Escazu Artisan Chocolates

by Eric Diesel, Posted Feb 18th 2009 @ 9:03AM

As a dedicated Slashfoodie, you've already noticed that for Valentine's Day, we at Slashfood wrote a lot about such expressions of romantic appreciation as were appropriate for general readership. We introduced you to chocolate from Askinosie, Dagoba and Green & Blacks. Hopefully you're not too chocolated-out after the weekend for just one more bite. Because if the chocolate is Escazu, you will want to make room.

Escazu is a town in Costa Rica and a chocolatier in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the Escazu website, chocolatier Hallot Parson formed Escazu Artisan Chocolates after travels through Venezuela and Costa Rica, including visits to the cocoa farms. Thus was born -- perhaps more accurately bloomed -- the vision of artisinal chocolate executed with respect to chocolate's Latin American heritage.

Chocolate is one of the most sophisticated tastes our palettes can distinguish – it has approximately 500 flavor compounds. So I admit that to me, enriching chocolate with additional flavors can be gilding the lily. But of course chocolate does pair with some flavors – my personal favorite is orange, while many others like cherry and mint. Then there are the fillings in a box of chocolates, for which I agree that any combination is fair game until proven unsuccessful. I, my taste buds, my waistline, and my wallet all salute those artists who have gifted the human race with banana-curry, champagne, balsamic strawberry and rosemary-caramel fine chocolates.

Still, Escazu is a single-origin dark chocolate, which to me is at its best when at its purest. The chocolate is sold in bars, a format which conveys clarity, and I do think that the pure dark bar is a serious accomplishment. The chocolate is clean and true, with a dusky characteristic I can best liken to a medium-roast Guatemalan coffee. Among the flavored bars, Escazu is at its best when true to the aesthetic of Latin American flavors: the troika of dark chocolate, chili and pumpkin is rendered with a true artist's touch, as is the deft duo of chocolate with coffee beans. Of other flavor pairings, sea salt was the one I liked best. I was surprised to find tiny bursts of velvety salt crystals not at odds with the chocolate. I can't say that I think salt enhances the taste, but it doesn't tussle with it.

Any such quibbles are certainly specific to me. Food has associations, and the more complex a taste is, the more likely it is to evoke them. This is one reason wine is such a remarkable elixir: it dances (or rumbas or clambers or crawls or cancans or bellyflops or reels or slides) across your palette to unlock association, memory, sensation. We all taste as differently as we have tastes. Arguably the only thing that you experience with your mouth more intimate than palette is the kiss I hope you got on February 14. If your romance is with really deep, dark chocolate, the kind that los conquistadores might have encountered upon first contact, then Escazu is making chocolate with you -- and the cacao pod -- in mind.

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Edible Gifts, Ingredients, Holidays
Tags: america, artisan chocolate, ArtisanChocolate, candy, chocolate, easter, edible gifts, eric diesel, EricDiesel, escazu chocolate, EscazuChocolate, halloween, south america, valentines day

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-18-2009 @9:24AM Ethan said... My girlfriend has gotten me into Slashfood. She would always tell me these really interesting tid-bits of info she found here. So now, I'm hooked.

About this article... A lot of people are saying fine things, such as the chocolates you mention in your article, are on their way out--as we are all finding ways to cut back on spending. But I say no. It's all about those bite-size indulgences (http://sparxoo.com/?p=184)that keep us feeling good. So great post. Thanks for the great content!
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2-18-2009 @10:11AM Marco Aguilar Soto said... Great article,

love those chocolates but just a quick note Costa Rica is in Central America not in South America.... :D

Regards,
Marco Aguilar
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5-01-2009 @4:03PM fernando said... I like your chocolate selections listed. I picked a few of my favorites and posted them for you to see on my site at Unique-Gift-List.com. Lots of gourmet chocolates I have found here. -Fernando
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5-01-2009 @4:04PM fernando said... I like your chocolate selections listed. I picked a few of my favorites and posted them for you to see on my site at Unique-Gift-List.com. Lots of gourmet chocolates I have found here. -Fernando
Reply