Tasting Club magalogue_Spring 2011

Discovertaste &

Take this No.1 Introductory Selection...for just £9.95

(inc.

del

iver

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PLus: FREE PERSONAL CHOCOLATE TASTE TEST

A New Collection of Provocative Chocolates

chocolates

But all chocolates are not created equal and when they’re the freshest they can be, they are also at their most exciting. Just ask any one of our 100,000 members – it’s difficult to imagine that they could all be wrong!

Angus Thirlwell, Club Founder

Some things are easy to love – like the unmistakable aroma of chocolate, the glossy sheen of hand finished shells and their satisfyingly crisp bite, not to mention the deep flavours and silky smooth textures…

Ultra -freshr E V E A L E D

We started our Club over 12 years ago with one mission in mind, to make exciting chocolate that takes our members on a real adventure. And as you’ll see from our story on page 10, we’ve been on quite an

adventure ourselves – from growing our own cocoa in Saint Lucia to creating over 2,500 new chocolate recipes for those 100,000 members to taste.

Our cocoa plantation estate in Saint Lucia is managed by Phil Buckley (left).

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chocolates

But where can I findchocolate like this?

Unfortunately, many chocolates can only disappoint because they’re not fresh and so have only dull flavours, they’re made with cheap ingredients, of which sugar is the cheapest of all, and they’re made to uninspired recipes that favour cost-cutting. Exciting chocolate should seduce the senses on so many different levels – from mouth-watering looks and irresistible aromas, to gorgeously deep flavours and sensational textures.

Ultra -fresh AromA – Fresh chocolate has an aromatic bouquet. The cocoa bean has over 400 distinct aromas that delight our senses long before we taste them.

AppeArAnce – Well made real chocolate has a beautifully distinct sheen, ranging from brilliant gloss of moulded chocolates to the silky lustre of enrobed chocolates.

TexTure – Cocoa butter in real chocolate melts at mouth temperature giving us that oozing soft melt in the mouth sensation as the chocolate begins to soften and liquefy.

TAsTe – With over 300 natural compounds, chocolate has a range of complex tastes which run over the sensitive taste zones of our tongues sending comforting messages to our brain.

How to recognisegood chocolate

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dedicated...AT A TASTING CLUB

TO MAKING chocolate THAT IS...

Chocolate just tastes better when it’s fresh, which is why we deliver our chocolates straight after they’re made. No sitting around in the warehouse for months – fresh is definitely best when it comes to chocolate.

Included in your introductory selection. Included in your introductory selection.

fresh authenticUsing premium, wholesome ingredients and no ‘nasties’ allows the true flavours to shine through – as does our pioneering More Cocoa Less Sugar TM approach.

INtENsE MILK PrALINEAnd Intense Milk Praline is a prime example of our authenticity in action – featuring a silky smooth praline made with sought after hazelnuts from Italy’s Piedmont region and our rather special 50% milk chocolate. With less sugar than the average praline, the deep cocoa flavours and the earthy notes of hazelnuts really take centre stage.

BLuEBErry DrEAM After all, what would be the point of making our Blueberry Dream with tangy blueberry juice if we were just going to leave it on the shelf? The big, full-on blueberry kick that is just bursting out of this chocolate would simply fade away the longer we left it – but by tasting it fresh, our members get the full fruity hit!

TO MAKING chocolate THAT IS...

5Included in your introductory selection.

originalWe believe that chocolate should be exciting, so we make them with plenty of imagination, flair and good dash of British wit – our members discover and taste original, new and exclusive creations every month.

EtoN MEssNew recipes like Eton Mess that were inspired by the original dessert, but have now taken it to a whole new chocolaty level. It perfectly captures the essence of this British classic with super soft strawberry buttercream, the bite of crisp meringue and tangy strawberry pieces with a dark chocolate twist.

Your introductory selectionChampagne Truffle Dark Salted Liquid Caramel

Milk Liquid CaramelLemon Truffle

Dizzy Intense Milk Praline

Speyside Smoothie Billionaire Shortbread

“As ut quiat ra pra ab inctio etur sinci que perferatqui quist et qui cum latassunt

voluptasit qui cum”







“Agnateserum aut dolore nulla adi velit dolupta dolore quatenducim

non nonsent, eossitio.”

“Agnateserum aut dolore nulla adi velit dolupta dolore quatenducim nonsent, eossitio.”

“Agnateserum aut dolore nulla adi velit dolupta dolore quatenducim

non nonsent, eossitio.”


Your introductory selection

£9.95 Take this introductory selection FOR juST

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see insid

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Hazelnut Bites Espresso Truffle

Eton Mess Chilli Truffle

Griotte Deluxe Blueberry Bombe

Florentine Dream









“As ut quiat ra pra ab inctio etur sinci que perferatqui

et qui cum latassunt voluptasit qui cum”







COMMENTS FROM TASTING CLuB MEMBERS ON THE INTRODuCTORy CHOCOLATES...

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A unique selection of 38 ultra-fresh chocolates created by our chocolatiers

FREE Personal Taste Test – an array of solid chocolate batons. What kind of chocolate lover are you?

FREE Tasting Club Introductory guide about our passion for chocolate and how the club works

A Tasting menu with individual tasting notes tohelp you enjoy the chocolates even more

A scoring card to help you give feedback on what you like and don’t!

Thisselection

Illustration much reduced. 336mm x 178mm. Total weight: approx 490g.

orDEr VIA thE WEB WWW.chocs.co.uK/uLtrAfrEsh

is all yours for just

– here’s how it works We’re a friendly laid-back bunch whose aim is to make our tasters happy. That’s why we make these 3 promises to you.

1. NO COMMITMENT Try out the Tasting Club with our introductory offer selection – in letterbox friendly packaging – for just £6.95. Payment is only due after you have safely received your selection. You are not committed to taking any further selections. You are in control, always.

2. NO NASTy SuRPRISESAfter the introductory offer, further Tasting Selections are £17.95 including delivery. They are the same size as the introductory offer.

3. COMPLETE FLEXIBILITyA fresh, new and exciting Tasting Selection is made every month and it’s up to you if you’d like to receive it – some tasters just take a selection every 2 or 3 months. It’s always your choice and you can change your mind at anytime.

And that’s it!

easy goingclub

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An

NO EXCuSES GuARANTEEWe are in business to make you happy and we succeed or fail by how well we do this. If you are not 100% happy with our products we guarantee that we will immediately put it right for you – refunding or replacing as appropriate.

The Classic Introductory

Selection

orDer noW

see insid

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(inc. delivery)£9.95

YOURSFREE!PErsoNAL tAstE tEstA fun way to assess your chocolate preference. Includes solid chocolate batons with caramel, praline, 40% milk chocolate, single origin dark and 85% dark chocolate.

is all yours for just

10

Joseph, the cocoa expert we fund, on the motorbike donated by members. He is now able to effectively advise farmers around the region on best practices.

In Saint Lucia

we are following our dreams and have become one of the few cocoa growing chocolate makers in the world. For the best part of five years we have been busy rejuvenating the historic Rabot Estate. We have even researched the genetics of our trees (helped by world leaders in the field at Reading University), which has enabled us to isolate and then grow a rare strain of cocoa that was previously thought to be lost forever.

We have also created an Engaged Ethics Cocoa Programme, that not only provides technical help for the island’s farmers, but also guarantees to buy the farmers’ crops at rates substantially higher than the basic commodity price they used to get – helping to guarantee their incomes and improve their production.

Hello, we started our Club over 12 years ago to showcase the true creative talent of real chocolatiers. Since then, our passion for chocolate and our love of great ingredients has led us in all sorts of interesting directions – from helping cocoa farmers in Ghana and to growing our own cocoa on the island of Saint Lucia.

In Ghana

we’ve been actively helping to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers since 2002 when we began our Engaged Ethics programme. It’s our unique approach that combines direct funding for sustainable projects, with a hands-on, sleeves-rolled-up approach. We regularly visit the region to see our projects in action and to talk directly to cocoa farmers about how best to help them help themselves.

As a result, we have a flourishing cocoa seedlings program that allows farmers to replace their ageing trees and thereby increase their harvests and incomes. We fund a cocoa expert to advise farmers on best practices and have provided him with a motorcycle so he can spread the word even further! Last year we sank a much-needed borehole that sustains a cocoa seedling nursery and also provides fresh water for six villages. And this year we have purchased a truck so that our seedlings and cocoa experts can go even further and reach previously inaccessible areas.

We have rebuilt the Historic Rabot Estate cocoa plantation and now grow our own beans for use in some of our chocolate.

Our COCOA story...

“Club Founder, Angus Thirlwell

And a second dream has also come true in the stunning surroundings of Rabot Estate. The real Hotel Chocolat is opening later in the year, where nature and wellbeing come together with style, luxury and, of course, a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the very source of chocolate, cocoa.

Chocolate Bonds Finally, you might have heard about another of our recent innovations in the national press, radio or television, as they all got quite excited about our Chocolate Bonds. They are an innovative way for our members to become involved in our exciting plans for the future by helping to fund them. And with the £3.7 million raised, we’re already putting those plans into action.

The real Hotel Chocolat opens later in the year, where nature and wellbeing come together with style, luxury and, of course, a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the very source of chocolate, cocoa.

“

”

Saint Lucia is the invigorating setting for the Real Hotel Chocolat

Angus presents a club member with one of the first Chocolate Bonds.

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THESE CHOCOLATESWHY YOU really MUST TRY

It’s an array of solid chocolate batons that takes you from the mellow end of the spectrum, with caramel, praline and 40% milk chocolates; to the deeper side, with rare single origin and powerful 85% dark chocolates.

For mellow milk lovers – our Classic Selection beckons with filled recipes in predominantly milk chocolate and a touch of white and dark. Or for those who prefer theirs alcohol-free, then Elements is the one for you.

For dark chocolate lovers – then the choice for you is between the Dark Selection featuring filled recipes in dark chocolate, or for simpler recipes that are more about fine cocoa, try the Purist.

It all comes down to one simple but endlessly exciting word, passion – mine for fresh, authentic and original chocolates; our chocolatiers’ for creating true masterpieces; and our members’ for tasting and rating them – and I’d love you to be part of that.

Every month our members discover exciting chocolates that thrill the taste buds. So, by way of introduction, I have specially selected every single one of the chocolates in this collection because each one is exciting, provoking and stimulating in its own way.

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Not forgetting that this truly is an easy going Club, so you can come and go as you please – taking selections every month, every other month or just every so often. Alternatively, if you decide it’s not for you after trying the Introductory Selection, just let us know and that will be the end of it.

I do hope that you’ll give us a try, after all, it doesn’t commit you to a single thing, but it could well be the beginning of a gorgeous adventure – just ask our 100,000 members!

Best wishes

Angus Thirlwell Club Founder

your frEE PErsoNAL tAstE tEst

Once you’ve tried the Introductory Selection, you then have access to any of the four different monthly selections enjoyed by our members. And to help you decide what kind of chocolate lover you are, and therefore which selection would suit you best, we’ve created a delicious Taste Test...

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Tasting TEST

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a love of chocolateand a passion for cocoa...

From the very beginning we’ve been dedicated to creating chocolates that excite, stimulate and provoke the senses – using nothing but premium ingredients and masses of chocolatier flair and imagination. And our Introductory Selection is the perfect place to discover some of the most exciting chocolates we’ve ever created.

Our love of chocolate has also led us into become one of the world’s few cocoa-growing chocolate makers, but it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also created our own programme of Engaged Ethics – a hands-on approach offering sustainable, hands-on support to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in Ghana and Saint Lucia...

0215

74

...Something you’ll be helping to support when you try the Chocolate Tasting Club.

Documents

Tasting Club magalogue_Spring 2011