IT’S WORLD CHOCOLATE Day this week! The past few years have seen a rise in homegrown chocolate brands with a focus on single origin, high quality chocolate and unconventional flavour pairings. We take a look at artisanal farm-to-bar chocolatiers who are experimenting with regional ingredients. Here are some interesting luxury bars that caught our eye...
Smoor
Smoor’s Elaine collection by chef Elaine Young comprises some unique flavour combinations. Our pick is the Cashew and Curry bar which is 70 per cent dark chocolate infused with oven-roasted cashews, coconut and Madras curry powder (a spice mix with notes of turmeric, garlic, cumin, ginger, curry leaves and more). Rs 350
La Folie
The Mumbai-based chocolatier boasts a dark chocolate bar combining green mango and Nagaland chilli. Raw mango and chilli are a match made in heaven as those streetside vendors will tell you. And when paired with Indian and Dominican Republic cacao we presume it can only be truly luxurious. An interesting flavour pairing that is worth a try. Rs 280
Chockriti
This past year, haldi doodh or turmeric latte saw a surge in popularity because of its immunity-boosting properties. Chockriti brings a bar that takes inspiration from it. The haldi doodh bar uses Belgian cacao butter, turmeric, roasted almonds, cardamom and black pepper. It can be had as is, or even melted into a cup of hot milk. Rs 290
Kocoatrait
Every true blue South Indian loves mor milagai — chillies marinated in yogurt and sun dried. Kocoatrait marries this quintessential southern flavour with 70 per cent dark chocolate in its Madras Collection of chocolate bars. The interesting bar is made with unrefined cane sugar (khandsari) and Indian origin beans. Rs 235
Soklet
Chocolate and chilli is not a new combination, but it does pique our interest when it’s one of the hottest chillies in the world — the bhut jolokia. Single origin chocolate brand, Soklet’s bhut jolokia bar has 70 per cent dark chocolate from the foothills of the Anamalais, the chillies from Assam and a hint of Himalayan pink salt to balance out the flavours. Rs 200
Paul and Mike
The flavours of India’s favourite summer drink, thandai, have been infused into a 41 per cent milk chocolate bar by Paul and Mike. The brand uses ingredients such as cardamom, white pepper, saffron, fennel and almond (flour), which go into traditional thandai. The spices are blended with cocoa beans and cocoa butter to create this bar, which has no artificial flavours. Rs 250
Chitra’m Chocolate
A staple at South Indian breakfast tables, molegapodi, which is usually eaten with dosa or idli is a blend of roasted red chillies, lentils, sesame seed, and a handful of other spices. At Coimbatore-based Chitra’m Chocolate, cocoa nibs are added to this blend and then sprinkled on top of 70 per cent dark chocolate to create an inclusion bar. Rs 250