This Chocolate Tastes Like Chocolate: Learn how to Describe Chocolate in More Detail

Have you ever eaten a chocolate bar, and said you didn't like it because it didn't taste like chocolate, or said you enjoyed it because it was had such a rich chocolate flavor?   I think most of us have done that a couple of times at least.  I know I did in the past.

Want to hear something wild?  Chocolate actually has hundreds of flavor notes, and several categories of flavors.  Some of the categorizes are floral, savory, spice, fruit, earthy, nuts, and more.  To go farther down this flavor rabbit hole some specific flavor notes include, citrus, red fruit, stone fruit, figs, cinnamon, oak, butter, raisin, hazelnut, mint, black tea, bread, lavender, honey, cream, marshmallow, and the list goes on, and on.  

Are these flavors added?  Nope!  They are part of the different types of cacao beans that exist, and are brought out through proper handling of the various beans.  Flavor starts with the cacao bean varieties, and then develops further through correctly fermenting, drying, roasting, storing, and processing the beans into chocolate.  Each step can enhance, or hurt the flavor development. Sometimes flavor is also associated with what country the cacao trees are grown in.  Chocolate bars made from cacao beans from Madagascar often have fruity notes.  The cocoa bean variety called Nacional frequently has various nutty flavor notes. 

What if I'm having trouble letting go of chocolate tasting like "chocolate"?  Don't sweat it.  Try breaking down the flavor barriers little by little.  Don't just say "this taste like chocolate".  Instead think about does it taste like cocoa powder?  Is there flavor notes present like a dessert you've had before such as a dark chocolate mousse?  Think about if you notice anything acidic, or bitter. What's the level of sweetness present?  How does it compare to un-sweetened chocolate you've baked with?  Keep it simple.

Next, get 2 - 4 bars made with the same type of beans, or bars listed as being made from beans from the same country.  Do a tasting session and see if there are similarities between the bars, or if they taste complete different despite being from the same type of beans.  

Start writing down your thoughts on each bar, so you may refer back to it to look for similarities as you con't to taste more chocolate.  When reviewing chocolate bars for my fine chocolate review blog http://darkmattersfinechocolatereviews.blogspot.com/ I list my thoughts on the color, nose, texture, taste, and finish.  

The more fine chocolate bars you try, the more flavors you'll start noticing.  As far as homework goes, chocolate tasting just may be the best!

Let me know if you start practicing, what flavor notes you start picking up, and what your favorite chocolate bars are! 

Victoria Cooksey

Follow me at:  https://www.instagram.com/victoria.cooksey/?hl=en

My chocolate bar reviews on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-lp-lF_wB2oX_592jK9UQ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/victoriacookseysrandomdish/?fref=ts

Note:  In this post I'm talking about regular fine chocolate bars that don't add in flavors.  Inclusion bars are a whole other topic because flavors/ingredients are added to those. 

Interview with Nat West Creator of Reverend Nat's Hard Cider Portland, Oregon

I just tried Reverend Nat's Hard Cider this month at Summer Cider Day here in Port Townsend, WA, and I have to say I'm hooked!  The Passion with passion fruit, vanilla, and coconut was so amazing!  (It's a seasonal flavor, so keep a look out for it next summer).  I wanted to know more about the person behind these complex, and unusually flavored ciders (the other two I tried were fantastic, as well), thus the idea to ask the maker for an interview was born.

Reverend Nat is Nat West.  Yep, he is actually ordained (which happened so he could marry some friends).  He became so passionate talking about, and promoting cider (and he was technically a minster after all) that Reverend Nat's Hard Cider came to be the name for his ciders.  Read on to learn more about the man behind the cider. his thoughts on cider making books, cider making styles, and more.  

Victoria Cooksey:  On your website you mention having the largest cider book library in Portland.  What are your top 3 fav cider books in the collection, and why?

Nat West:  “The Apples of New York” by Beach, a first edition copy from 1905, both volumes. I love this set because of the fantastic color illustrations of long-forgotten apple varieties.

Also, “For the Love of Hops” by Stan Hieronymus. I’m a big hop head and love using hops in cider. There’s such a dearth of information on hops in cider so I have to use the beer works to learn.

I also really love James Crowden’s “Ciderland”. It is a beautiful set of vignettes about traditional cideries in England. He paints such wonderful pictures that anyone reading the book is undeniably drawn to visit that area.

VC:  What core ingredients must be present for a cider to be considered a cider.

NW:  Fermented pure/fresh apple juice. You cannot use apple juice concentrate or sugar or water and call it a cider, even though that is allowed in the US.

VC:  What forgotten cider making styles do you currently incorporate into your cider making?  Have you created some styles of your own?

NW:  Ciderkin, and boiled cider are two styles I’ve dug up and used with great effect. I make a ciderkin blended with traditional cider for a local restaurant and it goes really well with Spanish-style tapas.

VC:  Do sour beer making styles like gose influence your cider making?

NW:  Gose is one of my favorite styles of beer, due in large part to the acidic, palate-cleansing nature of the drink. I don’t do much in the way of souring per se, although I do get some souring in some of my barrel aged offerings.

VC:  When it comes to yeast are you currently into wild, cultivated, or a combination, and what determines which one to use?  

NW:  I do a small amount of wild fermentation, primarily Tepache (fermented pineapples). Other than that, I stick to exclusively beer yeasts. I don’t use any white wine/champagne yeasts anywhere in any product. Beer yeasts contribute such a wide range of flavors that so I’m always excited to add more flavor to my ciders.

VC: What ingredients, if any, do you consider to be off limits when it comes to cider making.

NW:  None.

VC:   What is your dream ingredient to use in cider that you haven’t been able to use yet? 

NW:  Gold flakes, ash from Mount St Helens, rocks, lots of saffron threads.

VC:  Any failed experiments?  What did you learn from them?

NW:  See https://untappd.com/b/reverend-nat-s-hard-cider-angel-of-death/846818 and https://untappd.com/b/reverend-nat-s-hard-cider-kumiss-mongolian-milkwine/1128069

VC:  How would you compare the US cider making movement to ciders made in Europe?

NW:  Like most differences between the US and Europe, we are experimentalists and not afraid to fail. So our cidermaking style knows no bounds and tends not to follow any rules. Thankfully our customers are along for the ride and embrace new ideas.

VC:  When your home do you drink beer, or wine?  What are your preferred styles?

 NW:  I drink 95% beer, the rest cider, strongly skewed towards my own ciders traditional European styles.

Pictured below is my favorite, The Passion.  Love it!!!

I want to thank Nat West for taking the time to answer these questions!  Very cool!

Look for Reverend Nat's tap room at 1813 NE 2nd Avenue, Portland, OR, and keep an eye out for them at cider events too!!

Reverend Nat's Hard Cider:
On Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/revnatscider/?fref=ts
Website:  http://reverendnatshardcider.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/revnatscider/?hl=en

NW Cider events:  https://www.facebook.com/nwcider/

Victoria Cooksey:
Check out my cooking, baking, wine, and fine chocolate review videos at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-lp-lF_wB2oX_592jK9UQ
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/victoria.cooksey/?hl=en
My fine chocolate bar review blog:  http://darkmattersfinechocolatereviews.blogspot.com/

Summer Cider Day Port Townsend, WA 2016

Are your dreams seen through bubble vision?  Are apples, pears, cherries, and blueberries your favorite fruits?  Do you think everything tastes better fermented?  Diagnosis:  hard cider fan. The treatment:   keep reading!

The 6th annual Summer Cider Day in Port Townsend, WA just took place on August 6th.  I loved this event just as much, if not more then the one last year.  This event features around 70 ciders from makers in both Washington, and Oregon.  

I was very pleased to see the return of New West Cider which really caught my attention last year with a cherry cider.  This time I sampled Black & Blue made from Pacific Northwest blackberries, and blueberries.  This cider is very light, and refreshing.  (Living in the Pacific Northwest, I can tell you the berries grown here are amazing!). 

Anthem Cherry cider had a bit of a cherry cotton candy on the nose, but not a sweet taste.  Very good!

Nashi Orchards was one of my favorites last year (I think I tried everything they brought last time!). New this year was their barrel fermented cider which is aged in French oak barrels.  Very nice!

Luckily, I'm able to find some of 2 Towns Ciderhouse at the Co-op here in Port Townsend.  (My fav is Made Marion with Oregon marionberries).  I tried The Bad Apple this time, and it had a bit of a mead taste to it (this item is made with honey).  Very approachable. 

Snowdrift Cider Co. out of Washington had this amazing pear wine which is made is the Champagne style which lends to an elegant product, with the smaller, high quality bubbles.  I found this one to have a unique nose, and flavors of butter, and popcorn, along with the pear.  Very nice. (I have a bottle in my fridge right now). 

Reverend Nat's Cider The Passion earned my pick for best cider at this particular event.  I never imagined I would say that in regards to passionfruit in cider, but it's so true!  The passionfruit comes through in such a well balanced way with the vanilla, and coconut rounding out the flavor, as well. The nose, taste, and finish in this cider is so complex, and tasty.  Sorry to have to inform you this is a summer seasonal, so grab some ASAP, or you'll have to wait until next year. (I also have a bottle of this one in my refrigerator right now).  

Summer Cider Day also offers a "store" to purchase full-sized bottles of your favorite cider.  

Did you attend this event?  If so, what was your pick for best cider?  What ciders do you have in your refrigerator, or in your hand, right now? 

Cheers!!!

Reverend Nat's Cider:  http://reverendnatshardcider.com

Snowdrift Cider Co.:  http://snowdriftcider.com/

Nashi Orchards:  http://www.nashiorchards.com/

2 Towns Ciderhouse:  http://2townsciderhouse.com/

Anthem Cider:  http://anthemcider.com/

New West Cider:  http://www.newwestcider.com/

For more cider events in Washington check out:  http://www.nwcider.com/

Follow me at:  https://www.instagram.com/victoria.cooksey/?hl=en
Catch my cooking, and chocolate review videos at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-lp-lF_wB2oX_592jK9UQ
Check out my fine chocolate bar review blog:  http://darkmattersfinechocolatereviews.blogspot.com/

El Rey Caoba 41%, Mijao 61%, and Gran Saman 70% Reviews

I've been wanting to get my hands on some El Rey chocolate for quite awhile, but instead of bars, I've only been able to get some samples which I will review here.  (I ordered these from http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/ ).

First up is El Rey Caoba 41%

Color:  Light/medium brown.

Nose:  Milk (like condensed milk), cream, vanilla.

Texture:  Smooth.

Taste:  Milk, caramel, cream, latte.

Finish:  Short, no acidity, touch of dark fruit like blueberry/blackberry.

El Rey Mijano 61%

Color:  Dark brown.

Nose:  A bit of raisin, dried blueberries, latte.

Texture:  Crisp, smooth, luxurious.

Taste:  Hints of butter, marshmallow cream (but not sweet), Americano drink, blueberry, drinking hot chocolate.

Finish:  Medium/long finish.

El Rey Gran Saman 70%

Color:  Dark brown.

Nose:  Citrus, light orange/clementine, butter.

Texture:  Very crisp snap, smooth.

Taste:  Oak, some light acidity, grassy, black coffee, raisins, a touch of green tea.

Finish:  Medium/long finish, some grassy notes. 

Has anyone tried any of El Rey's chocolate bars?  Let me know what you think!

Victoria Cooksey

El Rey Chocolate:  http://www.chocolates-elrey.com/

If you are into fine chocolate bars check out my other blog: http://darkmattersfinechocolatereviews.blogspot.com/

Check out my cooking, and chocolate review videos at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-lp-lF_wB2oX_592jK9UQ

Follow my on Instagram at:  https://www.instagram.com/victoria.cooksey/?hl=en