After years spent working with chocolate I still adore it and I find it fascinating that there is still as much mystery surrounding this sweet and sacred treat as there is information, advice and 'never to be broken' rules on everything from when to eat it, how much to eat, who to buy it from, which is the finest, the most ethical, etc. Heaven forbid you should admit to your penchant for white chocolate these days and dare if you will eat your chocolate straight from the fridge. It's all very confusing and let's face it, really quite unnecessary!
It doesn't really matter what I or any expert and most certainly not the chocolate snob says because when all is said and done, you are your own chocolate guru and if you are anything like me you know what you like because chocolate is your favourite indulgence and you have been merrily eating it for as long as you can remember. However, in the face of all of this, side-stepping the ubiquitous mass market and high street brands and learning to appreciate real chocolate and the worlds-apart difference between good and bad...
...ingredients you will inevitably begin to understand that fine chocolates' many complexities and surprising subtleties can not only be wonderfully enriching but that the art of appreciation is much less complicated than some chocolate connoisseurs would have you believe.
Seeking out real chocolate that suits your palate rather than by influence is an exciting and very personal experience. I learned to identify my own style of good from bad and you should do the same.
The very best piece of advice I ever read was from the immeasurably devout chocolate lover Chloe Doutre-Roussel who suggests to make a database of flavour; a catalogue of sorts of all the chocolate you have tasted over the years. Mine has been invaluable to me.
So. Whether you like your chocolate dark, white or light... compare, contrast, decipher and most of all, enjoy the ride.
Meanwhile, I hope that our aromatic chocolate blends encapsulate everything there is to love about your bittersweet friend and I can hardly wait to introduce you to our chocolate world that is rich in flavour but devoid of pretension and that Boutique Aromatique becomes part of your own passionate chocolate adventure.
Love,
Shelly x
