The last time I had chocolates from Japanese chocolatier Hironobu Tsujiguchi was almost a year and half ago, when a friend graciously hand-carried a box back for me from his boutique in Tokyo. I had almost forgotten how divine his chocolates are, until I tasted them again at Paris’ annual Salon du Chocolat last month. This was Mr. Tsujiguchi’s first time appearing at Paris’ Salon de Chocolat, and his chocolates were awarded “5 bars”, the highest recognition by the Club des Croqueurs des Chocolat (CCC). That sounds like a big deal.
On another note, I spotted Mr. Carl Marletti at buying Le Chocolat de H at Le Salon du Chocolat. He told me that he has been to the boutique in Tokyo several times, and is a huge fan. Great minds, you know.
I took home a box of 8 flavors (€2 each), and after tasting all of them in one single sitting, I immediately regretted not buying more of these…
Inside the packaging are detailed explanations on each chocolate, complete with diagrams and all. Very Japanese indeed.
The flavors I chose were:
- Sansho* (Japanese pepper)
- Ryoma* (yuzu with almond hazelnut praline)
- Lemon and pineapple*
- Hibiscus “Roselle”*
- Hime (Earl Grey)
- Goût (ginger and caramel)
- Japanese sesame
- Japanese yuzu
Neither couverture chocolate nor cacao powder, nanotized chocolate is a new ingredient created by nanoizing cacao nibs. It has no added sugar,allowing the sweet nuances from the cacao beans themselves shine through. It is also made without conching; the nanotizing allows a greater surface area of the cacao bean to be exposed. Thus the flavor percolates throughout each cell and yields a unique intensity. I believe this new technology of nano chocolate has made a significant mark on the history of chocolate.
Charmed, totally.
