Todd Masonis, the co-founder of  Dandelion Chocolate, a beautiful little chocolate factory/shop on Valencia Street shares some tips on tasting chocolate in a post titled the Art of Tasting Chocolate Mindfully.  Here’s a few excerpts of his tips (along with my editorial comments of course):

1) “The first step is to slow down. Before you rip apart the packaging and dig in, take a moment to read about the bar…Chocolate makers think through countless decisions and this is our opportunity to share our perspective. Even the physicality of our packaging should draw you into the chocolate experience. In our case, the handmade cotton paper should feel soft. Like our bars, the slightly imperfect screenprinting should reinforce the touch-of-the-hand craftsmanship that goes into each of our bars….”  (DK: Really.  Slow down, huh?  Hmmmm. Let’s try step two.) [Read more…]