Ducd’O chocolates now in India!

“Ducd’O targets sophisticated chocolate consumers that are aware of the superior Belgium chocolate taste”

Mumbai: International Belgium chocolate brand Ducd’O is now available across India. Post announcing the signing of a distribution & marketing contract for the Indian market with Cosmo Fine Foods, Ducd’O has now opened its doors to the Indian market. Cosmo fine foods will distribute and market the Duc d’O brand in the Indian market.

Ducd'O Chocolaterie have been Belgium’s main producers and exporters since the past 25 year and now want to explore an opportunity to tap the growing premium luxury chocolate market in India with an unique offering of flaked truffles, mini pralines and pralines. Ducd’O currently has the truffles, pralines, mini pralines and liquor crates in the current range available under the brand.

Ducd’O ranges from Rs 525/- to 995/- depending on the choice of the assortment the customer would wish to choose from. Ducd’O is available in all modern retail stores across all main cities in India. It is also available at the Travel retail stores across all major airports in India.

About Duc d’O
Duc d’O Group is an internationally oriented, premium quality producer and marketer of consumer chocolate products. Duc d’O group is structured around 3 business units Branding, OTC and Gift. Duc d’O is the main brand in the branding department.

The Duc d’O brand targets chocolate lovers worldwide and is currently distributed in 60 countries. The Duc d’O assortment is built around premium quality flaked truffles, pralines and liquor pralines. Check out www.ducdo.com  or their Facebook page for more information.

BlackForest Chocolates - part deux

The stash!

BlackForest Chocolates seems to be becoming a Chocosophy staple! Look what I got sent by chocolatier Shilpi Chawla to taste and review. After I raved about her Sugar-free Fresh Apple Cinnamon chocolate in the first review, Chawla decided I ought to taste her sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates and rochers among other things. So the chocolates and some lovely cupcakes made their way to me a few days ago for a review - part deux!

White chocolate cupcakes

The cupcakes were part of Shilpi's cupcake activity that was held at Out of the Blue, Powai on July 14, 2013. This first colourful one was the egg-less white chocolate cupcake, decorated with blue and yellow frosting, some edible glitter and Gems! While I'm not a fan of food colour, these soft, moist and sweet cupcakes may be lovely things to serve at a kiddie birthday party, don't you think?

RATING: 2.5/5

Egg-less chocolate mini cupcakes

The next thing to try from the BlackForest Chocolates' oven were the egg-less min chocolate cupcakes. Because I'm partial to chocolate, I found these better than the white larger ones. The edible sugar embellishments gave them a great look (and my son picked and ate them all up), but again, I would have been happier without them. The cupcake itself was chocolaty and spongy and would I eat them again? Yes.

RATING: 3/5

Sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates

Coming to the chocolates, Chawla sent me the sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates in two shapes - one was shaped like an ice cream cone mounted on a stick (like a lollipop!) and the other was of a regular cylindrical shape. The first was without nuts while the second had some almonds. The chocolate was reasonably aromatic and flavourful as far as sugar-free products go. However, I found them to be a little grainy and they could probably do with a little more tempering. But, they'd make a good option for diabetic or weight-watching chocolate lovers.

RATING: 3/5

Belgian Rochers

The star of this batch of products from BlackForest Chocolates was definitely the Belgian Rochers. I'm guessing, by Rochers, Chawla means nut and rice crisp-filled chocolates, much like the famous Ferrero Rocher. These milk chocolates were delightfully smooth and crispy and Chawla would make a killing if she were to market them well. I absolutely adored them and they're easily one of the best homemade chocolates I've ever sampled.

RATING: 4/5

Visit www.blackforestchocolates.com to know more and place orders.

Godiva milk and dark chocolate pearls

Another fine example of the Beglian chocolate legend is the brand Godiva that makes some of the world's most luxurious chocolates. Originally a Belgian company founded by Joseph Draps in 1926, it was bought over first by the American Campbell Soup Company in 1972 and then by the Turkish Yıldız Holding in 2008. Godiva is currently owned by Yıldız Holding - Turkey's largest consumer goods manufacturer. Godiva is known the world over for its gourmet chocolates, especially their gold ballotins.

I was given these two tins of Godiva pearls - milk and dark chocolate - by a friend a few days ago and I was really keen to see what the Godiva reputation was all about. The nifty looking tins are of the flip open type and contain 43 g of pearls - 80 to 100 pearls maybe. They're perfect to slip into purses and other such and generally show off to people. I LOVE THOSE TINS!

Glazed on top, the chocolates melt in one's mouth rather quickly and taste quite good. Notice how I don't say 'great', because they.. um.. aren't. Yes, the chocolates are smooth and appropriately sweet, but they don't make for a memorable taste experience. It may also have to do with eating smaller quantities - one or two pearls at a time - that don't offer enough gustatory information. Incidentally, the pack also lacks information on cocoa quantities and such. The point is, Godiva's milk and dark chocolate pearls are underwhelming.

What is not underwhelming is the price; quite the opposite actually. One teensy, albeit adorable, tin costs almost INR 400, from what I gauged from the Internet! But I'm not writing Godiva off yet. I shall leave my judging for another day when I get hold of a gold ballotin for which the brand is so famous. But I'm certainly never buying or gifting any more Godiva pearls.

RATING: 2.5/5

Chocosophy news: World's first chocolate hotel, stamps and VERY low cal chocolate

The Chocolate Boutique Hotel - the world's first chocolate themed hotel

Bournemouth in the UK has introduced the world's first chocolate-themed hotel - The Chocolate Boutique Hotel. All of its 13 chocolate-themed rooms are fitted with chocolate fountains and there are midnight treats for chocoholics like me. The hotel also has chocolate workshops for guests and a bar which whips up a vast range of chocolate cocktails. The place hosts hen and slumber parties and the room tariffs range from GPB 65 to 170 for the best suite.

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'Edible' chocolate stamps debut in Belgium   

Okay, this was introduced last month, but for the latecomers, Belgium has introduced the world's first stamps infused with rich cocoa oil. The infusion is on the front and back of the stamps, so the sender as well as the receiver can experience the rich taste and scent of famous Belgian chocolates. Belgian stamp collector Marie-Claire Verstichel tried them out and declared that the taste was a little disappointing, but that the smell was good. A sheet of five stamps cost about $8.

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New fruit juice chocolate formula to reduce fat in half

Scientists at the University of Warwick have found a way to reduce the fat content of regular chocolate bar! Super news, right? What's incredible is that this breakthrough formula replaces the fat with tiny droplets of juice of fruits like oranges. A concoction of water and Vitamin C instead of the fat makes the chocolate just as smooth, although it makes it taste fruity. The new process also prevents the unsightly ‘sugar bloom’ which can appear on chocolate which has been stored for too long.


The study, entitled Quiescent Water-in-Oil Pickering Emulsions as a Route toward Healthier Fruit Juice Infused Chocolate Confectionary was co-authored by Thomas Skelhon, Adam Morgan, and Nadia Grossiord at the University of Warwick.

Deliciae Patisserie

The first week of April was a week of many firsts for Chocosophy. After reviewing my first exclusive chocolate store, I went on to review my first patisserie. It was the dessert cafe of the now-famous Out of the Blue restaurant at Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai. While not much of an establishment by itself, Deliciae Patisserie can hold its own with a varied menu and offerings.

Out of the Blue is one of the more popular eateries amidst the throng that lines Carter Road. Their off beat menu has made a name for itself, and going by Deliciae's standards, the desserts are going to be talked about very soon too. The tiny patisserie/ dessert counter if you will, is placed near the entrance of the Le Sutra Hotel building (where OOTB is by the way) and unmissable with its colourful selection displayed in the showcase.

The showcase is quite arresting with cupcakes, mousses, cakes, pastries, tarts and pies calling out to sweet-toothed customers. Some of the sexy things on their menu include Blueberry cheesecake, Tiramisu, Frozen Mud Pie, Meringue and Chocolate Truffle among other things. There is a wide enough selection for pukka vegetarians too with things like Banoffee, Blueberry Lemon Flan, Broadway Brownie, and Choco Cherry Mudcake.

Among savouries, I spotted only sandwiches and what looked like quiches. But who cares for savouries in a patisserie, right? A few chairs are also placed opposite the showcase for those who are looking to quickly dig into a dessert and not go in for a full meal at the restaurant.

My eyes, however, were glued to the showcase, wondering which of these beauties I should sample. I decided upon one egg-based dessert and one eggless variety based on their most popular items. Their highest selling offerings are Death by Chocolate (egg) and the Belgian Chocolate pastry (eggless).

When the first dessert arrived (served with ice cream no less!), I must have looked like the cat that got the cream. :D Who would not want desserts for dinner, afterall!? Death by Chocolate is a heavenly combination of mousse, chocolate, meringue and cake. And if my tastebuds weren't lying to me, there was some awesome liqueur in it too. The rosette on top was made of mousse and tasted like pure heaven. When contrasted and combined with the slightly chewy meringue and soft cake, it flooded my mouth with delightfully varied textures. As if these weren't enough, I scooped in some vanilla ice cream too. The mildly bitter chocolate and the basic sweet of the vanilla took it to another level.

Next up was the eggless (almost sounds racist, no?) Belgian Chocolate pastry, which looked as promising, if not more with dark, sinful chocolate flowing right into my heart and yeah, the waistline. This one came with a scoop of vanilla too and looked like a more fitting complement. I tucked into its creamy richness and nearly died of pleasure at the sight of its gooey insides. Soft, melting dark Belgian chocolate can kill, okay? So, that was a 10 on 10 for texture. The taste was great too, despite the egglessness, but it was one dimensional.

Perhaps, it seemed that way because Death By Chocolate was such a profusion of flavours. But since no mad person will eat these two desserts one after the other like I did, there is no scope for disappointments by comparison.

So, I was saying, don't go overboard like your friendly neighbourhood queen of cacao excesses, but definitely try the desserts at Deliciae. They're ace.

Deliciae also makes customised cakes for weddings, birthdays and all such.

They can be contacted on:

Email: info@deliciaecakes.com

Website: www.deliciaecakes.com

Phone: 9029023000

FB: facebook.com/deliciaecakes

The Cocoa Trees, Mumbai

Focus Network Agencies (FNA), the Singapore based branded consumer lifestyle group, has partnered with Cosmo Fine Foods Pvt. Ltd., an Indian organization offering the widest range of international chocolate brands, to launch the boutique store range, The Cocoa Trees in India. The Cocoa Trees is a retail concept store which offers the widest range of international brands under its umbrella. Conceptualized in 2000, it has now grown into a retail chain of 36 boutiques across Asia with presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Cocoa Trees in India are currently in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Goa. In Mumbai, the first store was opened at Breach Candy in 2011, and they have recently expanded with two new stores - in Nature's Basket, Bandra and at R City Mall, Ghatkopar. When I was invited to check out their new outlets, I felt exactly like Charlie must have in the chocolate factory. Upon entering the Nature's Basket outlet in Bandra, one is greeting with these huge banners to the left, which announce the presence of a dedicated chocolate section in the basement.

Down a flight of stairs, one sees gift baskets of chocolate things and exclusive shelves of mostly imported chocolate, but these are Nature's Basket properties.

The Cocoa Trees is bright section up front and unmistakable with its happy yellow interiors. Row upon row of the world's best chocolates is quite enough to drive a chocolate aficionado like me mad. In a perfect dream, I would have unlimited money and a super sized shopping cart inside The Cocoa Trees! :)

The Cocoa Trees stocks the best international and indigenous brands including Anthon Berg, Cadbury, Celebrations, Chupa Chups, Cote d’Or, Daim, Droste, Duc d’O, Fazer, Ferrero, , Gavottes, Goldkenn, Haribo, Hawaiian Host, Hershey’s, Jelly Belly, Jules Destrooper, Kagi, Kinder, Lorenz, M&M’s, Maltesers, Mars, Mentos, Merci, Milka, Ritter Sport, Snickers, Starburst, Storz, Swiss Delice, Taveners, The Belgian, Tic Tac, Toblerone. The Cocoa Trees also stocks rare brands like Frey, which are exclusively licensed to be sold only at their stores. Besides, new brands like Zaini which have all Disney characters in their edd-shaped chocolates, have been added.

I saw these cute Zaini chocolate boxes shaped like the Disney character, Lightning Mc Queen from the movie Cars and thought, THIS! my 3-year-old will love! Other kiddy touches like the Chupa Chups lillipop stand with giant lollipop-shaped containers, teddies holding candy and M & M stands shaped like their popular animated avatars make the store an altogether delightful place for young customers.

But there are plenty of things to get not so young customers like me excited too. For example, some unbelievable flavours like the Frey Lemon Pepper Dark chocolate! Lemon Pepper? But that's what one puts in their soup, right? I HAD to pick a bar up. Review will be up soon!

And then there were these Oreo boxes shaped like giant cookies that totally make you want to forget your diet and container after container of different chocolate flavours from Sorini and Ritter Sport Minis that are sold by weight. Mind-blown as I was, there was some space for heartbreak too when I noticed that the store did not have any Toblerone dark chocolate. Are you'll taking note, dear store owners?

After walking around and gushing over all these beauties, it was time to leave. I was presented with a gorgeous hamper from The Cocoa Trees that comprised a box each of some delightful Belgian Pralines, Jules Destrooper Belgian Chocolate Thins (biscuits) and Merci assorted chocolates. I was a little disappointed to find most of these melting by the time I took them home, but then these delicate exotic things can hardly be expected to withstand Mumbai summers.

Anyhow, what's a little melted chocolate when they're so darned beautiful and mmmm...-inducing? I tried German-made Merci first, which is a collection of 20 fine assorted chocolates. The flavours include Milk Chocolate, Coffee & Cream, Hazelnut-Almond, Hazelnut-Creme, Marzipan, Dark Cream, Dark Mousse and Praline-creme. They are ideally had at room temperature, but I had to keep them in the fridge to save their form. Even when hardened, they chocolates melt quickly in the mouth and lose none of their rich delightful flavours.

At INR 550, this 250 g pack of 20 assorted chocolates makes for a wonderful gift idea, and if it is a chocolate aficionado you are trying to impress, look no further. You will say 'merci' to me for this one.

Next up was a pack of four Belgian pralines, so amazing I would have been happy only kissing them. Too bad they had melted a lot as well and needed refrigeration and eventual eating. I know, what a hard life I have. :D The Belgian pralines from... duh, Belgium, are crafted to perfection and are almost worth their price (almost 50 bucks apiece!). For those who don't know, regular pralines refer to a confection made of nuts and sugar, but Belgian pralines have a hard chocolate shell with a soft (sometimes liquid) filling. They are also referred to as chocolate bonbons or Belgian chocolates.

The four pralines in this box included a white chocolate, a milk chocolate, a dark chocolate and a dark chocolate with nuts. Delicate doesn't even begin to describe these lovelies and they were lapped up before one could say 'Bless The Cocoa Trees'.

And finally, there was a chocolate-biscuit pack from a brand that's completely new to me - Jules Destrooper. The Belgian biscuiterie (my favourite new word!) is over a hundred years old and if I've never heard of it, that must be because very few, if any, places in India import it. But that's changing, of course, because of The Cocoa Trees. The best, most exotic chocolate brands of the world are now available under one roof.

The 100 g Jules Destrooper pack of Belgian Chocolate Thins are nothing but chocolate coated crispy biscuits. The kinds of chocolate are the usual dark, milk and white, only Amazing with a capital A. The biscuits are of just the perfect hardness and crunch and taste unbelievably good in combination with the chocolate. Because these babies melted too, I have no idea whether there are 10 thins or five in that pack - they got stuck, I think. Nevertheless, they are well worth their INR 275, and I most definitely recommend it, as I recommend a visit to The Cocoa Trees.

Seriously people, whether or not you are a chocolate aficionado, make one trip to experience the unique concept of this store. Also, people who are clueless about gift ideas, The Cocoa Trees is the answer to all your prayers.

Address: The Cocoa Trees, @ The Nature's Basket, Hill Road, Bandra, Mumbai
Website: http://www.thecocoatrees.com/
Phone: 022 - 26425050, 26421122
FB: www.facebook.com/CocoaTrees