The power of the Dark Side

Everybody knows that milk chocolate is dark chocolate's bitch. What is lesser known in the debate over single source vs. blended dark chocolate. You see, some chocolatiers take the beans from a variety of sources to make their chocolate, while others take it from a single country, region or estate. Valrhona, one of the greatest of the single source makers, even puts out a candy bar that comes from single season on a single estate.

Sellers of chocolate are hoping that consumers will soon debate the merits of Guyanan cocoa vs. Ghanan. Trader Joe's stocks a few single source chocolates and I couldn't really tell the difference. Valrhona is astounding, but that could just be their process. One of the other chocolate Mack Daddies, says hold on, single source is for suckers. Robert Steinberg, co-founder of Scharffen Berger argues that it is all about the blend. Then again, he says milk chocolate is cool, and that's fuckin' crazy talk. On the topic of SB, a friend told me about the factory tour, which she said was an orgy of chocolate consumption. So if you are in Berkeley any time soon, skip Cody's and head down to the factory.