Typically, the terms "grand cru" and "premier cru" has been used to describe wines, cognac, beer and now chocolate. While these terms are well defined when it comes to vineyards, however the use of these terms for other food items are not regulated. Therefore, there is a vague idea when it comes to reading the labels of food and in particular in chocolates.
I would safely say that many people do not know the classification of chocolates. For a start, we might not even know it if we are actually chewing on sugar instead of the real cocoa beans because no one reads the labels! Some of us would be aware of dark chocolates that are categorised by the amount of cocoa in a bar with percentages but do you know that all 70% cocoa bars do not taste the same? It's just like all 21 year-old whiskies do not taste the same either.
The secret lies in the ingredients of making the chocolate. Small chocolatiers do not have the resources to buy and process their own cocoa beans and thus they have to buy chocolate couverture to make their chocolates. Very few chocolatiers would actually have access to the high quality beans and then blend it the way they like before making them into bars. One such chocolatier would be Beschle (Swiss), joining the ranks of Amedei (Italian), Valrhona (French) and Domori (Italian) with it's Quiza collection.
A Premier Cru chocolate is actually more superior than a Grand Cru chocolate in chocolate terms unlike wines which is actually the other way round. Premier Cru, which designates that the cocoa in a bar is sourced from a specific area, such as a plantation, within a country or region. And Grand Cru designation signifies that the beans in a bar all come from a certain country or region.
If you have a chance, try to grab a bar and try it yourself. Beschle has a boutique in Singapore at the Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road. If I'm not mistaken, this bar is actually retailing at almost SGD$16-20. I think it's worth every cent!
The secret lies in the ingredients of making the chocolate. Small chocolatiers do not have the resources to buy and process their own cocoa beans and thus they have to buy chocolate couverture to make their chocolates. Very few chocolatiers would actually have access to the high quality beans and then blend it the way they like before making them into bars. One such chocolatier would be Beschle (Swiss), joining the ranks of Amedei (Italian), Valrhona (French) and Domori (Italian) with it's Quiza collection.
A Premier Cru chocolate is actually more superior than a Grand Cru chocolate in chocolate terms unlike wines which is actually the other way round. Premier Cru, which designates that the cocoa in a bar is sourced from a specific area, such as a plantation, within a country or region. And Grand Cru designation signifies that the beans in a bar all come from a certain country or region.
Quizás’ philosophy stresses collaboration with the farmers from various regions of Venezuela, resulting in both a first class product . Beans are imported directly by Beschle to Switzerland and the whole line is free of vanilla and lecithin, leaving their ingredients list incredibly short: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cane sugar. It's a brave move which resulted in stripping off the inferiority of the beans, fermentation and roasting process. The Quizás Premier Cru Criollo has subtle tastes of the bean to shine through, and a very smooth buttery melt on the palate.
Tastes great with a glass of single malt whisky too!
Tastes great with a glass of single malt whisky too!If you have a chance, try to grab a bar and try it yourself. Beschle has a boutique in Singapore at the Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road. If I'm not mistaken, this bar is actually retailing at almost SGD$16-20. I think it's worth every cent!
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