Chocolate Tasting: A Delicious Art
With amazing complexities and levels of flavor, chocolate, noted for its unique textures and tastes, is similar to any fine wine. Like wine connoisseurs, chocolate lovers can delectably taste their product as an event, exploring its delicious details and savoring the flavors.
Many things can affect the final product of chocolate. From the blend of cacao beans, the timing and the manner of the roasting and drying process, making and tasting chocolate is truly a delicate art.
This art can be sampled and appreciated in many different places that host chocolate tasting events.
New Jersey
From dark to milk and rich to light, New Jersey chocolate-lovers can enjoy the different flavors tickle their taste buds in a chocolate tasting event hosted by the Morris Habitat ReStore on November 4 in Mine Hill.
Celebrating 25 years for the Morris Habitat for Humanity, this delicious event will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are 10 dollars and will include entrance into the delectable sampling, a 10-percent discount at ReStore for that night and a chance to win a door prize. Entertainment will be provided by a raffle of donated gifts and music preformed by the Sweet Adelines.
Vendors from Dove Chocolate Discoveries, Enchanted Chocolate and Candy Store of Harding will be present, among many more. Tickets will be available at ReStore or from any of the vendors and will be available at the door.
Pennsylvania
With chocolate on the brain, a visit to Hersey Park is in order. The Museum on Chocolate Avenue within Café Zooka allows visitors to enter in to a sweet taste of indulgence from around the world.
From fruity African chocolate flavors to Indonesian chocolate with caramel overtones, Pennsylvanian chocolate lovers can tantalize their taste buds with an angelic treat. The Countries of Origin Chocolate Tasting is priced at about 10 dollars and is sure to have you craving for more.
Chicago
Lincoln House, located at 951 W. Armitage, offers more chocolate love combined with a Halloween theme on Thursday Oct. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. With a chocolate raffle, a costume contest with a prize of a private chocolate and wine pairing and a 10-percent discount on all Vosges Haut-Chocolate purchases during the night, this is truly a chocoholic’s indulgence.
The event is priced at 30 dollars and will also include spooky tasting stations, tarot card readings and handmade treats from Michelle Hartney and Heart Felt by Aviva. For more details visit www.vosgeschocolate.com/events.
Washington
Crossing over to the west coast, Chocolopolis, in Seattle, hosts a choctacular happy hour. With a different theme every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., this scrumptious adventure is a way to sample cacao and chocolate from their large collection of artisan bean-to-bar chocolate and is free to enter.
Additionally, in mid-November, kicking off the holiday season, Chocolopolis will host a customer appreciation night with cheese and crackers and raffle drawings for free chocolate. Customers can obtain the date and further information on this event from the Chocolopolis newsletter.
Other events include an anniversary week in July, which offers free chocolate tastings, a chance to win a year of free chocolate by purchasing the Golden Bar Ticket hidden in one bar of chocolate and Meeting Chocolate Makers when they come to visit from around the world. For more information visit www.chocolopolis.com.
