There’s a lot to savour and enjoy for chocoholics today, as we look to sate our desire for the cacao bean. As with products like coffee, wine, tea and cheese not all chocolate is created equal, and everyone will have own favourites. At GREAT in the basement of Pacific Place, both Lindt and Valrhona have chocolate counters where the range of flavours to explore is extravagant.
Newly arrived at the Valrhona, the French chocolate makers, counter is the Vintage Single Origin collection, an annual celebration of cacao – the 70g bars ($98) are made with cacao beans from a single plantation with each having a unique sensory signature. This year’s collection features:
Ampamakia: a 64% cacao dark chocolate made from a fine blend of Trinitario beans harvested at the Millot Plantation in Madagascar. A fruity and refreshing, single origin dark chocolate with an additional sharp edge on the finish.
Gran Couva: sourced from the San Juan Estate in the village of Gran Couva, tucked on the hillside of Montserrat. The damp climate and rich, deep soils encourage the cacao trees to flourish producing beans with intense chocolate notes and a touch of dried mint and fresh spices. A mild mannered dark chocolate with low acidity and good length of flavour, not as tart as the Ampamakia vintage.
Loma Sotavento: a beautifully smooth dark chocolate created from Trinitarion and Criollo cocoa from the Loma Sotavento estate in the Dominican Republic. Very long on the palate, little acidity and with caramel notes, toasted aromas and a particularly creamy melt. A satisfyingly rich chocolate flavour to savour.
El Pedregal: the name of an estate in Venezuela dedicated entirely to the growing of Porcelana cacao – a form of Criollo cacao. An almost extinct variety of cacao bean known throughout the world for their wonderful flavour profile. A very creamy dark chocolate with notes of dried fruits and honey, with a spicy edge. Perfectly balanced with slight acidity and great depth of flavour. Ends with a touch of liquorice and prune. Outstanding length of taste
What is the difference between cacao and cocoa?
Cacao is the bean that comes from the cacao tree, which is known by the scientific name of Theobroma – which translates as “food of the gods” – cacao. Cacao pods – large football-shaped fruits – grow off the trunk and limbs of the cacao tree, and cacao beans are found inside the pods.
The beans are harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned and roasted, after which point the products are often referred to as cocoa. In other words, cocoa is what the bean is called after it has been processed (and lost much of the nutritional goodness that has cacao labelled as a superfood).
Valrhona:
GREAT, Level LG1, the Food Hall, Pacific Place Phase II, Queensway, Admiralty
Opening Hours – 10am – 10pm
Enquiry: 2918 9709
In the production of this article, bc sampled chocolate provided free by Valrhona.