The Chocolate Tourist tumbles

Blogging, vlogging, and agogging our way through the wonderful world of chocolate.

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Chocolate Gets Weird - strangest chocolate combinations

Chocolate Gets Weird - strangest chocolate combinations... You never know which one you're gonna get! #thechocolatetourist #TCTblog

Chocolate is chocolate, and we love it as-is. But we also love thinking of other things to put in it.

The strangest combinations I’ve personally tried are Tifa’s Dark chocolate with basil (left) and Cucumber Vodka chocolates from L’Artisan du Chocolat (right). Not to mention The Chocolate Line‘s Pop Rocks and Coke chocolate… I don’t have a picture of that last one, but rest assured it tastes as…

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Artfully Chocolate - the hot chocolate gallery wine bar of your dreams

Artfully Chocolate - the hot chocolate gallery wine bar of your dreams (Alexandria, Virginia) with an array of hot chocolate varieties inspired by Hollywood's glamour icons. #thechocolatetourist #TCTblog

Artfully Chocolate is a funky mixed bag of anything you’d ever want to find within four walls.

Looking for an art gallery? A gift shop? A wine bar? No? Well how about ice cream? Or lunch? Coffee, tea?

While any and all of these offerings are tempting, you know what we’re here for. Artfully Chocolate delivers on this and more, set in the uptempo downtown district of Alexandria, Virginia. Within…

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Monday Mug: Red Velvet Iced Chocolate

Monday Mug: Red Velvet Iced Chocolate - a cool, buttery chocolate flavor without the nutritionally dubious red dye. #thechocolatetourist #MondayMug

Red Velvet. A snazzy name for a snazzy flavor.

There’s something about red velvet that you can just feel. It’s a decadent, luscious vibrancy that immediately makes you say, “Ooo…”

So what do you say let’s make some.

Being something of a health-conscious nutrition nerd, I don’t love the idea of putting red dye in my food. So this drink’s rich red color will come from a natural source – beets.

At…

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Chocolate Tour in Beverly Hills

Chocolate Tour in Beverly Hills - adventures in chocolate, confections and tummy space #thechocolatetourist

We initially set out to cover chocolate in its purest form. The stuff of beans and growing know-how and about a zillion years of experimentation with roasting and fermentation.

The sacred food of the gods from Mexico to Belgium that made it’s stamp on history and culture, leaving societies of adoring fans in its wake.

So when Great Food Tours recently took us on a chocolate tour of Beverly Hills,…

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Monday Mug: Contessa Signature Blended Chocolate

Monday Mug: Contessa Signature Blended Chocolate - Italian chocolate on a hot summer day - yes please! #TCTblog #MondayMug

Buongiorno!

I’m very excited to share with you a special Monday Mug, featuring Contessa Chocolate Collection – a charming Italian food shop in Pasadena, California. This is my first attempt at shooting a Monday Mug on location, going to a chocolate shop in an effort to show the concept of The Chocolate Tourist’s web series to better advantage.

I’ve mentioned this before, but my goal with this…

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Virginia is for Chocolate Lovers

Virginia is for Chocolate Lovers! Set your sights for the beautiful countryside and don't miss Locke Store's tasty treats.

Virginia is a beautiful state, filled to the brim with history, natural beauty and culture – and it’s my hometown.

I recently got to make a visit out there when a dear friend got married. The wedding took place in the north western part of the state – near the rolling Blue Ridge mountains. It’s just about an hour from the busy metropolitan areas, but it sure feels like the country.

Some friends…

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Monday Mug: Chocolate Blast

Shake it up and cool down with The Chocolate Tourist's Monday Mug: Chocolate Blast

It’s August! The summer heat is a-risin’ and it’s difficult to think about anything other than cooling off. I’ve been craving ice and cold things for a week straight. And this icy chocolate treat fits the bill!

This week The Chocolate Tourist gets back into the habit of blogging with some Virginia chocolate offerings and some fun facts. But first – the chocolate.

This is a tremendously versatile…

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Monday Mug: Iced Mocha (easy and delicious)

Monday Mug: Iced Mocha (easy and delicious) - the simplest and best iced coffee drink you will ever make, and I'm not just saying that because I invented it.

Good Monday, chocolate friends!

And a very happy August to you. Today’s post goes out to my friend and co-laborer in the chocolate mission, Leanne Westphal, who spent all weekend reigning over the 48 Hour Film Project in Los Angeles. Yes, that is as exhausting as it sounds.

We need caffeine. Preferably cold, seeing as it’s also a hundred degrees outside.

This month we get back into the chocolate…

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Miami Oasis - a storm, a room, a ganache

Miami Oasis - a storm, a room, a ganache | What's better than a comfortable suite? A comfortable suite that's close to chocolate.

Miami, Florida – a place to find beauty, palm trees, bugs, and serenity.

Not to mention chocolate.

I’ve visited Miami several times for various reasons, most recently as the final destination on a one-week road trip down the Atlantic coast. It was an extremely satisfying, bewildering and exhilarating week, culminating in a 2-hour drive through the Florida Keys and witnessing the southernmost…

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Summer Vacations and Chocolate Celebrations

Summer Vacations and Chocolate Celebrations - The Chocolate Tourist takes a break and breaks the mold

Good morning, chocolate friends!

Chocolate is really a celebration of life

It’s July 7, which means this is no ordinary Monday. It’s Chocolate Day.

Origins unknown, but the inspiration and method of celebration are pretty obvious.

Give chocolate to someone you meet today. Nothing is quite so welcome a gift, and even though you don’t need a reason, Chocolate Day is a good one.

This summer brings…

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Raise Your Glass to Freedom: chocolate as an American tradition

On this day in 1776, America declared its independence from England. Since then we’ve been wildly enjoying our freedom and extending it to others – in a variety of ways, both tangible and intangible.

We are free, America. Free to participate in the government of our own nation. Free to be called Americans. Free to write words like “color” and “endeavor” efficiently without the encumbrance…

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Schakolad - a Fun-Loving Chocolate Franchise in Crystal City

Move aside candy hearts and marshmallow chicken-like creatures. Chocolate can be made into anything – even shoes, soccer balls, and a full set of dental care implements.

That’s what we found filling the shelves at Schakolad in Crystal City, Virginia– a whirring extension of the Washington, DC metropolis. Schakolad is a franchise of Edgar Schaked, who turned his father’s single Florida chocolate…

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Monday Mug: Jazz Up Your Cocoa Mix

Monday Mug: Jazz Up Your Cocoa Mix with a little more chocolate and a little less grief

It can’t always be pretty, y’all.

After a week out of the saddle, I’m eager to get back into the swing of chocolate travels and new recipes to share, but today I am plumb tired! I guess this is why cocoa mixes were invented, so we don’t always have to make hot chocolate ourselves.

I’ve always found cocoa mixes to be a bit drab – too sweet and unvarying in flavor. But there are a few simple…

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Pre-historic Ponderings: Chocolate and Dinosaurs?

Pre-historic Ponderings: Chocolate and Dinosaurs? Questions that need answering.

Guess what I never thought to wonder: did dinosaurs eat cocoa beans?

But thankfully not everyone is like me, because it is a fascinating question that demands an answer. If it’s been a while since you geeked out on paleontology, please enjoy this fun dissection of the origins of chocolate, dinosaur behavior, and the fossilized findings that make us wonder.

“2011 raptor Museum histoire naturelle…

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L'Artisan du Chocolat - Normandy occupies LA with cucumbers and olives

We begin with a French lesson.

And end with tips on cooking escargot.

In between is chocolate. L’Artisan du Chocolat brings France to you, from the boundary-pushing chocolate flavor combinations to the gregarious chocolatier who greets you with a hearty, “Bonjour!” when you step through the door.

“Bonjour!” I respond, “comment allez vous?” “Ça va.” “Ça va, aussie.”

This leads to a conversation…

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Candy Contents: Toffee by any other name

Candy Contents: Toffee by any other name... "Eat butter," Time says. "With chocolate," we add.

What’s in a Heath bar?

Since we’re talking about toffee this week, let’s find out. Perhaps you make your own toffee, like Sean Kennedy on MeltingMug.com. Perhaps you get your fix from artisan candy makers like Valerie Confections. Or maybe you – like millions of Americans – pick up a Heath bar at the grocery store.

What’s the difference?

Let’s compare our toffee/chocolate and Heath bar…

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Valerie Confections - toffee and chocolate in Koreatown

Inspired by Heath bars, one of our favorite candies, this week is all about toffee. And when considering toffee, one’s thoughts must turn to Valerie Confections.

The headquarters for all three Valerie installments, this K-town location is a chocolate-covered, toffee and petits four dream. Conveniently located in what is often a busy part of town, the workshop is tucked into a quiet corner of…

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