With the holiday of love fast approaching, it's quite possible that you'll start thinking about the delicious treats you'll share with your better half on this special day.
From dark chocolate to white chocolate, the offer in Quebec is practically endless.
But have you thought about purchasing delights from an artisan chocolatier in your area to celebrate this special occasion?
Although cocoa is not (yet?) a food that grows in Quebec, more and more chocolate artisans are working to create treats of unique quality by adopting the “Bean-to-Bar” process, which can be translated as “from bean to tablet”.
But what exactly does this consist of?
The term “Bean-to-Bar” describes a methodology that allows the artisan chocolatier to have almost total control over the making of their chocolates.
As the owners of the artisanal chocolate factory describe it Thirteen chocolates in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , the “Bean-to-bar” describes countless hours “choosing, sorting, grinding, mixing, conching, crystallizing, working, molding, unmolding and packaging” to create chocolates unique which truly reflect their image.
In fact, most chocolate makers in the world do not work directly with cocoa beans, and therefore do not themselves manufacture the raw material they use for their confections, namely chocolate. The term “Bean-to-Bar” was therefore created by small artisan chocolatiers to distinguish themselves from the bigger players and industrial manufacturers who don’t do all this extra work.
Small artisans thus have a way to better describe the scale of their work, which requires a lot of research, experimentation and time. Because like the grape varieties used to create wine, cocoa beans each have distinct properties depending on their variety and their origin, and reveal different aromas and flavors depending on the method used to work them.
So, on Valentine's Day, please your partner by offering them quality chocolates from a local artisan, who will have made them with all their love and passion. For the love of your better half… and for the love of chocolate!
