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!!
70% Vanuatu Dark Chocolate
This chocolate is different than what I typically make. For starters, it doesn't contain any added cocoa butter, which I usually add to reduce viscosity and to create a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. The reason being that this particular bean contains just enough naturally occurring cocoa butter to be refined without it. However, not enough to be refined for a long period of time without ceasing/over-refining. Instead of my go-to of 72 hours, this chocolate was only refined for 28 hours, giving this chocolate a more rustic texture and mouthfeel that is snappy and slightly gritty.
But the texture won't ruin the flavor. At the forefront, its all sugary sweetness, but as the sugar crystals melt and the sweetness fades, the bold, earthy notes from the chocolate begin to emerge: bold, chocolate, dried peppers and rustic tanned leather. It's nuanced and different from what you might be used to, but I promise you, it's worth the try.
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar
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60% Ivory Coast Coffee
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic oatmilk powder and Sweet Maria's Peru Jaen Alianza Mikan coffee
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70% Three Tribes Bolivia
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter
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18K 65% Gold Chocolate
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter
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71.5% Uganda Semuliki Forest
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter
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72% Mexico Camino
Ingredients: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter