All Blog Posts (542)

 "Fine chocolate is expensive, but less expensive than therapy" - a visitor's T-shirt

The long-awaited San Francisco International Chocolate Salon finally arrived on April 17th at Fort Mason, a beautiful waterfront structure overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. There were over forty chocolatiers who attended the salon, bringing with them chocolates with dozens of exotic flavors.  There was everything to please your eyes and satisfy your taste buds, including fine…

 Absence of chocolate is just not happening, just my absence while making some real transitions in my life, mostly that of moving part-time to Ecuador related not to cacao, but coffee....and cacao.

Now that may seem strange as a combination, but I have long had a passion for coffee and have developed one for dark chocolate as well, knowing the health benefits offered from this incredible food. So following my heart back to Ecuador, fully immersed in coffee, cacao trees are in…

My newest Sweet Paradise Chocolatier chocolate boutique is  soft opening May 1st at the Wailea Gateway Center in Wailea, Maui.  The official "Grand Opening" will be June 16th. This has been a 9 month process to get permits and open a store here and it doesn't even have a kitchen! Talk about island time. The store features my own truffle/confection collection focused on Tropical flavors but also bars from various Hawaii chocolate-makers- Original Hawaiian, Malie Kai, Waialua Estate, Madre…

Exciting news today: one of my favourite chocolate bars, the Duffy's Honduras Indio Rojo 72%, won the 'Golden Bean', the chocolate '

Oscar' from the Academy of Chocolate in London!

And not only that, Duffy Sheardown also won the 'Best Newcomer Award'. So, again Duffy, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Marcel and I are very proud as well as we were the first Chocolatiers in the Netherlands having Duffy's in our shop in Amsterdam.

Hello my friends who love chocolate…

Bittersweet Cafe              4/9/2011 Sunny Saturday…

Discover the animation video of our…

Hello to all my chocolate loving friends that I haven't met before,

I believe that we are blessed to live in America and to beable to have so many free choices in our lives.

Well that said, lets talk chocolate and…

It takes time, it's an art, it's strategy. The business of Chocolate.

Whether it's about calling people to encourage them to enter the 'Cool Chocolate' contest or reaching people with postcards, attending Fundraisers and supporting Community efforts, 'Bringing The World of Chocolate to You' with the 4th annual Bucks County Chocolate Show is happening on April 30th in New Hope, PA. The latest news went out connecting…

Yes, they made of chocolate!

Chocolate history in China may trace back to Emperor Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty.  In 1705, Roman Pope Clement XI dispatched envoys to China as missionary. In 1706, Emperor Kangxi interviewed the missionaries, during the interview,  they presented 150 chocolates to the Emperor Kangxi. Kangxi gave it a big approval after tasting.This was the first record of chocolate in China's history.

In January 18th, 2010, The world chocolate wonderland…

Harvard Business school professor Nancy F Koehn said:

Entrepreneurs look for new possibilities and new markets, should think about 3 or 4 things:

1. Look around you, the social, culture and economic environment, what people do you know care about, what do you feel when you walk on street, what happening in term of where people are going in their lives, understand the broad stage on which consumers act.

2. Look for something, a product, a service , a combination of both…

I plan to buy one pannig machine.  I am confused with the follwing aspects.

While buying a Panning machine which aspects we have to consider more?   Is there any advantage if the Coating pan is of Copper?  Or is  steel  coating pan  as good as  the Copper one? They say that only if there is resistance inside the pan the Dragee will become shiny, Otherwise I have to give the final coating of Gum Arabica to get the shine.  Are these true?

Any…

One of the interesting programs going on here involves what growers and organizations are calling "super cacao." Turns out that on most if not all cocoa farms, there always happens to be a few trees that have superior yields and greater disease resistance than all the rest.

At first, I had no idea what people were talking about-shortly thereafter, I realized that I knew the two North American landowners who were actually pioneering this effort. They began by identifying and…

Im on the Big Island and am interested in making chocolates. Does anyone know where to buy nibs or beans?

Aloha,

stee

Hi

I'm new to the site&blog, I hope i'm not violating any roll with my post.

Living in Guancaste many years,@farm called PachaMama, http://www.pachamama.com

We are making here treats, smoothies, and other products, for both the residents and visitors of this place. Need your help with finding new supplier of The Cacao Fruits.

Will be appreciate any help.

pura vida
Suvan Eyal

In the last five months I tasted a lot of new chocolate: Friis Holm, Bojesen, Tobago Estate, Pralus’ Chuao, Idilio, Bouga Cacao, Bonnat (Haïti, Cuba, Piura), Cacao Sampaka, Vietnam of Morin and Puyricard, Fine & Raw, Rogue, Mast Brothers, Patric, Red Star and of course Original Beans’ Piura Porcelana and the new recipe of Beni Wild Harvest (I love them!).

Although I have tasted 494 different dark chocolates so far, I had never tasted a single origin from…

ChocoMuseo

is the interactive Cacao and Chocolate Museum in Cusco, Peru.

In ChocoMuseo, you will be able to learn the secrets of chocolate, its production process, and the history of cacao since the Maya, 1000 years ago.

We'll also organize workshops for…

Hi all,

This is Rob Monahan from ProfessorChocolate.com  

We are trying to raise funds through Kickstarter to complete the next two books in our NYC Chocolate Walking Tour series... The Uptown Guide and The Hot Chocolate Guide.  These books are meant to bring the 'consumers' to the chocolate!  100% of the money raised will be used for production and marketing of the books.  

Thanks!

http://kck.st/fXw7Ie