January 2, 2007
Now that the happy rush of the holidays is behind us, we can slow down a bit and snuggle up with our favorite chocolates. Looking for something new to try? You'll spot several of the Valrhona Grand Crus (including the newly-released Manjari) as well as the Pralus Trinidad and Cuba origins. I also encourage you to check out the three types of Spanish bombolas that just arrived from Enric Rovira—jengibre (ginger), maíz (corn), and cacao (cocoa nibs).

And please bring your friends and join me January 11th for the first-ever Zingerman's Chocolate Rendez-Vous. The Rendez-Vous is a chance for chocolate-lovers to gather each month for an hour of focused tasting, discussion, and note taking (or doodling, if you prefer). Featuring a different brand every couple months, we'll start the year with the King of French chocolates, Valrhona. Never been to a chocolate tasting before? Welcome! This is a great place to begin! I'll have the samples and tasting-sheets ready—Just bring yourself and a clean palate.

A little later in the month (January 16th and 17th) Zingerman's will be hosting one of the country's best chocolatiers—Mimi Wheeler of Grocer's Daughter Chocolates-for a Truffle Making Class. Mimi owns a small chocolate shop in Empire, MI, and has been working with Zingerman's since she opened in 2004. Mimi sets herself apart from other chocolatiers by using the very best ingredients she can find, including Ecuadorian chocolate, organic cream, Michigan honey, and herbs from her own Leelanau garden. Her recipes are easy to follow and her methods easy to replicate in your own kitchen.

This month in the Next Door, you can treat yourself to a Mini Grocer's Daughter Truffle for just $.75 when you buy any espresso drink. And did I mention that the Next Door is now serving 5 different kinds of hot chocolates and cocoas? Drink up!

New stuff Duff is really excited about:
· Mini Grocer's Daughter Truffle for $.75 with any espresso drink
Around, oh, I'd say 2 or 3 o'clock everyday I need a little pick-me-up. The time may come earlier or later for you—regardless, you know the feeling. What do you do to regroup?

My routine usually involves a swallow of our coffee and a bite of chocolate. Ah, the magical combination of bitter and sweet. So to help all of us survive the thirty-one January afternoons that loom before us, I asked Mimi and Wally at Grocer's Daughter to make Zingerman's some special "truffes." These are bite-size balls of ganache (the current flavor is Mimi's signature rosemary) dusted with a little cocoa powder and destined to accompany your espresso drink (just 75 cents!) So take a sip of your afternoon americano, espresso, chai, or latte and then pop one of these mini-truffles in your mouth. Now you are ready for Round Two.

· Valrhona Chocolate Bars: $4.99-$6.99/ea
This January and February, Zingerman's Deli is featuring Valrhona. You'll find an expanded selection of the Classics, Grand Crus, and Single-Estate bars for sale at the Deli as well as tastings and promotions to celebrate our long partnership with "The King of French Chocolate" (we've been carrying them since 1985!)

Ari wrote a great piece on Valrhona in the most recent issue of the Zingerman's Newsletter (available at all Zingerman's businesses). I learned a lot reading it, and I'm sure you will, too. It includes our tasting notes on the new season (2006) Single-Estate Bars, Classics, and Grand Crus. Here are some excerpts:

Classic Le Noir Amer 71%: "Bold, dark flavors...just enough sugar to bring out the complex, wine-y flavors of the top quality cocoa beans that Valrhona relies on...it's really well balanced, with a long finish and very full flavor."

Grand Cru Manjari 64%: "From Madagascar,...it's exceptionally lively and mouth-watering, light but full-flavored. LOTS of high notes of red fruit like raspberries and currants and tight, tart finish."

Grand Cru Abinao 85%: "Starts quickly with notes of banana and dark tannins and licorice, it's definitely not for everyone. If you like dry red wines, though, this bar is for you."

Grand Cru Jivara Lait 40%: "A very caramelly flavor...if you loved malted milk balls as a kid, but now cotton to the complexity of world-class chocolate, this bar's for you."

Single-Estate Ampamakia (Madagascar) 64%: "This chocolate hints of red plums, followed by nice subtle cherry notes, maybe a hint of lime even. It's very highly perfumed, with hints of wood and wild herbs, and a fairly long high finish."

Single-Estate Gran Couva (Trinidad) 64%: "This was the first Valrhona Plantation bar. This year's crop is caramelly, hints of raisins, hazelnuts and dark rum, with a tiny touch of tartness and a nice, very long, clean, smooth, cocoa-y finish."*

*I was just reading an article about Trinidad's cacao industry in the FANTASTIC quarterly magazine Cocoaroma and learned that the Gran Couva bar is made from cacao of the San Juan estate in the Montserrat Hills of Trinidad. The estate was "founded and owned for four generations by the Agostini family" and is "home to some of the oldest strains of Trinitario on the island" (Cocoaroma Magazine, Issue 2:1).

If you are not familiar with Cocoaroma, I highly recommend it. Published by an independent media firm in San Francisco, the magazine has content ranging from interviews with chocolatiers (both domestic and abroad), feature stories on the newest (and oldest) chocolate shops of the world, travel information to caca/chocolate destinations, recipes from professionals, and more. The best part? No advertisements.

· Chloé's Book and a bar of Valrhona Chocolate
When I first read Chloé's book, The Chocolate Connoisseur, I found myself wishing I had a chocolate bar close at hand to practice my new-found chocolate tasting techniques...looking, snapping, smelling, touching, and (of course) tasting.

So when you come to the Deli to buy your copy of The Chocolate Connoisseur this January/February, you can add any Valrhona chocolate bar to your bag for only $3 (Regular $4.99-$6.99). Classics, Grand Crus, or Single Estates—they all make great reading companions! What would I suggest? Well, a few of Chloe's favorites are the Grand Cru Manjari, Grand Cru Jivara Lait, Single-Estate Gran Couva and Classic 71% Noir Amer. Each of these bars exhibit primary aromas and flavors from many of the categories Chloé talks about in her book, including "Fruity," "Spicy," "Nutty," "Roasted," and even "Buttery." I wonder what you will taste?

Oh, and the best part? Soon all of our copies of The Chocolate Connoisseur will have a bookplate inside signed by Chloé herself!

· Lavender Honey Nougat from Montelimar: $9.99/ea
The second ingredient in this soft, French nougat is lavender-honey—that's what classifies it officially as Nougat de Montelimar and gives it its lovely fragrance and delicate taste. We get this from Kitty Keller out in Oakland, CA (Hi Kitty!) who imports it from the Rhône-Alpes region of France, where "the nougat is still cooked in large (but not "giant") copper pots in 120 kg batches where two craftsmen candymakers form the different nougats onto marble slabs just like it has been done for a century."

Speckled with pistachios and almonds, this lovely confection makes a light dessert. Also delicious dipped in chocolate (hint, hint).

· Trinidad and Cuba Origins from Pralus: $8.99/ea
The Deli is now carrying its biggest selection of Pralus chocolates to-date. I am especially pleased with the new Cuba and Trinidad origins (100g).

The Cuba (which has no vanilla, just like all of the Pralus bars) is extremely lively, with a bright, acidic start. In terms of flavor, I'm a little perplexed. My first tasting notes (from about 1 month ago), read "lighter, citrusy, little licorice." My tasting notes from two days ago, however, were quite different: "Wow acidity. No citrus. Definitely tends toward tobacco, coffee." So you be the judge of flavor! Regardless of what you taste, this is an excellent, excellent bar that is selling fast. Last count, we only have about 40 bars left. Wait, actually 39. I'm going to buy one.

The Trinidad doesn't kick you in the pants like the Cuba does (i.e. less acidity), but it is still well balanced and active. The taste reminds me of alcohol and fermentation—rather sweet and high. There is also an herby taste, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe you can tell me?

Just to re-cap, you'll find in 100g: Mélissa (45% milk chocolate), Fortissima (80%), Indonesie (75%), Colombie (75%), Trinidad (75%), Cuba (75%), and a few lingering Java (75%). We also have the ever-so-wonderful Brut de Sao Tome and Mini Pyramides.

· Fran's Chocolate Caramel Hearts: $4.99/ea
Imagine a dark chocolate heart about the size of your palm filled with Fran's rich, firm caramel, wrapped in sweet red foil and tied up in a cellophane bag. Need I say more?

· Spanish Drinking Chocolate—It's back!! $15.99/ea
There was a rough stretch in November/December when we found ourselves without our favorite hot chocolate—Chocolate a la Taza from Barcelona's Enric Rovira. Now it's back! This dark, decadent drinking chocolate will change your winter. It really is about as close as you can get to literally drinking chocolate—it's thick, it's creamy, it's complex, it's dark (70%)—you only need a tiny demitasse to beat the cold-weather blues.

· Bombolas from Enric Rovira: $12.99/ea
What are bombolas you ask? Well, as near as I can figure the name just means "things covered in chocolate." I like to think of them as little bite-size nuggets of joy. Enric Rovira makes bombolas in many different flavors—everything from pork rind to pink peppercorn! On this most recent import from Spain/Portugal, Zingerman's brought in three different varieties to try: Jengibre (candied ginger), Maíz (corn nuts), and Cacao (cocoa nibs). All three are delicious, but my favorite is the Maíz—something about the crunchy, saltiness of the corn nut in combination with the dark chocolate makes my mouth say, "More, please!"

· 5 Ways to Drink Chocolate in the Next Door
This may be a record. There are now 5 hot chocolates and cocoas on the drink menu in Zingerman's Next Door!

1. Zingerman's Hot Cocoa, made with all natural, unsweetened cocoa powder from Scharffen Berger. Served with Calder Dairy milk and our homemade whipped cream or marshmallows (available in chocolate or vanilla!)

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate. We chop up our Zingerman's Exclusive Mexican Chocolate (Just three ingredients: cacao, sugar, Mexican cinnamon) and mix it with hot water to create a traditional, fragrant, warming drink.

3. Vosges Aztec Cocoa. This cocoa is inspired by the recipes of the Aztecs. Dark chocolate, ancho and chipotle chilies, Mexican vanilla beans, cinnamon, and cornmeal to thicken. Steamed with our Calder Dairy milk, this drink is silky and rich.

4. Italian Drinking Chocolate: Bergamot. Bergamot is a citrus fruit grown mostly in Italy. The fruit is sour, but the peel is used to produce an essential oil that is used to flavor Earl Grey tea. Bergamot is also used to flavor chocolates and confections, like our Bergamot Dark Chocolate Bar from Dolsi Pensieri di Calabria. This chocolate makes an elegant, decadent cup of drinking chocolate—we are enamored with it.

5. Italian Drinking Chocolate: Citron. Also made by Dolsi Pensieri di Calabria, the Citron Dark Chocolate Bar is scented with the oil of the citron fruit, which is a relative of the lemon. The light, citrus-flavored chocolate makes a delicious cup of hot chocolate. Try it for yourself!

As always, please feel free to email eanderson@zingermans.com or call 663-JAVA with choco-queries. But better yet, ask for me when you stop by the Deli—I'd love to meet you and share a square of chocolate.