Appreciate The Darkness Like Never Before

October 15, 2007

APPRECIATE THE DARKNESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

-Green & Black’s Chocolate Offers Consumers Complimentary Chocolate
With Change of Clocks-

PARSIPPANY - As Americans get ready to turn back their clocks on November 4th at 2 a.m., Green & Black's is inviting consumers to appreciate the extra hour of darkness by experiencing the intense, cocoa-rich flavors of Green & Black’s chocolate. Consumers can log on to www.appreciatethedarkness.com to receive complimentary samples of Green & Black’s Dark 70% and Milk bars that provide a truly unique and intense chocolate experience. This special offer will only be available from Saturday, November 3, 6 p.m. EST to Sunday, November 4 at 6 a.m. EST.

The complimentary chocolate samples will allow consumers to gain a deeper appreciation for the intensity of Green & Black’s chocolate, whether it’s dark or milk chocolate.

  • Green & Black’s Dark 70% chocolate is specially formulated to balance the cocoa mass and cocoa butter, resulting in a chocolate that melts beautifully and cleanly in the mouth.
  • Green & Black’s Milk chocolate is a darker shade of milk chocolate. It has a high level of cocoa mass in the milk chocolate, therefore placing the emphasis on the chocolate rather than the milk.

“As the days are getting darker, we are excited to offer consumers a new way to savor the extra hour of darkness with the delectable taste of the Green & Black’s darker, more intense chocolates,” said Elizabeth Cheng, Director of Marketing, Green & Black’s. In addition, consumers will receive entertaining tips for preparing and conducting a chocolate tasting party at home.

Tasting Trends at Home

At-home tasting parties are becoming a hot new trend in home entertaining as family and friends are gathering to sample a variety of different foods and drinks. Many of the current popular tasting items include chocolate, wine, sake, cheese, olives and even finishing salts.

Hosting a Chocolate Tasting Party
If you are looking for an intensely flavorful and entertaining way to entertain guests without going through the hassle of preparing a fancy dessert, Green & Black’s range of chocolates, from White to Dark 85%, offers the perfect opportunity for hosting a chocolate tasting party. It’s a great way to have your guests experience the different aromas, textures and flavors that Green & Black’s chocolate has to offer.

Try to pick-up a variety of flavors, from light to dark. Your guests can start off with a White chocolate, and build up to a Milk chocolate, add a few bars with Almonds, Hazelnut & Currant…it’s up to you, then jump into the darkness with the Dark 70% and the intense Dark 85%.

“One of the most important things that we strive for when developing a new recipe is that it must have the right balance of tastes and flavors,” said Micah Carr-Hill, Green & Black’s, “Chocolate Sommelier”. “We want the consumers’ experience with Green & Black’s chocolate to be unlike anything they have ever tasted before.”

Tips for Conducting a Chocolate Tasting Party at Home

Tips before you start…

  • Allow two squares per person.
  • Conduct the tasting like you would a wine tasting (i.e. begin with looking at the appearance, then examine the smell, then taste the chocolate.)
  • Limit yourself to around six different chocolate varieties. Anymore will give you tasting fatigue.
  • Start with the lightest variety (White) and finish with the darkest (Dark 85%).
  • Before starting the tasting proper, learn the following technique to understand the differences between taste, aroma/flavor and other sensations in the mouth. 
    • First put the first piece of chocolate in your mouth and pinch your nose. When you are doing this only the tastes your tongue can detect (salt, sweet, sour, bitter, savory) and the sensations and textures your mouth can detect (including astringency and the cooling effect of the cocoa butter) will be apparent. 
    • Allow the chocolate to melt then release your thumb and forefinger and breathe in deeply. It is only then that you experience the aromas that we usually describe as flavors. This is because these volatiles are all detected by your olfactory gland behind and connected to your nose.
  • Try different tastings. For example, sample White to Milk to Dark to show the difference in intensity, or try different dark chocolates to show the difference in flavors.


Let the tasting begin…

  • Look at the appearance of the chocolate. Dark chocolates vary in color and, like wine, intensity of color does not necessarily indicate intensity of flavor. 
  • Smell the chocolate. Take a small piece and melt between your thumb and forefinger. Smell the volatile aromas coming off the chocolate.
  • Taste the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly on the tongue. 
    • Be aware of the tastes (sweet, sour, bitter), how it feels in the mouth (astringency) and its texture (smooth, gritty, fatty) and how the aromas/flavors develop and change in the mouth/nose as time passes.
    • Chocolate will obviously taste “chocolatey” but see if you can notice other flavors that are associated with chocolate and are also around you everyday, i.e. floral or herbaceous sensations, spices, fruity notes – red fruits, yellow fruits, “brown” or dried fruits, caramel, marzipan or coconut, nuts – hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamias, nut skins, and added flavors such as vanilla or malt.
  • These are just a few of the possible flavors and with practice you will garner a wide vocabulary of descriptors that you will associate with chocolate. Enjoy!

Give the Gift of Chocolate

Green & Black’s is the perfect chocolate treat as the holiday season approaches. Whether you are hosting or attending a holiday party, looking for a sweet stocking stuffer or just a unique gift, look to Green & Black’s chocolate to make the holiday season a bit more flavorful. Just tie a few Green & Black’s bars together with a holiday ribbon to create a sophisticated, stylish and intensely delicious gift.

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About Green and Black’s
Launched in London in 1991 by Craig Sams and Josephine Fairley, Green & Black’s entered the U.S. market in 2003 and has become one of the best selling chocolates in the natural food channel. The name reveals Green & Black’s key strengths – Green for sustainable and Black to symbolize the deep, rich, dark brown (almost black) color of the chocolate. Green & Black’s buys only the very best organic cocoa beans grown under the shade of indigenous rainforest trees and alongside other crops. All Green & Black’s products meet the National Organic Program (NOP) standards set by the USDA, thus giving consumers of organic products an assurance that the product is from a trusted source and matches the high standards of production. For more information, visit www.greenandblacks.com.