Experiences should not be rushed-and you will feel the quality and enjoy and savour in your own time. The flavours will come in waves of different strength i.e. the flavour of the given selection actually develops with time. And reflect on flavours being experienced-if you wish to clear or complement your palate with a sparking or sweet wine-then there will be a match of taste, rather than a clash which is often what happens with red/white or rosé still wine-s
Simply because a beautiful chocolate can ruin a beautiful wine-and vice-versa. Basically, it would be a bit of a waste of both quality products if you get the pairing wrong. If you want to experiment with matchings-of course you could, but do note that our dark organic vegan chocolate from Mason & Co should be paired with sweet wine or sparkling that is also organic and vegan-any other combination can be tricky ie still wines would have to be meticulously tested, but by choosing a sweet or sparkling wine to match,then you're a wise bean:) The pairing is a heavenly match.
Cacao Husk on the branch
First off, make sure your chocolate is ethically sourced. Slave labour still exists and many of the larger famous brands do not ethically source. At Absolute Organic Wine we do check the small print to save your time and to encourage you to enjoy our organic and vegan chocolates which are ethically sourced from India-bean to bar, meaning the growers get the value for their labour, and we know you get the value of a luxury chocolate brand, that can be enjoyed with or without wine.
Mason & Co vegan, organic chocolate are made to be savoured.
One should not “chew and munch” as these chocolates are made to melt slowly as the flavours evolve within seconds of tasting-and sit back and enjoy!
You will experience a lot more flavour-just as with drinking a well made wine-these ome still wines can work, but it is a guessing game that can ruin your wine, and ruin your chocolate which has been tempered to release flavours and not suited to the more tannic still wines.
We will try to communicate this in depth and meticulous process here:
The History of Chocolate
In a bean husk! Cacao beans originated in South America. In some shape or form chocolate has always been associated with religion-a heavenly experience has been guaranteed for about 6000 years! It is believed that cacao originated in Ecuador; South America. By the time Columbus arrived in 1492, Native Americans already used chocolate as a form of currency, such was its value. They also used it as a drink for the elite for either religious reasons or for prowess.
When brought back to Europe, the elite of Europe could not get enough of it, and so began the planting of Cacao along colonies of the Equator, where it thrives. Christian religions also got in on the new product as we know when consumed in large quantities, chocolate is highly calorific. However, the Catholic Church in particular thought this was an excellent way to prepare for their fasting season of Lent before and reward after is still a chocolate tradition in many cultures, celebrated at the religious event of Easter.
What is Cacao?
Cacao is the bean that creates the beautiful flavours of the Gods. A bean that must also go through the below processes to get to bar:
Cacao hush opened to reveal beans to be winnowed, fermented and then roasted
When it is roasted to enhance flavour and texture, this releases the cacao nib which is the fat storage area of the bean. This crystallization is the key step for the melt in the mouth experience.
Winnowing-this gets the shell off the bean so that you can access the nib.
Onwards to Grounding and conching to get more potential for flavour
Finally, tempering, this is the use of heat to get the right texture crystalised to release the required flavours in the mouth when tasted
With Mason & Co Chocolate we can guarantee the quality of the above products
Why Ethically Sourced?
We care that the growers and their staff are fairly paid.
It is a bit of a double edged sword in poverty stricken countries along the Equator as some growers avoid Fair Trade Symbols as they find the licencing too expensive to register for, and therefore avoid the protection that we believe the label offers. So you can’t be sure without the Fair Trade symbol if your product has been ethically sourced. With Mason & Co organic and vegan chocolates we have already done those checks for you and can guarantee authenticity.
We can guarantee that the chocolates from Mason & Co provide a fair experience of value all round.
The more the world understands the concept of ethically sourced, the more those behind the scenes that put in the farming/harvesting labour on the ground will get valued and paid to standard for their work.
At Mason & Co the chocolates are bean to bar-we have researched the chocolate growers who also are involved in the development of the final product-meaning, we are assured that all are getting a fair deal-and we can provide our customers with a luxury product that is ethically sourced. Even the packaging is biodegradable-all round your helping the environment. Your understanding of every aspect of the chocolate bar can change lives.
Why bean to bar and why Organic & Vegan?
Simply you get better quality chocolate-and a purer product that can be sourced.
Know your beans! In order to know what you're getting in that chocolate bar-just like different grape vines. Mason & Co beans are of the …….bean
Organic means that you know that there are no pesticides used in the growing of the bean- which could harm both you and the grower.
Why vegan? More extraordinary flavours not diluted with milk for a weaker “mass produced” result-which is most of the world’s mass produced brands
Why Wine & Chocolate Guidance
Both require select and specialised climates eg Cacao can only be grown around the equator
Both go through fermentation.
Both are specialised products that you should know the origin of-otherwise you’re just getting a mass produced product.
More chocolate than wine is bought world wide on a regular basis.
At Absolute Organic Wine we source our growers of both grapes for wine, and cacao beans for chocolate-so that you know exactly what you’re getting in the final product and how that has been sourced
Do Not Chew!
Melt-with dark vegan chocolate, you won’t get bored-and you will be amazed at the flavours and taste that rush over your palate. They are completely unlike the milky sweet cloying flavours that one gets in milk chocolate
This is the real bean experience! If calories are a concern, dark chocolate is always the best option. Mason & Co Organic & Vegan chocolate will not spike your sugar levels. The higher the percentage of cacao beans in your product the lower the calories.
These chocolates will change the way you approach chocolate consumption as a few squares are enough for the most beautiful and satisfying experience of tasting organically grown cacao beans that are vegan and ethically sourced.
Our Mason & Co Chocolates are value and a delight! Enjoy!