chocolate with geoseph

Educating since 2008

Fine chocolate tastings and classes in Salmon Arm, BC, Canada.

Hosted by Geoseph: chocolate sommelier, master chocolatier, chocolate maker.

Elevate Your Satisfaction With Chocolate

 About The Chocolate & Ingredients

The fine chocolate bars used in my tastings and sold in my shop:

  • Visit my online shop to get an idea of the chocolate bars used in the tastings

  • Made with rare cacao from around the world

  • Made by various chocolate makers from around the world

  • Bars are not certified fair-trade, which is a good thing, as they are made with cacao purchased at above most fairtrade standards and are either fair, transparent, or even directly traded with the makers.

  • Contain NO artificial or “natural” flavours, NO synthetic or “natural” colours, NO GMO ingredients

  • Many are bars use organic cacao, as well as organic sources of sugar

  • Many 100% plant-based (vegan) options. All the dark chocolate is by definition plant-based.

  • Nearly all bars are gluten-free.

  • Single-origin dark bars contains only 2-3 ingredients (cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter) and are nut-free, gluten-free, and 100% plant-based. No single-origin darks contain vanilla as the true flavour of the bean should shine through. No dark chocolate bars will contain lecithin of any sort. The dark chocolate is not as bitter or bitter at all compared to dark commercial chocolate.

  • Milk and other flavoured chocolate bars contain only real ingredients without any unnecessary additives. The milk chocolate bars are not overly sweet as commercial chocolate.

  • Very few milk or flavoured bars will contain lecithin (a natural fat used to make flavoured chocolate more fluid) and will come from non-GMO and even non-soy sources.

  • Most bars are gluten-free and nut-free aside from specific bars that contain nuts or bread

The cacao/chocolate and ingredients used in the hands-on classes

  • The cacao used for the bean-to-bar making classes will be organic and fairly-traded

  • The chocolate used in the chocolatier classes will be high-quality couverture chocolate

  • Other ingredients used in classes will be simple and pure in the traditional sense

  • No artificial or “natural” flavours, colours, or unnecessary ingredients will be used

  • Some classes will be free of nuts or gluten-based ingredients, while others will not

  • Most classes will have options for 100% plant-based products

Keep in mind I cannot and will not guarantee any products, samples, or ingredients are made in a nut-free or gluten-free facility, nor have come in contact with or contain traces nuts, dairy, gluten, or other allergens. However, you are welcome to make dietary requests with your bookings!

If you have any questions at all about the cacao, chocolate, or ingredients of any products used, please don’t hesitate to contact me and ask! I encourage you to do so as I am very transparent about what is used and happy to share this information with you.