Vosges Haut Chocolat

My first experience with chocolat in the US was not a positive one. I remember I bought a nice looking old style box from Whitman’s at Walmart. Well, the content of that box was everything but not chocolate. The so called “assorted chocolates” were more sweet than anything else and the flavors overly artifical – oi!
(I have to admit that I was a novice to the world of chocolate those days…)

That was years ago and since then I’ve discovered other US brands which changed my view positively. My latest discovery (actually from last year) is Vosges – Haut Chocolat and it really deserves the title “Haut chocolat”! It was introduced to me by a good friend of mine (thank you Kimberley!).
What attracts me most to this brand is the unusual and sheer endless list of ingredients fearlessly combined. For example Mo’s Chocolate Bar with 62% chocolate, Hickory smoked bacon and Alderwood smoked salt or the Blood Orange Caramel Bar with 70% of chocolate, Hibiscus flower and blood orange caramel.

Responsible for this fearless creations is Katrina Markoff trained in Paris at the culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. She continued her training by cooking her way through the kitchens of the world under some of the world’s best chefs before she started into the chocolate business from her Chicago kitchen.
Her mission statement reflects very well what happens in your mouth as soon as you taste Vosges‘ chocolate creations:

“Vosges Haut-Chocolat welcomes you to an experiential realm of storytelling through the medium of chocolate. By means of esteemed craftsmanship and conscious innovation, we inspire you to interact with the world in a different way.”

When combined, the different ingredients and flavors really tell a very own story!
During my last US trip I bought a couple of mini choclate bars from the Mix ‘n’ Match collection which I’ am currently testing…
So far I enjoyed Mo’s Dark Bar the most: the chocolate has a nice smooth consistency, the Hickory ham bits are crispy and really tatsy. They blend in well with the chocolate and the Alderwood salt. Most probably I would have chosen a higher percentage of coca, at least 70%, but this is a suggestion due to personal taste not to a poor composition…
I will report more as soon as I tried other bars…