Tag: Askinosie
New, 70% Barrel-Aged Dark Chocolate Bar
This just in: A dark and super-tasty Tanzania chocolate bar has landed at the Candy Manufactory! It’s extra special because its nibs were first aged in whiskey barrels. If you’re looking for a chocolate to wow your friends and family, or just your own discriminating taste buds, this bar will fit the bill!
This new bar is made by my buddy, the amazing chocolatier and remarkable human being Shawn Askinosie, along with the rest of the team at Askinosie Chocolate in Shawn’s hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Shawn has shared a bit of the bar’s story:
We lucked into these used whiskey barrels years back and so we decided to make good use of them. We decided to age roasted Tanzania cacao nibs in those barrels. We wanted a flavor experience that was subtle and lasting, and not overpowering. It’s more art than science how one judges the flavor over time, and how that what one tastes will translate into the finished chocolate. One thing we’ve become decent at is forecasting what a roasted cocoa nib will taste like when it transforms into chocolate. That is what we did here with this new bar. I love [Ashkinosie co-owner] Lawren’s tasting note: “A soft and mellowed chocolate with subtle notes of malty smoke, charred oak, and mild whiskey-vanilla-sweetness.”
The rye whiskey barrels from Blackland Distillery are heavily charred to impart subtle but significant flavor to the nibs. What happens in the barrels? Essentially the same thing that happens with wine or whiskey. The flavors of the wood—and the whiskey that soaked into it during many months of maturing—enhance the flavor of the cacao that’s stored inside. Of the chocolate made from those barrel-aged nibs, the crew at the Askinosie factory has this to say: “It’s our most quietly complex bar ever, and did we mention it’s a limited edition? We have a finite amount of these aged nibs, and once these bars are gone, that’s it!” The chocolate really is terrific. Lovely tannins and a wide, well-rounded flavor. Like Lawren said, there’s a little vanilla and, to me, a titch of black cherry along with some of that superb oaky smokiness lingering along the edges. It’s super tasty!
Like a good bottle of red wine, I like to let dark chocolate breathe a bit after I open the bar. Side note: I’ve never seen anything written about this, but, after years of tasting, I swear that the bars are texturally creamier a day after I open them. Anyhow, if you have enough self-control to buy a bar, slit the paper wrapping and wait a day before you eat what’s inside. I believe this is when it will be at its best. Alternatively, you can do some research by tasting immediately and then again the following day. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it! Make a toast to the meaningful work Shawn, everyone at Askinosie, and all the caring cacao growers do to make this possible!
You can buy this great new limited-edition bar at the Candy Store on Plaza Drive (inside the Coffee Company).
Dark chocolate artisan “nuggets” ready to mix with milk
If you’re looking for a great-tasting drink to bring comfort as the colder weather works its way into our lives this fall, check out this superb new Sipping Chocolate from my friend Shawn Askinosie. Everything we’ve gotten from Shawn for the last fifteen years has been nigh on phenomenal and this new offering is as outstanding as the rest. The crew at Askinosie alters the chocolate origin from time to time depending on what’s tasting best for this application. Right now, it’s Tanzania, a few months ago it was from the Philippines. All are excellent. I rarely drink milk, but I made a cup to try it out and it was so good I drank the whole thing in a matter of minutes. Because it’s chocolate and not cocoa (which is alkalized), the flavor is more chocolatey with less of the light, slightly bitter taste of cocoa.
The chocolate it’s made from is, like everything we get from Shawn, superb. It’s from the Mababu coop in Tanzania. Shawn has been working with the farmers there for about fifteen years now. You can taste the chocolate in its “eating”—as opposed to sipping—form in the terrific Tanzania chocolate bars we have from Shawn at the Candy Story and Deli. Made with rare Trinitario cacao beans, it’s been one of my favorites for ages. Smooth, cocoa-y, dark but not at all overwhelmingly so. The Askinosie crew shared that, “When roasted, the beans evoke subtle, fruity notes of strawberry and blueberry and when tempered, it creates the creamiest mouthfeel of all of our chocolates.” The single-origin Sipping Chocolate brings that same super tasty complexity to the cup.
To make the Sipping Chocolate, the chocolate is broken up into small “nuggets.” The crew at Askinosie makes them by using a special mill that’s designed specifically for that purpose. I’ve been eating them out of hand at home—it’s a good way to sneak an afternoon pick-me-up (keep a container in your desk drawer?). There’s a recipe/ratio on the “can” (it’s made from recyclable cardboard) but Shawn suggests warming the milk or heavy cream and whisking in the small morsels to your own taste and thickness. No additional sugar is needed. Want a second opinion? A few years back the Wall Street Journal wrote that the Askinosie Sipping Chocolate is “basically pure, satiny ganache. The bittersweet chocolate is intense and brooding, brightened with hints of sandalwood and spice.”
Snag some Sipping Chocolate at Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory
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