CHOCOLATES

Rococo Chocolates was founded in 1983 by Chantal Coady, who has written three books about chocolate. Rococo Chocolates has three shops in London. She and Rococo were awarded a special price for “Changing the way people think about chocolate” by Academy of Chocolate in 2008. In 2007 Rococo and Grenada Chocolate Company started a joint venture in Grenada to produce fair traded ethical chocolate. Now, Rococo’s organic products contain beans from this production.

Rococo Chocolates produces a number of different chocolate gift boxes, chocolate bars, gift bags, confectionaries, and sugar free products. We decided to try some of their Artisan Bars which are made with their special blends of organic chocolate: dark 65%, milk, or white chocolate, and are available with 22 flavors. We decided to try the Orange & Geranium, Basil & Lime, Lavender, and Cranberry & Nutmeg bars; the tree first ones are made with dark chocolate (65%), the latter one with white chocolate.

All bars have delicate spiced flavor and smell, we especially enjoyed the flavored dark chocolates. The lavender bar was unexpected; the delicious fragrance reminded me of perfume. These dark chocolates are absolutely recommede for those who like bittersweet chocolate and would like something different than normal, unflavored chocolate bars.

Editor’s Rating:

Type: Specialty chocolate bars.

Flavor:

Hal Chocolate brands, Chocolate tasting, Chocolatieres, Specialty chocolates grenada, uk

Probably the best chocolate maker in Oslo (Norway) is Sverre Sætre. He makes a number of delicious pralines, chocolate bars, chocolate deserts, and more. He has also written some excellent cookbooks. If you are looking for the best praline maker in Oslo, visit his shop at Niels Jules gate 70b.

My favorite praline is filled with blackcurrant ganache. Some other excellent flavors include passion fruit ganache, salt caramel, raspberries, and vanilla.

Editor’s rating:
Type: Pralines.
Flavor:

Hal Chocolatieres norway

AJ Šokoladas is one of the best chocolate praline makers in Lithuania. Their factory is located in Trakai, and they have shops in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda where you can buy pralines and truffles in addition to hot chocolate, coffee, and delicious cakes. In addition to the more or less standard praline flavourings they have also pralines filled with blue cheese filling, which in my opinion is delicious, but some people don’t like it. Absolutely recommended!

Hal Chocolate cafes, Chocolatieres lithuania

It is hard to find a chocolatier in Norway. Even in the capital Oslo there is just one in addition to Freia (which is owned by Kraft General Foods).  Norwegians usually buy chocolate boxes from the largest national and European manufacturers in supermarkets and grocery stores, however, in some cities you might find small chocolate shops or cafes where you can buy Belgian pralines, or in some cases even Norwegian pralines.

In Stavanger in the south-western part of Norway I stumbeled across a chocolatier called Sjokoladepiken, which means ”Chocolate Girl”. They are making their own pralines and truffles; expensive but delicious. After trying some of them I found my favorites: chocolate pralines with goat milk caramel filling, and pralines with passion fruit. Absolutely fabulous!

Hal Chocolate cafes, Chocolatieres norway

Que Bo! is a creative chocolate manufacturer in Mexico City producing primarily colorful (only natural coloring!) pralines, bonbons and truffles of very high quality, in addition to brownies and “turrones”.

They are using creative and delicious fillings with only natural ingredients, and dextrose instead of refined sucrose for sweetness (therefore low carb content).

I tasted a few of them in their shop, and decided to buy a number of pralines to enjoy later in Mexico, and also some to bring back home.

After having looked for chocolates and chocolatieres in Mexico for several days, this was a positive surprise; and I recommend every chocolate lover to visit Que Bo! when in Mexico. But remember that the shelf-life for hand-made pralines is short.

[Photo: Hal]

Hal Chocolatieres mexico