The great chocolate tour continued: The Chocolate Dispensary again

Today I went to the Chocolate Dispensary for the second time, having been there once before. However, they recently opened up a cafe and tasting sessions, so I decided to see what the changes were like.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the new tasting counter. Before, there had just been a blank wall, and it seemed like a good adjustment, getting rid of negative space and capitalizing on the fact the chocolatiers find it extremely difficult to support their businesses with chocolate alone, so they have coffee and sometimes bakeries to keep themselves going. A collection of machines had been placed on the far wall, such as a frother and a pot of simmering brown viscous liquid.

I had previously met the owner of the Dispensary, Kayla, who had recently gotten married. I met her behind the counter and congratulated her, and she showed me the new appliances. The pot of liquid was chocolate liquor, which, before you all reprimand me, has no alcohol in it. It's simply the term for unprocessed liquid nibs. I tried some, and the flavor was very earthy and thick. It had a powerful punch to it, and you wouldn't need much of it. They also had a small case of baked goods, like cookies and brownies, and being a brownie enthusiast, I of course had to try them. There was a bit of spice, most likely paprika, and that nicely balanced out the chocolate flavor. Kayla had to leave a short while after, which left me with the new lady behind the counter, who apparently lived next door and decided to work there. She was very nice and said that she had never tasted any of the chocolates on the tasting flight I was about to have.

The first was of a brand called Askinosie Chocolates and was a white chocolate with cacao nibs. I had originally balked at the idea of white chocolate, but then I realized that maybe, just maybe, the cacao nibs, being unrefined, might balance out the sweetness and maybe add texture. It turned out, they did, to some degree. The sweetness was canceled, but one could still clearly tell that they were eating white chocolate. I did like how the nibs added texture, though.

The next chocolate of four was by far the strangest thing I have ever had in my life. Just by the name, one could tell they were in for it. Soy Sauce Toffee with Black Peppercorns and Aleppo Chili Flakes. The brand was Theo & Philo, which was a very strange coincidence, because I have a friend named Theo, and his dog's name is Philo. The chocolate itself was an interesting experience, because it was surprisingly underwhelming. Based on the name, I would have expected a more powerful taste, but the flavors kind of just were there, without anything really exploding in my mouth. The flavors were good, and I never would have expected them to go together in that way.

The next chocolate on the list was something called ALP, by Eclat Chocolates. The packaging on this one and the design on the chocolate was what made this chocolate interesting, with flat, sharp lines and colors. The chocolate was nice, and went perfectly with the packaging, as a unique and colorful experience, as the flavor notes were very different from each other: orange blossom, raspberry, and coffee.

The last item on the flight, the Cacao Fruit bar by Coracao, was very fruity, most likely because of the cacao mucilage that had been added. Mucilage is the white goo surrounding the cacao beans inside the pod and it plays a crucial role in the fermenting process, as without the sugar from the mucilage, yeast and other bacteria wouldn't produce light and heat, developing key flavor molecules in the chocolate.

All in all, this flight was a whirlwind of flavors, colors, and aromas. There was a lot of unexpected flavors and results, but that only served to make it more interesting. I selected a few bars, and one of my first actual tasting came to a close.

This is me outside the Dispensary. It's a long drive from my place, but we got there before it got busy.

Here I am with Kayla, who owns the store. She was recently married and now runs to store with her husband. Behind me, one may catch a glimpse of the four bars on the flight.

These are the four bars I would go on to taste. The smallest one is the one with the crazy flavors. The Eclat bar had wild flavor notes, but bland packaging, which got me thinking about how packaging interprets what the chocolate will be like, as seen with the color of the Theo & Philo bar.

These are the individual pieces of the four bars, and the mug of chocolate liquor from France. The white chocolate, the one on the bottom right, had some very interesting textures, whereas the Eclat bar, the one on the bottom left, was more design oriented.