Caramel Tasting
My Icelandic Lava Salt Caramel was put to the test in a chocolate tasting session at the BBC Good Food Show in November. I was blown away with the response with just 1 person out of 40 preferring another companies caramel.
With 4 awards from 3 different governing bodies, I'm pretty proud of this one.
And now I'd like you to be the judge. After all it is your opinion that I value the most.
Sam (my husband) and I have designed and developed our signature caramel to play with your taste buds. To make it we caramelise an unrefined sugar and then quench the caramel with a locally-sourced double cream. Once it's finished bubbling away, we stir through some West-Country butter making this a butter-rich caramel which we balance with a seasoning of black lava salt.
In our recent orders we sent out caramel tasting boxes which contain 4 caramels, each option has an ingredient tweak. We want this to be a blind tasting so I wont tell you anymore.
Each caramel can be identified by the patterned top/bottom.
So when you're ready, tuck into your box and let us know which caramel you prefer by voting through this link:
Ok, let me share a little more with on Chocolate Tasting.
Chocolate taste testing can appear to be a complex matter... should I let it melt? should I bite it first? what flavours am I looking for? am I right?
So, I've written a few tips and tricks tricks to help you out. But remember, the beauty of food is that it is subjective! Taste is a personal thing and so what you feel, taste and prefer is correct to you. And, dear customer, it is YOUR opinion that we are after.
1. Correct Storage
Chocolate should be stored at room temperature, not the fridge! Cocoa butter (the natural fat inside a cocoa bean) melts at our body temperature. This is a wonderful property making cocoa butter used widely in the beauty industry but for us today, it's knowing that the cocoa butter will melt in our mouth and help deliver all of the wonder flavours our chocolate caramel holds - which should take you on a little journey. Think of melted chocolate, you can taste the flavour of the chocolate immediately but it is gone rather quickly. Too cold and you'll be waiting a long time for the flavour to come through.
On a side note, if you do keep your chocolates in the fridge, firstly, keep them airtight (nobody likes a chocolate tasting of that half an onion left in your fridge!) and bring them out 20-30 minutes before eating them to allow them acclimatise a little.
2. Have a Clean Palate
Chocolate and food/wine pairing can be great fun. Each can compliment one another well, bringing out otherwise hidden tasting notes. However, in this case we are wanting to taste the chocolate caramel in it's pure form. So you might want to hold off on tasting them if you've just eaten a fragrant curry, for example.
It is a good idea to avoid coffee, wine (I know, I'm sorry!) and stick with water. If you really want to get the maximum flavour, I suggest warm water.
3. Use Your Nose
First, cut or bite the chocolate in half and give it a smell. Does the smell remind you of anything? Are you getting any strong notes?
4. The Moment You've Been Waiting For...
Take the first half of the chocolate and put it in your mouth. Chew it and move the caramel around your mouth. Note down the flavours, mouth feel (texture and how easily it melts) and most importantly, does it leave you wanting more?
Now put the second half in and let it melt. To help, you can close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose. After all 90% of taste is actually perceived through our nose!
Here's the vote link again: VOTE HERE
I can't wait to hear what you all think and I will share the feedback in due course.
In the meantime, if you've missed out or simply can't wait for another Icelandic Lava Salt Caramel, you can order a box here:
Chocolatey wishes,
Holly
