Over the course of a year (and even just a month), my chocolate stash fills up, empties, fills up again and re-empties itself many times.  There are always new bars to taste and brands to discover near and far.

I’ll start with the one bar that impressed me the most this year, so far. And… it’s from an American chocolate maker, which may surprise some. More and more American artisans are showing their talents in the chocolate world, many going from bean to bar; Patric and Askinosie both in Missouri, Dandelion and Theo in California, Taza in Boston and my latest find, Xocolatl by David in Portland, Oregon. A bar made with olive oil was certainly intriguing, and when I saw fleur de sel on the ingredients list too, I knew that was for me (my favorite way to eat dark chocolate – with salt).  A light bar at just over 60g, it was also extremely light on the palate, an incredibly smooth bar, with a great snap despite the oil. To me, it was the perfect balance of sensations – creamy, dark, thin, sweet, salty – if a tad too addicting.

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Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat is in just two months, in Zürich on March 30th, 2012.  You may think I can’t possibly have chocolate on my mind any more than I already do, but… everything is possible.  Helping to organize this delicious event, meeting with chocolatiers and pastry chefs, and talking about chocolate around the clock brings on even more cravings than usual.  Luckily my chocolate stash is always overflowing with new bars to taste.  While most of these tastings are of Swiss chocolate, I thought I would highlight a few non-Swiss wrappers that are now part of my collection.

There is no better place to start than with a current favorite of mine.  I have always been a fan of Henri Le Roux’s silky salted butter caramels (he’s the inventor of the famous CBS – caramel au beurre salé) and individual chocolates with buckwheat, but I have only more recently discovered his bars, thanks to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.  One word, people: Goviro.  Fleur de sel, crêpes dentelle (super thin, crispy golden butter biscuits) and caramelized almonds in smooth dark chocolate – that is the recipe for a stellar bar – and an addiction.

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Not a day goes by that I don’t have at least a few squares of dark chocolate.  It’s often one of my old standbys, like Felchlin 65%, Ballenberg with salted pistachios or Lindt with fleur de sel.   But most of the time, I am tasting new brands from Switzerland and all over the world.  With a recent birthday and lots of chocolatey care packages coming my way, my chocolate stash was overflowing – even more so than usual.  That means one thing… time for a new roundup ! Don’t forget to let me know what you’ve been tasting too.

Let’s start with my favorite new find, chocolate bars from Hausammann bakery in Zürich.  They may be known for having the city’s best zopf (arguable, of course), but it’s now my go-to address for chocolate.  Standing on line for bread one day, I noticed a whole array of chocolate bars in the corner with Felchlin’s signature Grand Cru emblem.  I quickly gave up my spot to check it out, and I’m so glad I did.  Using Felchlin’s couverture, Hausammann puts their personal touch on it thereafter – several varieties of milk chocolate with wild berries, caramel or hazelnuts and a few dark bars as well. I of course grabbed the latter, one of which was dark chocolate with vanilla and nougat. A very thick bar, no where near stingy on the nuts and a real homemade feel to it.  Perfect for a sweet afternoon snack.

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It’s time for another chocolate roundup !  Way too much chocolate tasted in the past few months (weeks even) not to share a few highlights…

No place to start other than here in Switzerland.  And with the very best.

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Time for a chocolate roundup ! Before 2011 sees a whole new series of sweet adventures, a quick look back to recent tastes from the infamous chocolate stash…

Let’s begin with my very favorite bar tasted, one I kept hidden since returning home from the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.  Jean-Charles Rochoux‘s packaging is as chic as it gets, a shiny cardboard exterior with an embossed alligator pattern – and a bar just as attractive inside.  Below is his 70% dark chocolate bar with caramelized pistachios; the nuts add an extra touch of sweetness and just the right amount of crunch.  Remarkably, every one of the 30 small squares had a perfect, whole green pistachio.  And one by one, each square (not so slowly) disappeared.  His iconic 70% dark chocolate bar filled with semi-liquid caramel is still safely hidden, but we’ll see how long that lasts…

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Time for another chocolate roundup!  It’s been a few months since the last in the series, but by no means have those months been chocolate-free.  There were my chocolate finds in London, a true chocolate gem in Switzerland, a New York City inspired chocolate creation of my own and endless tastes along the way.  And now, time to share a few of the latter.

A previous theme (more than once) and still current favorite of mine is dark chocolate and salt.  It’s not a trend that will fade with time; it is simply a natural pairing and classic combination.  Bakers may add extra salt to their recipes to bring out the flavor of sweet ingredients, as in chocolate chip cookies or cakes – the overall effect being flavorful, not salty.  Whenever I see salt as a featured ingredient of a chocolate bar, my eyes open wide, and I usually end up grabbing it. Here are just a few of the many I have tasted lately.  Anyone else a big fan of chocolate with salt ?  Or have another fetish ingredient ?

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Rain, sun, winter, summer, all in one day even… the weather isn’t something we can all depend on right now.  So in these times of uncertainty, you need to look to something that is a constant, that will always be there, that will never let you down.  What’s that, you ask? Chocolate, of course.

Seems like many of you have a sweet tooth like I do.  Time for another chocolate roundup! Below are just a few of the many chocolates I have tasted lately.  Don’t forget to let me know what you’ve been tasting too!

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I don’t know what you were thinking from the title of this post, but I’m talking about caramel and salt.  Chocolate with caramel and salt, that is.  If ever there were a trend to take off unanimously, this would be on top of that list.  With macarons and designer cupcakes just below.

As you all know, I have my chocolate radar on 24/7, always on the lookout for new chocolate bars, whether in my local Coop or around the world.

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Back by popular demand, the third chocolate roundup is here! And today on December 1st, what I consider the official start of the holiday season. We even had our first snowfall here in Zürich yesterday. Christmas trees and mistletoe are on people’s minds, roasted chestnuts and marzipan, panettone… and chocolate of course! Perhaps the majority of that chocolate will be shaped like Santa Claus, but for me… it’s all about bars.

So here’s what I have been tasting lately. Let me know what you think of these bars if you are already familiar. And if not, be sure to let me know what’s in your chocolate drawer!
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Since the last Chocolate Roundup turned out to be such a big success, you can rest assured – it will definitely be a regular feature on MyKugelhopf.  Considering that my chocolate drawer is always full of a new variety of bars, this shouldn’t be a problem.  It changes every few days, as bars get eaten and new ones make a temporary little home in their place.  Now that I have admitted to having not only a drawer devoted to chocolate bars, but also a chocolate bar wrapper collection, you’ll understand the frequency of the theme!

Last time there were bars from Switzerland, Austria, the United States and even Croatia.  If you missed that first roundup, you can check it out here.  This time Spain and Italy are featured, and I am thinking that there will always be a bar from Switzerland in the mix.  As a reminder, I am simply a (very) big fan of dark chocolate, and am always on the lookout for new brands and bars.  I loved all the comments from readers last time – chocolates you have tasted recently, all-time favorites, recommendations and other assorted ideas.  I’m looking forward to that again.  So without further ado, below is the next selection of bars I have tasted lately.  Enjoy!

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