A Chocolate State of Mine

Apparently chocolate consumption is way up, so I thought it was a perfect time to share more about its wonderfulness.

Chocolate challenge: Where in the USA do you think Cacao grows? (Hint, there are 6 answers, think broadly).

Whoever guesses correctly first, will get a bar of craft chocolate from one of my favorite US makers.

Chocolate is made from Cacao (Theobroma Cacao), AKA Food of the Gods, AKA Cocoa.

Cacao is a tree fruit and gets its start as beans from a pod. Like coffee, it only grows in a very limited area 20° North and South of the equator from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, known as the Cocoa Belt.

How it got from milky white, goopy beans to chocolate as we know it is quite a miracle. The beans are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, winnowed, conched and finally tempered. Tempering is what gives chocolate the shiny look and snap sound when you break into one.

Interesting tidbit I learned when I was on the island of St. Lucia at Boucan, the Hotel Chocolat plantation — because cacao flowers are very tiny and have no smell, they are pollinated by ants and very small flies instead of bees.

See examples of the Zora Chocolate Maker logo and also chocolate packaging I created for the Ashanty Chocolate company.

Chocolate’s Wild Side — #4 is #1 Hey!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback on the logo design for the Landmark Wild Chocolate Reserve. We got responses all around the globe, from Peru to Germany.

The clear winner was #4, way ahead of the rest by more than double. #1 was second, # 5 was third, #2 was fourth and #3 was last in place (though I did get responses that the monkey was very cute and had fans).

For the record #2 was not one of our designs but the current logo being used by LWCR on their website.

Our next step is to revise and improve the direction chosen and also create a horizontal version.

All logos need to be designed both vertically and horizontally to accommodate different space constraints.

Go to my FB page to comment.

LWCR finds, preserves and exports the wildest chocolate on earth — harvesting pockets of wild beans with exceptional chocolate flavor from the Amazon rain forest — where cacao originated. Sustainable harvesting saves this exceptional cacao from extinction and before it disappears.

Read the Washington Post article about Mark Christian and the project.

Chocolate’s Wild Side

I’m so excited to be working with Mark Christian on the logo for his new chocolate venture, the Landmark Wild Chocolate Reserve. This his organization finds, preserves and exports the wildest chocolate on earth — harvesting pockets of wild beans with exceptional chocolate flavor from the Amazon rain forest — where cacao originated. Sustainable harvesting saves this exceptional cacao from extinction and before it disappears.

The first two chocolates are from the Beni River Valley in northern Bolivia and the Purus River Valley in northwestern Brazil.

Our initial brainstorming led us to our target base: gourmands and connoisseurs, the 5% of the chocolate loving public who want the rare and unattainable — adventurers who believe in sustainable economics, Harley rider wannabes.

We are in the creative process now and would love your feedback on some of the concepts for the brand we’ve developed. Let us know your faves.

Go to my FB page to comment. @sharonkleinGD

Read the Washington Post article about Mark and the project.

Sharon Klein Graphic Design, LLC | Portfolio | 212.645.8163 | FB

The Spirit of Cacao Tasting

This past Saturday was a bit cold and gloomy, but not inside Back Label Wine Merchants cozy back room. That is where 25 curious chocolate and spirits enthusiasts gathered to taste 8 new experiences from around the world. Mark Christian of the C-Spot and the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund spoke about the chocolates and what makes them heirloom designation, Natasha Soto-Albors of BLWM explained her spirit choice pairings then I discussed the importance of packaging and its effects on why you purchase what you do and showcased the Heirloom Chocolate Series package Mark and I worked together on.

Our line up was:

#1 Designation VII

Spirit — Tuthilltown Cassis Liqueur (NY)

Chocolate —  Origin: Maya Mountain, Belize / Barsmith: Brasstown (USA) / Cacáo-content: 70%

#2 Designation IX

Spirit — Bittermen’s Citron Sauvage (OR)

Chocolate —  Origin: Piedra de Plata, Ecuador / Barsmith: TO’aK (Ecuador) / Cacáo-content: 73%

#3 Designation II

Spirit — Catskills Provisions NY Honey Rye (NY)

Chocolate —  Origin: Beníano, Bolivia / Barsmith: Oialla (Denmark) / Cacáo-content: 78%

#4 Designation Preliminary

Spirit — Old New Orleans Cajun Spice Rum (LA)

Chocolate —  Origin: Purús, Brazil / Barsmith: Luisa Abram (Brazil) / Cacáo-content: 81%

My fave pairings in order were 3, 1, 4, 2.

One of the highlights was the chance to try the TO’aK sample disks from Ecuador. This bar at $300 a pop is the most expensive in the world. I was very curious to find out what makes it so special. I did like its very mature, grown up flavor, but as discussed earlier much of the hoopla is the cost of wonderful packaging and store presentation of the bar. Well done.

As a bonus, one of the guests, Glenn Petriello of Glennmade Craft Chocolates  gave out samples of his two heirloom chocolate bars whose beans originate from Belize and Ecuador. Glenn is a new bean to bar producer in Hoboken “yeah” and has 6 single origin dark chocolates in his line.

There were many lively questions and discussions and was so much fun that when it was over no one wanted to leave, but eventually we had to go ;-(

The quote of the day from our package “Save the Earth: It’s the only planet with chocolate”.

Heirloom Chocolate and Spirits Pairing – Saturday, October 22nd 4-5:30 — NYC

I hope you can attend and please share this with friends, its going to be fun!

Mark Christian, founder of the C-spot.com & Fund Director for HCP will join us to teach this class at Back Label Wine Merchants on Oct. 22nd at 4pm! Heirloom chocolates officially designated by HCP (Heirloom Cacao Preservation) will be showcased alongside spirits pairings by our Spirits Director, Allison Klug.

Creative Director and designer Sharon Klein (www.skgd.net) will also join the conversation to discuss how the packaging of these exceptional chocolates plays an important role.

Alcohol & chocolate go way back … thousands of years in fact. During the Temperance Movement chocolate was used as an alternative to liquor. Why’s that? Moreover, how can the pairing be correctly reconciled, when not all of them go well together?

Find out first-hand for yourself by sampling and learning about why and how the chemistry and gastronomy of this combination work up some incendiary aromas. Expand your mind and your senses, while growing the chocolate spirit in this fun flavorsome kick-off to Saturday night

Back Label Wine Merchants
111 W 20th St, NY, NY
(212) 229-9463 (WINE)
events@backlabelwine.com
backlabelwine.com