The Wind Attack

Yesterday I snuck out of work for a half hour to go to one of my favorite gourmet stores/cheese bar: Cube. They were having their annual 40% off sale… that’s 40% off all non-perishable goods.

What a great opportunity (and excuse) to try some expensive, exotic goods! Lining the shelves of one corner of the shop are dozens of unique origin honeys. Imported from all over the world, these minimally processed honeys come in a variety of colors and consistencies, each with their own unique flavors.

“Isn’t this fun?” said a girl standing next to me as she reached for one of the jars of honey.

“Yeah!” I replied. “When I heard about this sale, I was like ‘I’m so there!’”

Suddenly I found myself in a discussion about the flavor qualities of different honey’s. Sometimes it was easy to throw out words like “floral” or “molasses” when describing them, but often it was just as simple as saying “it has that special something.”

Being the day before Valentines day, my mind stumbled into a fantasy. Wouldn’t it be cool to meet a love in a gourmet shop over a discussion of exotic honeys on February 13^th.

Alas, it was also Friday the 13^th. “Well, good luck,” she said, and she was off to the other side of the store to look at the sea salts.

I could not be too disappointed, though, as I had in hand some food luxuries that I was about to purchase at a 40% discount.

The one problem with pricey food items is that I always feel like I have to save them away for something special. Discussing this with the cashier, she disagreed. To her you should just enjoy these things… and often time you can enjoy them all on their own. The Stone Ground Chocolate and Rare Hawaiian White Honey I was about to purchase are two such items, delicious without any fancy preparations.

So as other food bloggers post away about chocolate ganache smothered desserts and passion fruit sauce for Valentines Day, I decided to celebrate the day with a different treat: experiencing the subtle flavors in good honey and good chocolate.

I have never had “stone ground” chocolate before. Apparently it involves very little processing from bean to bar, preserving as much of the chocolate’s natural flavor as possible. This particular bar had 80% cocoa solids, vanilla and a minimal amount of cane sugar for a very dark, bitter taste. It also doesn’t contain any emulsifiers, and this, combined with the “stone ground” property gave it an almost gritty texture. The chocolate did not melt in my mouth, but this was not a bad thing. It massaged my tongue with bitter and umami tones, and the unmistakable sensation that is chocolate.

The honey was very thick, and almost waxy. Upon first applying to my tongue, there wasn’t much flavor, probably on the account the thick texture. But as it started to dissolve, a world of subtle flavors opened up. Coconut, tropical fruits and then leading into a flavor that could only remind me of butter or cheese. The flavors then followed by a warm tingling across my tongue into my throat.

Next I smeared some of the honey onto a piece of chocolate. The bitterness of the chocolate balanced with the sweetness of the honey, unlocking more of the subtle flavors captured within. It seemed that each bite presented something else: caramel, coffee, nuts, and flavors that you just cant put a finger on. It has that “special something.”

This experience was so different from enjoying a chocolate ganche cake, for example. It was not about indulgence, or decadence, or richness or smoothness, it was about tasting. Stimulation of the senses, and the mind… the subtleties of tasting.

Happy Valentines Day!