It looks like being a great week, check back to this section once the week gets going or get in touch with us if you want to join in.

The idea is to cover as much of the Week as we can, not just Seventypercent events. The posts don’t have to be masterpieces or expert-level, just the everyday experiences of fine chocolate fans during the week. If the posts can be accompanied by photos, that really helps the presentation. Video clips are even better.

The events can be the paid formal kind, reviews of the many samplings going on during the week, or just you own personal Chocolate Week experiences.

Also if you are attending the excellent Chocolate Unwrapped exhibition then it would be great if you can share your experiences there on Seventypercent.

If you are interested, please email us at events@seventypercent.com and we’ll set you up with a login and help you to get started.

Cacao pods for Pacari chocolate

We’re adding an extra date to our growing country chocolate season with Melt Chocolates in a one-off Chocolate Week special, where we’ll be featuring one of the most promising of the new growing country makers, Pacari from Ecuador.

Pacari have excited the fine chocolate cognoscenti since their first appearance in the US and Europe in 2008, producing a unique style of chocolate, with flavour notes close to the original flavours of the cacao beans from which the chocolate is made.

Santiago Peralta, owner and the chocolate maker behind Pacari will be at the event to talk to us about the ins and outs and pros and cons of artisanal chocolate making in Ecuador and his very hands on approach to chocolate making.

Pacari have begun to show us the true flavour potential of Ecuador’s Nacional, and the most interesting example of this is their unique Raw chocolate – a fully refined chocolate made without roasting or fermenting above the critical temperature that could damage the health giving compounds in chocolate.

Pacari chocolate, truffles made from the chocolate and with a glass of wine will be included in the tasting, and goody bags with featured products will be on sale take home.So book soon for this exciting event with one of Ecuador’s hottest new producers.

Info

Book your tickets through PayPal – no account needed, all major cards accepted.

Please bring a copy of your PayPal receipt to the event as your ticket.

Tickets also available from Melt, see details below.

Growing county chocolate – Santander, Colombia
7.00pm, 14 Oct 2009

Melt
59 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill
London
W11 2AA
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Tel: +44 (0)20 7727 5030
Web: www.meltchocolates.com

The dining room at The Elmfield

We’re pleased to announce our new partnership with The Elmfield, a family boutique hotel on North Devon’s unspoilt coast. Situated in what’s becoming a stylish foodie retreat, The Elmfield offers a true gourmet experience to its guests and is the perfect choice for our first Origin Chocolate Destination.

The Elmfield’s commitment to origin chocolate starts with their restaurant; The Dining Room, where Head Chef Tom Frost will now feature origin chocolate dishes throughout the seasonal menu. Origin chocolate tasting squares are available along with tasting notes for guests to enjoy at any time – and to accompany after dinner coffee. Origin Chocolate cocktails have been introduced to The Elmfield’s bar too.

During the summer children will be introduced to origin chocolate in the Chocotastic Childrens Workshop – one of a series of workshops, involving food focused activities which The Elmfield runs for hotel guests and non residents. The workshops will also run in the October half-term.

There will be an origin chocolate dish available for each course of The Dinning Room menu, starting in September. The highlight for chocolate lovers is the specially commissioned dessert ‘Assiette of chocolate’, a triple chocolate indulgent experience.

There will also be specially developed chocolate dishes available on gourmet 6 course taster menu on offer in October as part of the Devon Celebration of Food Festival (throughout October) at The Dinning Room.

Chocoholic weekend experiences will be launched in the Autumn, the first to be held November 13th / 15th November – a 2 day celebration of the finest quality origin chocolate in partnership with Seventypercent.com, which will include; guests’ chocolate tasting samples in their rooms, chocolate cocktail parties, chocolate inspired and infused dinners and breakfasts, talks and hands on lectures as well as the chance for guests to make their own origin chocolates to take home, tutored by a world class chocolatier. More details of this great event coming soon, or book now directly with The Elmfield.

Info

Origin Chocolate Weekend

Arrive: 13th November from 4pm

Leave: 15th November after breakfast

Cost: £320 per person

Contact & bookings:

Zoë Brewer
The Elmfield Hotel
Torrs Park,
Ilfracombe,
North Devon
EX34 8AZ

t. +44 (0)1271 863 377
e. info@theelmfield.com

Mott Green of Grenada Chocolate Company

We kick off our season of joint Seventypercent.com and Melt Chocolates growing country chocolate tastings with an old friend and pioneer of growing country chocolate, Mott Green.

Mott is the chocolate maker and inspiration behind the Grenada Chocolate Company, which is probably the only chocolate maker actually sited on a cacao farm, and the only one powered purely by solar energy!

The company is at the heart of an organic certified cooperative, and those fine Grenadan beans are turned into chocolate fully produced and finished on site in Grenada.

Mott will be telling us about his latest improvements and the development of the local cooperative and how Grenada Chocolate is helping farmers get a better deal for their cacao – a project that goes beyond the aspirations of Fair Trade.

Also during the event, Martin Christy will introduce fine chocolate and explain a little about the history of cacao in the Caribbean. There will be the chance to taste the latest Grenada Chocolate, as well as specially prepared truffles made with Grenada Chocolate by Melt, accompanied by a glass of wine.

Info

Book your tickets online here.

Tickets also available from Melt, see details below.

Growing country chocolate – the Grenada Chocolate Company with Mott Green
7.00pm, 9 Sep 2009

Melt
59 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill
London
W11 2AA
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Tel: +44 (0)20 7727 5030
Web:  www.meltchocolates.com

Sampling chocolate at a joint tasting with Melt

A new season of joint monthly tastings celebrating fine chocolate made in cacao growing countries, in partnership with London chocolatier, Melt Chocolates.

Each month we’ll explore a new chocolate maker or country, with a talk, samples, specially made chocolates, glass of wine and guest speakers, in the fashionable surroundings of Melt’s Notting Hill shop.

The convention in chocolate production is for tropical developing countries to grow, ferment and dry cacao, which is then shipped to developed northern nations, where finished chocolate is made. This has been just as true in the fine chocolate world as for mass production confectionery. The reality with this type of chocolate production though is that only a few percent of the price of your chocolate goes to the farmers and exporters who grow and ship cacao.

A better deal

This is changing though, as new enterprises and projects in growing countries are springing up with the goal of producing and exporting finished chocolate to the traditional fine chocolate consuming countries. Some of these initiatives are from well established local companies, some from small artisanal projects. Either way they have the great advantage of being much close to their beans.

Cacao growing in Colombia

The chocolate quality from these chocolate makers may not yet be up to the heady standards of the best European and US chocolate yet, but these projects have a huge potential. There’s also a strong ethical benefit in this kind of production – a much higher proportion of the final value of the chocolate – the price you pay for a bar or bonbon – is getting back to the producing country.

To celebrate and encourage this growing trend, we present a new season of tastings that will explore growing country chocolate with monthly events at one of London’s leading chocolatiers, Melt. Each month will feature a different chocolate maker or country, where we will be tasting chocolate from names you might already have heard of, alongside some new discoveries.

The evenings will feature a tasting and talk by Martin Christy, editor of Seventypercent.com, a glass of wine, exclusive Melt chocolates and a goody bag to take home. We’ll also have invited guests at some of the tastings from the companies or countries producing fine chocolate in cacao growing regions.

Info

You can find full listings of this special season of events as they are announced in the Growing country chocolate event section.

Melt shop front

Melt and Seventypercent.com present a tasting event to celebrate the cacao of Ecuador, famous for it’s ‘Nacional’ variety (also known as ‘Arriba’) and as the world’s largest producer of fine cacao beans.

Martin Christy of Seventypercent.com will introduce the event with a session on how to taste fine chocolate. Martin will also illustrate the typical notes of Ecuador through chocolate from different bean to bar makers.

Lourdes Delgado

Lourdes Delgado, a leading light in Ecuador’s cacao industry, will then present an insight into the lives of farmers and exporters in cacao growing countries, the challenges they face and the opportunities created by producing their own chocolate.

Lourdes will also present her own chocolate brand, Chchukululu, packaged in colourful and fashionable indigenous materials, complimenting her own hand made jewellery.

Lourdes will also tell us the story of her cacao bean dress!

There will also be the chance to try some specially made Melt delicacies made exclusively for the evening, all served with a glass of wine.

Info

Book online with our secure checkout.

Tickets also available from Melt, see details below.

Taste of Ecuador with Lourdes Delgado
6.30pm, 28 May 2009

Melt
59 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill
London
W11 2AA
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Tel: +44 (0)20 7727 5030
Web:  www.meltchocolates.com

Our regular monthly tasting event, with an introduction to fine chocolate and sampling of the latest chocolate bars featured in our monthly Connoisseurs Club, plus occasional special guests and featured products.

Read more about our monthly tasting events here.

The formal part of the tasting will be followed by an optional dram of whisky with matching chocolate, or you can just stay around and chat with fellow chocolate enthusiasts.

Book online with our secure checkout.

Our regular monthly tasting event, with an introduction to fine chocolate and sampling of the latest chocolate bars featured in our monthly Connoisseurs Club, plus occasional special guests and featured products.

Read more about our monthly tasting events here.

The formal part of the tasting will be followed by an optional dram of whisky with matching chocolate, or you can just stay around and chat with fellow chocolate enthusiasts.

Book online with our secure checkout.

Our regular monthly tasting event, with an introduction to fine chocolate and sampling of the latest chocolate bars featured in our monthly Connoisseurs Club, plus occasional special guests and featured products.

Read more about our monthly tasting events here.

The formal part of the tasting will be followed by an optional dram of whisky with matching chocolate, or you can just stay around and chat with fellow chocolate enthusiasts.

Book online with our secure checkout.