D115 R21 k48 S26 018039
A BUZZ of EXCITEMENT
this month we received an
intriguing invitation from a Club member – so intriguing in fact that we wasted no time in jumping at the chance! THe iNViTaTioN came from Peter Dight who discovered the Chocolate Tasting Club relatively recently through a work colleague, “One of our salesmen recently brought into our office one of your selection boxes; and I was so impressed with the quality of the chocolates I joined your Tasting Club!” Having tasted our chocolates he immediately understood how important authentic ingredients are to us. And being a hobby beekeeper he also, quite rightly, thought that we’d be interested in visiting one of his apiaries near Cambridge
to discover the ins and outs of beekeeping. Well, it doesn’t get any more authentic than that, so how could we resist?
Club Chocolate Developer, Gabriela, gets up close and personal with the bees!
THe PLaCe To Bee? So on the morning in question the three of us set off on the short drive – Peter, Club chocolate developer Gabriela Pereira and me, Simon. The apiary that he had chosen for us to visit was situated in the middle of a very old and very interesting fruit farm – known for its rare varieties of apples,
pears, plums and apricots. On arrival, we could immediately see why farmers are keen to give up a little land for beekeepers like Peter – the trees were absolutely laden with fruit! Thanks in no small part to the work of the bees. Peter started beekeeping about seven years ago, continued on page 3...
Dear Club Members
W
elcome to your latest edition of Club News! This month we lead with an account of an exciting invitation that caused quite a buzz here. As you’ll see it was a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with some honeybees – so I’d like to say a great big thank you to Club Member Peter Dight who made it all possible. After several hours spent poring over the figures, you’ll also find the results of our Music & Chocolate selection in this edition. You might remember that it was inspired by research that showed music has the power to influence the taste of wine. Did it have the same effect on chocolate? Find out on pages 6 & 7! Also this month I received a letter from a member who, quite rightly, pointed out that we’ve been a bit harsh on postmen of late. So, to balance the books we’re asking you to tell us good things about your postman – with a special prize on offer for the winning nominee. See page 8 for more on that.
Simon trying his hardest not to upset the bees…
There’s a chance for you to have your say in the future of the Solid Chocolate Selection – and we’d love to hear what you think, whichever selection you take. And finally, there’s news of a spooky competition for the little ones in your life this Halloween. Boo! Until next month, happy tasting!
SNIPPETS FROM OUR STORES A man in Birmingham bought a Goddess Tablet for his pregnant wife. He said it was a treat for her and it would make a nice change from the gherkins and sour cream she is currently craving… 2
Simon Thirlwell Editor
Send your letters to The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston SG8 5HL, or simply email me on simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk We are waiting to hear from you!
Continued from page one... inspired by his father, “My father used to keep bees and as a child I really enjoyed helping him. So a few years ago I decided to take it up for myself and I did a course with the local beekeeping association. It’s an extremely fulfilling hobby, especially nowadays with the well-documented decline in bee numbers. I really enjoy introducing people to beekeeping and doing my bit to help rejuvenate what is an ancient art.” No smoke without fire At a safe distance from the hives we climbed into bee suits and pulled on gloves while Peter fired up the all-important bee smoker. Smoke has been used to pacify bees for millennia and it works in two ways – firstly by masking the ‘alarm’ pheromone that would be given off by guard bees and which would trigger an attack and secondly, by triggering a feeding response that makes bees less likely to attack as they gorge themselves on honey in case the colony has to flee from fire. So, with the bees safely calmed we carefully opened the first hive, lifted out one of the frames and had our first look at the fascinating world of the honeybee. It may be a cliché, but it really was a hive
Club member, Peter Dight, and Gabriela prepare to approach the hives
of activity, with nurse bees busily feeding larva, worker bees sealing cells with a waxy top and ‘new born’ bees forcing their way out of their sealed cells. We even caught sight of the queen bee, longer and, fittingly, more elegant than those around her, as she went from cell to cell laying eggs. We also saw quite a few male ‘drone’ bees loafing around, seemingly doing nothing, while waiting to be called up for mating duties. Typical. Nectar! Peter then treated us to a honey tasting session where the honeys ranged from the almost completely colourless to the deep, dark and strong tasting. It was a fitting end to an exceptional morning. After all, how often do you get the chance to do something so completely out
of the ordinary? It was truly fascinating to see an apiary at first hand. And Peter really knows his subject inside out, for example, did you know that a bee will only produce one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime? Or that one teaspoon of honey is enough fuel for a bee to fly around the world?” I caught up with Gabriela after her visit and she too was enthused by the bees, “They are absolutely amazing creatures and to see them in action, up close like that is an incredible opportunity. Now I’m really excited about the prospect of creating a Tasting Club chocolate using Peter’s honey – but as this year’s honey has already been snapped up, we’ll have to wait until next season for that!” I can’t wait! 3
CLASSIC
SELECTION - D113
DARK
SELECTION - K46
SOLID
SELECTION - S24 1. Praline Bites 8.46 (28%
1. Classic Cognac by M Meier 8.36 (33% scored it 10/10)
1. Classic Cognac by M Meier 8.66 (31% scored it 10/10)
scored it 10/10)
2. Whisky Truffle by M Meier 8.31 (36% scored it 10/10)
2. Whisky Truffle by M Meier 8.58 (31% scored it 10/10)
scored it 10/10)
3. Tipsy Toffee Apple by K Kalenko 8.30 (30% scored it
3. Marsala by O Nicod 8.54 (19% scored it 10/10)
3. Light Milk Tasting Batons 8.22 (18% scored it 10/10)
10/10)
4. Mojito by K Kalenko 8.43 (34% scored 10/10)
scored it 10/10)
4. Fudged Caramel by R Macfayden 8.27 (27% scored it 10/10)
5. Caramel Whip by JC Vandenberghe 8.26 (24% scored it 10/10)
6. Tiramisu by E Desmet 8.24 (26% scored it 10/10)
7. Bitter Orange Praline by EJ Whalley 8.22 (24% scored it 10/10)
8. Mojito by K Kalenko 8.11 (36% scored 10/10)
9. Light Milk Tasting Batons 8.08 (25% scored it 10/10) 10. Summer Passion by O Coppeneur & G Bernardini 8.08 (31% scored it 10/10)
11. Camouflaged Nuts by R Macfayden 8.07 (24% scored it 10/10)
12. Marsala by O Nicod 8.05 (24% scored it 10/10)
13. Peanut Love by O Nicod 8.01 (18% scored it 10/10) 14. Cherry Cheesecake by E Desmet 8.00 (26% scored it 10/10)
2. Crunchtime 8.32 (24%
4. Baby Buttons 8.22 (24%
5. Tipsy Toffee Apple by K Kalenko 8.43 (21% scored it 10/10)
5. Summer Berry Bliss 7.89
6. Tiramisu by E Desmet 8.37
it 10/10)
(26% scored it 10/10)
(18% scored it 10/10)
6. Tutti Frutti 7.63 (24% scored
7. Summer Passion by
7. Costa Rica Dark Tasting Batons 7.28 (18% scored it
O Coppeneur & G Bernardini
10/10)
8.30 (24% scored it 10/10) 8. Costa Rica Dark Batons 8.26 (25% scored it 10/10)
9. Bitter Orange Praline by EJ Whalley 8.23 (18% scored
8. Peppermint Melt 7.20 (23% scored it 10/10)
9. Ginger Canapés 7.06 (26% scored it 10/10)
it 10/10)
10. Camouflaged Nuts by R Macfayden 8.13 (22% scored it 10/10) 11. Fudged Caramel by R Macfayden 8.10 (13% scored it 10/10)
12. Caramel Whip by JC Vandenberghe 8.08 (16% scored it 10/10) 13. Cherry Cheesecake by E Desmet 7.93 (21% scored it 10/10) 14. Peanut Love by O Nicod 7.71 (13% scored it 10/10)
BOUQUET Classic Cognac – “Cognac is not my favourite tipple but quality shows.” Roger Gifford, London. BOUQUET Ginger Canapés – “Stonkingly good! The taste of real, fresh ginger works wonderfully with the milk chocolate.” Laura Archer, Harrow.
15. Costa Rica Dark Batons 7.84 (14% scored it 10/10) BRICKBAT Summer Passion – “Not keen on this, reminded us of shower gel.” Sam Halliday, Sheffield. Lynn Rawlings, Cleckheaton. 4
Some things are tImeLeSS This month it was a case of success for one or two timeless classics, while a young pretender had a surprise up its sleeve. JuST aS iN the world of fashion they say the classics never go out style, then so it is in the world of chocolate too. And by way of proof you just need to take a look at the top of both the Classic and the Dark score charts this month. There you’ll find Classic Cognac and Whisky Truffle occupying first and second places respectively – two recipes that are a chocolatier’s equivalent of fashion’s little black dress.
BOUQUET Mojito – “OH MY GOD! Straight from the fridge cold, creamy, zingy, then the rum hit me. Chocolates do not get better than this.” Helen Holding, Harrogate. In fact, along with the Champagne Truffle (arguably the queen of all classics) these recipes form a solid, dependable and comforting core of many chocolatiers’ ranges. And what’s more, whenever they appear in monthly selections, these golden oldies invariably score extremely well with members. How do they command such enduring popularity with chocolatiers and tasters alike? For tasters it’s probably the fact that being simple recipes the quality of the ingredients really shines though – there’s nowhere for inferior ingredients or bad technique to hide. And for chocolatiers, they provide a level playing field by which they can be judged and can judge each other!
One intriguing result this month Classic Cognac – the was the fate of the chocolatiers’ little black dress? cocktail-inspired Mojito – very much the young pretender among such classics. Average scores placed it distinctly mid-table in the Classic chart this month, but both Dark and Classic tasters awarded it the highest number of 10/10 scores. Which is often the fate of new recipes – loved by many but lacking the broad appeal of the old timers!
BOUQUET Whisky Truffle – “Smooth chocolate and subtle alcohol. I could eat these until I fall over.” Jack Drever, Orkney. Over with the Solid Chocolate Selection, meanwhile, we must look at the very bottom of the chart to see the real story this month. Ginger Canapés provide one of the clearest examples of polarised opinion that we’ve seen for a while. Languishing in last position, it’s easy to overlook that it received the second highest number of 10/10 scores – from 26% of tasters. So how did it end up last? Well, that will be the fact that it also topped the chart in scores under 6 – from 26% of members!
BRICKBAT Peanut Love – “Needed a bit of crunch to enjoy this munch.” Amanda Ockwell, King’s Lynn. 5
MUSIC & CHOCOLATE
– the Results Are In! IT PROMISED to be a fascinating experiment into how music affects taste and, with the results now in, you’ll see that it didn’t disappoint! ‘The scIence bIT’ Over 8,000 people took the Music & Chocolate selection, all of which contained the same chocolates and the same CD. However, there were four different scorecards, so approximately 2,000 people “overall this was great fun. the music CD is a great compilation, very much worth having in itself.”
got each scorecard. On each type of scorecard 12 of the chocolates were correctly matched, musically, with the tracks on the CD, but four were deliberately mismatched with a ‘joker’ piece of music. So, for each chocolate we could compare the results of the three groups who ate the chocolate with the ‘correct music’ and the one group that did so with the ‘mismatched music’. The resulTs Many thanks to everyone who voted and for all of your comments too. It ought to be mentioned that there were a number of comments about how difficult it was to eat chocolate and listen to music 6
at the same time. Really? Difficult? Reading between the lines we think it was more a matter of trying to refrain from enjoying delicious chocolate long enough to select the appropriate track on the CD! So what was the result? Unquestionably the music did influence taste. Some music was more influential than others and some chocolates were perhaps stronger than others at resisting the taste shift. musT InfluenTIal musIc – Nutcracker definitely moved the Subtle & Refined taste of Champagne Truffle towards Fresh & Zingy; Claire de Lune had a dramatic impact on the taste of Chilli Praline, which could only be classified as Powerful & Heavy, but Debussy shifted the taste buds significantly in the direction of Mellow & Soft and Subtle & Refined – the point here is not so much the “It would be nice if you did chocs to go with musicals like Hairspray, ABBA the musical and Grease.”
direction in which it shifted but that it shifted. And could Cherry Caramel be anything but Mellow & Soft – well Schubert’s Impromptu No.3 had a significant effect. Only one chocolate changed categories (i.e. the music seemingly shifted the highest vote from one to another) and that was Ride of the Valkyries moving Gianduja Diamond from Mellow & Soft to Subtle & Refined – although our choice of music may have muddled this vote a little, it nevertheless shifted from one category to another. “It was a novel idea to put music to the chocolates. Some worked well eg Strawberry Sundae + nocturne (Chopin) some not good eg Vanilla Dream and Slavonic Dance.” (ed – Slavonic Dance was a Joker track deliberately chosen as a mismatch!)
mosT resIlIenT chocolaTe – it would appear to be the Powerful & Heavy Arabica Adventure, we challenged it with Bolero thinking we would move it to Subtle & Refined but even thoughts of Bo Derek in “10” or Torvil & Dean had no effect.
“the music idea was fun…sometimes it put me off the chocolate appraisal though other times the music made chocs I wouldn’t go for normally more enjoyable.”
closely behind. Strangely enough, both were also well supported on the ‘favourites’ – so it just goes to show.
favourITe chocolaTe – although we didn’t ask you to score chocolates we did invite you to select a favourite and least favourite. However,
‘The conclusIon’ You may recall we were inspired to create Music & Chocolate by research that showed music had a powerful influence over the perceived taste of wine and we wanted to see if it had the same effect on chocolate. Whilst we wouldn’t suggest that our research was conducted in controlled scientific conditions (we rather think that Club members
“With or without music I love your chocs!”
the spread of favourites was so broad that no clear winner emerged. On the other hand, Chilli Praline definitely took the title of least favourite with the Orange Batons
chocolaTe
chocolaTe desIgnaTed caTegory
maIn musIc
JoKer
gIanduJa dIamond
arabIca advenTure
chIllI pralIne
“We couldn’t wait to sample the chocolates and as our CD player is a bit temperamental and we knew the music, we played it in our heads instead.” (ed – Well I believe you!)
would seem that, just maybe, music has less effect on chocolate than it does on wine. And if that’s the case then it means, surely, that chocolate has greater taste influence than wine! You can see the highlights below – and the full table of results is available online at www.chocs.co.uk/mcresults
commenTs
Subtle & refined
Bolero
The Ride of the Valkyries
Did we get this one wrong? We thought Gianduja combined with Bolero would give the perfect Subtle & Refined combination. But no, there was complete disarray and Mellow & Soft was the highest score. But then Ride of the V’s shook things up and increased the Subtle & Refined result making it top – that certainly takes some figuring!
Mellow & soft
Piano Concerto - Adagio
Impromptu No.3 in G flat (D899)
Just over 50% considered this to be Mellow & Soft and a mere 2% Powerful & Heavy when listening to Adagio. However, Schubert chopped 10 points off that and sent them all to Powerful & Heavy. Unquestionably a powerful taste shifting piece of music.
Subtle & refined
Air on a G String
Nutcracker - Trepack
Subtle & Refined did get the highest score but only 42%. What Nutcracker did was treble the vote for Fresh & Zingy from just 10% to over 30%. Another strong taste shifter track.
Powerful & heavy
The Ride of the Valkyries
Bolero
2/3rds rated this Powerful & Heavy and the throbbing undertones of Bolero could barely shift this view.
Powerful & heavy
Symphony No.5 Allegro con brio
Clair de Lune
Over 2/3rds said this was Powerful & Heavy but Debussy’s Clair de Lune had a significant effect cutting that back to 50%, trebling the Mellow & Soft score and nearly doubling the Subtle & Refined.
cherry caramel
champagne Truffle
consuming chocolates is anything but controlled!) it
In Praise of
Postmen
The Great Letterbox Debate over the past few months stirred up some interesting views from members about the size of letterboxes and also about their postmen… The top grumble from many members was the fact that, although their tasting box would fit through their letterbox, some postmen were reluctant to do just that. The result – some boxes are left out on doorsteps and some are taken back to the depot with the postman’s red card slipped through the letterbox instead.
However, as with most things it’s usually only when things go a little bit awry that we hear about them, so we very rarely get to hear about the thousands of postmen who do an outstanding job. And this was something that was pointed out to us by someone who should know, Christopher Sagar – a Tasting Club member of longstanding who is also a postman. Quite rightly, he pointed out that postmen across the country are on the front line and, as such, do come in for a lot of unfair flack doing their job – a case of shooting the messenger! He also reminded us that without them our chocolates wouldn’t get very far at all! Beyond the call of duty So, in order to redress the balance, we’d love to hear about postmen who go out of their way or beyond the call of duty in order to get you your monthly tasting box. Perhaps your postman has helped cook up a secret hiding place for your chocolates? Or maybe it was something that required much more endeavour? Whatever it is, we’d like to hear about it and the best nominee will receive a 3-Month Gift Membership of the Tasting Club! Nominate your postie – by email to simon@ hotelchocolat.co.uk or by post to The Best Postman, The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston, SG8 5HL.
Not the easiest of jobs 8
MURDER, MYSTERY
& CHOCOLATE… Imagine the scene – the chocolate-loving Duc de Praline invites six of Europe’s finest chocolatiers to impress him with their creations. The prize? Well, the chocolatier with the best chocolate will be showered with untold riches as the Duc’s personal chocolate maker.
So the race is on to impress the unfathomably rich Duc de Praline and to win the prize. But as the chocolatiers gathered that fateful evening armed with their finest chocolates, something went terribly, terribly wrong… A dastardly crime has been committed. Six chocolates, six suspects… but WHODUNNIT? Well that’s for you to discover in our exciting twist on the traditional genre of murder mystery games – Murder, Mystery and Chocolate! We’ll have all the details of this thrilling special edition party game ready for you soon – which of course involves tasting chocolates! It will be available in good time for Christmas fun and games but, in the meantime, we suggest you keep your eyes peeled… 9
BOO! With Halloween
quietly creeping up on us, now would be a good time to think about arming yourself for the spookiness that’s no doubt in store.
So you might like to have a peep through your fingers at the ghoulishly gorgeous Halloween range at Hotel Chocolat – including a larger than life chocolate skull, Yummy Bones. That’s as well as all sorts of handy gifts and nibbles, perfect for scary nights in behind the sofa, terrifying parties, trick-or-treaters and other assorted little monsters! And don’t forget you’ll receive a 5% discount on everything with your membership card. View the entire terrifying range in-store or online at www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/ halloween
Children’s Halloween Competition And speaking of little monsters, Hotel Chocolat is also running a Spooky Halloween Competition for little monsters of all ages. There’s a colouring in competition for the under 10s and a create-a-spooky-chocolate competition for 11 to 16 year olds. There are Yummy Bones chocolate skulls up for grabs as well as a Chocolate Hamper and the prospect of having their spooky creation made into a real chocolate for them to give out to friends and family! Entry forms are available in any of Hotel Chocolat’s stores or online at www. hotelchocolat.co.uk/boo
Hello HARRODS! If you’re visiting London, or even if you live there, a visit to Harrods from time to time is an absolute must – and now there’s even more reason to drop in! That’s because in the Chocolate Room, situated in the legendary Harrods Food Hall, you’ll find Hotel Chocolat! So if the impressively ornate ceilings and beautiful marble floors weren’t incentive enough before – now there’s no excuse! 10
SNIPPETS FROM OUR STORES In St Albans staff helped out a woman who couldn’t have any sugar but needed chocolate! She left with a 100% cocoa bar to try and returned a couple of days later to buy three more – the whole family had been converted!
IN THE POSTBAG… By happy coincidence, most members’ correspondence in our postbag this month has been about, well, postmen as well as the new look tasting box. Susan McCutcheon loves the new look but is still finding her tasting box on the doorstep, although Susan does have a handy suggestion… “The new boxes look fantastic and are visibly thinner, which you’d think would make the average postie at least try to pop it through the letter box. Might I suggest a large notice printed on the envelope that comes on the box, in red (!), that states ‘This box will fit through an average letterbox’?” The good news Susan is that we’ll very soon have the capability to print all sorts of ad hoc messages on the box – thanks for the suggestion. Angela McAllister, meanwhile, didn’t just like the new design. “I also like the tear-off strip on the outer packaging, which makes it much easier to open.” And back on the postman/letterbox issue… Ann Thornton reported that her first delivery of the slimline box didn’t make it through her
letterbox this month, despite the fact that the old boxes did. “I can’t believe that after years of having no problems the newly designed box didn’t reach me first time! Thankfully they did arrive in one piece!” And finally, it’s always nice to have a happy ending, this time it comes form Chris Hedley who having had a few problems with missing boxes and melted chocolates was relieved. “… to be able to come back with something positive - not least because the new box will fit through our letterbox, hopefully seeing an end of such problems. But I also love the design. I was never really taken by the old silver and brown look, but I find the new box much more appealing and I do think that the right aesthetics even have an effect on the taste!” A happy customer. Don’t forget that every letter we publish receives THREE free Tasting Boxes! Contact us by email – simon@hotelchocolat. co.uk or by post at The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston, SG8 5HL.
SNIPPETS FROM OUR STORES In Watford a Tasting Club member bought a Chocolatier’s Table as a wedding gift for a friend, who was so taken aback that she took a photo. It’s now the first photo in her wedding album! 11
THiS MoNTH’S PRiZe DRaW WiNNeRS
Classic Selection prize draw
winner is Mr P Cope of Evesham who wins a White & Light Sleekster Selection. Next month’s prize is Ultimate Marzipan – devoted to the authentic flavours of marzipan with high almond content and exiting inclusions.
Dark Selection prize draw
winner is Mrs P Harris of Lechlade who wins the Extreme Collection.
Next month’s prize is the Rabot Estate Collection – milk and dark chocolates made with rare cocoa grown on our own Rabot Estate.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! In response to members’ comments and requests, we’re currently reviewing the Solid Chocolate Selection – and we’d love to hear what you think. Many members have suggested that the Solid Selection should include nonalcoholic, filled chocolates too. Do you agree? Whether you’re a Solid Selection member or not, we’d really appreciate hearing your views. Plus, when you take the quick survey, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win two of Hotel Chocolat’s most iconic Giant Slabs!
You can find the survey right here
– www.chocs.co.uk/changes
Solid Chocolate
prize draw winner is Mrs L Kennedy of Carluke who wins the Best Sellers Collection. Next month’s prize is the White Adventure Collection – a gorgeous, hand picked selection of our most sought after creamy white mini slabs.
Don’t forget - you can score by post or online at www.chocs.co.uk Write to us at: The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston, SG8 5HL email: simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk or via our website: www.chocs.co.uk Club News: editor: Simon Thirlwell; Contributors: Simon Thirlwell, Lynn Cunningham, Terry Waters; Design: katherine kannegieter © The Chocolate Tasting Club Limited 2009