Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon 2010 – Survival Guide

At Intrigue Chocolates Co. we believe in getting the most out of every experience.  This will be our 3rd year at the Chocolate Luxury Salon.  We wanted to pass along our tried and true tips to making the Salon a fantastically delicious experience!

Before you get there:

  • Eat a healthy, light meal.  You’ll thank me later!
  • As with all tastings, please avoid wearing cologne/perfume; they interfere with the tasting experience.  (“Why does this one taste like Old Spice?”  “It reminds me of Chanel No. 5.”)
  • Wear comfy shoes and dress in layers.
  • Plan your day.  We suggest getting there early, plan a lunch break, get some air, stretch your legs, and then return to taste the rest of the chocolates.

What to Bring:

  • A water bottle.  Perhaps some milk for the little ones.  Skip the soda and other sweet drinks.  Again, you’ll thank me later!
  • Crackers or a protein bar.  This helps to balance your energy and clear your palate.
  • A comfortable bag.  This is great for toting goodies and information home.
  • Camera, notebook, pen, and lots of questions.
  • Cash, checks, or credit cards!  Your ticket fees don’t go to the chocolatiers.  In fact, we have to pay to be there, too.  Reward the companies you like the most by proving how much you like their work.  It may be hard to imagine eating more chocolate after working your way around the room, but—trust me—tomorrow is a new day.  [grin]

When you arrive:

  • Get a voting card to keep track of the chocolates you like best.
  • Take a walk around the room to survey the tables first.
  • Tasting wine?  Scope out which chocolatiers can pair their chocolates with your glass.
  • Try to taste everything.  Ask for smaller samples or bring a friend to share, so you can be sure enjoy the large variety.  The chocolatiers want you to sample every flavor!  How else will you know which one is your favorite?  And it may not be the one you expect.
  • Patience and moderation.  We want to take time to talk to each of you, and we need to make sure there are enough samples to go around.  You won’t get to hear (or taste) what’s special and unique about each confection if you just take a piece and run!

Before leaving:

  • Cast your vote for your favorites at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon.
  • Share your feedback with the organizers.  What did you love?  What would you change?
  • TWEET!  TWEET!
  • Facebook
  • Yelp!

HOT TIP: Bring a small plastic container.  Some chocolatiers have samples left at the end of the show.  If you ask nicely, they might let you take some home to share with your friends.

June Flavors Mean Summer’s Here!

Summer’s here
I’m for that
Got my rubber sandals
Got my straw hat
Got my cold beer
I’m just glad that it’s here
-James Taylor, “Summer’s Here”

This month’s flavors will be a hit with the backyard cook-out crowd. At Intrigue Chocolates, we like to finish our meal of burgers and slaw with a little something sweet before a game of horse shoes or bocce ball.  June’s line-up of flavors was chosen in honor of Father’s Day (it’s not just our Moms who like chocolate).All of May’s chocolate truffle flavors are available at the Chocolate Shop! Check these out:

June’s Seasonal Flavors:
Jamaican Hot Chocolate TruffleJamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – The days are getting hotter and so is this truffle, with dark rum, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, and habañero chilis.
Hibiscus Chocolate TruffleHibiscus – We all want to look younger, especially during the warm months and this truffle made with hibiscus petals just may help you do that. Hibiscus is supposed to make your hair more lustrous and keep it attached! This is just a happy coincidence for us, because we really chose this flavor because of the pattern on Dad’s Hawaiian shirts.
Scotch Chocolate TruffleSmokin’ Scotch Truffle – The peaty, smoky Scotch whisky in this truffle tastes of chocolate, a flask, and a campfire. Oh, those summer nights…
Coriander Chocolate TruffleCoriander the Great Truffle – Said to have many medicinal powers (diuretic, antioxidant, antibacterial to name a few) coriander is indeed Great! This truffle is made of toasted coriander seed and a drop of honey. Roasted nutty and lemony aromas are anchored by a touch of sweetness.
Orange-Rosemary Chocolate TruffleOrange-Rosemary Truffle – You know beyond doubt that orange is a natural with chocolate. Fresh orange zest and fresh organic rosemary bring bright musky, earthy notes to the chocolate, reminding us of the best men’s cologne.

Saint Basil Chocolate TruffleSaint Basil Truffle – So many yummy things to eat in the summer, but keep this truffle with its fresh organic basil on your menu. Basil aids in digestion and has curative properties for the tummy.

Celebrate the sun, the great outdoors, and fathers with Intrigue Chocolates!

Ain’t no mother like the one I got…

Yep, it’s almost Mother’s Day! Do you have anything planned yet? She may be upset if you do anything extravagant, but she’ll be tickled if you spend time with her. Take Mom on a little drive to Woodinville for a leisurely day of sipping and tasting, or send her a box of chocolate to show her that she is in your thoughts.

Mother’s Day Special!

    In honor of mothers everywhere (and especially our own Moms), we’re offering a special discount for all online orders placed by May 9th, 2010: FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $20! That includes a Chef’s Choice assortment of at least 6 flavors, ice packs, thermal envelopes, and USPS Priority Mail. At this point she won’t receive her chocolate shipment until next week, so it’ll be an extra surprise.

    Of course, you can also drop by Woodhouse Family Cellars this weekend to pick up your truffles in person and find a bottle of wine to match!

    Visit our Chocolate Shop to take advantage of the FREE SHIPPING Special.

Mayday! May Day!

The first of May is May Day. May Day baskets are a tradition that is fading fast from cultural memory. But when we were kids, we still used to make little paper baskets and fill them with flowers. In Minnesota it was rare for there to be much blooming yet besides dandelions, so we’d make paper flowers lovingly clipped from colored construction paper. Then we would “sneak” up to grandma’s farm-house (she lived just up the hill, one house over), hang the basket on the door knob, ring the bell and run away!

Our selection of chocolate truffle flavors this month was chosen to help us celebrate our mothers and the traditions they’ve shared with us. All of May’s chocolate truffle flavors are available at the Chocolate Shop! Check these out:

May’s Seasonal Flavors:
Jamaican Hot Chocolate TruffleJamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – Dark rum was an accidental discovery of the 17th century. Fermenting molasses that was cast off during the sugar refining process evolved into this “hot, hellish liquor”. Add that and more (honey, vanilla, nutmeg and habanero chilis) to a truffle, and you’ve got an unforgettable flavor.
Jasmine Green Chocolate TruffleJasmine Green Truffle – Flowers used to make jasmine green tea are gathered during the darkness of night when their fragrance is most powerful. Culturally significant all over the world, the jasmine flower symbolizes motherhood in Thailand.
Vrai Chai Chocolate TruffleVrai Chai Truffle – Made with black tea steeped with big, chunky pieces of the real deal: 14 herbs, spices, roots, and fruit. This is not some commercially extracted and flavored powder, or a two-dimensional tea and cardamom rip-off. True to tradition, Intrigue uses a complex blend of black tea, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, orange peel, astragalus (ancient Chinese herbal treatment) , cardamom, coriander, galangal (citrusy/piney/earthy aroma, used as an aphrodisiac in Southeast Asia), gingko (memory enhancer), gotu-kola (improves mental clarity), fo-ti (longevity tonic), nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla beans.
Orchid Chocolate TruffleOrchid Truffle – Flavored with real vanilla beans, the Orchid truffle emulates the singular specialness of mothers. The vanilla bean is the fruit of an orchid (Vanilla planifolia), found originally only in Mexico. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, hand harvested from a rare flower that lasts only for one day.
Sweet Raspberry Chocolate TruffleSweet Raspberry Truffle – Liqueurs are said to be descendant of herbal remedies perfected in ancient monasteries. Raspberries rank high among fruits for their antioxidants, so the raspberry liqueur in these truffles may very well have healing properties!
Saint Basil Chocolate TruffleSaint Basil Truffle – Lovely, fresh and organic basil as usual. From the same herbal family as mint, basil was traditionally used for its medicinal powers to treat stress and other ailments.

Ha-ppy Earth-Day to-you! Ha-ppy Earth-Day to-you!

Earth Day 2010 is a reason to celebrate and contemplate. And let’s not forget the most important part: To take action! Since it’s inception in 1970, Earth Day has been a benchmark day for those occupants of the planet who feel the urge to make good change.

Now an internationally recognized day of importance, Earth Day hopes to raise the awareness of environmental issues that impact all of us living here. Awareness isn’t the end of the process, however. More sad commercials about polar bears surrounded by ice cube remnants of their once grand ice berg doesn’t help anything if we just mourn their passing. The initial goal of Earth Day was education. To teach what can be done to make a positive difference.

It’s time to do. Let’s make changes in the way we live our everyday lives, form a renewed commitment to recycling in our households and workplaces, and do all the little things we know to do already.

Surprisingly, the next best step forward is a step backward: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We’re finally getting a handle on the recycling bit. What can we do about the other two? At Intrigue, we’ve specifically chosen our gift boxes and shipping materials to be minimal and reusable. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for ways we can get even better.

In honor of the Earth and Earth Day 2010, Intrigue Chocolates makes a renewed dedication to having a positive impact on the planet in any way we can, including recycling, reducing our waste, composting, and using sustainable and organic ingredients whenever possible. Please join us in giving loving care to the only home we have.