Today, we tasted Santander Dark Single Origin chocolate from Colombia. The first one I tasted was the 53%. It had a very potent smell, a smooth texture, and was fairly sweet. Overall I really liked it. The 65% was very mild at first but had a tart aftertaste that I didn't really enjoy. The 70% was nutty and had a more pronounced cocoa taste as expected. My favorite one was probably the 53%, although I enjoyed the 70% as well.
We did cheese before the end of the class this time so that the acid taste wouldn't affect our tasting. The first one was Parmesan. It was very dry and sweet with a long, potent taste. It was also one of the chewier cheeses we've tasted. The Pecorina had a chalky texture. It had a spice to it, and was salty with a sort of tangy bite. The Myzithra tasted just like it looked, like a piece of white cardboard. It was very dense with little to no flavor.
The next thing we did was a vinegar tasting. I have never like vinegar, so I was really not looking forward to this. The first one we tasted was Apple Cider, which was extremely potent and tasted like a lot of other vinegars I've had. The Balsamic was much sweeter than the Apple Cider. I have had a Balsamic Vinegarette on salad before which I enjoy. The big surprise for me was the Red Wine. It really did taste like grapes and while it was strong like the others, the aftertaste was really pretty good.
Next, we dissolved Miracle Berries on our tongues, which were supposed to take away our ability to taste sour things. These things are pretty amazing. We ate lemons and limes. They still had a sting to them but it takes away a good bit of it and allows you to actually taste the fruitiness. I wasn't brave enough to try the vinegars again, but I'm sure it would have made a huge difference.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Day 11 - Jan. 19, 2012
As part of Team A, I didn't have to go into the kitchen to cook today. We showed up at 12 to eat and enjoyed a very good meal. They had prepared lasagna, salad, cheese rolls, eggplant, and tiramisu. My favorite part was probably the cheese rolls. I'm not sure who prepared them, but they were really good. The texture of them was superb. The only real complaint I had was when I first bit into the lasagna, the hard layer on top about broke my teeth. The second bite I looked out for that and ended up enjoying it. Overall, I really enjoyed the meal and it was nice to be able to sleep in a little bit longer than usual.
Day 10 - Jan. 18, 2012
Today, our chocolate tasting consisted of South American varietals. The first thing we tasted was a Pralus Chuao. The cocoa smell was pretty strong. It had an earthy tasted to it with a hint of fruit. It was light, but had a pretty strong bitter taste. The next thing we tasted was the Pralus Bresil. At first, it had very little flavor, but then a fruity sweetness began to emerge. The cocoa was less prevalent in this one. The Pralus Fortissima had a strong cocoa flavor that flooded my mouth. It was bitter and I could detect spices as well. It tasted about how I expected it to based on the name. The Pralus Columbie's original taste was sweet, but it had a bitter aftertaste. The mystery chocolate was very peppery.
Next, we tasted some salts. The Maldon we tasted with cucumber. It was flaky white and had a very long finish. The Kavai Guava on cucumber was brown and it tasted sweet and smoky. The Black Diamond on cucumber had the strongest flavor of the three. The Fleur de Sel on buttered bread was next. It was crystalline white and not too strong. It worked well with the butter. The Molokai Red on buttered bread had a very big bite to it. The Sel Gris on buttered bread was a grey crystalline salt. It was an overwhelming salty taste that seemed to last forever.
We ended with a cheese tasting as usual. Today it was Asiago Fresca, Raclette, and Borough. The Asiago Fresca started out sweet and then turned tart. It was milky in taste and texture. The Raclett was tangy and very strong and was also milky. The Borough was soft and smooth and was similar to a normal cheddar to me.
Next, we tasted some salts. The Maldon we tasted with cucumber. It was flaky white and had a very long finish. The Kavai Guava on cucumber was brown and it tasted sweet and smoky. The Black Diamond on cucumber had the strongest flavor of the three. The Fleur de Sel on buttered bread was next. It was crystalline white and not too strong. It worked well with the butter. The Molokai Red on buttered bread had a very big bite to it. The Sel Gris on buttered bread was a grey crystalline salt. It was an overwhelming salty taste that seemed to last forever.
We ended with a cheese tasting as usual. Today it was Asiago Fresca, Raclette, and Borough. The Asiago Fresca started out sweet and then turned tart. It was milky in taste and texture. The Raclett was tangy and very strong and was also milky. The Borough was soft and smooth and was similar to a normal cheddar to me.
Day 9 - Jan. 17, 2012
Today, we went back to the church to learn how to make stocks and soups. It was really interesting to me to see how to make a stock, which can be useful in all kinds of cooking. We made several different soups, a beef, chicken and rice, and chicken and dumplings. All of them were very good. We also butterflied a chicken and baked it. This is something I've always wanted to know how to do and it is something that I will definitely replicate in the future. While this was probably not the food that I have enjoyed the most in this class, it is an extremely good thing to know how to do and I'm sure it is something that will be useful to all of us down the road.
Day 8 - Jan. 16, 2012
Todays chocolate tasting was Guittard varietals. The first was called Ambanja. It was a Criollo from Madagascar. It was very creamy. It was only slightly sweet with a tart aftertaste, but it was very good. The next was Chucuri. This is a Trinitario from Colombia. It was sweeter and smoother. It had long, slow chocolate flavors, but to me it was sort of bland. The next was Sur del Lago, which is a blend of Trinitario and Criollo and is from Venezuela. It had an intense fruity flavor with very little tartness to it. The taste lingered for a while. The last was Quevedo. This is a Forestero from Ecuador. This was the darkest of the four, with a noticably stronger cacao taste. The was rich and nutty, and had a hint of something flowery.
Next, we did a coffee tasting. The first coffee we tasted was Sumatra. This was extremely earthy, woody, and bold. The Kenya was robust and rich, but it was too sour for my tastes. The Guatemala was very bold, and had a peppery, nutty taste to it. It was very interesting seeing how different coffees are judged and just how much goes into what coffee you get down at Starbucks.
The cheese tasting was the worst one we've had yet. The first was Fromage de chevre. This one smelled like cream cheese. It was very dry, and a little bit salty. The next was Fromage de chevre le chevrot. This was very strong with a salty aftertaste. It had a strong musky smell that was just terrible. The last was Robiola. This one was sour and tasted rotten. The smell reminded me of roadkill or spoiled meat.
Next, we did a coffee tasting. The first coffee we tasted was Sumatra. This was extremely earthy, woody, and bold. The Kenya was robust and rich, but it was too sour for my tastes. The Guatemala was very bold, and had a peppery, nutty taste to it. It was very interesting seeing how different coffees are judged and just how much goes into what coffee you get down at Starbucks.
The cheese tasting was the worst one we've had yet. The first was Fromage de chevre. This one smelled like cream cheese. It was very dry, and a little bit salty. The next was Fromage de chevre le chevrot. This was very strong with a salty aftertaste. It had a strong musky smell that was just terrible. The last was Robiola. This one was sour and tasted rotten. The smell reminded me of roadkill or spoiled meat.
Day 7 - Jan. 13, 2012
Today, we started out with a chocolate tasting of different percentages of Sharffen Berger. The first one I tasted was the Sharffen Berger 82%. It was tart, but I thought it was really good. It was better than I expected out of something so dark, but I still probably wouldn't want to eat a whole lot of it. The next one was the 70%. This one was much sweeter than the 82%, but it still had a slight cocoa bite to it. It was a good bit creamier. The 62% was very powdery. The bitterness lessened but it really didn't get a whole lot sweeter for me. The last chocolate was a mystery one. It had a strong cocoa smell. It was spicy and nutty. I knew immediately it contained pepper, but it also contained banana, which I could tell after I was told.
We also did a sugar tasting with dextrose, fructose, and sucrose. The dextrose was much powderier than the other two. Its sweetness was not overpowering and the flavor didnt last very long. The fructose was stronger, and it had an obvious fruitiness to it. The sucrose was the grittiest of the three.
Next, we did a honey tasting. The first was Buckwheat, which was extremely dark in color. It was very fruity and had a molasses taste that didn't quite agree with me. The Wildflour was slightly sweeter than the Buckwheat, but it was good on bread. The Orange Blossom was a golden color. It was very fruity, with an obvious orange taste. It was more runny than the others. The Tupelo was a little more brown than the previous two and tasted very earthy with a hint of tobacco.
We ended the day with a cheese tasting. We tasted Brie and Carnembert. The brie was something I have had before and liked. It was very salty and creamy, but it had a tangy aftertaste that stayed with me. The Canembert was even saltier than the brie, which was sort of overpowering. It also had a smoky flavor.
We also did a sugar tasting with dextrose, fructose, and sucrose. The dextrose was much powderier than the other two. Its sweetness was not overpowering and the flavor didnt last very long. The fructose was stronger, and it had an obvious fruitiness to it. The sucrose was the grittiest of the three.
Next, we did a honey tasting. The first was Buckwheat, which was extremely dark in color. It was very fruity and had a molasses taste that didn't quite agree with me. The Wildflour was slightly sweeter than the Buckwheat, but it was good on bread. The Orange Blossom was a golden color. It was very fruity, with an obvious orange taste. It was more runny than the others. The Tupelo was a little more brown than the previous two and tasted very earthy with a hint of tobacco.
We ended the day with a cheese tasting. We tasted Brie and Carnembert. The brie was something I have had before and liked. It was very salty and creamy, but it had a tangy aftertaste that stayed with me. The Canembert was even saltier than the brie, which was sort of overpowering. It also had a smoky flavor.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 6 - Jan. 12, 2012
Today we went back to the kitchen, this time to prepare an entire meal. I was very excited to get in there and see how Team A works together and see if we can prepare something worth eating. Josh and I decided we would do the flanksteak, since we have both done grillwork in the past and know what we are doing. We brought our grill and decided to light it an hour ahead of when we would actually put the steaks on so that it could get good and hot. The first thing we did, though, was make our rub. I have never made a rub for my steaks before, so this was a new thing for me. The recipe was simple and easy to follow, so we got it done without a problem. After we got it done and were letting the steaks marinate, we had some time to kill, so we went around and helped other teams with their dishes. I ended up chopping up endless eggplants that Caroline and William had cooked.
Finally, it was time to go light the grill. This is where we ran into our first problem of the day. The charcoal we had was not match light and we didn't have any lighter fluid. Typically, this wouldn't be a huge issue because we did have a lighter and newspaper, so we were confident we could get it lit anyway. The big issue was the wind. No matter how we tried to shield the grill, the wind was overpowering us. Dr. Sloan left to go get us a charcoal chimney, and (of course) while he was gone, we finally got it lit. The charcoal chimney did help immensely when our charcoal cooled off. We grilled the steaks two at a time and the only problem we ran into was that the rub was burning. We should have just put some of that on our charcoal and we wouldn't have had a problem!
As soon as the steaks were finished, we went inside and everyone else was finishing up too. It was time to eat! The meal consisted of our steaks, a chicken mole, a salad with chocolate dressing, baked beans, eggplant, and coca-cola cake. I thought our steaks were a little bit dry, but other people seemed to enjoy them or at least faked it well. They probably would have been better had they had longer to marinate. The mole was absolutely incredible. Its taste was really undescribable and I guess that is how it was supposed to be, but it really was good. I didn't really care for the salad. I'm sort of picky about what salad dressings I eat and I typically stick to one or two that I'm comfortable with. The baked beans were actually the best ones I've ever eaten. My mom makes some really good baked beans but I honestly liked these even better and that is a rare thing. The eggplant I could have done without. The cocoa nibs were just overpowering to me. I was able to pick around them a little bit and that made it better. I've had coke cake before and I really enjoyed that. Overall, I was really impressed with the job everyone did. We worked very well together and turned out a product that everyone enjoyed. No one went home hungry.
Finally, it was time to go light the grill. This is where we ran into our first problem of the day. The charcoal we had was not match light and we didn't have any lighter fluid. Typically, this wouldn't be a huge issue because we did have a lighter and newspaper, so we were confident we could get it lit anyway. The big issue was the wind. No matter how we tried to shield the grill, the wind was overpowering us. Dr. Sloan left to go get us a charcoal chimney, and (of course) while he was gone, we finally got it lit. The charcoal chimney did help immensely when our charcoal cooled off. We grilled the steaks two at a time and the only problem we ran into was that the rub was burning. We should have just put some of that on our charcoal and we wouldn't have had a problem!
As soon as the steaks were finished, we went inside and everyone else was finishing up too. It was time to eat! The meal consisted of our steaks, a chicken mole, a salad with chocolate dressing, baked beans, eggplant, and coca-cola cake. I thought our steaks were a little bit dry, but other people seemed to enjoy them or at least faked it well. They probably would have been better had they had longer to marinate. The mole was absolutely incredible. Its taste was really undescribable and I guess that is how it was supposed to be, but it really was good. I didn't really care for the salad. I'm sort of picky about what salad dressings I eat and I typically stick to one or two that I'm comfortable with. The baked beans were actually the best ones I've ever eaten. My mom makes some really good baked beans but I honestly liked these even better and that is a rare thing. The eggplant I could have done without. The cocoa nibs were just overpowering to me. I was able to pick around them a little bit and that made it better. I've had coke cake before and I really enjoyed that. Overall, I was really impressed with the job everyone did. We worked very well together and turned out a product that everyone enjoyed. No one went home hungry.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day 5 - Jan. 11, 2012
Today we started class by tasting white chocolates. I have always liked white chocolate, but I can tell already that this class may change my views on it. The first one I tasted was the Amadei. To me, this seemed like the typical white chocolate. It was creamy and sweet, and very rich. The next was the Cluizel. This one was very buttery. I searched and searched for a cocoa taste, but I couldn't ever find it. This one was also very chewy and the texture didn't agree with me. The El Rey had a sharper bite, and I could tell that it had more cocoa butter in it than the previous two. The Green and Black was probably my least favorite. It was very dry and had a chalky texture. The sugary flavor was almost overpowering. It seemed like I was eating a block of sugar.
We ended the class, as usual, with a cheese tasting. We tried Havarti, Gouda, Fontina, and Manchego. The Havarti was very soft, and had a sour aftertaste that I didn't really like. The Gouda was extremely strong and tangy. The saltiness was a little too much for me. The Fontina was probably my favorite of the four. It had both a milky texture and taste. I ate some of this on my bread and it was really good. The Manchego was much harder than the others, but it was chalky. I didn't expect the chalky texture at all, so I had to go back and taste it again.
We ended the class, as usual, with a cheese tasting. We tried Havarti, Gouda, Fontina, and Manchego. The Havarti was very soft, and had a sour aftertaste that I didn't really like. The Gouda was extremely strong and tangy. The saltiness was a little too much for me. The Fontina was probably my favorite of the four. It had both a milky texture and taste. I ate some of this on my bread and it was really good. The Manchego was much harder than the others, but it was chalky. I didn't expect the chalky texture at all, so I had to go back and taste it again.
Day 4 - Jan. 10, 2012
Today, we went into the kitchen for the first time and made cookies. The times each group came in were staggered throughout the morning so that everyone could have the correct amount of time for prep and oven time. Josh and I came in at 9 to start the day off. We were assigned to do "Thin and Crispy Oatmeal" cookies. I have never been a huge fan of oatmeal, so this was my first time ever making an oatmeal cookie. Josh and I worked really well together and had our ingredients mixed and ready to go in the oven before anyone else. We were able to put two trays in one of the ovens at 350 degrees. We checked them periodically until the edges were golden brown. One mistake we made was we put two many cookies on each tray, so they ended up spreading into each other. However, it was really easy to take a spatula and separate them into delicious individual cookies.
We were given one of each cookie from each group to taste. I was amazed at how well everyone's cookies turned out. It also surprised me to see how much variation there was. I could easily tell the difference between each and every cookie I tried. My favorites were probably the snickerdoodle and (surprisingly) our oatmeal cookies. I was proud of how Josh and I worked together to create a cookie that looked and tasted equally good.
We were given one of each cookie from each group to taste. I was amazed at how well everyone's cookies turned out. It also surprised me to see how much variation there was. I could easily tell the difference between each and every cookie I tried. My favorites were probably the snickerdoodle and (surprisingly) our oatmeal cookies. I was proud of how Josh and I worked together to create a cookie that looked and tasted equally good.
Day 3 - Jan. 9, 2012
Today's taste testing began with with four milk chocolates. I was looking forward to this since milk chocolate is what I have always preferred since that is what I ate as a child. The first chocolate was the Michel Cluizel. I thought that it was somewhat tart for milk chocolate. It was hard to discern cocoa, but it certainly was not as sweet as I expected. The next was the Green and Black. This was much sweeter than the Cluizel. It had a very strong milky taste and was extremely smooth. The next chocolate we tasted was the El Rey. This chocolate had more of a cocoa taste than the previous two, and I could taste a hint of fruit in the aftertaste. Our next one was the Amadei. This had hints of cream and butter and it was sweet, but none of the flavors overpowered me.
We also did a triangle test with Coke and Pepsi. I have always been a Coke person, and I have always prided myself on being able to tell the difference. Now it was time to find out if I really could. We were brought three different cups labeled triange, circle, and square. The first thing I did was smell them, and it was obvious from that that the circle was the different one. So I just had to taste them to find out whether it was Coke or Pepsi. I wrote down that it was coke, which was confirmed after a few minutes. The giveaway for me was that Pepsi is sweeter and Coke has a sharper bite to it.
Finally, we tasted three cheeses- Feta, Farmers, and Goat. The Feta is porous and had a very chalky texture, which I really didn't like. It was milky and very salty. The Farmers cheese was different. It tasted very sour to me, although the rest of the class seemed to really like it. It was thick and smooth, and the taste lingered in my mouth. The Goat cheese was smooth and creamy, although it did have a grittiness to it. It was also somewhat tangy. We then tried the Goat with lemon and honey. The lemon complemented it well, but seemed to mitigate some of the flavor. The honey brought out the tanginess.
We also did a triangle test with Coke and Pepsi. I have always been a Coke person, and I have always prided myself on being able to tell the difference. Now it was time to find out if I really could. We were brought three different cups labeled triange, circle, and square. The first thing I did was smell them, and it was obvious from that that the circle was the different one. So I just had to taste them to find out whether it was Coke or Pepsi. I wrote down that it was coke, which was confirmed after a few minutes. The giveaway for me was that Pepsi is sweeter and Coke has a sharper bite to it.
Finally, we tasted three cheeses- Feta, Farmers, and Goat. The Feta is porous and had a very chalky texture, which I really didn't like. It was milky and very salty. The Farmers cheese was different. It tasted very sour to me, although the rest of the class seemed to really like it. It was thick and smooth, and the taste lingered in my mouth. The Goat cheese was smooth and creamy, although it did have a grittiness to it. It was also somewhat tangy. We then tried the Goat with lemon and honey. The lemon complemented it well, but seemed to mitigate some of the flavor. The honey brought out the tanginess.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Day 2 - Jan. 6, 2012
Todays taste test began with six different variations of chocolate. We had tasting squares of milk and dark chocolate which were subjected to different conditions to see if we could tell the difference between them. We heated a square of milk and dark chocolate, left one piece of each out to breathe for several hours before tasting, and had one piece of each directly out of the wrapper at room temperature.
The heated dark chocolate was slightly tart with a faint fruity taste. The dark chocolate that was let to breathe seemed to have more of a cocoa taste than that of the heated dark and the texture was noticably grittier. The dark chocolate that was eaten directly out of the package was more sour than the one that had breathed.
The heated milk chocolate was creamy and smooth. The milk chocolate that was allowed to breathe seemed to have more of a milky taste than that of the heated, and also seemed to be sweeter. The packaged milk chocolate did not have a noticable difference from the breathed for me.
For this test, I really tried to engage all of my senses but looking at it, smelling it, cracking it next to my ear, feeling the texture, and tasting several different ways once it was actually in my mouth.
The final taste test of the day was one on cheese. I was a little apprehensive about this test because I have never been a huge fan of cheese by itself. I love certain cheeses on crackers, bread, or melted on my sandwich, but I never eat it plain. However, I was surprised to find that I could tolerate all of the cheeses we had, and I could tell the difference in them fairly well, although the volabulary is still lacking.
We tried five different cheeses. The first was a mozzarella, which had an unbelievable milky taste. The first thought that came to my mind when it hit my mouth was "milk." The second was a Marscapone. This was a very light cheese that was incredibly smooth, and had both a creamy texture and taste. The third was the Nu-Chatel. This was by far my favorite cheese out of the five with its sweet and very rich taste. We made a ricotta in class. This had a very strong taste, but it was hard to discern any other tastes other than the salt. The last cheese we tasted was a store bought ricotta. The biggest thing that I noticed about this was the gritty texture.
The heated dark chocolate was slightly tart with a faint fruity taste. The dark chocolate that was let to breathe seemed to have more of a cocoa taste than that of the heated dark and the texture was noticably grittier. The dark chocolate that was eaten directly out of the package was more sour than the one that had breathed.
The heated milk chocolate was creamy and smooth. The milk chocolate that was allowed to breathe seemed to have more of a milky taste than that of the heated, and also seemed to be sweeter. The packaged milk chocolate did not have a noticable difference from the breathed for me.
For this test, I really tried to engage all of my senses but looking at it, smelling it, cracking it next to my ear, feeling the texture, and tasting several different ways once it was actually in my mouth.
The final taste test of the day was one on cheese. I was a little apprehensive about this test because I have never been a huge fan of cheese by itself. I love certain cheeses on crackers, bread, or melted on my sandwich, but I never eat it plain. However, I was surprised to find that I could tolerate all of the cheeses we had, and I could tell the difference in them fairly well, although the volabulary is still lacking.
We tried five different cheeses. The first was a mozzarella, which had an unbelievable milky taste. The first thought that came to my mind when it hit my mouth was "milk." The second was a Marscapone. This was a very light cheese that was incredibly smooth, and had both a creamy texture and taste. The third was the Nu-Chatel. This was by far my favorite cheese out of the five with its sweet and very rich taste. We made a ricotta in class. This had a very strong taste, but it was hard to discern any other tastes other than the salt. The last cheese we tasted was a store bought ricotta. The biggest thing that I noticed about this was the gritty texture.
Day 1 - Jan 5, 2012
Today, we were introduced to our first taste test. When I entered the classroom, there was a paper plate on my table with several different types of chocolate. Before today, I had obviously tasted different types of chocolate from different companies, some light and some dark. However, I had never really compared chocolate head to head or really known what to look for in a taste test. I feel like that is all about to change with this class, though.
Our first test was a blind test between three chocolates. Being my first taste test, I do not have the vocabulary I really need to describe what I am tasting but I was able to tell a difference between the three. The first was sweet and slightly fruity. The second was not quite as sweet as the first one. It was fruity as well, and slightly bitter although not overly bitter. The third chocolate had a slightly tart aftertaste.
Next we tasted a piece of 100% chocolate. I knew what to expect on this one, so I only took a small nibble. It was absolutely terrible; extremely bitter and tart. This is not something I ever want to put in my mouth again. We also tasted a cocoa bean, which tasted almost exactly like the 100% chocolate, and I was amazed thinking that it is really hard to believe that this is where chocolate comes from. The nibs we tasted had a similar taste. However, I can see how they would be good for cooking.
We tasted a piece of 60% chocolate, which I enjoyed much more than the 100%. This one is much less tart. Although it still is slightly tart, the sweet overtones more than make up for it.
Next, we tried regular cocoa powder and Dutch cocoa powder. The regular had a very strong aftertaste. It was soft and dissolved relatively quickly. When I tried it with sugar it was very good. The Dutch had a very strong flavor as well, but the aftertaste was not as potent. Neither of these powders are something that you want to eat on their own.
We learned that white chocolate has no cocoa in it but it does contain cocoa butter. The white chocolate was very, very sweet.
We then did a taste vs. smell test with corriander seeds. We learned that their are two different types of smell, orthonasal and retronasal. When I held my nose and did not breathe, the corriander seeds and no taste whatsoever, but when breathing it suddenly seems to have a flavor. The reason for this is our retronasal sense picks up a scent, but none of the six tastes apply.
The last taste test we did was red jello. At first I had no idea what flavor it was because I knew it wasn't cherry, strawberry, or watermelon. I decided to close my eyes to try to discern the flavor and I then thought it was lime. It turns out it was lemon, but it really goes to show you that our perceptions influence our tastes a lot. If it was colored yellow, I probably would have immediately known it was lemon.
Our first test was a blind test between three chocolates. Being my first taste test, I do not have the vocabulary I really need to describe what I am tasting but I was able to tell a difference between the three. The first was sweet and slightly fruity. The second was not quite as sweet as the first one. It was fruity as well, and slightly bitter although not overly bitter. The third chocolate had a slightly tart aftertaste.
Next we tasted a piece of 100% chocolate. I knew what to expect on this one, so I only took a small nibble. It was absolutely terrible; extremely bitter and tart. This is not something I ever want to put in my mouth again. We also tasted a cocoa bean, which tasted almost exactly like the 100% chocolate, and I was amazed thinking that it is really hard to believe that this is where chocolate comes from. The nibs we tasted had a similar taste. However, I can see how they would be good for cooking.
We tasted a piece of 60% chocolate, which I enjoyed much more than the 100%. This one is much less tart. Although it still is slightly tart, the sweet overtones more than make up for it.
Next, we tried regular cocoa powder and Dutch cocoa powder. The regular had a very strong aftertaste. It was soft and dissolved relatively quickly. When I tried it with sugar it was very good. The Dutch had a very strong flavor as well, but the aftertaste was not as potent. Neither of these powders are something that you want to eat on their own.
We learned that white chocolate has no cocoa in it but it does contain cocoa butter. The white chocolate was very, very sweet.
We then did a taste vs. smell test with corriander seeds. We learned that their are two different types of smell, orthonasal and retronasal. When I held my nose and did not breathe, the corriander seeds and no taste whatsoever, but when breathing it suddenly seems to have a flavor. The reason for this is our retronasal sense picks up a scent, but none of the six tastes apply.
The last taste test we did was red jello. At first I had no idea what flavor it was because I knew it wasn't cherry, strawberry, or watermelon. I decided to close my eyes to try to discern the flavor and I then thought it was lime. It turns out it was lemon, but it really goes to show you that our perceptions influence our tastes a lot. If it was colored yellow, I probably would have immediately known it was lemon.
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