Discover Monthly: The Chocolate Alchemy Series

I am really stoked to share this collection with you!

Once a month I receive a chocolate making kit from the same supplier I purchase most of my ingredients from: Chocolate Alchemy. Founder John Yancy, the godfather, as I like to call him, of small batch, craft chocolate making, develops a kit each month that focuses on a specific topic related to crafting chocolate. From roasting, to recipe development, to the excitement of new cocoa beans, each kit provides me with information that helps me further my education and understanding of chocolate making. It has been a fun journey of learning over the past 2 years, and I want to share it with those of you who are just as intrigued as I am about the world of chocolate. I will say, these kits are unique and will challenge your mindset around what chocolate is and should taste like. I have come across some very interesting tasting notes in a variety of cocoa beans; I have made milk chocolates that barely seem milky in nature; and I have made different tasting chocolate with the same ingredients by simply changing the way I apply the inclusions. If this kind of food science tantalizes your tastebuds, then I suggest you keep scrolling!!

60% Sugar-Free Single-Origin Ecuador El Limon Dark Chocolate

I’ll admit. I turned my nose up to this one the moment I saw that we were using a sugar alternative. I’ve never been a huge fan of sweeteners as I feel they significantly alter the flavor of the chocolate, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste or adding a cooling effect. BUT… I knew I had to make it before I judged it, so I did. 

While diving into the information given, I learned that allulose mirrors fructose in terms of sweetness, but unlike fructose, we cannot digest it, making it a sugar-free, diabetic friendly alternative. To add, since allulose is a real sugar, it also will not cause GI issues - which I can attest to and would consider a serious win!

While I’m still not a fan, I’ll admit allulose isn’t a bad alternative. While it does still have a minty cooling effect while eating it, it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste and it does seem to sweeten the chocolate “just right”. While very sweet when eaten raw, allulose tends to lose a lot of that sweetness when added to chocolate. There’s no explanation for this, but it makes it rather difficult to create a truly sweet chocolate. For example, this chocolate is a 60% dark by calculation, but it tastes more like a 72% dark. The sweetness is mild and adds just enough sweetness to balance out any bitterness in the chocolate, but it definitely doesn’t taste like a semi-sweet. 

Instead, it’s a deliciously simple dark with a lingering, bold, chocolate backbone, notes of rich brownie and mocha, pithy astringency and a cooling sweetness - the perfect sweet treat for my dark chocolate lovers who have to avoid sugar.

Ingredients: cocoa nibs, allulose, organic cocoa butter

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67% Peru Pangoa (April 2024)

April’s kit showcases a chocolate that is opposite of last month’s deeply rich chocolate; it’s light yet vibrant with bright, tangy and fruity notes. 

While the sound of that might make your lips pucker, the way the bean is roasted along with the perfect amount of added cocoa butter and sugar can turn any “sour lemon into delicious lemonade”. 

It’s light yet sweet and spicy, with notes of fudge, ginger, and fresh berries. There’s a slight hint of astringent bitterness at the end that is quite pleasant and really brings it all together. 

Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

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57% Uganda Semuliki Forest Dark Milk Chocolate (May 2024) (Contains milk)

This month is a unique one. For starters, it does include dairy (heavy cream powder to be exact), which, I know, does not align with my current business model. And secondly, the creaminess comes from not one, but a combination of “milk” powders, specifically oat and heavy cream.

The purpose of this kit was to demonstrate how alternative milk powders can be used in combination with other milk powder options and does not need to be limited to dairy-free use only. The flavor and texture can add body and taste to the chocolate while balancing the acidity or softness of milk powders. 

In this case, oat powder was used to add fullness, while the heavy cream was used to add a bit of creaminess to round everything out in, as John states in his notes, “a delightful manner”. 

The results were quite surprising. The bite is firm, yet soft with a nice, fudgy chew to it, and a creamy, velvety finish. It’s not too sweet, even for 57%. It’s more earthy, and savory like a dark milk chocolate, with subtle notes of fudge, toffee, caramel and supple leather. I’ll admit, it’s addiiiicccting and very hard to put down. 

While I don’t usually use dairy in my chocolates, I have been considering experimenting with it as I dive deeper into the development of confections and bon bons. But that's a discussion for another day. For now, I’m going to enjoy these opportunities when they do happen to randomly land in my lap. 

Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic oat powder and heavy cream powder (contains: milk)

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75% Dark Dominican Republic Zorzal (August 2024)

Finishing off the summer with a chocolate that is full of flavor: dried fruits, burnt sugar, and tart cherries.

In this batch, John shows how pushing the roasting profile can bring out a lot of flavor from a bean that has a lot to offer the harder you push it. 

At first bite, you may recognize that it’s not hard and snappy, but instead has a soft, firm bite. This is due to the amount of cocoa butter that was added, which was on the lower end percentage scale. By keeping the amount of added butter low, we rely on the natural bean and added sugar to define the texture. This can vary depending on the bean and amount of sugar added, which makes for a fun experiment on its own. The lower cocoa butter content also means the taste will be much stronger. 

As the chocolate melts and coats the palate, you will notice those tart, fruity notes, along with a moderate layer of acidity, and some astringency. The bitterness is low but adds balance to what otherwise tastes like a decadent chocolate coated sweet tart..but better. It’s, as john perfectly describes it, just luscious. 

Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

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47% Cinnamon Harvest Oatmilk Chocolate (October 2024)

Maillard reactions - take 2. What I love about toasting an ingredient, whether it be spices or in this case, an oat milk powder, is that you can control the intensity of the flavor. This means each batch can taste slightly different, making each one unique.

Last month's final product had a sweet, chocolate covered caramel flavor very much like a milk dud. This month, we add cinnamon, changing the flavor from milk dud to cinnamon toast crunch. Knowing that I was adding cinnamon to this batch, I toasted the oat milk powder a bit lighter so that the caramelized sugars add depth without being overpowering. In addition, compared to last month, we're using a different bean that is a bit more vibrant, adding an additional layer of flavor to the overall chocolate. 

 Tasting very much like a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch cereal, it's toasty and sweet with notes of graham cracker, dark, caramelized sugar and bitter cinnamon. There's a layer of bright acidity laced in between the cinnamon caramel and chocolate backbone that balances out the sweetness, and brings it all together like a perfectly wrapped package. It's quite delicious and is the perfect representation of fall. 

Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic oat powder, cinnamon powder