Chocablog: The Chocolate Blog

Chocablog is 15 years old today! In that time, we've posted 1,784 chocolate reviews, 147 in-depth features and 114 chocolate recipes. That's quite a lot of chocolate! chocablog.com

If you're on the other social platforms, please consider following me there. I'm much more exciting than I am here. Find me here: Threads: @DomRamsey" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">threads.net/@DomRamsey Mastodon: @domr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">mastodon.social/@domr Blue Sky: bsky.app/profile/domram…

Twitter is dead. You are officially no longer allowed to link to your other social media sites because it makes the man baby cry. Now's the time to sign up for Mastodon.

Don't know if Twitter will survive, but I don't much feel like sharing a platform with Trump, so I'm not going be here much now. I've had amazing conversations on Mastodon. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's a lot of fun. You can find me here: @domr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">mastodon.social/@domr

17 followers! I'm really enjoying Mastodon, especially how I can follow hashtags like you can on Instagram. My timeline is full of #caturday pics rather than angry people. @domr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">mastodon.social/@domr

This beautiful cacao pod painting by @hazel_choc is made of chocolate! It deserves a wall to itself 😍🍫

Work are doing a 24 hour cycle-othon for @comicrelief in the office. Just 23 hours 40 minutes to go! If you want to support the @nakd team there's a Just Giving page here: justgiving.com/fundraising/re…

Given that it's World Book Day, I should probably promote mine. It's available in 13 languages and I think it's pretty good.

@ColdCuredCocoa @ChocolateMsWitt I don't think it loses temper, but from what I read on the Cacao Barry site, it can go grainy and caramelised if you leave it in a tempering machine too long, so probably something to do with the fruit sugars, yes.

@chocablog @ChocolateMsWitt Does it permanently lose temper at that point? Perhaps due to different composition/properties of the fruit sugars vs sucrose?

I've been trying Callebaut's "Wholefruit" chocolate this week. It's fascinating but very far from a mainstream product. Have you tried it?

@ChocolateMsWitt I've been nibbling the buttons as a snack like I might do with 100%. Because that's really what it's like. A very citrussy 95-100% chocolate. There's hardly any sweetness and you can't heat it over 40C, so I just don't know what you'd use it for in the real world.

@chocablog Do you like it ?

@chocolatewire I made a chocolate sweetened only with cacao pulp a couple of years ago, just drying pulp from about 15 pods. Very similar taste profile. It was actually amazing when I reworked it and added ~20% cane sugar. But that kind of defeats the point!

@chocolatewire Yes, pretty much the same. I did quite enjoy tasting the occasional button on its own, but I've no idea how you'd use it in a chocolate/patisserie - especially with that 40C max temperature.

And your thoughts are? I agree, not a mainstream product. I am not a fan of the taste/texture and not sure what the applications are given it’s low max temp.

@Kavey youtube.com/watch?v=hDk4Ih…

Your regular reminder that Tony's Chocolonely is a marketing gimmick not a solution.

I need some suggestions. What London / South East England chocolate companies might be able to make me ~20,000 boxes of mid range private label chocolates?

If you've not been on one of Jen's mystery chocolate tastings before, I highly recommend them. Not only are the chocolates always fabulous, but simply hanging out (virtually) with a group of people for an hour has been a real lifesaver for me in difficult times. Go sign up!

New review: @pumpstchocolate Christmas Collections chocablog.com/reviews/pump-s…

Sunday evening can only mean one thing. Time to dig in to another bar from my Canopy Market haul. I'm going for this amazing Charlottle Flower @cocoaflower Chocolate Tree Peru Chililique 50% Milk with Pineapple Weed.

New review: @pumpstchocolate 55% Ecuador With Eccles Cake chocablog.com/reviews/pump-s…

Anyone over 30 in the UK can now get a vaccine. Do it. Do it now. nhs.uk/conditions/cor…