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Originally posted by Chrissie
Has anyone tried any of the new Hotel Chocolat ‘The Purist’ line of single estate and single origin chocolate bars?
I didn’t know that Hotel Chocolat produced their own bean to bar single origin chocolate until I was having a look at this years World Chocolate Awards where it appears the Rabot Estate 72% from the line received a bronze award.
Hotel Chocolat isn’t making their own: they’re sourcing it from Coppeneur (http://www.coppeneur.de). If you look at the fine print on the label you will find this mentioned (actually, it’s refreshing to see someone mention their sources at all).
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It looks like they won’t be available to order until next week
They are already in the shop here in Manchester, and have been since mid-November. If you have a shop anywhere close to you, pop in and you might be able to pick some up.
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I’m most interested in the high cocoa milk chocolate bars since … dare I say it, Cluizels Mangaro Lait isn’t quite strong enough for me.
The Slitti Lattenero series are actually the strongest milk chocolates, topping out at 70%. As one might expect, the 62% and the 70% are considerably better than the 51% and the 45%. I give the nod to Cluizel though because of extraordinary balance while maintaining good distinctive flavour characteristics.
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If anyone knows anything about any of these bars by Hotel Chocolat then please let me know. …
Hotel Chocolat/Coppeneur’s style is VERY distinctive. It’s wildly different from other manufacturers, and has a very pronounced earthy/chestnut character across the range. Sometimes this is successful, other times it just doesn’t work. For instance, the Ocumare bean, already a pretty earthy varietal, manages to taste almost exactly like humus mixed with cardboard when you add this stylistic slant. The Tsachila by contrast is quite good, although as I noted earlier Felchlin’s Cru Sauvage is a better version of a “wild” cacao. I agree with the bronze award overall – indicating promise but also some definite areas to work on. Bronze tends to indicate something that carries a bit of an “experimental” character – read: challenging tastes that will take you aback initially. So when you try them I think they will be very much hit and miss. Still, I would recommend you get the complete package “The Purist’s Library” because it’s a journey worth taking too see just how far the boundaries of chocolate can be pushed.
One note for Hotel Chocolat: Ditch that plastic inner wrapper! It’s not only plastic, but one of the smellier ones – i.e. lots of noticeable outgassing. Be sure to let your bar sit in the air for a good 30 minutes or so before trying it.
One other note: I wish that in their truffles and boxed chocolates they’d get rid of the alcohol. All of the “pure” truffles have some alcohol in them – probably to improve shelf life. IMHO a pure chocolate truffle should not have alcohol – it distracts from the chocolate flavour. It’s fine to have liqueur-flavoured truffles, but please for the main chocolates don’t include them. A token selection of “alcohol free” chocolates, none of which is a pure chocolate truffle, is not a substitute for alcohol-free truffles, and it makes them seem as though they’re just being condescending to those who don’t take alcohol by offering such a range.
Alex Rast
Alex_Rast_Alternate@hushmail.com
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