Starting with this entry I will be featuring every now and then different chocolate brands from around the globe. Definitely these brands form part of my tastelists or tastelines. And hope to come up with my own review of each of the bar.
My resource for the list came from the book Chocolate Unwrapped, Taste and Enjoy the World's Finest Chocolate by Sarah Jane Evans. I acquired and read the book and now serves as my autograph book. I have one signature already that of Top Pastry Chef Anil Rohira of Felchlin Swiss.
Part 2 of the book of Ms. Evans's is the Chocolate Directory where she reviewed 82 dark chocolates containing not less than 70% cocoa content that are listed alphabetically. For each of the chocolate bar she gave some background story about the company, basic information of the chocolate as to its origin, ingredients, aroma, and taste. She came up with a tasting guide to make a profile of the chocolates which include the following flavors:
- Floral - jasmine, violet, rose, honeysuckle
- Fruity - citrus acidity (lemon, orange, tangerine, lime, grapefruit), tropical fruits, passion fruit, banna, dried fruits
- Winey - red fruit, redcurrant, balsamic
- Honey - vanilla, fudge, syrup, treacle, biscuit
- Creamy - coconut, milk, cream, caramel
- Nutty - walnut, hazelnut almond
- Spicy - white/black pepper, chili, ginger, liquorice, cinnamon, nutmeg
- Toasty - lightly toasted, high toast, burnt
- Smoky - leather, tannin,a sh, rubber, tar, meaty, tobacco
- Earthy - woody, mushroomy
I think I am familiar with most of the taste but still I am in that stage where I am still trying my best to distinguish how these flavor are present int he chocolate. Ms. Evans uses her skills in wine tasting as applied to the the chocolate she reviewed.
Now for the first brand - AKESSON'S
Source: chocoweb.nl via Edwin on Pinterest
From their website here goes their story (http://www.akessons-organic.com/en/akessons/):
The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carl von Linné (*1707-†1778), who called it "Theobroma cacao" ("cocoa, food of the gods"). This was the first contribution of Sweden to the world of chocolate...
Just like pepper or coffee, this beautiful name, cocoa, is associated for many people with exotic adventures in remote countries. As a child, travelling the world was irresistibly attracting me and this is indeed how these wonderful products first got my attention. My chance was given to me by my father, through whom I discovered early the world of plantations in Africa.
As a Swedish diplomat, my father first worked for the Embassy in Paris in 1945. Years later his journey took him further South to Cameroon, where he ran a trading company, until, eventually, he settled in Madagascar in the 1970's after he had taken over various plantations on the island.
So it is in Madagascar, at our family estates, that my journey through the fascinating world of cocoa, spices and other delicious natural wonders really started. There I have learned over the years the secrets and subtleties of managing and developing plantations.
Ultimately, I focused on and specialised in fine and flavour cocoa and spices, whilst my consistent aim was to achieve the highest quality in a sustainable way.
CONTACT
AO GMBH
Baarerstrasse 8
6300 Zug - Switzerland
AKESSON'S ORGANIC LLC
9730 W. US Hwy 90
Schulenburg, TX 78956 - USA
FAX:
+1 (952) 241 4994
For orders, please, contact us at:
order@akessons-organic.com
For general information, events, media, PR & communication issues, please contact us at: info@akessons-organic.com
Today, our family plantations in Madagascar and in Brazil supply world famous chocolatiers and chefs with our much appreciated products. In close collaboration with these passionate artists, I experienced the fascinating artwork to conjure cocoa into chocolate and how pepper enhances recipes and, ultimately, I launched ÅKESSON´S, a small and exclusive line of chocolate and fine exotic foods.
ÅKESSON´S philosophy is to produce the most tasteful, authentic and ethic products or carefully source them from some of the best farms around the world in order to deliver the highest standards.
The creation of ÅKESSON´S could not have taken place without the close collaboration and support of my family and friends. I am eternally grateful to all these people and especially to the growers and the team with whom I work every day.
Together, we now invite you to a journey of discoveries through the world of our hot and pure tropical foods...
