A WORLD OF FLAVOR - BEAN-TO-BAR CHOCOLATE

Once upon a coffee mug, people balked at the thought of spending more than a dollar on a cup. Same with beer. And further back in history, wine. But as people began to discover a world of flavor in each of these, they started to appreciate the work that goes into a superlative glass, bottle or cup of their favorite libations. In much the same vein, craft chocolate, also known as bean-to-bar, is finding its place on people’s palates and gaining momentum around the world. Culinary historian, cacao expert and author of The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes (Ten Speed Press, 2009), Maricel Presilla, PhD explains, “True chocolate lovers who care about fine chocolate value a direct connection with fine cacao sources and enjoy eating chocolate that can be traced to specific origins, farms and makers who care enough to be an integral part of the entire process from sourcing beans to making chocolate.”

44 | TRAVELER’S TABLE | WINTER 2019 If that sounds rather lofty, it’s because it is. Some people come to find bean-to-bar chocolate because they’ve read one of the many articles about how mass-produced chocolate (much of it sold to chocolatiers and pastry chefs around the globe) abuses cacao farmers and children, and delivers inferior chocolate that lacks any real flavor or character. Whether you’re a proponent of human rights, the environment, or are a gourmand at heart who just wants the best possible chocolate, here’s a list to keep handy for your next vacation. The good news is that in most every major city around the globe, there’s at least one craft chocolate shop that, by virtue of how it makes its bars and bonbons, is selling more than just a delicious bar.

Paris, France Co-Founder of the International Chocolate Awards and proprietor of chocolate consulting business Seventy% Martin Christy recommends you visit Ara Chocolat in Paris. Venezuelan Andres Zakhour set up shop in one of the city’s double-digit arrondissements where he could afford the rent and ply his craft. Inside his “boîte” of a shop, you’ll find nut-cream filled organic, vegan chocolates. Zakhour likes working with sesame, coconut, cashews, green mango and Brazil nuts in creating superb bonbons. Don’t miss his single origin bars made with cacao beans representing specific regions, such as his home country Venezuela, Belize, Costa Rica and Peru.

Shokan, NY (and beyond) Founder of Fruition Chocolate Works and Confectionery Bryan Graham and his wife Dahlia Rissman Graham create award-winning wonders at their chocolate factory and shop in Shokan, New York, in the Catskills. But don’t sweat it if you’re not headed that way, because craft chocolate shops across the country carry some of their incredible edibles, including the multi International Chocolate Award winning Marañón Canyon Dark Milk bar made using pure Nacional cacao beans from the remote Marañón Canyon region of Peru. Dark milk chocolate, if you’ve never had it, is like an intense milk-chocolate made richer by using a higher percentage cacao and some whole milk powder to give the finished product creamy notes. Or pop a few gold-medal scoring Pistachios with Za’atar and Orange Spice, made with white chocolate (for a good white chocolate, it’s all about an excellent cacao butter), tossed with spices, orange oil and salt.

Montreal, Canada In the city’s Little Italy neighborhood, step into the chic white-walled, Scandi-styled world of État de Choc where 90-95% of bars and bonbons are bean-to-bar. Proprietor Maud Gaudreau uses locally produced bean-to-bar chocolate that her chocolatier, Stéphanie Bélanger, turns into award-winning treasures. At this

year’s Canadian leg of the International Chocolate Awards, État de Choc won a gold and two silvers in the “dark bars with inclusions or pieces” category for their Mini-Tablette Maïs Piment, the Mini-Tablette Sapin Érable and ode to their city, the Carte Montreal. All three are made with Daniel Haran’s Chocolats Monarque’s chocolate from Central and South America.

San Francisco, CA In the city’s Mission District, you’ll find one of the world’s most celebrated bean-to-bar makers and one of Presilla’s favorites, Dandelion Chocolate. When craft chocolate makers seek inspiration, they head to San Francisco to absorb as much as they can from Stanford University graduates Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring, the creative forces behind Dandelion. Since 2010, the duo have been sourcing the best beans from around the world and letting those flavors shine through in their bars. They’re so serious about their cacao, they even publish a yearly Sourcing Report, outlining what they’ve found, used and purchased. Head over to their 16th Street factory for a tour, then sip or savor chocolate in a cup or bar at their Bloom café. Or try one of their collection series,

where you sample bars made from the same beans by the San Francisco team and Dandelions’ Japanese team - the differences may surprise you. The Tokyo-made 70% Gola Rainforest from Sierra Leone, for example, has flavors of cinnamon, black tea and toasted walnuts - the team there preferring more umami-forward, fermented flavors than their American counterparts. Wherever you go, you’ll unwrap a fascinating world of sensory discovery. The next time you pick up a craft bar, take a moment to break off a piece, smell it first, place a square on your tongue and let the chocolate melt. You’ll find it takes you on a journey that can start out with bright berry notes that finish with deep, red wine-like nuances. Whispers of Central American rainforests or Caribbean highlands share their terroir tales, and it’s all yours in every well-crafted, bean-to-bar wonder.