Chocolate has arrived!!!

[elleng]

At kentauros' suggestion last week, on thread that went on and on, http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6130711 I ordered 'my' chocolate from Chocosphere.com, Saturday, arrived in MD this morning! Came all the way from Oregon, and will sample it with my coffee!

[cwydro]

1. Yum!

Be right over!

[elleng]

2. GOOD! See ya!

[kentauros]

3. Looks yummy!

Did they throw in the little Scharffen Berger bar and write "Enjoy" on the box, too?

Well, [font color="chocolate"]Enjoy![/font]

[elleng]

5. Yes, kent, they did,

and I put those little gifts in the pic! GOOD public relations, imo!

[Major Nikon]

4. Nothing like a good piece of chocolate with coffee

This is especially true if you are drinking a coffee with strong chocolate notes like Costa Rica or Sumatra, with a medium roast.

About a year ago I mail ordered some coffee from a roaster and they sent a sample of that exact chocolate. I thought it was quite good.

[elleng]

6. That is SOMETHING, Major Nikon,

This exact chocolate IS the best. It says, about itself, 'Our special blend of roasted cocoa beans from West Africa and noble beans from South America makes it Belgium's #1 Chocolate Brand!' MY coffee is similarly good, roasted in Texas, beans come from Columbia: http://coffeekind.com/cuvee-coffee/decaf-spicewood-71

[Major Nikon]

7. I've used Cuvee before. They are a great roaster

Currently I'm drinking this Guatemalan, also roasted in Austin, Texas. I just received two pounds from them yesterday.

http://andersonscoffee.com/shop/fresh-roasted-coffee-beans/guatemala-antigua/

Dodd Coffee is another Texas roaster I've used. I think they are near Houston. They are quite good as well.

If you really want to taste the chocolate notes in your coffee, consider one that's a bit lower in altitude. Medium roasts are best for this as darker roasts will tend to mute the varietal notes.

[elleng]

8. I found them at a little cafe when visiting Chestertown, MD,

across street from small hotel. The coffee was SO good that I brought some of their ground coffee home, and have ordered it directly from Cuvee ever since. Will keep sampling, with your suggestion in mind, as chocolate is clearly a favorite!

[Major Nikon]

9. I highly suggest you get a grinder if you don't already have one

Even a $20 whirly bird grinder is better than using pre-ground. If you don't mind grinding by hand, this is an excellent hand grinder that's not very expensive, but is made to last for a very long time.

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Ceramic-Skerton-Storage-Capacity/dp/B001802PIQ

[elleng]

10. Have one,

got it after finding Cuvee! SO spoiled! (Not really. My folks had one, many years ago, and I had another, more recently. FRESH is definitely THE thing!)

[Major Nikon]

11. IIRC, Cuvee supplies several of the good coffee houses in Austin along with their own shop

They give tours of their roastery once a month. I have my own plane and I'm always looking for day trips from the Dallas metroplex. One of these days I'm going to fly down and do the tour.

[elleng]

12. I noticed they supply coffee houses and have their own.

Would be good to see them there (for YOU, that is! I'm nowhere NEAR Texas!)