Sweet and Smokey at Artisan du Chocolat

Posted by: on Mar 9, 2011 | No Comments

I don’t have a particularly over-developed sweet tooth, but a good piece of chocolate gets me every time.  Typically I stick to the darkest, most bitter varieties.  I find the nutty and fruity flavors present in cocoa intriguing in the same way one might ponder a single malt or cigar.  Enter the tobacco chocolate bar.

Artisan du Chocolat, the brainchild of Gerard Coleman, is a London-based chocolatier attempting to softly push the boundaries of what chocolate can do.  Nothing radical or edgy about it – just really good chocolate, given as much care and attention as top-notch coffee, fine wine, or any of the other craft-foodie obsessions.  One of Gerard’s creations is a bar of dark chocolate infused while warm with a selection of American and Oriental tobaccos.  I thought this too good to be true, and had to rush over to their boutique within Selfridges to get myself one.

The tobacco flavor is quite subtle, but definitely there.  Up front you get the tart fruits of a bitter chocolate, followed by a dry but creamy mouthfeel.  Then, as you breath in after swallowing, an extremely pleasant aroma fills your mouth and nose.  It’s almost incense-like, the perfect lingering finish.  I might have wanted the flavor to be a tad stronger, but maybe I’d be over-doing a good thing.

Leave a Reply