, your tongue will tell you if it’s worth eating or not.  Give it a taste test.

6.  Keep chocolate out of reach of dogs.  For some dogs, chocolate acts as a powerful stimulant and they can have a heart attack.  The reaction will depend upon the dog and how much they eat.  If your Chocolate Lab eats a chocolate bar, call your vet and ask what to do next.  Don’t panic.  They may be just fine – it depends upon the dog.

I discovered this Theo dark chocolate bar hiding in my stash. Although it's now 18 months out of date, with proper storage, its in good condition with no bloom. The flavor, while not the same as a new bar, is still enjoyable with floral notes and honey. I'll be keeping these.

7.  Store your chocolate in tightly sealed bags in a cooler in a dry basement.  This is how I keep most of my personal chocolate stash. Put the bars into good quality freezer bags and squeeze the air out before sealing.  Then put it all into a clean cooler or insulated box.  You should put mint and other strongly favored chocolates in their own sealed box or a separate cooler altogether.  Make sure there are no odors in the cooler or buy a new cooler for the purpose.   The basement should be reasonably dry – use a dehumidifier if needed and keep the chocolate well sealed.   No basement?  The bottom of a closet is the next best option as long as it doesn’t get too hot.  Your closet is too hot? Consider Tips 8 – 10 below.

8.  Invest in a wine cooler – This is a more expensive option, but allows you to control temperature best.  Most wine coolers  will have a temperature adjustment, so you can get it up into the 60-65°F range.  You can store wine and chocolate together, but be  sure the unit is clean and dry [2].  Wrap the bars as in Tip 7.

9.  Invest in a mini fridge and dedicate it to chocolate –  You know, the kind you find in dorm rooms.  Set it on the warmest temperature (you can check with a refrigerator thermometer).  Keep it clean and wrap the bars as in Tip 7.

10.  Wrap it up well for the fridge.  If you’ve come this far and you really must insist on putting chocolate in your refrigerator along with the rest of your food, I’m going to say OK, with a few conditions.  Put the bars into freezer bags, include a paper towel and squeeze out all the air.  Put the bags into tightly sealed food storage bins (A.K.A. “tupperware”).  As before, separate the strongly flavored bars such as mint with their own bin.  When it’s time to eat some chocolate, take out only the bag you need and allow it to warm up for 1 hour or more before opening the bag. This will prevent moisture from condensing on the chocolate [2].

ENJOYING WELL-KEPT CHOCOLATE

No matter how you store the chocolate, give it about 1 hour to warm up to room temperature before opening the bag and serving.  This will bring the flavors to life.  If you just can’t bear to wait that long, then take a square of chocolate and press it against the roof of your mouth with your tongue until it starts to melt.  Enjoy the release of flavors that ensues.  Repeat until satisfied.

Should you have any questions on keeping your chocolate well, just leave a comment.

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Notes and References:

[1] We’re talking about solid bars here – not truffles or bars filled with some fruit or dairy product.  Depending upon the filling, truffles can go bad quite quickly and are capable of growing mold and all sorts of maladies.    We’ll discuss storing truffles in another post.

[2] Credit goes to Clay Gordon for the wine cooler idea.  See C. Gordon, Discover Chocolate:  The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate.  Gotham, 2007.

[3] Greweling, Peter ., CMB, Chocolates and Confections, Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, 2007, Wiley.

Who on Earth Cares about Organic Chocolate?

Dark chocolate with nibs made from organically grown cacao

Organic Chocolate Explained

Chocolate is sort of an indulgence after all and not eaten in pounds per week like apples or tomatoes, so do I really need to worry about which chocolate I put into my body?  In fact, the average American eats more than 11 lbs of chocolate a year, but probably has no idea where it comes from.  Well, chocolate grows on trees, the Theobroma Cacao tree to be exact which translates into “food of the gods.”  Cacao pods (a.k.a. cocoa pods) grow on trees found almost exclusively in the “cocoa belt,” a band 20 degrees north and south of the equator.   From these pods come beans that are fermented, dried, roasted, and transformed into that smooth, luscious solid we all know and love.

No one wants harmful pesticides in their food, but the benefits of organic chocolate go well beyond the obvious.  Cacao trees are usually found in lush rain forest environments that are homes to monkeys, sloths, wild birds and other unique creatures.  The use of pesticides endangers the rich biodiversity of these eco-systems.  If that’s not bad enough, some companies will clear cut the jungle first in order to plant cacao trees in neat rows – a procedure that is completely unnecessary to grow cacao.  The canopy trees that would normally form a natural habit for jungle animals is destroyed.

Not only are rain forest animals at risk from chemical exposure, but also humans – the plantation workers.    In some cocoa growing regions such as West Africa, where most mass-market cocoa is grown, there are fewer controls on the safety of farm workers.   When companies seek the lowest cost beans from the global commodity market, they are blind to the social issues connected to their chocolate [2].

So how can you be sure you’re getting the organic stuff?  It’s easy to pick out an organic chocolate bar from the crowd:  just look for an organic seal on the label.  You’re all familiar with the USDA certified organic seal by now, but don’t forget that chocolate is an international product.  Beans grown in the cocoa belt are transformed into wonderful chocolate in countries all over the world.  With so much excellent chocolate coming from Europe, you may also see organic seals from France:  Agriculture Biologique (AB)  or EU Organic, for instance.  You can be confident that any of these seals is credible evidence that basic organic practices are followed.

The familiar USDA Organic Seal

France's organic certification seal

The new organic seal of the European Union

Some have criticized organic labeling as a marketing ploy that only larger companies can afford since the certification and associated inspections cost money.  I look at it more like UL certification for electrical appliances.  Most of us are not electric engineers and are not inclined to study circuit diagrams. We just need to know that when we touch our new TV, we’re not going to get shocked.  Organic certification leaves the details to the experts and hands us the answer in an easy to understand format.  That can’t be bad.  Besides, there are numerous examples of artisan, small-batch chocolate makers with organic certification such as Taza Chocolate, Pacari Chocolate and others.

If you wander down to the local truffle shop, things may not be as simple.  If you’re lucky enough to find an artisan making organic truffles, there’s a good chance that only some of the ingredients, say the chocolate shell, are organic.  Have a conversation with the proprietor and understand where their chocolate comes from.  Is it organic? Is it fair trade?  If you can find such a shop, you’ve got a gem since bulk organic chocolate used for making confections is in short supply in the USA.  You may have better luck finding a website that specializes in organic and fair trade.

Does organic chocolate taste as good as “conventional” chocolate?

I’ve tasted a lot of chocolate and I can tell you yes, of course it does!  The flavor of the chocolate has to do with the variety of cacao, the diligence of the farmer and the skill of the chocolate maker.    Cacao farmers using pesticides and other chemicals can get more pods from their trees and improve profit, but this won’t help the flavor of the chocolate one bit.  In fact, organic chocolates are less likely to contain ingredients that have no place in high quality chocolate such as chemical additives or vegetable oils.  These ingredients only distract from the true flavor of the bean and help the producer lower costs.

Assuming the bar is not flavored with fruits or nuts, you should see at most four ingredients in a chocolate bar:  cocoa mass (or cocoa liqueur or cocoa solids), sugar, vanilla and soy lecithin.  That’s it.  So keep it simple – look for a simple ingredients list, look for organic certification and develop a relationship with a trustworthy proprietor and you’ll do some good for yourself and the planet.

Notes:

[1]  A version of this article was originally published as an invited guest post on Ecobold.com

[2] Fair trade is an equally important and complex topic in the chocolate world.  Due to space constraints, we’ll deal with this one another time.

How Much Caffeine is in Chocolate?

Chocolate or coffee, which has more caffeine?

Chocolate contains hundreds of chemical compounds including polyphenols, powerful antioxidants thought to stave off cancer and heart disease, as well as psychoactive compounds such as theobromine, theophylline,  and caffeine.  Theobromine and theophyliline are mild stimulants that are also partly responsible for that familiar and welcome chocolate buzz.  We all know caffeine as the stimulant found in coffee that brings us clarity and energy in the morning, but how much caffeine is in chocolate compared to drinks like coffee, tea or cola?

Let’s cut to the chase right now – chocolate doesn’t contain much caffeine.  Of course, the actual amount of caffeine you get depends upon factors such as the percent cacao (cocoa), where the beans were grown, how they were processed after harvest and how much you consume as a “typical” serving.  What’s a typical serving of chocolate? That’s up to you, but for high quality dark chocolate, you need much less to feel satisfied, so I’d say 20 grams at most which is a little less than half a small bar or 1/4 of a large one.  With that in mind, here are a few facts about caffeine in chocolate:

CHOCOLATE	CAFFEINE PER SERVING	SERVING SIZE
Milk Chocolate (junk)	4 mg	20 g
Milk Chocolate 45% Cacao	16 mg	20 g
Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao	24 mg	20 g
Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao	28 mg	20 g
Hot Chocolate (typical)	9 mg	8 oz.
Hot Chocolate – Rich	24 mg	8 oz. (made with 15g of 80% cocoa)

Unless you are monitoring your daily caffeine intake for medical reasons, there is no reason to get too caught up in the numbers.  The numbers don’t say much unless you compare them to something familiar, so here are some facts for common beverages:

BEVERAGE	CAFFEINE PER SERVING	SERVING SIZE
Brewed Coffee	140 mg	8 oz.
Single Shot Espresso	63 mg	1 oz.
Decaf Coffee	9 mg	8 oz.
Black Tea	65 mg	6 oz.
Green Tea	28mg	6 oz.
Coke Classic	35 mg	12 oz.
Red Bull	78 mg	250 mL

You may be surprised to see that a shot of espresso has less caffeine than a cup of brewed coffee despite its reputation as a sort of rocket fuel for the weary.  Actually, because the water is in contact with the espresso beans for only a short time, it does not fully extract the caffeine, but pulls out all the best coffee flavors and aromas into your cup.  So where does chocolate stand next to that little cup of espresso?  To get as much caffeine as a single shot of espresso, you would need to eat about three servings of 60% dark chocolate or 4 servings of quality milk chocolate.  On the other hand, to match the caffeine kick of a cup of coffee, you’d need to down 2 entire dark chocolate bars, 3 milk chocolate bars or 6 cups of hot cocoa.

Most people shouldn’t worry one bit about the small about of caffeine in chocolate.  If you’re worried that eating chocolate at night is going to keep you awake, don’t.  Don’t worry, that is.  Like most other good things in life, chocolate is best enjoyed in moderation and moderate amounts of chocolate are not going to affect most people.  But don’t come away from this thinking that milk chocolate is the best choice since it has less caffeine!  Eat milk chocolate if that’s what you like most, but generally speaking, dark chocolate will have more of all the healthy compounds that we seek from plant-based super foods like blueberries and grape juice, not to mention, more satisfying chocolate flavor.  So, rest well knowing you are choosing a healthy artisan food.

References and Notes:

[1] The data are averages from multiple sources.

[2] Goldberger BA, Lessig MC, McCusker RR, Cone EJ, Gold MS. Evaluation of Current Caffeine Content of Coffee Beverages: Recommendations for Clinicians Regarding Caffeine Exposure. Society of Biological Psychiatry’s Annual Convention and Scientific Program 2003. San Francisco, California.

[3] Mayo Clinic - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211

[4] Wikipedia on Caffeine

[5] Center for Science in the Public Interest

[6] Amano Chocolate Blog

More Results of the Chocolate Preferences Survey

What are Your Chocolate Preferences?

It’s been a few months since I first published the Chocolate Preferences Survey results.   Since then I’ve received more input from an all-female product review panel who filled out the survey (thank you!).   I’ve combined these new responses with previous results and reposted the graphs here. For full commentary, please see the original post which I’ve also updated.

The review panel consisted of about 40 women in the following age ranges (not all of them answered the age question):

• 30 – 39:       41%
• 40-49:         41%
• 50-59:         11%
• 60-69:          7%

The group did not necessary identify themselves as chocolate lovers nor were they necessarily connoisseurs.  This was confirmed by most responses to a favorite brand question. Although they overwhelmingly listed brand as their number one most important factor when choosing chocolate, the most commonly cited “favorite brand” was Dove with Ghiradelli, Godiva and Lindt all tied for second place.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with most of these brands, but the responses don’t show much depth of brand awareness.  On the other hand, it’s a great testament to the marketing effectiveness of these ubiquitous brands that they are on the tips of the tongues of American consumers.

I really hope that artisan bar makers will get more recognition and brand awareness in the coming years.  While I’d like to keep all the good stuff for myself, it’s nice to be able to talk to people about the difference between Amano and Amedei and they actually know what you’re talking about.

Here are the results.  In this recent survey, Question #2 (choose all factors that are important…) was not asked, so I’ve left it out of this update.  What follows is a combination of all responses from the original survey and the new review-panel results.

 

What's your favorite type of chocolate

What's the SINGLE most important factor when choosing chocolate?

What's your favorite form of chocolate?

Now it’s your turn.  The updated survey has been set up and is quick with only ten questions.   Click on the link at the top right of this page to take the latest chocolate survey.

Well there’s more data still to be added from the ongoing online survey.  Things have been quiet here on my end while I’ve been working on the video blog, so I thought I’d offer this new survey data to keep the blog moving.  But the video blog is coming along.  I just my wife’s help to translate from Japanese to English.  Stay tuned.

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Koko Lingo

A Glossary of Chocolate Terms

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve started a chocolate terminology section as a separate page (see link at the top of this page).  I hope you find this helpful in understanding some of the words and phrases thrown around in the world of chocolate. It will be a continual work-in-progress as I expect to add to it as I go.  If there are terms you want to see listed, please just shoot me a note or leave a comment.

Well, I’ve been working on a long post that involves editing video – something that is taking way too long, so it may be a while before you see anything new here.  Hang in there…it will be worth the wait.  Hint: I filmed it on my last trip to Tokyo in September 2009.  Now it’s way overdue to get this one published.  Stay tuned!

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Chocolate Notes from Mexico

Cocoa Pod Painting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

During recent travels, I had the chance to stop in Puerto Vallarta for some relaxation thanks to some frequent flyer miles.  When we arrived and plopped our bags down in the bedroom of  our rental, we were greeted by a giant painting of cocoa pods by Mexican artist David Villasenor.   Even though we were far away from southern Mexico where cocoa is cultivated, I couldn’t help but to start thinking about chocolate.

In Search of a Molinillo

Molinillos for frothing hot chocolate

My first quest was to find a molinillo or two.  A molinillo (mol-ee-nee-yo) is a Mexican whisk  used to make a frothy Mexican style hot chocolate.  They are also used to froth other traditional Mexican foods such as Atole and Champurrado.   Atole, a comfort food found throughout Mexico and Central America, is a thick mixture of corn flour (more like masa), water, raw sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Champurrado is an atole made with chocolate and often drunk in the colder months around Christmas or the Day of the Dead.   I’ll put up a Mexican hot chocolate recipe after I return to my home in the snow and have a time to whip some up, but for now, let’s say that the you can use your favorite drinking chocolate blocks or powder in warm (not boiling) milk and whisk away.

The search started at a rustic market place, a collection of separate stalls meeting a common courtyard.  Arriving at 5:01 in the afternoon, I found most of the stalls were gated up including the one with the molinillos - I could see them inside the iron gate just beyond my reach.  The sour grapes effect kicked in immediately as I decided they looked a little rough and a little dusty, so I skipped this place and asked the locals for another recommendation.  They directed me to a pottery and craft shop at the opposite end of the Malecon.  The thought of a  45 minute walk relegated this option to my backup plan.  Finally, I found a local craftsman who had fashioned some elaborate molinillos with three rings and adornments burned into the wood.  After some negotiation, I bought a few and considered the mission accomplished.  If you go shopping for molinillos, look for these two features to ensure it’s functional:

1. The rings should move around on the shaft.  If they don’t then it’s probably just a decorative piece sold to tourists.  There could be anywhere from one to three rings – as long as they spin, you’re good.
2. There should be holes in the largest cylindrical piece at the bottom.  Even if the holes are small and slit-like, as is the case with mine, that’s fine, but they should be there to properly aerate the hot chocolate.  Some genuine molinillos don’t have holes, but they work better if they do.

Note: you can buy a Molinillo on line at NewLeaf Chocolates.

Although it’s not essential, it’s best if there are holes in the bottom piece.

The rings should spin. This molinillo has three dark rings.

Next, I went for some Mexican drinking chocolate.  Since I didn’t have a car, I tried the supermarket and was a little disappointed to find that the one brand adored by most Mexicans as a favorite childhood memory, was now owned by Nestle.  I bought it anyway since it was still made in Mexico after all.  Let’s say that it’s super sweet, but my kids really liked it (I’m not mentioning the brand because I’ve decided not to do a full review).  If you’re in search of top Mexican chocolate, it can be found, but you’ll have better luck close to the source in Oaxaca.  In this southern state, you can expect to find a rustic, coarse style of chocolate.  If it’s fine chocolate you seek, you can try Mexico city.  I did find a small artisan chocolate shop in PV less than five minutes from where we stayed: Xocodiva.  I’ll write about it in my next post.

Recommendations for Puerto Vallarta

If you plan to stay in PV, we recommend that you stay in the Zona Romantica which is the oldest part of the old town south of the Cuale river. With its dusty cobblestone streets and unpretentious shops and restaurants, it’s as raw and real as it gets in a tourist town.  If you want something more squeaky clean and polished, then stay in the Hotel Zone north of downtown and taxi into town for a few dollars when you get the urge.

Where to Stay in Puerto Vallarta

Playa Los Arcos Hotel- a full service hotel in a great location on Playa Los Muertos.  Besides the beach, they’ve got a large pool and hot tub and a restaurant overlooking the beach.  The beach has waiter service as is common with all the hotels.  Get out to the beach before 10AM to get the best chairs.  Expect the place to be crowded on weekends (don’t expect the empty beach you see in the photos).

Los Arcos Suites – if you want to save a little money, you can stay one block off the beach and use the pool and all the other services at Los Arcos.  In 2009, my wife negotiated a rate somewhere south of $90 a night for a suite with a separate living room so that we didn’t have to sit in the dark after the kids were asleep.  There is a pool, but no restaurant or bar – you walk over to the main hotel for that stuff.  Honestly, it was just adequate.  The bathroom was tiny and the shower routinely flooded the floor.  The kitchenette had a tiny fridge and stove top.  On the other hand, there was a balcony large enough to eat on and watch the bustle on the street below.  We spent a lot of time on the beach, so it didn’t matter and we didn’t complain because we got what we paid for.

San Marino Hotel- has a good location and is rated highly online, but we’ve not stayed there.

Selva Romantica is a wonderful new condo complex at the top of the hill on Francisca Rodríguez about 2-3 blocks from the ocean with everything from studios up to two-bedroom units.  It has an infinity pool with a view out over the town and the bay as well as a hot tub and palapa for you to dine under.  If you don’t mind walking up and down the hill everyday, it’s a great place to get away from the noise on the streets below and enjoy a fantastic view.  Look for listings in PV rental sites.   Studios start around $100 a night in the high season.

There are also numerous other condos for rent in the area such as La Palapas.

Meza del Mar – this place looks pretty kid friendly although it is on the south end of the beach (Playa Los Muertos) so it’s both a little quieter and little further walk to the action.

Where to Eat in Puerto Vallarta

PV is definitely an inexpensive place to eat, but don’t expect dirt-cheap prices.  Well, you can buy all sorts of street food from the perpetual parade of peddlers on the beach such as skewers of mahi-mahi or shrimp, various fruits and, our favorite form of risky behavior: fish ceviche tacos.  All of this runs about $2-4 a serving.  The mahi-mahi skewers can be wonderful, but we recommend that you just walk up to the charcoal grilles on the beach and buy it right there – it’ll be fresher.  As for real restaurants, here are our recommendations:

Fajita Republic – Mexican.  The Fajitas Neptuna are awesome – an assortment of firm white fish, shrimp and a bit of lobster with all the usual suspects to pile on top: guacamole, cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and sautéed onions.  You even have the option of corn tortillas – a plus for me.  The only downside is that the mojitos are incredibly weak.  In the Zona Romantica on Basilio Badillo.

Vitea - Oceanfront Bistro – on the Malecón. Their description of “European Riviera Cuisine” is pretty accurate – it feels like a typical European bistro with lots of Mediterranean influence.  I like that some dishes have small and large options so you can get an appetizer and a small plate if you want to eat a little lighter after a few days of cheese-fueled Mexican dishes.  The spicy mushroom bruschetta is great with the Triologi malbec/ merlot/ cabernet from Argentina.  We’ve enjoyed most everything we’ve had there.  This place is probably our favorite - you can’t beat sitting in the front row outside and watching the sun set over the bay as you dine.

Archie’s Wok – Thai /Asian fusion.  The food rivals any Thai back home in Boston.  There’s no view, but the ambiance is nice enough (we’ve only done takeout). Get take-out and sit at the bar while you wait. The Mint Rain cocktail is a phenomenal, thick blend of Mango, coconut, mint and rum.  In the Zona Romantica near the pier.

La Dolce Vita – Italian. This place is as good as any decent Italian place in New York or Boston and if you can get a seat upstairs in the front, you might see the sunset over the bay.  There’s a large menu with a number of good seafood options such as the linguine with clam sauce. The octopus carpaccio salad is to die for.  You can get away with very affordable meal with their large selection of pizzas cooked in a wood burning oven.  Movie stills adorn the walls and the waiters are dressed in the classic black and white.  At first I couldn’t get over feeling that such a stereotypical Italian joint sitting on the Mexican coast somehow felt contrived, but is any other Italian place in the US or Canada any closer to Italy?  Just go with it and it’s all good.  On the Malecon.

If you want to cook at home, go to Rizzo’s market near the river.  It’s a large supermarket that accepts credit cards.  They also have beer and wine, but I’ve yet to find a wine in PV that I really like.  I think storage must be a problem.

Where to Eat Chocolate in Puerto Vallarta

There’s a relatively new shop called Xocodiva right in the Zona Romantica next to the San Marino Hotel.  They have truffles, drinking chocolate and bars.  This post is getting rather long, so later I will do a separate post on my visit there.

What to do in Puerto Vallarta

Art Galleries – definitely do the art walk every Wednesday from 6-10PM.

• Galleria Dante – in the Zona Romantica on Basilio Badillo. A large gallery with both indoor and outdoor spaces.  We like the artist Brad Smith.  Closed Sat / Sun.
• Galeria Uno – one block from the Malecon.  We really like the paintings by Manuel Adria.

Zip line Tour – We’ve done the Canopy El Eden tour up in the jungle near Mismeloya on The Predator movie set.  I highly recommend this tour.  It’s a well thought out, safe experience and the tour guides are a lot of fun.  Buy tickets at the beach through Vallarta Adventures or find their office in town.

For a most entertaining guidebook on PV, read “Puerto Vallarta on 49 Brain Cells a Day” by Gil Gevins, a local expat who gives a hilarious account of his many sordid experiences living in PV and Mexico in general.

If you have any questions about PV, please feel free to enter a comment or contact me.

What are Your Chocolate Preferences?

Early Results of the Chocolate Preferences Survey

Updated May 9, 2010. Click here to read an explanation of the source of new responses.  The updated results with new commentary are shown below.

Due to well-publicized health benefits, dark chocolate has enjoyed rising demand starting in the late 90′s.  But have people really turned away from milk chocolate altogether?  How dark is dark enough?  What do people care about when choosing chocolate?

My chocolate survey has been running since late last year.  Even though we may not yet have enough data to claim the results are meaningful, I think it’s time to look at the responses so far and see if there are any trends.   The survey was taken by visitors to Kokobuzz.com as well as NewLeafChocolates.com.  After compiling all the responses, this is what I’ve found.

Chocolate Survey Question 1: What is your favorite type of chocolate?

This question focused on the percent cocoa (% cacao) in chocolate.  Do you like it mild and milky or more intense?  Not surprisingly, the majority of people prefered a cocoa content between 70 to 80%.  Perhaps it’s all the studies showing that chocolate with 70% or greater cocoa content provides positive health benefits or perhaps this is the best balance of sweetness and cocoa intensity.

Keep in mind that the health benefits of chocolate don’t magically kick in at 70% where a 69.5% bar would be completely ineffective.  It’s more about the extra sugar diluting the beneficial compounds in the chocolate.  Besides, sugar isn’t the best thing for you.  Less cocoa, more sugar.  More sugar, less cocoa.  Other ingredients can be used to dilute the cocoa content such as milk solids in the case of milk chocolate, but for dark chocolate, we’re mostly talking about sugar.

Update May 2010:  The new data don’t change the landscape much.  It’s clear that people prefer dark chocolate since it came away 75% of responses.  However, we did see more milk chocolate lovers come out of the woodwork.

What is your favorite type of chocolate?

Chocolate Survey Question 2: Which of these factors are important to you when you choose chocolate?

When people are selecting chocolate, they have many things to consider, but it’s not as complicated as buying some other gourmet foods such as wine.  There’s cocoa origin.  Where the cocoa was grown can impart a certain flavor profile into the bean just like the specific location of a vineyard determines the terrior of the wine.  Also, certain growing regions tend to use certain types of cacao – for instance Ecuador is almost all Nacional while Trinidad has, you guessed it, a lot of trinitario trees.

Percent cocoa has an obvious impact on flavor.  I’ve tasted some 80% bars that were surprisingly and pleasantly sweet such as Taza’s Organic Stone Ground Chocolate 80% bar.  I’ve also gone all the way to 99% – something I recommend that everyone does at least once.

The number of options for organic chocolate are expanding daily, or so it seems.  Organic chocolate is not akin to the anemic, mottled fruit that we used to see in the grocery store ten years ago.  Most chocolate plantations started out as naturally organic since most cacao is cultivated in poor countries where farmers can’t afford chemicals anyway.  Sure, there are large some growing operations controlled by corporations, but most of the chocolates reviewed on this blog are from small, fair-trade farms that are often family run.  The point is that it’s a natural transition for many farms to go organic and if they can afford the fees, get certified.  The benefits are many.  Among the most important benefits is protection of the local eco-systems where cacao is grown and farmed.  This is a lengthy topic that we can go more deeply into some day.

Fair trade chocolate has become more readily available too.  Although it might not appear so on the surface, this is another complex issue.  Let’s just say that if farmers are paid fairly for their cacao, this tends to benefit farm workers and the communities where they live.

In the chocolate world, brand is more than an empty set of impressions about a company’s image.  Rather, brands can encompass all of the above factors and more.  For instance, Pacari Chocolate is a single-origin Chocolate from Ecuador that is also certified organic and fair trade.  If you recognize this brand, then you know immediately what to expect from their products.

Finally, chocolate fans are becoming increasingly aware of not only which chocolate they buy, but where they buy it.  Does the shop, be it online or bricks and mortar, simply dispense bars at the lowest possible price like a commodity or do they provide other advice, product innovations or operate in a sustainable way?  Since chocolate is usually cultivated and at least partly processed poor nations that are also home to some of the richest ecosystems in the world, many people feel compelled to pay more attention to sustainability when selecting chocolate.

For this question, people were allowed to choose as many factors as they wished to deem important.  Pretty much the whole range was covered without too much distinction.  I wouldn’t say the differences are statistically significant yet, but there were more people who choose organic chocolate and based on percent cacao.    Almost as many people thing about the sustainable practices of the store and fair trade.  To really get a feel for what’s most important, let’s  go to the next question.

Which factors are important in choosing chocolate?

Chocolate Survey Question 3: Which ONE of these factors is MOST important when you choose chocolate?

When people were asked to single out the most important factor, it still turned out to be a three-way tie between organic, percent cocoa and brand.   We need to break up this tie, so please take the survey (see the end of this post).

Update, May 2010: with the new responses, things have become much more clear – brand is king!  After that, people want to chose chocolate by percent cocoa, which makes sense since it’s a big factor in determining the intensity of flavor and the overall chocolate experience.  Finally, I’m heartened to see that organic chocolate is on the radar screen in consumers’ minds.

What is the ONE most important factor when choosing chocolate?

Chocolate Survey Question 4: What is your favorite form of chocolate?

Ah, what a tough choice.  Only one favorite?  For me, I bounce between bars and truffles, but on a sheer weight basis, I’m with everyone else – bars are the way to go.  I’m told this obsession with bars is an American thing, but I’m not sure that Europeans don’t get most of their chocolate in bar form too (keeping in mind that I’m excluded baked goods and pastries).  For what it’s worth, all of the respondents were American from states across the country and as far away as Hawaii.  About 80% were women.   The other below was “bars with stuff in them.”  Technically, these are inclusions – nuts, berries, ginger, etc.

Update May 2010:  Now we start to see more balance emerge.  We’re crazy about bars, but not that crazy.  Drinking chocolate (hot chocolate, etc.) has shown up for the first time now, but still has low share of preference.  For us in the northeast, there’s a few more cold months per year than we’d like, so hot chocolate helps get us through, but for the rest of the country, I can see how it’s less of a priority.

What is your favorite form of chocolate?

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to have more data to see if we can break some of the ties.  The updated survey has been set up and is fast to take with only ten questions.   Click the link at the top right of this page to take the survey.

PRESS RELEASE: NewLeaf Chocolates Successfully Ships Chocolate to Texas in the Heat of Summer using its GreenPod™ Sustainable Packaging

ARLINGTON, Mass., September 2009 – In a test of its earth-friendly GreenPod^TM packaging, NewLeaf Chocolates successfully shipped premium chocolates to Florida, New Mexico and Texas despite temperatures exceeding 90 degrees.  “Chocolate enthusiasts want access to a wide selection of premium and artisan chocolates online, but many don’t like the environmental impact of conventional shipping materials” says Genevieve Oba, Co-founder.  “We refuse to ship our chocolate in polystyrene foam boxes.”

This created a problem for the company – how to prevent damage to the fine chocolate caused by heat and shock while avoiding the environmental impact of polystyrene foam insulation or plastic bags. To address these concerns, the company has developed a unique packaging solution.  The GreenPod^TM sustainable packaging uses only plant-based materials that are recycled, recyclable or biodegradable.  NewLeaf Chocolates is currently shipping all its chocolate using the new package design with no additional cost to customers.

Ms. Oba continues “We are delighted at the results of the testing in July and August.  Our customers are a more sophisticated group that seeks the best chocolates, but also wants to do the right thing for the planet.”  Sherri Weeks, a chocolate enthusiast from Plano Texas reports: “… I was impressed by the way they packaged their product to ensure that the quality of the chocolate was not sacrificed during shipping… attention to details made ordering from NewLeaf Chocolates a great experience, not to mention that the chocolate tasted delightful!”

Moving into the fall season now, NewLeaf Chocolates will ship using a simpler GreenPod, but one that is still constructed entirely of sustainable plant-based materials.  The company plans to develop additional GreenPod designs to handle larger chocolate products.  These new designs will be put into action starting in the spring of 2010.  GreenPod ^TM is a trademark of NewLeaf Chocolates.

ABOUT NEWLEAF CHOCOLATES

NewLeaf Chocolates is a unique online shop for premium and artisan chocolates.  They strive to protect the planet in everything they do and affirm this commitment in three tangible ways:   by donating a portion of all sales to environmental charities, by continuously innovating within their GreenPod sustainable packaging initiative, and by focusing their offering on the world’s best organic and fair trade chocolates.  NewLeaf Chocolates is a member of 1% for the Planet.

Contact:

Genevieve Oba

NewLeaf Chocolates

info@newleafchocolates.com

+1-781-777-1196

http://www.newleafchocolates.com

Chocolate 101 – What’s a Bloom?

This chocolate was intentionally abused to induce a bloom - the whitish area to the left. On the right some condensation has not yet evaporated into a sugar bloom.

Chocolate 101 – What’s a Bloom?

More importantly, should you care?  The short answer is yes and no.  First, let’s take a look at one of the final steps in chocolate making and one that can give chocolatiers the most headaches: tempering.  The cocoa butter (fat) in chocolate can exist in six different crystalline states, but only one of these, the beta-form, is stable at room temperature.  Tempering is achieved by heating the chocolate above the melting point for all the crystalline forms, and then carefully cooling it in the presence of a beta seed crystal. ** check – heat, cool, heat or….? By keeping these fat molecules in a crystalline form, you can make chocolate with a beautiful sheen and a nice crisp snap.  This is especially important for chocolatiers doing enrobing or coating of filled confections so that the coating can form a nice shell that won’t break apart.

Most, but not all, chocolate makers also go to great lengths to be sure that the cocoa butter and cocoa particles are intimately mixed so that the cocoa butter surrounds the cocoa particle.  This happens during refining and conching where the sugar is also broken down to a very fine particle size (below ** microns).  All of this just so you can enjoy a smooth, sensual mouth-feel in your favorite chocolate.

Now, when a bloom occurs, some of this hard work is undone.  If chocolate gets too warm, the cocoa butter will start to separate out and you will get a whitish, grey-white or tan haze the surface.  This is a fat bloom or cocoa butter bloom.  Don’t panic! It won’t hurt you nor will it affect the taste of the chocolate.  It just doesn’t look too pretty.  If we’re talking about a chocolate bar, go ahead and eat it. OK, were not talking about leaving it in the sun for days – then it may be oxidized and for milk chocolate or filled chocolates start to go bad.  On the other hand, just getting too warm for a while or going from cold to warm too fast might produce a fat bloom that in itself is no big deal.

** can also occur due to inpromper tempering.

On the other hand, should you store your precious chocolate in a humid place or, more likely, you’ve kept it in the fridge and then move it out, unprotected to a warm, humid room.  Under these conditions, moisture will form on the surface of the chocolate and may result in a sugar bloom.   The reasons for this are simple:  sugar is very soluble in water – it likes to be in water.  So, the water “pulls” the sugar out to the surface and when it evaporates, nice little sugar crystals are left behind.  No big deal.  The bar should taste fine except the texture maybe altered since SOME of the sugar is not where is was meant to be.  Go ahead and eat it.  No worries.

In the end, bloom won’t hurt you.  Sure, it may diminish your ***experience somewhat since the texture may change to be more grainy or in the extreme, dry and chalky.  So, it’s best to handle and store your chocolate carefully to avoid bloom as much as possible.

You’re probably wondering: “how can I avoid blooming chocolate?”  Stay tuned for a post in the next week or two where you will learn the best ways to handle and store chocolate.

Photo: don’t run…it’s just a bloom!

More importantly, should you care?  The short answer is yes and no.  First, let’s take a look at one of the final steps in chocolate making and one that can give chocolatiers the most headaches:  tempering.  The cocoa butter (fat) in chocolate can exist in six different crystalline states, but only one of these, the beta-1 form, is stable at room temperature.  Tempering is achieved by heating the chocolate above the melting point for all the crystalline forms, and then carefully cooling it (this is a simplified explanation).   By keeping these fat molecules in a stable crystalline form, you can make chocolate with a beautiful sheen and a nice crisp snap.  This is especially important for chocolatiers doing enrobing or coating of filled confections so that the coating can form a nice shell that won’t break apart.

This chocolate was intentionally abused to induce a bloom - the whitish area to the left. On the right some condensation has not yet evaporated into a sugar bloom.

Most, but not all, chocolate makers also go to great lengths to be sure that the cocoa butter and cocoa particles are very tiny and intimately mixed so that the cocoa butter surrounds the cocoa particle.  This happens during refining and conching where the sugar is also broken down to a very fine particle size (typically below about 50 microns).  All of this just so you can enjoy a smooth, sensual mouth-feel in your favorite chocolate.

Now, when a bloom occurs, some of this hard work is undone.  If chocolate gets too warm for too long, the cocoa butter will start to separate out and you will get a whitish, grey-white or tan haze the surface.  This is a fat bloom or cocoa butter bloom.  Don’t panic! It won’t hurt you and, in all but the most extreme cases, it won’t affect the taste of the chocolate.  It just doesn’t look too pretty.  If we’re talking about a chocolate bar, go ahead and eat it. OK, were not talking about leaving it in the sun for days – then it may be oxidized and for milk chocolate or filled chocolates start to go bad.  Just letting it sit above 75 degrees F for too long or going from cold to warm too fast might produce a minor fat bloom that, in itself, is no big deal.  Besides, properly-tempered, high quality chocolate will be more resistant to bloom.

On the other hand, should you store your precious chocolate in a humid place or, more likely, you’ve kept it in the fridge and then move it out unprotected to a warm, humid room, you could produce a sugar bloom.  Moisture forms on the cool surface of the chocolate and and “pulls” some sugar out to the surface.   The reasons for this are simple:  sugar is very soluble in water – it likes to be in water more than in the chocolate.  When the water evaporates, nice little sugar crystals are left behind.  No big deal.  The bar should taste fine except the texture maybe altered since SOME of the sugar is not where is was meant to be.  Go ahead and eat it.  No worries.

In the end, bloom won’t hurt you.  But, it may diminish your tasting experience somewhat since the texture may change to be more grainy or in the extreme, dry and chalky.  So, it’s best to handle and store your chocolate carefully to avoid bloom as much as possible.  Don’t do what I did and try to induce a bloom by repeated freezing and moving chocolate to a warm (80 degree F) room over a few days.  You’ll get the ugly mess in the photo.

Although my self-induced blooming disaster took quite a bit of effort on my part, you’re still probably wondering: “how can I avoid accidentally blooming chocolate?”  Stay tuned for a post in the next week or two where you will learn the best ways to handle and store chocolate.

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