since Valrhona works directly with cocoa producers (100% of their cocoa can be traced back to the plantation where it was grown), Adam and Valrhona tested different varieties, terroirs, and combinations until they had created the perfect dark and milk chocolates for BETA5.
HOUSE CHOCOLATES IN THE HOUSE
it dawned on us recently that we had committed a cardinal sin in chocolatiering: we have never had a āregularā dark chocolate ganache on our menu.
we couldnāt even find a ānormieā milk chocolate version sulking in our recipe archive.
how did this omission happen, especially when Valrhona (Franceās iconic artisan chocolate manufacturer) makes not one, but two custom chocolate blends just for us, and has for over a decade?
maybe it was the bright lights of flavourtown, wooing us to create original two-layer ganache pairings or the perfect praline-caramel combo?
after days of contemplation, we dusted off a trusty textbook:
Chocolate Shop Manual // Section 1.1:
- if youāve collaborated with a world-renowned artisan chocolate manufacturer to create custom chocolate blends for your exclusive use and to your specifications, then you should:
a) probably tell people about this, and,
b) the next time a container with tonnes of your chocolate is shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, set some aside to make ganaches.
we're celebrating a decade-long collaboration with Valrhona by showcasing our custom chocolate blends
making up for lost timeā¦
with a little chocolate wizardry ā”ļø and clinging to the belief that itās ābetter late than neverā, we created two new chocolates to make up for our lapse in judgement.
allow us to present:
HOUSE DARK // featuring our 66% dark chocolate
HOUSE MILK // featuring our 46% milk chocolate
perhaps youāve already met their half-siblings?
66% DARK CHOCOLATE POLYGON BAR
46% MILK CHOCOLATE POLYGON BAR
In case youāre curiousā¦
this all started with the fine folks at Valrhona (headquartered in Tain l'Hermitage, France), extending a rare, holy-sh*t-career-defining invite to Adam Chandler (owner/award-winning-chocolatier/head honcho at BETA5).
Adam said yes (after 23 minutes of internal deliberation), and together they embarked on gruelling months of taste testing, revisions, and more taste testing.
hard stuff.
but, Adam was steadfast and determined to create:
- a dark chocolate that had a rich cocoa flavour, accented by notes of warm spices and roasted cocoa beans.
- a milk chocolatethat had a pronounced cocoa flavour, balanced by a rich milkiness and notes of caramel.
while only those with top-level security clearance, two-factor authentication, and a secret handshake know the full details, we can confirm that the cocoa used in our chocolates is sourced directly from cocoa producers in:
- Dominican Republic
- South America
And, now you know.
we can also tell you that this cocoa is then transformed into chocolate in Tain l'Hermitage, and then it is sent to us in Vancouver, BC.
like any good high school house party, this is a widely kept secret that weāre eager to let you in on.
our house chocolates are officially in the house, so letās party, youāve waited long enough.
