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Old 02-23-2010, 11:33 AM   #1 (permalink)
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First taste of chocolate?

My wife hasn't tasted chocolate since elementary school. She's been under the impression that she was allergic to chocolate. Recently, after a bad fish episode, she decided to have a full allergy test done. Turns out that she is NOT allergic to chocolate. (It is possible, according to the doctor, that she has a reaction to chocolate not associated with allergies.)

So, at some point soonish, she's considering trying chocolate again. My question to TFP: exactly what chocolate should she try?

I'm thinking a milk chocolate, not a dark. Also, the chocolate shouldn't be an acquired taste kind of thing, but pretty accessible. She's been eating carob as a substitute for the past decades.
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Old 02-23-2010, 12:05 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Give her an assortment of high-quality chocolate: milk, dark, truffles, etc.

As long as the quality is high, it will be worthwhile.

I'm a fan of Lindt chocolates. The milk chocolate is really good. You can get boxes/bags of assorted chocolates, which would be a good sampler for her.

Also consider making a real hot cocoa from scratch.
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Old 02-23-2010, 12:06 PM   #3 (permalink)
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What about starting with junky chocolate? Hershey's, Snickers, York, etc?

These products are designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Why start off with something all fancy pants?

...

Even the wine snob started off drinking Bud Light.
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Old 02-23-2010, 12:42 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Chocolate body paint.
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Old 02-23-2010, 12:45 PM   #5 (permalink)
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I agree with Plan9. Start simple. Hershey Kisses, M&M's.... oh boy. This is going to make me *need* chocolate NOW. With Easter coming, there should be plenty of chocolate around.

and why not dark chocolate? It is good for her heart (plus, it's my favorite)
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Old 02-23-2010, 04:30 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Anything but American chocolate. The crap you guys put in candy bars has no right calling itself chocolate. It's way too waxy and sweet.

I would suggest getting to a good chocolatier and getting an assortment of good quality chocolate (dark and milk). I would also suggest getting her some good chocolate mousse.
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Old 02-23-2010, 04:57 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Not all American chocolate sucks. I personally can't stand Lindt. Their shit tastes like what I imagine wax candles taste like and it's greasy? WTF.

I like Godiva chocolate and am a big fan of Ethel's chocolate as well.
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Old 02-23-2010, 05:25 PM   #8 (permalink)
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True. Not all American chocolate. Just the industrial stuff - Hershey's, etc.

What's interesting is the same brands, made in Canada, or elsewhere, taste better (at least to the Canadian palate).
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Old 02-23-2010, 05:45 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Charlatan, I completely agree with you, but the ingredients and their ratios ARE in fact different in Canada vs the USA.
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Old 02-23-2010, 10:04 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Indeed they are. So if you want to go the route of a Mars Bar, a Snickers or a KitKat... go Canadian!
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Old 02-24-2010, 01:50 AM   #11 (permalink)
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I agree with BG on the Lindt Milk Chocolate. Don't go for 'candy', instead give her high quality stuff. I wouldn't go for dark chocolate to start with. LoganSnake, not sure what Lindt you're trying but to me it tastes very rich and high quality.

One of my favourite milk chocolates since childhood is Cadbury's Dairy Milk. It' is very silky and delicious and I've never heard anyone say they don't like it.

Other than these I suppose a great local chocolatier would be good but I wouldn't go for truffles to start. Those are usually a love hate thing, depending on how they're made.

How exciting, to taste chocolate 'for the first time' as an adult. Does she have any memory of what it might be like?
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Old 02-24-2010, 02:26 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Good quality, milk chocolate covered almonds. Heaven! I hope I'm eating some the day I die.
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Old 02-24-2010, 06:12 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru View Post
Give her an assortment of high-quality chocolate: milk, dark, truffles, etc. As long as the quality is high, it will be worthwhile.

I'm a fan of Lindt chocolates. The milk chocolate is really good. You can get boxes/bags of assorted chocolates, which would be a good sampler for her.

Also consider making a real hot cocoa from scratch.
I'm in the US; I agree with other posters that the Lindt isn't very good here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan9 View Post
What about starting with junky chocolate? Hershey's, Snickers, York, etc?

These products are designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Why start off with something all fancy pants?
Not Snickers or York, certainly. I want her to taste just chocolate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel_ View Post
Chocolate body paint.
If she does have a non-allergic reaction, I don't want her to associate that reaction with licking my body.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meditrina View Post
and why not dark chocolate? It is good for her heart (plus, it's my favorite)
I was thinking it's more of an acquired taste than milk. But, OTOH, carob is probably closer to dark chocolate. So now I'm not sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by little_tippler View Post
Other than these I suppose a great local chocolatier would be good

How exciting, to taste chocolate 'for the first time' as an adult. Does she have any memory of what it might be like?
I don't even know if there is a cholocatier in the area. She works with chocolate frequently, so she knows the smell, and that's most of the taste.
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Old 02-24-2010, 01:15 PM   #14 (permalink)
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Get her an assorted box of Ethel's and pig out together. The presentation of their chocolate is pretty awesome:



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Old 02-24-2010, 02:55 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Yeah, but I'm still thinking pure chocolate. Not chocolate with mint, or chocolate with fondant, or chocolate with peanut butter.

So, if I'm in the US without access to a quality chocolatier, what brands should I go with?
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Old 02-24-2010, 04:18 PM   #16 (permalink)
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Check out Cost Plus World Market - they have several European chocolates there, and quite a variety, at a reasonable price.
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Old 02-24-2010, 05:36 PM   #17 (permalink)
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MAST BROTHERS CHOCOLATE
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Old 02-26-2010, 01:49 PM   #18 (permalink)
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Hershey's and other big US chocolate makers use butyric acid as a mild sweetener in their chocolate. For those of use who grew up with chocolate made with butyric acid, this doesn't mean much. Most of the non-US world has not habituated the taste of butyric acid in chocolate and therefore naturally associates it with the one thing almost everyone has tasted containing it: vomit. I suggest not having her try common grocery store chocolates for this reason.
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Old 02-27-2010, 07:30 AM   #19 (permalink)
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Old 02-27-2010, 07:35 AM   #20 (permalink)
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South's Best Chocolate

they ship.
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Old 02-27-2010, 05:38 PM   #21 (permalink)
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I suggest going with Hagen Daas chocolate sorbet or if she likes ice cream, you might try Hagen Daas choco choclate chip.
I also like the hot cocoa idea.
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Old 02-27-2010, 07:08 PM   #22 (permalink)
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I love the taste of Dove chocolates. They come in all flavors dark, milk, and they are not expensive. Not to rich not waxy IMO. I think it is a very smooth chocolate. I can never eat just one Good Luck and may she feel like a kid in a candy store when she has her first piece
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Old 03-01-2010, 09:12 AM   #23 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redlemon View Post
My question to TFP: exactly what chocolate should she try?

I'm thinking a milk chocolate, not a dark. Also, the chocolate shouldn't be an acquired taste kind of thing, but pretty accessible. She's been eating carob as a substitute for the past decades.
I don't know if you can get it in the US, but Cadbury's Dairy Milk is probably the greatest chocolate in the world. That isn't saying that there are many astonishing quality chocolates made around the world, but CDM is just unique (for the moment - Kraft have just purchased some, who knows) in it's flavour.

DB
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Old 03-01-2010, 11:37 AM   #24 (permalink)
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Actually, now that I think of it I only tried one chocolate bar in the US and it was a small Dove milk chocolate bar. It tasted like wax and a hint of chocolate. Ew. I remember thinking it tasted weird and that I recalled Dove bars being better than that... maybe it is due to how they are made in the US vs. how they are made in Europe. Interesting.

Redlemon you could try and look up a European chocolatier and order it over.

Here's some ideas:

Luxury chocolate gifts delivered in the USA - La Maison du chocolat
-(There is a store for these on Madison Avenue in NY)

gourmet french chocolate from richart - richart us online boutique
-great French brand

Boutique en ligne chocolats du Maitre chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, artisan chocolatier, vente en ligne de chocolats haut de gamme, livraison en France et à l'international.
-a renowned French chocolatier

Amedei - Cioccolato da degustazione, fondente, al latte, chuao, porcelana…
this guy is considered to be one of the world's best chocolatiers

Amano Artisan Chocolate -- Chocolate Handcrafted To Perfection
-possibly the best American chocolate, apparently

If you can't get anything more 'homemade', I'd also go for the Cadbury.
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Our hearts are incommunicable still.
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The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.


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Old 03-01-2010, 11:54 AM   #25 (permalink)
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...i totally agree with neveragain...hands down...Dove chocolate...both the milk chocolate and the dark. You can find it in any grocery store or drug store and it's divine! I like milk chocolate but I always opt for the dark chocolate because of the health benefits (in moderation of course). It's high in anti-oxidents. If she is used to carob then dark chocolate will very likely be her preference anyway.

...if you want to make the presentation special and romantic then also rent the movie "Chocolat" with Juliet Binoche and Johnny Depp

...and watch it with her (warning: chick flick)

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Old 03-01-2010, 12:00 PM   #26 (permalink)
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There IS good American chocolate to be had, chocolate that follows the more European tradition, but you'll have to look for it or order it online.

Chocolate Truffles, Gourmet Boxes of Chocolate, Easter Chocolate | Moonstruck Chocolate Company

Scharffen Berger -- Home

Welcome to Theo Chocolate

I eat a lot of Theo chocolate (1 bar a week--lasts the whole week). It is seriously good stuff. And when I visit Portland, Moonstruck is always on the list. The problem with eating this stuff is that Dove and Hershey can't compete, and so cheap chocolate is out once you've become habituated to eating it.

Other chocolate I like:

http://www.greenandblacks.com/ Especially the Maya Gold bar.

http://www.equalexchange.coop/

If you have a hippie food co-op in your area, that may be a place where you will find these bars.
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Old 03-01-2010, 03:47 PM   #27 (permalink)
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Check out these... they're awesome.

Sweetriot Chocolate Nibs
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