Van Houten presents Cocoaphilia

World's top favorite chocolate brand Van Houten gladly shared to selected members of the press and online community their wonderful 180 years of existence and their new found chocolate knowledge through an sumptuous chocolate appreciation afternoon at Society Lounge, Makati City.

I'm a HUGE chocolate lover. And having a day without chocolate is like a suicide to me. So when I received an invitation to attend this Cocoaphilia event, ask no more, I was there - on the dot! Haha!

Upon entering the elegant receiving area of Society Lounge, I was welcomed by our friends from Van Houten. And with a smile as sweet as a milk chocolate bar, they told me to enjoy what they prepared for us.

And when I stepped inside, BAM! A room full of chocolates! HEAVEN!

We had some good time munching the chocolates they placed on our tables before the event, which was hosted by Dessert Comes First blogger Miss Lori Baltazar, started.

Miss Lori, together with our friends from Van Houten, shared to us the story behind Van Houten. 

Did you know that Van Houten has been manufacturing cocoa powder since 1828? And its founder Coenraad Van Houten pioneered the process to manufacture cocoa in Amsterdam, Holland? 

Well, those are just some of the info that I got from that presentation. Hehe. After that, some chocolate facts were then shared to us, which silenced the crowd more, eager to catch all those fun facts. 

Then Miss Lori asked us to take a bar of Van Houten chocolates that were being distributed to us to join her in this "right way to savor our chocolates" thing. And with the help of our five senses, the savoring began.

Using our eyes, we were told to examine our chocolate bars. Miss Lori said that good chocolates should have color, texture and natural-looking finish. It must also be free of air bubbles and blemishes.

Next, using our nose, we were told that savoring a chocolate begins on the moment that we unwrapped it. And to do that, we were asked to smell it to take in its deep aroma of fresh cocoa.

Then, with the sense of touch, we were asked to feel the smoothness of our chocolate bars. Miss Lori said that a god chocolate bar should not melt immediately in our hands because she added that a chocolate that melts quickly simply indicates how well it has been tempered and stored.

After that, to my surprise, we were then asked to brake it with our two hands. But before breaking it, Miss Lori asked us to put it closer to ears to hear its snapping sound. She said that a higher quality chocolate have higher level of cocoa butter, smaller particle size and are well tempered, which will yield a crisp, clean snap.

Finally, the last part of this "right way to savor our chocolates", she asked us to bite a little of our chocolate bar and feel its flavor. She said that fresh chocolate has intense but refined flavors and subtle textures. Then she added that quality chocolate tends to have a long, pleasant aftertaste that lingers in our mouth. And to savor our chocolates full flavor, we were asked to rest it on the tip of our tongue.

Wow!

To be honest, I never knew that savoring a chocolate would be that serious, but heck, I enjoyed it. It was one "right way" that I think I'll be doing with the rest of the chocolates that I'll be putting in my mouth. ^_^

After that chocolate tasting, since the afternoon was really meant for choco-lovin, Chef Patrice Freuslon of Society Lounge showcased three sumptuous dishes that incorporated Van Houten chocolate. Everyone feasted on chicken mole negro, enchilada sauce with tacos and decadent chocolate cake. Yum!

Chicken Mole Negro

Enchilada Sauce with Tacos

Chocolate Cake

We also had a chance to have Van Houten Chocolate with a glass of espresso, which capped this chocolate-y day.

Chocolate is one of the world’s favourite food, so spending some time to learn important stuff about is I guess a must-do for everyone. And with this Van Houten's Cocoaphilia, I learned to appreciate chocolates more - more than I usually do.

Thank you, Van Houten! More choco-lovin to all of us!
Happy eating!