March 3, 2007
Happy Birthday Zingerman's Deli! March 15th marks the Deli's 25th anniversary, and we're celebrating our quarter-century with promos, giveaways, tastings, and more. We'll be kicking off our birthday-week on March 11th with the Festival of Flavors Street Fair, featuring a variety of vendors and products (including chocolate!)

This month I am also celebrating the Deli-debut of Claudio Corallo Chocolates and Charles Chocolates, two chocolatiers doing very different things at different ends of the world. Thanks to the arrival of their amazing products, and a few new Irish treats from Grocer's Daughter, the selection of chocolates and confections at the Deli is more diverse, fun and discerning than ever. So come in and sample! You'll find over a dozen new bars, truffles and confections to try.

Because there is so much to say about both Claudio and Charles, I'm going to devote an edition of Chocolate News and Notes to each of them! We'll start this month with Claudio Corallo and his innovative and exceptional approach to growing cacao and making chocolate. Then next month (hurrah for Spring!) we'll explore the chocolates and confections of Charles Chocolates and meet its founder, Michigan's own Chuck Siegel. How lucky we are to have TOO MUCH great chocolate to talk about!

New stuff Duff is really excited about:
· Claudio Corallo Chocolates
For the first time, Claudio Corallo is selling his homemade chocolate in the United States. I say "homemade" because Claudio is pretty literally producing everything in his own backyard on the African islands of Sao Tome and Principe, with the help of his family and local people.

I think this is the best thing to happen to the Deli since rye bread. But why? Who is this guy and why is everyone, from Chloe Doutre-Roussel to the folks at Saveur, talking about his chocolate? Here are four very good reasons.

1. The man behind the chocolate
Claudio is Italian and has lived most of his life in Africa. He is a tropical agronomist by training and has extensive experience growing both coffee and cacao. Several years ago, Claudio and his family moved from Zaire to Sao Tome and Principe, one of the poorest countries in the world today.

When the Corallo's arrived, they discovered an abandoned cacao plantation on Principe and began to revive it. It turned out that the plantation was over 200 years old-it had been planted by the Portuguese, who discovered the islands in the 17th century.

2. The methods
At first, Claudio and his family were just working as farmers—growing coffee and cacao and exporting it to roasters and chocolatiers around the world. However, over time Claudio began experimenting with making chocolate himself, staying up late roasting beans, grinding them with a little sugar and tasting the results. Eventually, his experimentation yielded to passionate determination to make the best chocolate in the world. With the help of his family and many workers on the island, Claudio has designed and built his own processing facilities for fermenting, drying, roasting and making chocolate. While his methods may be a little uncouth (we will be talking more about this at the tastings this month), his results are convincing.

3. The cacao
One of the reasons Claudio (and the rest of the world) believes his chocolate is so special is because of its origin. Ostensibly, all cacao growing on Sao Tome and Principe today descends from seeds that the Portuguese brought over from Brazil way back in 1822. Unlike most cacao in the world today that has been engineered by people (to yield more and resist disease) or nature (through the natural cross-pollination and hybridization of plants), the cacao on Sao Tome and Principe has mostly been left alone-sort of frozen in time. As a result, Claudio's chocolate gives us the opportunity to taste something the way it might have tasted almost 200 years ago. The pureness of the chocolate is enhanced by Claudio's minimalist approach to making it—no vanilla, no soy lecithin, no conching. He believes that the less he messes with it, the more real flavor will come through.

4. The impact
In addition to really loving his chocolate, Zingerman's also appreciates the impact of his efforts on the island. His agricultural work with coffee and cacao, as well as his passion for producing chocolate, has greatly benefited the local economy and the lives of the people of Sao Tome and Principe. As Ari puts it, "In terms of helping make the world around him a better place, one man's efforts come to mind. Claudio went down to Sao Tome and Principe a few decades ago to contribute something positive to one of the poorer places in Africa. He is producing some of the most interesting chocolate I've tasted in a long time...and the fact that he's doing such good work to make it happen only makes me more supportive of his efforts."

And so you see—for reasons ranging from the the technical to the humanitarian (and for their pure deliciousness), Claudio Corallo's chocolate is highly sought-after. Look for them in New York City—you won't find 'em. Look for them in San Francisco—you won't find 'em. Zingerman's is one the only places in the world selling Claudio's chocolates. Here are Ari and my abbreviated notes on the recent arrivals. But don't take our word for it—come to the Deli or come to one of our tastings and experience the chocolate yourself.

Wanna know more? Check out Ari's article about Claudio Corallo's chocolate here

· Claudio Corallo Bars
100%: Pure chocolate: no added sugar or vanilla. Surprisingly creamy, big flavor.
80% with sugar crystals: Crunchy at first, then velvety as it melts.
73.5% with nibs: Rustic flavor, delightful texture.
70%: Fragrant and gentle—one of the most mild, yet complex, chocolates I've ever had.

· Claudio Corallo "Raisin d'Etre"
This is the most interesting chocolate I've tasted in a long, long time. 70% chocolate studded with raisins that have been soaked in cacao fruit liquor.

Claudio tells me that this is the most difficult chocolate for him to make, because the distillation of the cacao fruit is so time consuming and low-yielding. But when you bite into a plump, juicy, liquor-soaked raisin you will understand why he goes to all the trouble.

Claudio Corallo Chocolate-Covered Coffee Beans
Hands down, the best chocolate-covered coffee beans we've ever tasted...12 on a scale of 10. Claudio grows three varieties of coffee on Sao Tome, and they are exceptional. Covered in his chocolate, they are divine. In addition to three different kinds of chocolate-covered beans, this kit contains tasting notes and instructions from Claudio himself.

I hope I see you this month at the Corallo Rendez Vous I or II, where you can decide for yourself whether this new chocolate truly is some of the best in the world. But even if I don't, please feel free to email eanderson@zingermans.com or call 734-663-JAVA to talk chocolate.