Chocolate

[lagatta]

Indeed! Among others.

[casimira]

Dark Chocolate is the only chocolate.

Both my husband and I are chocolate (and coffee) snobs.


Perugia is my favorite followed by Lindt, then Ghirardelli (US).

The chocolate I had in Oaxaca was heavenly. Hot chocolate was graciously offered up in some of the shops I went to. Much like tea is offered in shops in Istanbul. Very civilized.

[questa]

Does the Rest of the World have "Tim-Tams"? They are a luxurious treat made by a sweet marriage of Arnott's biscuits and Cadbury chocolate. Rectangular, about 5cm long, rich choc biscuit layered with milk choc and dipped in real chocolate covering.

Delicious on their own, they also form the basis for a "Tim-Tam Slam". Here the biscuit is nibbled at diagonally opposite corners to open the chocolate layers. Then one end is lowered into a cup of coffee while the drinker sucks on the other end like a straw. As the coffee is filtered through the chocolate, eventually the biscuit implodes and the rather sticky remainder eaten.

[bixaorellana]

Dec 9, 2018 14:38:19 GMT casimira said:

The chocolate I had in Oaxaca was heavenly.

Casimira, if you ever have a chance to try the "Aztec chocolate" from Sicily you will be immediately taken body & soul into heaven. It is very much like Oaxacan chocolate, but not so gritty, thus truly sublime.

Dec 9, 2018 16:19:46 GMT questa said:

Does the Rest of the World have "Tim-Tams"?

Questa, I used to be on another forum where the Aussies were all about Tim-Tams. Charlie was on that forum too & was sent some Tim-Tams. When we tried them they were nice, but we were unable to discern any taste or texture difference between Tim-Tams and Kit-Kats. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_Kat -- and -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam

[cheerypeabrain]

I can vouch for the Mexican hot chocolate! (Thank you Bixa dear)

There are a lot of crafty chocolate shops around Leicester, some of their products are luscious. I'm partial to Lindt ant Hotel Chocolate products...especially pralines...

I'm afraid I really haven't had any US chocolate I liked, I found Hershey's particularly nasty in all its forms. UK chocolate (Cadburys or Thorntons etc) are way too sweet and sickly imo...altho I do like a Curly Wirly occasionally..

[questa]

Dec 9, 2018 16:38:41 GMT bixaorellana said:

we were unable to discern any taste or texture difference between Tim-Tams and Kit-Kats

Tim-tams are fairly up-market biscuits. They appear on stylish china or silverware at ladies' gatherings and are just right for a small gift of appreciation. I like them better than Kit-kats. The flavour seems richer and there is more choc gooey on the outside. They are closer to the chocolate biscuits that have been made at home.

Kit-Kats are confectionery, just right for a quick break at work, or give the kids as a bribe to behave. The texture is of a wafer...a nothingness as compared to the rich biscuit, and the flavour of the choc is a bit insipid and uniform.

I think you must run your observations and analysis again...and again.

[patricklondon]

Dec 10, 2018 4:29:06 GMT questa said:

Dec 9, 2018 16:38:41 GMT bixaorellana said:

we were unable to discern any taste or texture difference between Tim-Tams and Kit-Kats

Tim-tams are fairly up-market biscuits. They appear on stylish china or silverware at ladies' gatherings

Not so upmarket if the stylish ladies go for a Tim-Tam Slam.

(But in UK terms, I agree with questa. Our KitKats are wafer biscuits covered in chocolate (though now with some versions having extra flavour layers), while asI recall a Tim-Tam, like our Penguin, is two more substantial biscuits with a filling layer.

[lagatta]

Tim-Tams are sometimes sold in Canada, but generally seen as an Aussie thing.

The only chocolate I eat is very dark (with very little sugar) so I've never had them. What I do like about chocolate is the bitterness, and to be honest a very mild high, as from strong black coffee.

[casimira]

I will keep my eyes peeled for the Aztec chocolate Bixa, thank you!!!!

I had underestimated the degree of caffeine that dark chocolate contains but I certainly did find out when back in 1995 there was a huge 6,000 acre woodland fire that was near where my brother and his business and storage warehouses are located.
I remember that my mother had just sent me a box of 2 layers of Godiva chocolates (she was not a lover of chocolates and someone had given them to her).
In my anxiety and also at the mercy of my very neurotic then sister in law was on the phone most of the night. All the while eating these 
chocolates and was so f'n wired, beyond a mild high. I could not go to sleep at all despite my exhaustion.
Gratefully, my brother's property was spared by literally a matter of yards. (I saw the line of where the fire had been extinguished on a visit not long afterward).
It was one of the largest fires on L.I. in history (I think).

To this day,I am ever mindful of consuming dark chocolate or drinking coffee past a certain time of day.

[lagatta]

I am too. Usually I drink no coffee after my two breakfast espressos, unless I'm meeting a friend for coffee in the afternoon, or perhaps after a supper where we've been drinking wine, so the upper and downer sort of cancel each other out, thoug not always!

What a scary story! I'm still in high vigilance due to the anniversary of the Polytechnique Massacre in 1989, when I was also writing an exam (graduate history course) at Université de Montréal, two buildings over.

There is now a high-end chocolate shop one street over, "État de choc". We used to have a crackhouse on our street. Now peak gentrification?

[questa]

My restaurant in Bali served hot or cold chocolate drinks. As fresh milk is not available we used Condensed milk or powdered full cream milk. Some of our regulars tried the hot water only, with or without sugar and enjoyed it better than hot milk chocolate.

As you know our skin takes on a scent which is largely due to our diet. Some people have a curry smell, some more spicy like chilli. My Balinese staff said Westerners have a 'milky/buttery' smell when they first come to Bali but after eating local food for about a week it goes.

[questa]

Dec 10, 2018 7:17:56 GMT patricklondon said:

Not so upmarket if the stylish ladies go for a Tim-Tam Slam

Different cohorts, not necessarily unrelated

[kerouac2]

I think I'll go and eat one of my delicious milk chocolate coins.

[questa]

But then you will have one coin less! Steady on, just take time to consider what life would be like with ONE COIN MISSING.
This is heavy stuff, Man, can you deal with the loss? We have counsellors to help you through this major decision, if you want one.

Oh! you et it? was it nice?

[rikita]

Dec 8, 2018 14:16:40 GMT bixaorellana said:

There is really no good reason for milk chocolate.

i think me liking it is reason enough.

i like dark, too, though. and chocolate with various fillings and flavourings. nougat, various fruit, alcohol, chili, various creams, marzipan ... it all depends on my mood.

as for timtams, i tried them a couple of times i think, and thought they were alright, though not more alright than many others. i suppose it is often also a connection to childhood memories, that makes some sweets stand out ...

[kerouac2]

Put chocolate in the name of anything, and people will almost certainly buy it. Kebab works, too, with millennials.

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[cheerypeabrain]

I seem to have reached the age when everybody thinks that chocolate should be the go to present of choice for xmas. I'm coming down with boxes and boxes. Already given several away to neighbours. I've kept a jolly nice box of champagne truffles tho...

[lagatta]

Fortunately people know better in my case!

[casimira]

Dec 26, 2018 19:06:37 GMT cheerypeabrain said:

I seem to have reached the age when everybody thinks that chocolate should be the go to present of choice for xmas. I'm coming down with boxes and boxes. Already given several away to neighbours. I've kept a jolly nice box of champagne truffles tho...

The same here Cheery. Chocolate and decent red wines were the main gifts we received.

I gave away most of the milk chocolate ones but kept the dark chocolate for us.

(the wine stays here).

[onlyMark]

I gave away most of the dark chocolate to Mrs M but kept all the milk chocolate for me.

[kerouac2]

That's what I would do, too.

[mich64]

I gathered all the remaining open boxes of chocolates/candies yesterday and gave them to my husband to take to work. There is one unopened box left which I will open today (and will probably have one!) and ensure it goes to the firehall when my husband goes back to work tomorrow!

[cheerypeabrain]

There was a show on TV here recently where they took examples of milk chocolate from USA, GB, Belgium and somewhere else..made them into uniform blocks and went around doing taste tests with the public (think they were in London) . Brits liked the British chocolate best, Americans liked the chocolate from the USA best. We like a taste of home it seems...growing up in the sixties Lindt (Swiss?) was the luxurious 'treat' chocolate but Cadbury's, Rowntrees etc were the staple every day stuff we bought with out pocket money

They taste very different..to the British palate American chocolate tastes pretty disgusting...like a sour cheesy tang. I'm sure British chocolate tastes awful to people not used to its sweet creaminess...

[casimira]

During my childhood we didn't have exposure to chocolates that were from outside the U.S. The only exception was at Easter time when the occasional Cadbury crème filled egg would magically appear in our Easter baskets.

I remember being able to immediately taste the difference and always wondered why we were at the mercy of Hershey's during the rest of the year.

I think my first exposure to dark chocolate was a box of mixed chocolates made by Russell Stover and it was wonderful but, that was a rarity as well.

[cheerypeabrain]

I like dark chocolate but not the really bitter stuff...the worst thing imo is white 'chocolate' which is my OH and eldest son's favourite. I use it in cooking sometimes, just made some ice cream and the white chocolate added a sweet, creamy flavour. Nice in cakes too...but on it's own? No thanks...

There are no cocoa solids in white stuff tho so I suppose it's not really chocolate...

[mickthecactus]

When I was working, anybody who went to our NY office always bought back a selection of sweets and chocolate and Hersheys was always last to go.

There were some delicious sour sweets which I loved.

[kerouac2]

Hershey's has a weird aftertaste, very unpleasant to most non Americans.

[mich64]

Dec 29, 2018 20:01:02 GMT kerouac2 said:

Hershey's has a weird aftertaste, very unpleasant to most non Americans.

I find Hershey bars are a little bitter. It was always my last choice of my halloween candies.

[rikita]

hm, i just remember thinking that the chocolate in the US somehow crumbled more rather than melting, but i might remember wrongly and i am not sure what brand it was either. but i'd never give away my christmas chocolates. those are mine, all mine ... i got some nice chocolate pralines ...

[onlyMark]

When I lived in San Francisco one of the first things I did was try some Hershey's as I'd heard often how much of a staple they were regarding chocolate.

WTF. Crap.