Welcome to Asheville, NC, chocophiles! Home to the glorious Blue Ridge Parkway, the world's best mast general store, and now, my latest discover, the French Broad chocolate company. For those of you who do not descend from the land of the pine, the French Broad is a river that flows from North Carolina into Tennessee. I myself have whitewater-rafted down this river. It was a chocolate-less affair and therefore a dreary one, chocophiles. Actually it was super fun, but I like how that sentence sounds.
Anyway, French Broad chocolates was started by a couple who met in the Midwest and married, bought a cacao farm in Costa Rica and left a successful business there to start French Broad Chocolates in Asheville. (Definitely my kind of romance!) In addition to creating outstanding chocolate bars and chocolate creations, FBC is committed to sustainable, Earth-friendly practices. The chocolate bars are bean-to-bar, which means that they oversee everything from the bean production to the final product, and ingredients are locally sourced, organic and fair-trade whenever possible. The French Broad Chocolate Lounge is a certified green restaurant, a distinction I didn't even know existed yet, and everything from the packaging to the solar-operated heating system is designed for minimum environmental impact.
The French Broad Chocolate Lounge was a welcome surprise during my holiday visit to Asheville. My good friend and partner in all things cancer crab related, Roxanne, suggested we pop in for a mid-afternoon snack. She warned me that there would be a line, as there is always a line there, and indeed, she was right. A least a dozen people were snaked along the outside when we arrived. Inside, the line continued, but at least there were stores of various chocolate fare to browse along the way. Here I found a most wonderful treat--a T-shirt with a gorgeous sketch of a cacao plant on it!
For my snack, I opted for a drinking chocolate, which is a chocolate drink made with actual chocolate as opposed to chocolate flavored syrup or powder. These are available in several different varieties, such as pure dark, masala chai, and maple, and you can drink them as a "liquid truffle" or a hot chocolate. The truffle is more of a true sipping chocolate; it is basically a melted down chocolate bar with a bit of cream thrown in for good measure. That sounded heavier than I was bargaining for, so I chose a pure dark hot chocolate, which is made with 65% cacao chocolate ganache and a bit more cream/milk than the liquid truffle version. Even so, it was quite thick, and it had a strong raspberry flavor that was very striking. With each sip, I tasted more raspberries than chocolate at first, but this gradually melted into a warm, soothing and familiar cocoa flavor. Since I love raspberries and any sort of fruitiness in chocolate, it was the best of both worlds. Though it was thicker than I was expecting, (I can only imagine what the liquid truffle must be like), it wasn't overpowering, and the portion was small enough that I didn't feel overly full when I was finished.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2014 full of adventure and, of course, chocolate. Happy New Year!
Anyway, French Broad chocolates was started by a couple who met in the Midwest and married, bought a cacao farm in Costa Rica and left a successful business there to start French Broad Chocolates in Asheville. (Definitely my kind of romance!) In addition to creating outstanding chocolate bars and chocolate creations, FBC is committed to sustainable, Earth-friendly practices. The chocolate bars are bean-to-bar, which means that they oversee everything from the bean production to the final product, and ingredients are locally sourced, organic and fair-trade whenever possible. The French Broad Chocolate Lounge is a certified green restaurant, a distinction I didn't even know existed yet, and everything from the packaging to the solar-operated heating system is designed for minimum environmental impact.
The French Broad Chocolate Lounge was a welcome surprise during my holiday visit to Asheville. My good friend and partner in all things cancer crab related, Roxanne, suggested we pop in for a mid-afternoon snack. She warned me that there would be a line, as there is always a line there, and indeed, she was right. A least a dozen people were snaked along the outside when we arrived. Inside, the line continued, but at least there were stores of various chocolate fare to browse along the way. Here I found a most wonderful treat--a T-shirt with a gorgeous sketch of a cacao plant on it!
For my snack, I opted for a drinking chocolate, which is a chocolate drink made with actual chocolate as opposed to chocolate flavored syrup or powder. These are available in several different varieties, such as pure dark, masala chai, and maple, and you can drink them as a "liquid truffle" or a hot chocolate. The truffle is more of a true sipping chocolate; it is basically a melted down chocolate bar with a bit of cream thrown in for good measure. That sounded heavier than I was bargaining for, so I chose a pure dark hot chocolate, which is made with 65% cacao chocolate ganache and a bit more cream/milk than the liquid truffle version. Even so, it was quite thick, and it had a strong raspberry flavor that was very striking. With each sip, I tasted more raspberries than chocolate at first, but this gradually melted into a warm, soothing and familiar cocoa flavor. Since I love raspberries and any sort of fruitiness in chocolate, it was the best of both worlds. Though it was thicker than I was expecting, (I can only imagine what the liquid truffle must be like), it wasn't overpowering, and the portion was small enough that I didn't feel overly full when I was finished.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2014 full of adventure and, of course, chocolate. Happy New Year!