Chocolate Appreciation: an Introduction to Craft Chocolate

This guided tasting includes a Chocolate Tasting Kit and a one hour meeting over Zoom conferencing. During the tasting we will discuss cacao farming, how craft chocolate makers ethically source their cacao beans and treat those beans with skill and are care to develop their unique flavors and turn them into luxurious bars. Class will end with a simple drinking chocolate recipe guaranteed to elevate your next cup of hot cocoa!

 The Chocolate Tasting Kit shipped to you includes a roasted cacao bean, 8 craft chocolate samples and a drinking chocolate mix. Samples will enough for one person to have several small bites of each sample and make an individual serving size drinking chocolate. This high-end chocolate is not available at the grocery store and will include dark, milk and white chocolate.

Pricing starts at $35 per person

This class, or a variation of it, will be offered regularly and announced on my Facebook page and under Virtual Experiences. If you would like to schedule a private group tasting experience please message me directly.

The drinking chocolate mix can also be used in a variety of cocktails I can demonstrate.

Full size chocolate bars, additional samples and bonbons can be added at additonal cost.

Each tasting experience is tailored to meet your needs therefore pricing varies.

However to give you an example, a 1-hour guided tasting of 6 samples, 2 full size bars and a bonbon in a gift box would run approximately $60 per person for a minimum of 6 participants.

Variations of this class include

A Sweet Adventure: Cacao Farming Around the World (Part 1 of 2)

Learn about where chocolate comes from, hear stories about the farmers who grow cacao trees and discover what makes craft chocolate taste so very delicious.

The Story of Cacao: How the Chocolate Bar Came To Be (Part 2 of 2)

Learn about how chocolate makers create gorgeous shiny chocolate bars from cacao beans and how their choices make chocolate such a delectable experience.

Unravel the Mysteries of Chocolate Flavor (A Blind Tasting)

The guided tasting will start by comparing craft chocolate next to mass-marketed brands to get familiar with aroma, flavor and mouthfeel.

Then we will then try some chocolate samples without looking at their packaging to determine what you like (or don't like) without any preconceptions.

Tasting "blind" (without knowing the percentage, origin or maker) allows you to give your chocolate the attention it deserves so you can truly appreciate it and discover your own personal preferences.

Creamy and Dreamy (White and Milk)

The Dark Side (70% and Higher)

Road Trip: NC Made Craft Chocolate

Sweet Treats (Truffles and Inclusions)

State of the Union: USA Made Craft Chocolate

IMPORTANT NOTES

Chocolate kits will be shipped within the continental US and are guaranteed to arrive in good condition.

Chocolate Tasting Kits will generally include both dark and milk chocolate therefore, some samples will contain milk products.

All samples were made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts and soy.

Samples may contain nuts.

I am happy to curate sample selection or make substitutions if you, your guests or your clients have allergen or dietary restrictions.

A full ingredient list is available upon request.