Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival October 22-23 in Seattle

The Northwest Chocolate Festival (NWCF) will be held in Seattle next month, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day during the weekend of October 22nd and 23rd. Nearly all of the festival will take place in the Northwest Rooms of Seattle Center (305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109). The theme of the weekend is Taste, Learn, and Celebrate.

Tasting includes not only an amazing selection of chocolate (from at least 17 chocolate makers, including: Amano, Chocolate Conspiracy, Divine, Escazú, Fresco, Indahphoria, Kallari, Lillie Belle Farms, Madécasse, Madre, Mindo, Olive & Sinclair, Rogue, Snake & Butterfly, Stirs the Soul, Taza, and Theo), but also chocolate desserts and even drink pairings.

Learning includes a huge variety of more than 70 classes about farming cacao, trade equity, crafting chocolate from the bean, single origin chocolate, tempering chocolate, pairing chocolate, health benefits, etc. For an additional $8 [$10 at the door] and attending 5 classes, NWCF is offering their Chocolate Academy "Masters in Chocolate Level 1" certificate, which also includes Chocolate Academy membership. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, discounts on tickets to future festivals, and invitations to special chocolate events at partner businesses.

Celebrating is highlighted by Saturday night's Chocolate Masquerade Ball at Sole Repair (1001 E. Pike St., Seattle WA 98122). This special event has separate admission. It starts at 8 p.m. with a Chocolate Dessert Showcase and Competition, with awards for the best desserts. At 10 p.m., there will be a Best Costume contest. Attire is black tie and/or masquerade.

You can read more about the entire weekend on their website: http://www.nwchocolate.com/.

In addition to these activities open to everyone, 100 VIP tickets are being sold that include full weekend passes, an exclusive "Meet the Maker" opening night reception of wine and chocolate, a VIP-only chocolate and pairing event, a complimentary drink flight in the Beer, Cider, Spirit and Wine Garden during the festival, the Chocolate Academy certificate described above, and a chance to win two tickets on Alaska Airlines.

You can purchase any of the following tickets in advance and pick up your non-transferable ticket at Will Call with photo identification:

• $37.50 full weekend pass [$40 at the door]
• $22.00 one day pass (age 13+) [$25 at the door]
• $6.50 one day youth pass (age 5 to 12)
• $89.00 VIP full weekend pass and more
• $42.50 chocolate masquerade ball [$50 at the door]

With so many bean-to-bar chocolate makers and great classes, the third annual Northwest Chocolate Festival might be the best chocolate event in the U.S. this year. If you will be in the Seattle area, you do not want to miss it. Lindy and I are attending, and we hope you'll be able to get there, too!

Review: Michel Cluizel Concepcion

Lindy's Rating: 7.5

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Michel Cluizel bar Concepcion region Venezuela plantation Concepcion cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 66% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text and image imprints, scoring aroma floral, earth (moss), roast (coffee), fruit (raisin), sweet snap hard taste sweet (honey, caramel), fruit (raspberry, hint of citrus), roast melt smooth length medium finish very slightly astringent

French chocolate maker Michel Cluizel has five plantations from which they make their single origin 1er Cru de Plantation bars. One of those plantations is Concepcion in the Barlovento valley of Venezuela.

Concepcion was made with 66% cocoa solids (cocoa beans and cocoa butter), with the addition of cane sugar and Bourbon vanilla pod. The 70 gram bar was imprinted with text and cacao pods as shown above, scored into 15 pieces, and wrapped in gold foil. The enclosing paper box was stamped with a best before date of 23 March 2012.

The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The bar had a hard snap.

Lindy noticed an initial floral aroma that I missed. We both experienced the scents of earth, a coffee roast, and raisin. I also smelled sweetness. Lindy clarified the earth aroma as mossy.

Concepcion tasted sweet, with the flavors of honey and caramel. Fruit in the form of raspberry and a hint of citrus was also present. I tasted a cocoa roast as well.

The melt was smooth, and the length was medium with the flavor lasting 25 to 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was slightly astringent.

You can purchase Michel Cluizel Concepcion online for $5.95 in the U.S. from Chocosphere, or for £3.95 in the U.K. from Chocolate Trading Co.

Rescaling Length Attribute

After a year of reviewing chocolate, we realize that our original scaling of the length of time chocolate flavor remains after the chocolate has completely melted from your mouth has a poor distribution. Nearly 70% of the chocolates we have reviewed were rated as having short length.

Our original scale for length was as follows:

• minimal: 0 to 5 seconds
• short: 5 to 30 seconds
• medium: 30 to 60 seconds
• long: 60 or more seconds

That scale made it difficult to distinguish chocolates whose flavor lasts 25 seconds after the chocolate is gone from those whose flavor lasts only 10 seconds.

To make the length in the table summary more useful, we've adjusted the scale as follows:

• minimal: 0 to 5 seconds
• short: 5 to 20 seconds
• medium: 20 to 40 seconds
• long: 40 or more seconds

I am in the midst of revising all of our previous reviews, and anticipate finishing in the next day or two.

Event: Chocolate Weekend NYC October 14-16

Savorique has organized Chocolate Weekend NYC to explore chocolate stores throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. This free event takes place next month during the weekend of October 14-16, 2011. You can visit any of more than 20 stores for special weekend activities and discounts. If you live in the area, put this on your calendar!

As the weekend approaches, more information will be added on the website: http://www.chocolateweekendnyc.com/. Click on individual store names to read about specific activities and events at each location. RSVP is free on the event's Facebook page.

You'll probably want to wait until October, but don't forget to print a passport (from link above) and get it stamped by at least 4 stores to (postal) mail to Savorique for a 20% discount. After receiving your passport and email address, Savorique will email you a coupon code to use on their site. Those who visit the most stores also have a chance to win one of 10 free gourmet gift baskets.

Review: Amano Ocumare

Lindy's Rating: 8.5

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Amano bar Ocumare region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $6.95

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma butter, spice, fruit (cherry), earth, floral, sweet (molasses) snap hard taste roast (cocoa), sweet, fruit (plum, raspberry, watermelon), earth melt smooth length medium finish very slightly sour

Amano made Ocumare from cacao beans grown in the Ocumare valley of Venezuela. With 70% cocoa solids, Ocumare was made from Criollo cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla beans. The two ounce bar was scored into 15 pieces, each with an imprint of the Amano name and their cacao tree branch emblem. The bar was wrapped in gold foil and put inside a glossy black paper box with a print of Carlos Serbia's painting of Cocoa from Heaven. The bar we reviewed from lot 3/4/85D had a best before date of December 2012.

Ocumare had a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431) color. The bar had a hard snap. The aromas of this chocolate included butter, spice, a cherry fruit, earth, and something floral. I also smelled a molasses sweetness.

The taste of Ocumare had roast cocoa with some sweetness. Early fruit flavors grew into what Lindy described as an explosion after about 15 seconds: red fruit, plum, raspberry, and watermelon. I also tasted some earth.

This chocolate had a smooth melt. The flavor lasted between 25 and 35 seconds, giving it a medium length. The final aftertaste was very slightly sour.

Ocumare won a Silver at the Academy of Chocolate's 2009 Awards.

You can purchase Amano Ocumare online for $6.95 directly from Amano for delivery in the U.S. or Canada. If you would like to buy it in combination with bars from other chocolate makers, you can get it for $6.99 from Chocolopolis.

Sale: 20% off Valrhona chocolate plus 5 free samples!

This week World Wide Chocolate has 20% off Valrhona chocolate (through September 19th). Use coupon code VALRHONA20 during checkout for this 20% discount. The last time they ran this promotion was in April.

As a bonus treat during checkout, the first 30 buyers to add "Free Valrhona Chocolate Squares" in the Comments field will receive 5 free bite-size 5 gram chocolate squares of Valrhona chocolate. You do not have to purchase Valrhona chocolate using the code above to qualify for the 5 free sample squares.

In addition, for all orders, your shipping method will automatically be upgraded from UPS Ground to UPS 2nd-Day Air if your destination is beyond two days for UPS Ground transit (choose UPS Ground as your shipping method). Between May and September, World Wide Chocoloate also includes free warm weather packaging of a reusable frozen gel pack inside insulated container (usually an additional $6.99), which protects your chocolate for about 48 hours.

World Wide Chocolate has some additional promotions available (such as AMERICAN10 = 10% off any combination of American chocolate makers with $30 minimum order), but none are especially compelling.

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.

Review: Moonstruck Fortunato No. 4 Peru

Lindy's Rating: 8.0

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Felchlin bar Fortunato No. 4 region Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees Nacional year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 68% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $12.00

color medium-light brown PANTONE 18-1314 Acorn texture smooth with image imprints and scoring aroma floral, earth, fruit (citrus), tart, roast, hint of sweet snap medium hard taste sweet (honey), fruit (coconut, apricot, nectarine), roast (cocoa), nut melt more smooth length medium finish slightly tannin, very slightly acidic

Fortunato No. 4 has a fascinating history. In 2007, Dan Pearson and Brian Horsley rediscovered pure Nacional cacao trees in Peru. Even more surprising is that these trees were growing at extremely high elevations (for cacao) between 3500 and 4100 feet. This species was previously known only in Ecuador and thought extinct a few years after rampant diseases attacked those trees in 1916. Pure Nacional cacao has rare white beans like that of Porcelana from Venezuela.

As for the name, the number 4 came from the purest genetic sample, which came from the 4th of 14 analyzed by the USDA. Fortunato is the name of the cacao farmer on whose land in the Marañón Canyon of Peru where the purest mother tree was found. They founded Marañón Chocolate, consider themselves stewards of this cacao, and provide seeds and starts from their nursery to other local farmers to expand production.

Marañón Chocolate sells to a limited set of chocolatiers who retail products made using Fortunato No. 4. Moonstruck is one such chocolatier. The Swiss chocolate maker Felchlin produces Fortunato No. 4 bars and couverture for Moonstruck.

Moonstruck's Fortunato No. 4 was made with 68% cocoa solids (cocoa beans and cocoa butter) and 32% cane sugar. The two ounce bar was scored into 15 pieces, each with an imprint of the Moonstruck crescent moon and flute player. The bar was wrapped in silver foil and packaged inside a paper box with raised graphics. The best before date stamped on the box of the bar we reviewed was blurred, but it seemed to be February 2012.

The color of the chocolate was an unusual medium-light brown Acorn (PANTONE 18-1314). The bar had a medium hard snap.

Fortunato No. 4 had an aroma that included the floral typical of Ecuador cacao, earth, a tart citrus fruit, and some roast. I also smelled a suggestion of sweetness.

This chocolate tasted sweet, with the distinct flavor of honey. Fruit flavors ranged from a tropical coconut to tree fruits in the form of nectarine and apricot. We also tasted a cocoa roast and some nut.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 30 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a medium length. The finish was slightly tannin and very slightly acidic.

Fortunato No. 4 won a Bronze at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

You can purchase Moonstruck Fortunato No. 4 online directly from Moonstruck for $12.00 or in person at one of their chocolate cafés or from one of their retail partners.

Sale: 20% off Michel Cluizel chocolate

This week World Wide Chocolate has 20% off Michel Cluizel chocolate (through September 12th). Use coupon code CLUIZEL20 during checkout for this 20% discount. It's been almost four months since they last ran this promotion.

In addition, for all orders, your shipping method will automatically be upgraded from UPS Ground to UPS 2nd-Day Air if your destination is beyond two days for UPS Ground transit (choose UPS Ground as your shipping method). Between May and September, World Wide Chocoloate also includes free warm weather packaging of a reusable frozen gel pack inside insulated container (usually an additional $6.99), which protects your chocolate for about 48 hours.

World Wide Chocolate has some additional promotions available, but none are especially compelling.

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.

Review: Michel Cluizel Grand Noir 85%

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Michel Cluizel bar Grand Noir 85% region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 30g ~ 1.1oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth and matte with text imprints aroma floral, roast (cocoa), earth, nut (almond), hint of spice snap hard taste roast, nut, floral, chalky, hint of dried fruit melt more smooth length short finish very slightly bitter, very slightly sour

Michel Cluizel made their Grand Noir 85% with a blend of cacao from South America, Africa, and Java. As its name suggests, it is made with 85% cocoa solids (cocoa beans and cocoa butter), with the addition of cane sugar and Bourbon vanilla pod. The 30 gram bar we reviewed came wrapped in foil, with the standard small bar Michel Cluizel imprint over a background that was half smooth, half matte. The wrapper was stamped with a best before date of 8 October 2011.

Grand Noir 85% had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The bar had a medium hard snap.

This chocolate had a strong floral aroma that also included a cocoa roast, earth, and a nut that Lindy identified as almond. I also smelled a hint of spice. The floral aroma reminded me of Ecuador cacao.

The taste of Grand Noir 85% had flavors of roast, nut and floral. It also tasted somewhat chalky to me. There was a hint of sweet, dried fruit as well, probably closest to fig. Overall, Lindy described it as "not much to the taste".

The melt was more smooth. The flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The final aftertaste was very slightly bitter. The finish also tasted very slightly sour to me.

This chocolate won a Bronze at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

You can purchase a 70 gram bar of Michel Cluizel Grand Noir 85% online for $5.65 in the U.S. from Chocosphere, or for £3.95 in the U.K. from Chocolate Trading Co.