Perhaps the BEST chocolate in the world is being made by Shawn Askinosie in Springfield, Missouri.  Seriously.  It has become my absolute favorite, and I taste a LOT of chocolate.  

When starting up Askinosie Chocolate, Shawn decided to cut out the middle man and work directly with cacao growers.  This meant getting very hands-on in the bean-selection process – measuring the moisture level of the dried beans, monitoring the temperature of the fermenting beans and tasting and smelling the beans before importing them.  Working directly with the farmers allows Askinosie to pay higher than fair trade wages to the growers.  In addition, Askinosie shares 10% of his profits with the farmers. 

My favorite Askinosie chocolate is the San Jose Del Tambo with cacao nibs.  This chocolate is made with the Arriba National bean from Ecuador.  It has 70% cacao level.  This chocolate is smooth on the tongue and has a wonderful fruitiness on the palette.  I eat three squares each day and use it for taste comparisons.   I use the San Jose Del Tambo without cacao nibs for baking and have never been disappointed.  It is moist and rich and perfect for recipes that call for 70% (bittersweet) chocolate.  In addition to the smaller bars, you can buy it by the kilo – it is less expensive that way. 

Askinosie also makes chocolate from cacao beans grown in Mexico.  They have just added a new product from beans that were grown in The Philippines.  This chocolate is smooth and delicious, as well, but my preference for taste is still the San Jose Del Tambo bar.

You can find Askinosie chocolate in the Bay Area at Bittersweet in San Francisco.  I typically order mine online from the Askinosie website.  It is packaged to remain cool and arrives within a few days.

Askinosie Chocolate
514 E. Commercial Street
Springfield, Missouri  65803
417-862-9900
www.askinosie.com/

A friend of mine recently told me about Brix Chocolate, a line of chocolate that has been specially formulated to complement wines.  I was skeptical because I have never particularly liked wine and chocolate together, unless it was a port-style wine and chocolate.  I immediately went to the Brix Chocolate website and ordered a variety pack.  The chocolate comes in three varieties – milk chocolate (40% cacao), medium dark chocolate (60% cacao) and extra dark chocolate (70% cacao).  All varieties of the chocolate are formulated from cacao from Ghana. 

I tried the milk chocolate first.  It is recommended that the milk chocolate be paired with Port, Ice Wine, Rose, Pinot Noir and Burgundy.  We had some Ice Wine that was open in the refrigerator so I tried the two together.  I was quite pleasantly surprised.  The chocolate did not make the wine taste bitter or acidic at all; in fact, the combination was really good!  The next day, I tried it again with a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.  Again, a great pairing.

It is recommended that the medium dark chocolate be paired with Zinfandel, Syrah, Rhone, Merlot or Sherry.  I tried it with a glass of 1998 Swanson Napa Valley Syrah.  Again, a good pairing.  This surprised me, as I was expecting the taste of the wine to be drastically changed by the chocolate.  Instead, I got complexity and harmony from the pairing that I did not expect. 

A couple of days later, I tried the extra dark chocolate (which is recommended for pairing with Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux or Barolo) with a glass of one of my favorite Cabernets.  I thought the pairing was okay, but I think that the tannins in the Cabernet seemed a bit sharper after the chocolate.  I am looking forward to trying the extra dark chocolate with a Barolo next for comparison.  And maybe with a Zinfandel – I think that combination might work, too. 

Yesterday, I was in the Napa Style store in Napa Valley and discovered that they carry Brix chocolate, too.  You can also order it from the Brix Chocolate website.