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I tried a couple of times but failed to find anything interesting for lunch at Apostrophe. (their sandwiches are quite dull) To my surprise, I discovered last week that they serve amazing hot chocolate, which reminded me of the one I had in a lovely small cafe in L’Aquila, Italy about 13 years ago. I have not been able to find one like it in London since.

The chocolate has an attractive dark brown sheen and lovely aroma. It has a good balance of sweetness, bitterness and creaminess. I enjoy the sensation when the thick (but not heavy) warm chocolate gently flows into my mouth. It is smooth and velvety. It is as cosy and soothing as getting into a nice warm thick duvet in a cold winter night.

66%, 77%, 88%, 99% chocolate – which is the best?

Starting from top: Chocolate 99 (coca and cocabutter 99%) , chocolate 88, chocolate 77 and chocolate 66 from Teuscher, a small chocolate shop located in the Old Town of Zürich. This store is the original epicurean shop. The decoration inside is traditional (a little cheesy for some perhaps) but it is a sweet and cosy alternative to Sprungli

I decided to do a tasting of chocolate blind folded. By doing so , it opened up my other senses to the experience. (I recommend a nice warm cup of green tea to cleanse the palette in between each tasting!)

Chocolate 99 and chocolate 88 both have a very nice chocolate aroma. They are hard and dry. The taste is bland – just bitter (chocolate 88) and more bitter (chocolate 99)! I do not enjoy the aftertaste as my tongue feels rough.

Chocolate 77 and chocolate 66, on the other hand, are not attractive on the nose. However, they have a lovely velvety texture in the mouth. The taste is richer and more interesting. Chocolate 66 is sweeter and feels more processed.

77% is my favourite!