After playing the tough game of airsoft at Airsoft ONE Marikorea in Marikina City, I attended a chocolate workshop with Edwin. The venue was at Heavenly Chocolates, a posh cafe in the QC area. Benjamin Pedro, the owner of the cafe, gave us a lengthy but awesome lecture on chocolates. As a chocoholic, I enjoyed it very much, especially the chocolate tasting session. Yum. Yes, we were treated to wide variety of chocolates sourced from different countries. Continue reading about my addicting journey to the wonderful world of chocolates after the jump...
Chocolates come from cocoa beans. They are rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body.If you want to get the best out of chocolates, choose the dark ones. They contain more antioxidants than the other varieties. In my case, I still prefer milk chocolates.
dark chocolates, cocoa butter and cocoa beans
The planting of cocoa started in Mexico thousands of years ago. But, did you know that the best chocolates today come from the cocoa beans of Africa? And that Vietnam has the biggest cocoa plantation in Asia?
cocoa beans still in shells
Here are some historical facts about chocolates:
1. The Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank nothing but chocolate - fifty pitchers were prepared for him each day.
2. Cocoa beans were used as Aztec currency: ten beans for a wife and a hundred beans for a good slave.
3. Only Aztec kings and members of his court could drink chocolates.
4. In the 16th century, Hernan Cortez brought Montezuma's chocolate drink recipe to Europe.
Chocolate making is hard and fun at the same time, from drying cocoa beans to packing chocolate products. Over the years, technology has improved the techniques in the production of chocolates. Instead of humans, machines do most of the work today.
Mr. Pedro was generous enough to let us sample pieces of chocolates from Japan, Belgium, Switzerland and the US as well as cups of hot chocolates from Mexico and Peru. While the hot chocolate drink from Mexico was sweet and slightly acidic, the one from Peru had just the right richness and sweetness. Personally, I still go for our local hot chocolate (the one made from tablea, can be tsokolate-ah or tsokolate-eh). It must be because it tastes like home. And nothing beats that.
However, you should remember that you can only appreciate chocolates if you get to taste different varieties of chocolates from around the world. Mr. Pedro's chocolate workshop gave me just that. And I'm very thankful to him.
Anyway, the workshop is dubbed as Chocolate Appreciation 101. Mr. Pedro conducts it monthly and free of charge. His passion for chocolates is infectious. You can see it in the way he talks. He also has a great sense of humor. His workshop is always a hit among workshop attendees. If you'd like to attend his workshops, email him at benjaminvpedro(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Mr. Pedro talking to workshop attendees
Attending a workshop about anything food is really fun. With this one, you'll be amazed with the processes that cocoa beans undergo before they become chocolates. It's definitely what I'd call labor of love. And that must be the reason why chocolates are naturally sweet and have positive effects to our moods.
Heavenly Chocolates
127 Roces Avenue
Quezon City
(+632) 666-2208
Chocolates come from cocoa beans. They are rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body.If you want to get the best out of chocolates, choose the dark ones. They contain more antioxidants than the other varieties. In my case, I still prefer milk chocolates.
The planting of cocoa started in Mexico thousands of years ago. But, did you know that the best chocolates today come from the cocoa beans of Africa? And that Vietnam has the biggest cocoa plantation in Asia?
Here are some historical facts about chocolates:
1. The Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank nothing but chocolate - fifty pitchers were prepared for him each day.
2. Cocoa beans were used as Aztec currency: ten beans for a wife and a hundred beans for a good slave.
3. Only Aztec kings and members of his court could drink chocolates.
4. In the 16th century, Hernan Cortez brought Montezuma's chocolate drink recipe to Europe.
Chocolate making is hard and fun at the same time, from drying cocoa beans to packing chocolate products. Over the years, technology has improved the techniques in the production of chocolates. Instead of humans, machines do most of the work today.
Mr. Pedro was generous enough to let us sample pieces of chocolates from Japan, Belgium, Switzerland and the US as well as cups of hot chocolates from Mexico and Peru. While the hot chocolate drink from Mexico was sweet and slightly acidic, the one from Peru had just the right richness and sweetness. Personally, I still go for our local hot chocolate (the one made from tablea, can be tsokolate-ah or tsokolate-eh). It must be because it tastes like home. And nothing beats that.
However, you should remember that you can only appreciate chocolates if you get to taste different varieties of chocolates from around the world. Mr. Pedro's chocolate workshop gave me just that. And I'm very thankful to him.
Anyway, the workshop is dubbed as Chocolate Appreciation 101. Mr. Pedro conducts it monthly and free of charge. His passion for chocolates is infectious. You can see it in the way he talks. He also has a great sense of humor. His workshop is always a hit among workshop attendees. If you'd like to attend his workshops, email him at benjaminvpedro(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Attending a workshop about anything food is really fun. With this one, you'll be amazed with the processes that cocoa beans undergo before they become chocolates. It's definitely what I'd call labor of love. And that must be the reason why chocolates are naturally sweet and have positive effects to our moods.
Heavenly Chocolates
127 Roces Avenue
Quezon City
(+632) 666-2208
I'm about to ask you how did you get an invite to that heavenly workshop when you provided the details. I like to know more about chocolates and I think that's the best knowledge a Chocoholic can get.
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