Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa!
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Clay Gordon's Groups
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Tena Diaries
27 members
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Hawaii Cacao
11 members
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TheChocolateWonk
1 member
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Classifieds - For Sale o…
103 members
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Startup Central
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Clay Gordon's Discussions
Chocolate truffle making
Replied Jan 13
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Clay Gordon's Chocolate Life
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Are you interested in all the nitty gritty details of cacao and chocolate - genetics, geopolitics, agronomy, taxonomy, and the like? Then this is the group to join to take a deep dive into chocolate.
Tena Diaries is a vehicle to focus international awareness and attention on development in the region.
I found this web page from the Rainforest Alliance's Frog Blog:
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/blog/entry.cfm?number=97
Below are excerpts from the article; the first talks about the Yasuni parklands which sit on oil reserves and the second tal…
Hello!
I am one of the two bloggers for this group. I live in Tena as a volunteer for Amazon Watch. I will be posting a formal introduction to my blog with a little about me and the purpose and goals of my blog. I'm so excited to see people are inte…
Just found my answer to this question in a post by Mr Lehmann in the Giving Back Group. Sorry about that! I am going to read more via the link provided.
Hello, I travel annually to Los Rios Province (on the Western side of the Andes) to visit my wife's family. They have several cacao fincas in the area. If anyone has specific questions about the region or industry in the area , I am pretty knowledga…
This is the group where ChocolateLife members can
A) Advertise USED equipment for sale to other ChocolateLife members.
B) Let other ChocolateLife members know that they are looking for equipment (new or used).
Profile Information
- Dark, Milk, White?
- Dark, Milk, White
- Most memorable chocolate experience:
- The night in 1994 when I discovered the delights of origin chocolate.
- My favorite chocolate is:
- One that challenges my assumptions of what a chocolate can be.
How I Live The Chocolate Life
Living The Chocolate Life (or Living La Vida Cocoa) means something different to each of us.
I began my chocolate journey in 1994 after I discovered Bonnat chocolate. I quickly realized that there was no one talking about chocolate the same way as wine, so I decided, in an entrepreneurial epiphany, to become a chocolate critic.
My mission and goals have evolved along with my knowledge about, and appreciation for, chocolate. I did not decide on chocolate because I was passionate about it, I became passionate about chocolate through my long study and close association with people who are passionate about it. For me, chocolate is a lens through which I learn about geopolitics, history, agronomy, science, technology, cuisine, cultural anthropology, and much more.
I spent seven years teaching myself about chocolate and figuring out what I needed to know to become a credible chocolate critic. I started publishing chocophile.com in May 2001, and here I am nearly seven years later.
It's even more fun now than I had ever imagined it would be. In large measure it's because of people like you and the other members of this new community who share my passion for chocolate; your interest and enthusiasm energizes me.
More Clay @
Serious Eats
Bravo for Foodies
Culinate.com
Twitter
Facebook
George W. Bush: The Thinking Man's Dan Quayle
Apparel, magnets, mousepad, and more.
Share your love of the English language with others.
I began my chocolate journey in 1994 after I discovered Bonnat chocolate. I quickly realized that there was no one talking about chocolate the same way as wine, so I decided, in an entrepreneurial epiphany, to become a chocolate critic.
My mission and goals have evolved along with my knowledge about, and appreciation for, chocolate. I did not decide on chocolate because I was passionate about it, I became passionate about chocolate through my long study and close association with people who are passionate about it. For me, chocolate is a lens through which I learn about geopolitics, history, agronomy, science, technology, cuisine, cultural anthropology, and much more.
I spent seven years teaching myself about chocolate and figuring out what I needed to know to become a credible chocolate critic. I started publishing chocophile.com in May 2001, and here I am nearly seven years later.
It's even more fun now than I had ever imagined it would be. In large measure it's because of people like you and the other members of this new community who share my passion for chocolate; your interest and enthusiasm energizes me.
More Clay @
Serious Eats
Bravo for Foodies
Culinate.com
George W. Bush: The Thinking Man's Dan Quayle
Apparel, magnets, mousepad, and more.
Share your love of the English language with others.
Clay Gordon's Photos
Clay Gordon's Videos
Clay Gordon's Blog
Off to Bolivia :: The Hacienda Tranquilidad
Sometime in 2006 in the oppressive summer heat that invades Phoenix, AZ, I was introduced to a new chocolate - Cru Sauvage; the newest entry in Felchlin's Grand Cru line and made from "wild" beans harvested in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Eastern Bolivia.
The story of their making it to market is quite remarkable and is testament to the patience of my host on my trip, Volker Lehmann. Convinced the beans he had were something special Volker traveled around the world trying to get c… Continue
The story of their making it to market is quite remarkable and is testament to the patience of my host on my trip, Volker Lehmann. Convinced the beans he had were something special Volker traveled around the world trying to get c… Continue
Posted on January 5, 2010 at 3:00am — 3 Comments
Of Chocolate And Cheese (And Beer)
This article was written for and originally appeared in the Top Chef for Foodies blogs sometime in late 2007 or early 2008. BravoTV/NBC Universal in their infinite wisdom saw fit to remove all references to it when I stopped writing for them.
As I was nearing the final draft deadline for my book, Discover Chocolate, my editors asked me to rethink the content of the fourth major chapter of the book. Originally it was going to be a section on the health benefits of chocolate but as… Continue
As I was nearing the final draft deadline for my book, Discover Chocolate, my editors asked me to rethink the content of the fourth major chapter of the book. Originally it was going to be a section on the health benefits of chocolate but as… Continue
Posted on January 3, 2010 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment
The best coffee and gelato in all of Rome?
Of all the things I expected to learn on my trip, learning where to get the best coffee and gelato in Rome never entered my plans. But there I was in Rome with an expert local guide (Vanessa Barg of Gnosis Chocolate) and that is exactly what I discovered. The New York Times recently also bestowed the best coffee on this place - saying that it might just be the most expensive in the world - when you add in the cost of the flight - and it would be worth it.
Near the Pantheon on the Piazza Sant'Eu… Continue
Near the Pantheon on the Piazza Sant'Eu… Continue
Posted on October 27, 2009 at 9:00am — 5 Comments
The New New European Chocolate Weight Loss Diet
The first time I traveled to Europe for an extended period of time (six weeks in 1986 - way before my interest in chocolate) I managed to lose quite a bit of weight.
One of the reasons why was that I spent the first two weeks in Germany (a culture not known for gourmet cuisine) and another was that I was working a nine-day trade fair (Photokina) and so was on my feet from 9am to 8pm every day with few options for eating. For the remaining four weeks I was eating at most two meals a day (skippin… Continue
One of the reasons why was that I spent the first two weeks in Germany (a culture not known for gourmet cuisine) and another was that I was working a nine-day trade fair (Photokina) and so was on my feet from 9am to 8pm every day with few options for eating. For the remaining four weeks I was eating at most two meals a day (skippin… Continue
Posted on October 26, 2009 at 10:30am — 1 Comment
Euro Chocolate Road Trip - London Day 3 and Sophisticated Pairings
Today is the official first day of Chocolate Week and now that Chocolate Unwrapped is over there is no official “center” for the event. For the next seven days Chocolate Week goes virtual with events scattered throughout the city at various locations including the shops of participating chocolatiers. My main chocolate-related goal for the day is to prepare for a pairing event hosted at the Westbourne Grove shop of Arisan du Chocolat.
The event is called Sophisticated Pairings and is part… Continue
The event is called Sophisticated Pairings and is part… Continue
Posted on October 17, 2009 at 12:30am — 5 Comments
Comment Wall (129 comments)
- At 10:02am on January 12, 2010,
Patrick Whited said… - Hi,
I'm so happy you were able to make a trip to Bolivia! I've found it to be a wonderful country with very nice people. I've been here for approximately 2 years but I do make occasional trips back to the U.S.
You have an open invitation to come to Sucre whenever you can. It's a great place to relax, have a few Huari's, visit a chocolate factory to eat some chocolate and do some touristy things.
Patrick
- At 11:42pm on January 6, 2010,
Margot said… - Hi Clay! Looking forward to your visit to Mexico!
Regards,
Margot
margot@thechocolateexperience.com.mx
- At 5:51am on January 1, 2010,
The'a said… - Happy new year to you Mr. clay, wish all the best towards you in this year, good luck^_^
- At 3:43pm on December 31, 2009,
Robbie Stout said… - Hey Clay,
So using a perforated baffle on the Chocovision machines almost double their capacity? Any reason you can think of not to cut your own holes into the solid baffle?
Cheers
- At 1:40pm on December 26, 2009,
Brian D. Hawkins said… - Congratulations on your The New York Times quote.
"Clay Gordon, an industry expert from TheChocolateLife.com and author of “Discover Chocolate.” <- Very cool
- At 9:22am on December 21, 2009,
The'a said…
- I see, thank you very much for your kind sir, I would do that. Thank's a lot^_^.
- At 8:02am on December 21, 2009,
The'a said…
- yeah, thank you sir. And if you don't mind I'd like to hear the answer of my previous questions I've posted on your wall. thank you very much^_^.
- At 1:29am on December 20, 2009,
The'a said…
- hello Mr. Gordon, I'm Aulia. a new comer of this site. I love chocolate a lot, even now I'm still a beginner on making chocolate cookies also brownies. these days, I love to bake brownie, I put all the standard recipe include whipped cream. does it usual to use whip cream on your brownie mix before it is baked? may I know what is the different between fudgy and cakey for the brownies it self? and what is the character of a great result on baking a brownie. thank you^_^
- At 8:42pm on November 9, 2009,
alana reyes said… - thank you for you advice Mr Gordon i will do just that.
- At 4:14pm on November 4, 2009,
Wiebe Draijer said… - Thanks for you welcoming words Mr. Gordon. Costa Rica is indeed beautiful. I just got back from a short visit to a small place called Chasse to buy some araza. This has nothing to do with chocolate, but it was a welcome escape from the office and another chance to see the mountains and Rio Sixaola. Later on today I'll meet with two cacao experts. I hope they have some good tips for conducting fermentation tests we'll be doing in December. Vamos a ver.
© 2010 Created by Clay Gordon
