Salon Du Chocolat

Chocolate Festival in NYC

The Salon Du Chocolat, described as "a world of chocolate in the heart of New York City", was the second chocolate festival I've attended in NYC and once again I was not disappointed by the variety of unique flavor combinations and mouthwatering samples on offer.  Besides an impressive number of exhibitors, there were also demonstrations and special chocolate-themed events (including a "Cocoa Capsule Fashion Show" which took visitors on a fashion journey through the decades using chocolate as the primary material) throughout the two-day festival.  There were also amazing live chocolate sculptings by Artist-in-Residence, Paul Joachim, and Master Chocolatier, Håkan Mårtensson in addition to a chocolate demonstration stage. 

There were an overwhelming number of choices but the following chocolate treats were highlights for me:
Christopher Elbow Chocolates - First, I must give them a shoutout for offering full-sized samples of their beautifully crafted chocolates; I sampled the pumpkin spice caramel which was heavenly and definitely one of my favourites of the day.  Other notable flavours included cinnamon dulce de leche, coconut caramel, blood orange caramel, passion fruit caramel, lavender caramel and salted hazelnut praline.

Hotel Chocolat - I thought  their 3 sixpack of chocolates for $18 was a great deal.  I opted for the "ultimate caramel" (salted caramel ganache, caramel pecan praline, crispy éclat and caramel cap), "billionaire's shortbread" (generous with caramel, abundant with cookies and lavish with smooth hazelnut) and "pumpkin pie" (spiced pumpkin ganache, almond praline and crunchy corn-flake crust).

Svenska Kakaobolaget (The Swedish Cocao Company) - They definitely win the prize for best packaging for their colourful geometric wrappers (and thumbs up to the exhibitor wearing a shirt that matched the packaging of one of their bars).  Some of their more interesting flavours included "lakrits" (licorice), "karedemumma" (cardamom), coconut milk, 55% dark milk and 74% "Tanzania".

Madécasse - Probably the best value for money, at 2 bars for $6, with a variety of equally delicious flavors to choose from:  toasted coconut, salted almond, pure dark chocolate, (ranging from 70% to 92% cocoa).  The manufacturers make the chocolate using heirloom cocoa from Madagascar, thereby ensuring that local cocoa farmers earn more from their crops.