tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47773549209112431202010-09-27T13:22:38.224-06:00Ritual ChocolateChocolate by Anna and Robbie
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Boulder, ColoradoRobbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-65442646399233308682010-09-17T12:16:00.008-06:002010-09-17T12:34:32.793-06:002010-09-17T12:34:32.793-06:00<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Taste of Place: A Boulder Artisan Food Market</span><strong></strong></h3><div> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.therootsellers.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 91px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ndv7XWmTkNA/TJOy_rJYHMI/AAAAAAAAAAU/vMmvzX9OvcM/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517950775442545858" border="0" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>When</strong>: Sunday, September 26, 2010 from 11:00am to 2:00pm.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Where</strong>: 3280 Valmont St. in Boulder</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;">Come to the market! Get all the details on the <a href="http://www.therootsellers.com/taste.html">Taste of Place</a> page!</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;">Do you make yummy things at home? Sign up to be a vendor on the <a href="http://www.therootsellers.com/vendors.html">Vendors</a> page!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">A few weeks back, a friend of ours emailed a listing she found on Craigslist about an artisanal, amateur food event in the works in Boulder. We thought it looked pretty cool and perhaps a good way to begin building a following for our chocolate, so we signed up as a vendor.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Stop by if you get a chance. We'll have our newest chocolate made with sun dried beans from Costa Rica in stock.<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-6544264639923330868?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ritual Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06362129804919057018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-65479600236983607912010-09-12T17:53:00.001-06:002010-09-13T21:54:59.955-06:002010-09-13T21:54:59.955-06:00Oh yeah, we have a blogHi everybody,<br />
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You deserve an update about what's happening with Ritual Chocolate. Sorry that it has been so long! We've been slacking, hard, with the Ritual blog.<br />
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Most importantly, we are still going to produce chocolate and we are still on our way to becoming a "real" business. In fact, we just made our first "large" purchase of beans, 1,200 pounds! Most big manufacturers would scoff at such a feeble amount, but we're not a big manufacturer.<br />
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Technically we're already a business, actually, an LLC, but we're not "in business" yet. We've got some very exciting plans for the Fall. We're not quite ready to reveal what they are but we'll make our grand announcement in the coming weeks. Hint: It involves Belgium.<br />
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Honestly, one of the biggest speed bumps in this last year has been a stubborn broken foot. Robbie's left foot, actually. He broke it in August 2009 and things were looking good for awhile, but that trip we took to Costa Rica was a major set back in the healing process. After the trip he put his big black walking boot back on and it wasn't until the end of June 2010 that it came off. During this time, getting back on our feet, literally, was the most important goal and we set the business planning aside. With no exact recovery date known, it was hard to imagine running around a factory on one leg. <br />
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Now, the foot is getting better. We're speaking with local commercial kitchens that may allow us to produce our chocolate in their facilities. We've got beans! And we've got a plan that begins at the end of this month to begin "doing business." As soon as our chocolate is ready to be sold (legally), you will be the first to know. We can't wait for you to give it a try.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-6547960023698360791?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-76041099818212708002010-08-10T14:37:00.002-06:002010-08-10T14:37:56.314-06:002010-08-10T14:37:56.314-06:00Hotel Bougainvillea Costa Rica<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FoivmOFXXGI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FoivmOFXXGI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-7604109981821270800?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-24661169588346331882010-04-28T17:59:00.000-06:002010-04-28T17:59:25.356-06:002010-04-28T17:59:25.356-06:00A glimpse at a day in the life of...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJusOn1rI/AAAAAAAAAhw/kdAzA0-E8RY/s1600/TestingBeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJusOn1rI/AAAAAAAAAhw/kdAzA0-E8RY/s320/TestingBeans.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Doing a cut test of the beans we brought back from Panama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJosNoVVI/AAAAAAAAAhY/DAASXBNyxsw/s1600/CIMG7888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJosNoVVI/AAAAAAAAAhY/DAASXBNyxsw/s320/CIMG7888.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Robbie building a post-roast cooling screen. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJp_hnrxI/AAAAAAAAAhg/mtF82ATDf5s/s1600/CIMG7892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJp_hnrxI/AAAAAAAAAhg/mtF82ATDf5s/s320/CIMG7892.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Screen for cooling beans done and done. And proud of it too.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jKzyfp5FI/AAAAAAAAAh4/omU6ZV3fosU/s1600/CIMG7894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jKzyfp5FI/AAAAAAAAAh4/omU6ZV3fosU/s320/CIMG7894.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Anna shuffles the beans around as they cool (they cool quickly when the air temperature is +-50F). Nice Converge hoodie, Anna.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJsrHgqmI/AAAAAAAAAho/6tCGKlJsYEw/s1600/NibPancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJsrHgqmI/AAAAAAAAAho/6tCGKlJsYEw/s320/NibPancakes.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gluten-free, dairy-free, poppy seed, and cacao nib pancakes. Dreamy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJmQve9SI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/ydQbjSWwrfk/s1600/AnnaLovesPancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jJmQve9SI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/ydQbjSWwrfk/s320/AnnaLovesPancakes.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">What's the most important thing in life? Breakfast. Especially gluten-free, dairy-free, poppy seed, and cacao nib pancakes.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-2466116958834633188?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-31391144394237779822010-04-28T17:48:00.001-06:002010-04-28T18:08:31.541-06:002010-04-28T18:08:31.541-06:00Beans, Boulder and the Biz<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/London_1908_Steeplechase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/London_1908_Steeplechase.jpg" width="320" /></a>As of late, we’ve often heard the question, “When will you be selling chocolate?” Big long “sigh.” If starting a business were easy, we’d have bounds of chocolate awaiting your oral pleasure, but of course, that isn’t the case.<br />
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Not only are we starting a business, but we are beginning an adventure in chocolate making. Initially it doesn’t sound too difficult, but there are many things that we need to consider before becoming an established chocolate producer. Some of these speed bumps are as follows: sourcing good beans, becoming an importer, becoming certified organic and fair trade if possible, producing a kick ass bar of chocolate, wrapper design, finding a building that is safe for food production, finding and acquiring the right equipment, writing the business plan, etc, etc, etc… Did I mention raising start-up money and coming up with a name that is worthy of who we are and the quality of chocolate that we make? <br />
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Despite the many speed bumps, hurdles and steeplechases, we’ve made a lot of progress. We’ve found several bean growers that we are very, very, very excited about. We’re becoming more and more confident with our chocolate making skills with every new batch and we’re learning that experience is the best teacher. Finally, we have a great circle of support and we wouldn’t want to start making chocolate in any other city than Boulder. <br />
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Everyday is a learning experience and we love every minute of it. Making (good) chocolate is very challenging, which is actually part of the reason we chose to make chocolate. As in most aspects of life, the biggest challenges are the most rewarding, and this is proving to be the most difficult task that we have encountered. On the bright side, if we’re ever in doubt, all we have to do is taste some of our chocolate and we’ll remember why we decided to do this in the first place.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jI0gPpeeI/AAAAAAAAAhI/fopscoCc5P0/s1600/RoughingIt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S9jI0gPpeeI/AAAAAAAAAhI/fopscoCc5P0/s320/RoughingIt.jpg" /></a>I just wanted to give a quick update about what we are up to and that we still plan to be Boulder’s first bean to bar chocolate company. Today I roasted two test batches of beans from a farm in Costa Rica. They are not as fruity as our last batch but I think they should produce a very good, well-rounded chocolate. But first, we’re going to make a batch of white chocolate tomorrow for Anna’s sister’s birthday (she’s a fan of white chocolate). <br />
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We have five single origin bars currently: Panama, Southern Costa Rica, Central Costa Rica, Northern Costa Rica and Sambirano Valley, Madagascar. Let us know if you’d like a taste.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-3139114439423777982?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-17972565476167482852010-04-21T13:32:00.001-06:002010-04-21T13:36:48.316-06:002010-04-21T13:36:48.316-06:00Organic vs. Conventional Bananas... ORGANIC!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://www.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BananaPile.jpg" width="400" /></div>While we were down in Costa Rica searching for beans, we learned dozens of lessons, one of them was about conventional banana farming practices. What we learned is that conventional banana farming is a bad thing. Buy organic.<br />
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If you'd like to know more about why, check out our article at <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/04/collateral-damage-of-conventional-banana-farming-robbie-stout/">the Elephant Journal. </a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-1797256547616748285?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-32816039419960954782010-04-06T20:22:00.000-06:002010-04-06T20:22:18.872-06:002010-04-06T20:22:18.872-06:00Taking a break while hot on the trail of good beansPrepare to be cheesified...<br />
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During our time down in Costa Rica we took a couple days to cool off... or should I say... heat up at the hot springs around the Arenal Volcano. I don't want to ruin the surprise, so check out the ultra-homemade video below:<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/94Hh1iLi_pQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/94Hh1iLi_pQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-3281603941996095478?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-11038331524940478362010-03-31T08:02:00.001-06:002010-03-31T08:04:46.694-06:002010-03-31T08:04:46.694-06:00We're back from Costa Rica!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQFCMNxCI/AAAAAAAAAdw/usXRRRJKqYo/s1600/CatieGrove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQFCMNxCI/AAAAAAAAAdw/usXRRRJKqYo/s640/CatieGrove.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Our three weeks in Costa Rica and Panama proved to be a very good learning experience. There's at least a couple stories for every day we were there. I think I shot upwards of a 1000 photos and almost an hour of video footage and I can't wait to share it with you all soon.<br />
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For now I'd just like to share a few photos from the trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQAc-nNmI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lVljFDQhhlY/s400/canoedriver.jpg" width="300" /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the indigenous farmers we visited required taking a canoe up the river. This also means that for them to deliver their beans, they have to go the same route.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQG3wFu1I/AAAAAAAAAd4/6WDVGc0VBJA/s1600/CattleTruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQG3wFu1I/AAAAAAAAAd4/6WDVGc0VBJA/s400/CattleTruck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the canoe ride up the river we had to ride in the back of a cattle truck on dirt roads to reach the farm. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQDoortVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/CGFRsFqT9fs/s400/Capuchinmonkey.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> This is a Capuchin monkey. He was very angry with us for walking through his territory.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQIJvCIbI/AAAAAAAAAeA/-iuBJniSUvY/s400/chocolateshot.jpg" width="267" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A coffee shop in Puerto Viejo was serving chocolate shots, similar to an espresso shot without sugar, using beans from a nearby cooperative. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQJUr-H0I/AAAAAAAAAeI/TNcHb849gmI/s400/CoconutRefresco.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At this cacao farm we enjoyed a few coconut refrescos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQKuZJNdI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/S8cMdHe7k0w/s400/farmer.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A farmer drops off some of his organic beans at this cooperative in Panama.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQLo84g7I/AAAAAAAAAeY/S7gb4dIjABU/s400/FinmacGrove.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what a well maintained cacao grove looks like.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQN1HMrsI/AAAAAAAAAeg/7p4vnxZcjMQ/s400/Greenpods.jpg" width="267" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unlike most fruits, the cacao pod can grow directly from the trunk of the tree. (However, these might not be Theobroma Cacao... I think they are some other Theobroma species)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQO0xgBPI/AAAAAAAAAeo/taHZroWqy24/s640/hotsprings.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We found an entire river that was hot right next to a hot spring business that was charging $100 per person.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQP5CQo4I/AAAAAAAAAew/1NVBEdE4j6o/s400/howlermonkeyclose.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I know this photo is obscene, but it's the closest shot I got of a howler monkey. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQRtyjcXI/AAAAAAAAAe4/Ohu6L3Uj_5o/s640/HowlerMonkeys.jpg" width="428" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This tree was filled with a family of howler monkeys but they were quite far away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQStGvyqI/AAAAAAAAAfA/dxxndoXfgBw/s400/library.jpg" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Try finding some of these books at your local library... We didn't.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQUAH48vI/AAAAAAAAAfI/DJLVMthpcZI/s400/palmtrees.jpg" width="267" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Caribbean postcard shot. Cahuita.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQVhkpANI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/QDPRXFl5QiI/s640/PoisonArrowFrog.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While at one of the indigenous farms we found a poison arrow frog—they are only poisonous if they get into your bloodstream.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQYON31FI/AAAAAAAAAfY/gh_fPJnSTO8/s400/poisonsnake.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We were told that this snake has enough venom to kill five adults.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQaJ665uI/AAAAAAAAAfg/tgfdmnLr7b0/s400/PosinginGrove.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We needed a photo posing next to a cacao tree right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQb7mockI/AAAAAAAAAfo/NSwiMmZ18fg/s400/ridingwaves.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's harder to catch waves on a bike.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQfqBfAzI/AAAAAAAAAfw/1n7zTMh-WWQ/s400/Snorkling.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We spent a morning snorkling off the coast of Cahuita—we mostly saw schools of fish and sting rays.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQgfrjFII/AAAAAAAAAf4/hHqb0XrI15A/s640/spider.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This very large spider was on the balcony of one of our hotels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQhjV0pEI/AAAAAAAAAgA/QUOQ7npNd1s/s400/suckingseeds.jpg" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The mucilage around a cacao seed is very enjoyable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQkYw0L3I/AAAAAAAAAgI/zx10sSmQux0/s400/Threetoedsloth.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We saw this three-toed sloth just as it was climbing down a large tree to take his tri-weekly poop, which apparently is a rare thing to witness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQmG2sCdI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/CCL9cWXBOK4/s640/TowingPods.jpg" width="427" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At this farm the workers use a series of cable lines to bring large amounts of cacao back to the processing center in one trip. This guy is carrying about 700-800 pounds... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IQnzUZwWI/AAAAAAAAAgY/ppiXoKoQ8VQ/s640/TwoToedSloth" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This cacao farm is the home of about 40 to 50 wild two-toed sloths. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IP77Z9tQI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/L9U75DizNvI/s640/ArenalDinner.jpg" width="480" /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had dinner two nights in a row at this restaurant because the view of the Arenal volcano was so breathtaking. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S7IP-lHMSQI/AAAAAAAAAdY/iEb9eG9_9-U/s400/beans.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We weren't 100% sure that we'd be able to bring beans back for testing, but we successfully brought back over 60 pounds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And yes, we started a batch our first morning back. We were very excited to put all of our new knowledge to use. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cheers,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Robbie and Anna</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-1103833152494047836?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-41760913596479912992010-03-04T23:28:00.012-07:002010-03-31T08:05:49.252-06:002010-03-31T08:05:49.252-06:00Radio Silence March 6-28<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S5E4Nof_mBI/AAAAAAAAAdI/ZminuCyPZSQ/s1600-h/ChocolateBaar3-1-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S5E4Nof_mBI/AAAAAAAAAdI/ZminuCyPZSQ/s400/ChocolateBaar3-1-10.png" width="200" /></a>If you’re reading this, chances are Anna or I gave a you a sample of our latest Panama batch, which has our web address right above “Made in Boulder, Colorado.” You might even have a few questions you’d like to ask. Let me breakdown any questions you might have about us as briefly as I can (it’s past my bedtime and I know that it’s a sin to ask for more than 2 minutes of attention for a single webpage).<br />
<br />
<b>Who:</b> Anna and Robbie. At the moment the name of our brand is Chocolate Baar, which is an acronym for “By Anna And Robbie.” We have other titles that we are seriously considering but this will do for now.<br />
<br />
<b>What:</b> We make chocolate from the bean to the bar, which is different than simply being a chocolatier—we are chocolate makers. We source our beans from around the world with a focus on Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.<br />
<br />
<b>Where:</b> Currently, we are just experimenting on small-scale equipment with the chocolate making process at home in Boulder, Colorado.<br />
<br />
<b>When:</b> Making chocolate has been a dream of ours since about June 2009. From March 6th to March 28th we will be in Costa Rica with the goal of securing a few good cacao sources. If everything goes as planned, we hope to be in full production by June, exactly a year since chocolate making was just a dream.<br />
<br />
If you have tried our chocolate, we’d like to know what you think. If you have any questions (how to get some, about us, what we’re listening to right now), <a href="mailto:robeasto@gmail.com">please feel free to write.</a> While we’re in Costa Rica we’ll be away from our phones and computers, so don’t expect to hear from us until about April 1st.<br />
<br />
Yours truly,<br />
<br />
Anna and Robbie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-4176091359647991299?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-73294508586417746252010-02-13T08:22:00.000-07:002010-02-13T08:22:45.546-07:002010-02-13T08:22:45.546-07:00Seductive Chocolate for a Mindful Valentine’s Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Screen-shot-2010-02-08-at-2.24.56-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://www.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Screen-shot-2010-02-08-at-2.24.56-PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>The basic ingredients for a romantic Valentine’s Day celebration are fairly simple: flowers, wine and chocolate.<br />
<br />
In years past, chances are you’ve bought poor-tasting chocolate for your Valentine from a big business that could give a hoot about the environment…and your health. Don’t do that this year—take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of our favorite eco-friendly, high-quality chocolate makers below....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/02/seductive-chocolate-for-a-mindful-valentine-banna-davies-and-robbie-stout/">Click here to read more about Askinosie, Taza, Seth Ellis, Alter Eco and Theo.</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-7329450858641774625?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-84116813521548167042010-02-05T13:07:00.003-07:002010-02-05T13:16:48.699-07:002010-02-05T13:16:48.699-07:00Costa Rica Bound in March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2x5ovik7bI/AAAAAAAAAco/nqtCtodLwXM/s1600-h/Costa_Rica_map_shaded_relief.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2x5ovik7bI/AAAAAAAAAco/nqtCtodLwXM/s320/Costa_Rica_map_shaded_relief.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s official. Anna and I have booked our airline reservations to Costa Rica. We’ll be arriving at the <span class="il">San</span> <span class="il">Jose</span> Juan Santamaria International airport on March 6th and we won’t be coming back until three weeks later. We have many goals while we are there, including finding farmers that we can work with in the future and mostly learning about what it takes to produce good quality cacao. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our first week will be spent with <a href="http://www.devrieschocolate.com/">Steve DeVries</a> and Pam Williams in the <a href="http://www.ecolechocolat.com/costarica-cacao.php">Ecole Chocolat</a> educational setting. It will be vastly helpful for us to work with people that know their way in and out of the bean-to-bar business and know the cacao growing hot spots in Costa Rica. Our original itinerary called for just one week down South, but we were able to work things out for us to stay an extra two weeks. This will give us a chance to explore and deepen our understanding of sourcing cacao from Central America. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The majority of our time will be spent in Costa Rica but we would love to visit some of the cooperatives in Panama and hopefully discover some organic growers in Nicaragua. Developing positive relationships with the farmers and cooperatives will be an essential step toward gaining momentum for Chocolate Baar. The better we prepare for our travels in Costa Rica—the better our short trip will be spent.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As March approaches, we’ll keep you up to date on some of our travel plans. In the mean time, we have beans from Panama and Madagascar on the way and they should be arriving by late next week. Can't wait to taste the finished product! Thanks for reading.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-8411681352154816704?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-76131614989621493102010-01-28T20:14:00.005-07:002010-01-28T20:35:30.413-07:002010-01-28T20:35:30.413-07:00First Batch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRMDPN1xI/AAAAAAAAAbY/UtuL1UF4_yU/s1600-h/finalproduct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRMDPN1xI/AAAAAAAAAbY/UtuL1UF4_yU/s200/finalproduct.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s been a longtime coming but we finally made our first batch of chocolate—doing the whole process, from the bean to the bar. Considering we ran into a few speed bumps, I think we did a pretty good job. Half expecting the end product to be downright inedible, we were surprised discover that our first batch was actually pretty good.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Here’s how it happened</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRVdoo_2I/AAAAAAAAAbg/3q32Xc-KOzw/s1600-h/roastingnotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRVdoo_2I/AAAAAAAAAbg/3q32Xc-KOzw/s200/roastingnotes.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">First of all, we happened to get a sample of some criollo beans from Haiti through a local coffee shop that was interested in importing coffee beans. We received the beans a few weeks before some of our essential equipment was delivered, so we had some time to get familiar with the roasting process.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Roasting</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JQ85YLACI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/uRaCYvmE7aM/s1600-h/takingnotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JQ85YLACI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/uRaCYvmE7aM/s200/takingnotes.jpg" width="150" /></a>I’ll tell you now that our first attempt to roast a small amount of these beans was a total disaster. Using a conventional oven without a confection fan we successfully cooked them into a burned cinder. Yup, there was no chance of salvaging those little beans… and to think, they had come so far only to be botched. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After about seven or eight roasting attempts we finally found a technique to stabilize the temperature in the oven. Then we set our detailed notes aside and waited for our Spectra 10 melanger to be delivered. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRiBM-5BI/AAAAAAAAAbo/7YC_R3kmxAs/s1600-h/winnowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRiBM-5BI/AAAAAAAAAbo/7YC_R3kmxAs/s200/winnowing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Going for it</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I was still at work when it first arrived and Anna was on the scene to unpack the 40 pound wet grinder that arrived at our doorstep. It was only a matter of hours before we began concocting our first batch.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRpWZG_qI/AAAAAAAAAbw/UhKB9yqoehQ/s1600-h/Nibs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JRpWZG_qI/AAAAAAAAAbw/UhKB9yqoehQ/s200/Nibs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The first thing we had to do was roast the rest of the beans. This time around we were successful in giving the beans a reasonably good roast without cooking out all the flavor and without burning them to a crisp. Fortunately that evening it was only about 0-degrees Fahrenheit outside so cooling the beans was a cinch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next, with the aid of a potato masher, a duck-shaped hair dryer and a large glass bowl, we took to winnowing our freshly roasted beans. This took a little longer than expected but after about five minutes we had a good amount of nibs in the bowl with a kitchen-floor full of husks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JR1x6t1VI/AAAAAAAAAb4/DmjIFFIuvhY/s1600-h/groundnibs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JR1x6t1VI/AAAAAAAAAb4/DmjIFFIuvhY/s200/groundnibs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Not wanting to overload our out-of-the-box concher, we ground all of the nibs into a fine powder in our handheld coffee grinder. We also did this with the sugar, resulting in a fine powdery substance. In addition, we threw the conch bowl into the oven at about 120-degrees along with our powdered nibs and sugar. This step helped to get everything up to temperature as a way of inducing the liquefying process. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSABphfwI/AAAAAAAAAcA/CQpQRmoA6uY/s1600-h/addingtoconch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSABphfwI/AAAAAAAAAcA/CQpQRmoA6uY/s200/addingtoconch.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a way of making our first batch a little bit more manageable, we knew we would need additional cocoa butter. Impatient to get started we headed down to Whole Foods to find out if it was possible to buy cocoa butter. To our dismay the answer was no… at least, not food-grade cocoa butter. But we did find some 1oz. tubes in the Whole Body section of organic cocoa butter. Not having any other options, we went ahead and bought a few ounces at about two-and-a-half dollars each. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Conching</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Once everything appeared to be nice and warm we started up the conch and began adding the ingredients slowly. This is another step that I didn’t expect to take as long as it did. We had to add the ingredients very slowly and keep the hot hair dryer pointed at the mixture for almost an hour before we were comfortable with the state of the cocoa liquor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSIj4uecI/AAAAAAAAAcI/ujqzbNyBSWg/s1600-h/heatingliquor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSIj4uecI/AAAAAAAAAcI/ujqzbNyBSWg/s200/heatingliquor.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now all we had to do was wait. This proved to be a difficult task—not because we are that impatient but because we live in a studio carriage house, which meant that we had to listen to this noisy little contraption at full volume all night. With the combination of excitement and the noise of the conch I probably slept two to three hours that night. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Tempering</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal">6:00am rolled around and Anna was up getting ready to teach her 7:00am yoga class at Alaya. I couldn’t sleep anyway so I popped up and decided that the liquor was done being processed. I didn’t have to be to an eye exam until 10am so I decided to temper and mold the chocolate that morning. After failing to temper the chocolate for a solid hour and a half because it was too thick to work with I had to give up and bike over to my appointment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSSPqwnII/AAAAAAAAAcQ/_w9693i4fLQ/s1600-h/Tempered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSSPqwnII/AAAAAAAAAcQ/_w9693i4fLQ/s200/Tempered.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That night we bought one more ounce of cocoa butter and tossed it into the mixture to be conched again. The next day we invited a friend over to show him our creation in the making and he took a turn at mixing the liquor while we were remelting it in the double boiler to temper. With his overly strong arms he broke our rubber spatula that doubled as a thermometer. After making sure that no broken fragments made it into the chocolate we set it aside once again to temper another day. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSZpwIEUI/AAAAAAAAAcY/5z8Z3NN98VA/s1600-h/Cooling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSZpwIEUI/AAAAAAAAAcY/5z8Z3NN98VA/s200/Cooling.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, on January 10, 2010 we set out to temper our chocolate for the third time with a new thermospatula. The chocolate was nice and flowing and we had no problem reaching our high and low temperatures. We had enough chocolate liquor to make about 70 bite-sized chocolate bars. They cooled quickly sitting by the sliding glass door and when they were ready they exhibited the loud snap of a well tempered bar. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSiBphF9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/Elq-uLNRRMQ/s1600-h/wrapping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S2JSiBphF9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/Elq-uLNRRMQ/s200/wrapping.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">After running over to Office Depot to buy more ink for the printer, we printed off labels to wrap around each of our little bars, which read: “Operation: Chocolate, Single Origin: Haiti, Bean Type: Criollo, Batch #1 Jan. 10, 2010, Bean to Bar – Organic, Boulder, CO”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And there you have it. The longwinded story of our first Chocolate Baar creation. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-7613161498962149310?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-85234974526565236052010-01-20T20:06:00.001-07:002010-01-20T21:43:22.281-07:002010-01-20T21:43:22.281-07:00The Chocolate RussianI call this one the “Chocolate Russian.” There are probably at least a dozen other Chocolate Russian recipes out there but no doubt, this one is the best. As with our chocolate, we like to keep our ingredients minimal. And for all you vegetarians out there, this one is vegan!<br />
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What you’ll need:<br />
Dark chocolate<br />
Vodka<br />
Milky substance (we use almond milk)<br />
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Step 1:<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fDzh_LZXI/AAAAAAAAAak/WR-oe0I4GHM/s1600-h/Step1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fDzh_LZXI/AAAAAAAAAak/WR-oe0I4GHM/s200/Step1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Take your chocolate bar and break off a single serving portion. You know, maybe full row of your favorite bar, or more…<br />
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Step 2:<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fEIPPzVgI/AAAAAAAAAas/2e559B_AEQY/s1600-h/step2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fEIPPzVgI/AAAAAAAAAas/2e559B_AEQY/s200/step2.jpg" width="150" /></a>Combine your portion of chocolate and a couple of ounces of a milky substance into a microwave-safe cup (the Pyrex measuring cup works great). Throw it into the microwave for less than a minute but more than 30 seconds to get it up to about 110-degrees Fahrenheit. Give it a good stir. If it doesn’t mix well throw it into the microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir again. Repeat if necessary.<br />
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Step 3:<br />
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</div>Now it’s time for the hard stuff. Add however much Vodka as you can tolerate. Stir well. No more, no less. Otherwise it’s going to taste pretty stiff or it’s going to leave you wondering where the buzz is. You now have the makings of a true Chocolate Russian.<br />
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Step 4: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fEim3xc5I/AAAAAAAAAa8/WoZYTRj2W2E/s1600-h/step4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E34eFebg178/S1fEim3xc5I/AAAAAAAAAa8/WoZYTRj2W2E/s200/step4.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
</div>Pour the contents into some drinking glasses. Gold-rimmed goblets work best. And enjoy!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-8523497452656523605?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-5829954011009387722010-01-14T18:46:00.003-07:002010-01-20T22:34:13.631-07:002010-01-20T22:34:13.631-07:00Chocolate Experience #1<meta content="chocolate" name="Title"></meta> <meta content="" name="Keywords"></meta> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta> <link href="file://localhost/Users/stout/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Chocolate has always been one of my favorite food substances the world has to offer. Whenever I look at the dessert list at a restaurant I immediately seek out the dessert the seems to be the darkest, richest chocolate confection. In fact, I’ve never been very fond of dessert and other tangent products of chocolate—to me, chocolate is the essence of what makes other desserts worth having. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">When Anna and I walk home from downtown Boulder we struggle not to stop at the corner store to pick up a chocolate bar to have at home. (As of late, this hasn’t been a habit because we’re pretty well stocked with some of the finest chocolate bars from around the world.) We used to love dark chocolate bars in the 70 and 80-percent range from most companies, especially if they were cheap, like <a href="http://www.chocolove.com/">ChocoLove</a>. However, now we’ve moved onto better quality and more expensive bars that tout complex flavors and the care of a small batch producer. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t until March of 2009, however, that our true obsession for fine chocolate began. We took a 10-day trip to San Francisco to visit Anna’s brother Michael and his girlfriend Heather. They are what most people refer to these days as “foodies.” Part of their fine food obsession is a collection of rare chocolate bars. Each night, after a long day of bike riding and doing the things that tourists do while they’re in SF, we would all sit down with a glass of wine or port and enjoy the differences between each of the bars. That was the first time we had tried <a href="http://www.askinosie.com/">Askinosie</a>, <a href="http://www.republicadelcacao.com/">Republica del Cacao</a>, <a href="http://www.valrhona.com/">Valrhona</a> and at least a dozen others.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here is a video of our trip to San Francisco (Unfortunately the camera wasn’t around during our chocolate intoxication sessions.)<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b_9RjIfdMfU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b_9RjIfdMfU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The tasting experience we had in San Francisco was important, but it didn’t immediately inspire us to begin making chocolate of our own—that came a few months later. If chocolate is a passion of yours, then I hope that you remember one of your favorite chocolate experiences as we remember ours. If you haven’t had one of those memorable moments yet, then maybe we can change that. <br />
</div><br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-582995401100938772?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4777354920911243120.post-17854455626983836232010-01-13T19:11:00.001-07:002010-01-20T22:33:24.396-07:002010-01-20T22:33:24.396-07:00Greetings<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;">We are long overdue for a public blog but with so much happening with us and the world in the last few weeks, we figured it’s time. </span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;">So what’s this all about? What is Chocolate Baar? To begin, Chocolate Baar is an unofficial title for a project that me (Robbie) and Anna are working on. “Baar” stands for “by Anna and Robbie.” So, this blog is officially and unofficially titled, “Chocolate by Anna and Robbie.”</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;">I’m glad you’ve found your way here. The Internet is a vast and ever-growing space so the chances of you landing here are approximately 1 in… 108 million (<a href="http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/sizeofweb.html">according to a domain count in 2007</a>).</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;">You can expect to find here news about our progression towards becoming one of Colorado’s first bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers. However, let’s give credit where credit is due. <a href="http://www.devrieschocolate.com/">Steve Devries</a> has been making chocolate in Denver for a long time now and he is considered to be one of the most talented chocolatiers in the world (according to <a href="http://www.chloechocolat.com/">Chloe</a>). I’ve never tried his chocolate but someday I hope to be that lucky… And let’s not forget to give a tip of the hat to the <a href="https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/">Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.</a> Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that at one time or another they were making chocolate from the bean. Anyway, I’d like to believe that we are at least the first folks in Boulder, Colorado to be producing artisanal chocolate from the bean without the aid of any dirty tricks, including soy lecithin. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Choose quality over quantity: Just as we aim to make small batches of some of the finest chocolate that the world has to offer, I’m going to end this introduction now—before the word count outweighs the quality of the content. </span><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4777354920911243120-1785445562698383623?l=chocolatebaar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09235377895231802634noreply@blogger.com0