Category: Global Chocolate Makers

Ruby Chocolate: The First Taste Test…!

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It’s here. Ruby chocolate. Time Cupsoul was gifted a bar from family that traveled to the EU. The Fortnum & Mason bar, “Ruby Chocolate,” was now in hand.

The packaging states, “Made by secret natural chocolate alchemy, Ruby is Milk, White and Dark chocolate’s delicious newfound sibling. Intense berry fruit, gloriously tart, subtly sour-sweet. 47% cocoa solids.”

Time Cupsoul could not wait. Was the historical chocolate bar just moments from the lips?

The bar was enthusiastically unwrapped to unveil a gorgeous rose hue, and small chocolate squares at the ready. It even smelled somewhat floral, yes, again like roses. Time for the first taste. 

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La Naya Chocolate: Delicious Experience for Taste-buds and Thoughts Alike

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Recently, on our Instagram, Time Cupsoul tagged/conversed with the maker of the La Naya Chocolate‘s beautiful chocolate bar molding. It goes without question that La Naya’s chocolate bars have the most distinct and beautiful chocolate bar shape/mold in the current market. Reminiscent of geodes or a cut jewel, this bar’s shape is unforgettable.

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La Naya Chocolate Raspberries & Pineapple Dark Chocolate 65% Cacao

Time Cupsoul picked up La Naya at the DC Chocolate Festival, and similar to the Magia Piura bar, this was Lithuanian brand, La Naya Chocolate’s, first formal experience/show in the United States. Exciting! The bar even survived the sweltering DC heat the day of the festival – upper 90’s.

After admiring the shape of the bar, the first few bites ensued. Yummy.

On the chocolate tasting wheel:

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Magia Piura Peruvian ‘White Bean’ Cacao

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The 2017 DC Chocolate Festival was a wonderful experience today! Hundreds of attendees came out to meet local chocolatiers/chocolate makers and to sample decadent craft chocolate and bean to bar creations. Time Cupsoul collected a large goodie bag of various unique chocolates which will be revealed very shortly via in-depth analysis. Which chocolate bar to devour first? White bean cacao!

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‘Luck of the Irish’ – Bean and Goose Chocolate Bar

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It’s Saint Patrick’s Day today in the United States and what better a day to taste a handmade Irish chocolate bar!

Bean and Goose Chocolate is a sister-owned craft chocolate operation in Wexford, Ireland. Heeding a barista’s recommendation, the “Single Origin Irish Sea Salt and Cocoa Nibs, Cocoa 76%,” was purchased. Would pure chocolatier craftmanship and a touch of Irish luck make this bar a winner?

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The Bean and Goose bars’ packaging (seen also on other selections), is somewhat minimalist, with one washed color and bright white lettering (see picture above). The Irish Sea Salt and Cocoa Nibs bar has a grey paper package, and upon turning over, reveals a white sticker with further information regarding the brand: “We are Karen and Natalie Keane, sisters and premium chocolate makers based in the Wexford countryside… We create chocolate that reflects contemporary Ireland, its flavours, its colours and its people.” Never having traveled to Ireland, this concept seemed exciting. What flavors would reveal themselves?

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Traveling the Caribbean: Grenada Chocolate Company

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A dear friend and sailorwoman recently navigated through the Caribbean and stopped on the island of Grenada. A gorgeous island located near St. Lucia, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago, Time Cupsoul looked up pictures of the stunning oasis and followed the friends’ adventures via reading articles online. Among other attractions, a key discovery was made: Grenada has cocoa trees, and The Grenada Chocolate Company is an award-winning bean-to-bar maker on the island. After a few short weeks, the “Organic Dark Chocolate Nib-A-Licious 60%” bar arrived at the Time Cupsoul doorstep, direct from the Caribbean Sea.

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