Apparently there are only two chocolatiers in all of Canada that actually make their own chocolate. (Most companies buy their chocolate in bulk and melt it down.) Fortunately for us, one of the two companies is based in Inglewood, Calgary (the other is based Toronto). Choklat, owned by chocolatier Brad Churchhill, is a gem of a find. He sources his beans directly from a cacau supplier in Brazil, and at the moment he has two “Limited Edition” cacau’s – “an extremely rare Porcelana, and a rare Criollo from the infamous Ocumare district of Venezuela.” The best bit is that they roast their own beans and blend their own chocolate on site. You can buy moulded bars or create your own truffles from their menu (it takes about 15 minutes).

We took home a couple of truffles (for the road) and one of each of their dark chocolate bars. As we had guests coming over we decided to do a bit of a taste test.

Our results:

Ocumare: we all had different responses to the flavour of the ocumare. Smokey, liquor, winey, plums.

Porcelena: strangely we all said roughly the same thing for the porcelena. Fruit, Raisins, Dark cherry.

Brazillian: we didn’t find the flavour of the Brazillian as sophisticated as the others. Fruity, milk chocolate, tough to put a finger on the exact flavour.

The porcelena was by far the group favourite and it didn’t last very long. I’ll have to make another trip down soon before it runs out.

It’s nice to see more shops like this opening in Calgary. Do your tastebuds a favour and get yourself down to Inglewood.

1327A 9th Avenue SE
Calgary Alberta, Canada, T2G 0T2
Phone: 403-457-1419
http://www.sochoklat.com/

1. Must have a handle. We used to have the lovely but useless Pokal IKEA mug, and it was consistently a hand-burning experience.
2. Must have enough room for at least 2 fingers in the handle. None of these poncy one finger handles for us. One finger handles are only acceptable on espresso cups. For example: LavAzza
3. Must be large, but not so large that your drink gets cold before you get to the bottom.
4. Must be colourful. There is nothing as boring as a cupboard full of white mugs (another drawback of the Pokal IKEA mugs).
5. Must be tough. Dishwasher and people safe please.
6. Must be priced reasonably. I refuse to pay for something that if it drops and breaks I would cry. (This automatically excludes Denby, which I don’t really like anyway.)

After lots of searching we finally found exactly what we’ve been looking for. Sengware has been the answer to our mug dilemma. Sengware mugs meet each of our criteria on every level. The best bit is that they come in plenty of gorgeous colours, including:

• Tangerina
• Pistachio
• Pomello
• Blueberry
• Heaven
• Pimento
• Coco
• Bistro

We decided to get 2 of Tangerina, Pistachio, Pomello, Heaven and Pimento. It’s a rainbow of coffee mug goodness and will be a great addition to our new kitchen. I can’t wait to get them.

I can just imagine the conversation at KBBC head office.

- Alright guys, we need a hook. How about a celebrity?
- How much can we afford?
- ££££
- Linda Barker, too expensive. Lawrence, too expensive. I’ve got it! Jordan and Peter!

Focus on good product, skip the cheesy celebrity.

Heated tongs are thought to be the best means of opening old bottles of vintage port. They enable the neck of the bottle and the cork to be removed intact, thus eliminating the possibility of the cork crumbling and spoiling the wine. They also cause least disturbance to the bottle and also, therefore, to any sediment.

I’m sure i’m in for many accidents and broken bottles.

Christmas is coming, so why don’t you throw in a funnel as well?

*I’m anything but a connaisseur, but i’m trying.

The Flavour Shaker™ is designed to crush, mix, puree, blend and release flavour from whole spices, herbs, garlic, nuts, citrus rind or even lime or bay leaves. In just a few seconds you can create and add flavour to all kinds of everyday dishes.

Great idea, i’m going to go see if I can find one.