The Chocolate Companion [Paperback]

Chantal Coady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2006

You don’t have to be a connoisseur to love chocolate, and even if you’re not, you’ll love this book! What more needs to be said about a book that guides chocoholics through the wonders and joys of the world’s best chocolates? Filled with mouth-watering images of the best chocolates from the best chocolate makers around the world, The Chocolate Companion is an invaluable guide to those who want to learn all they can about the world’s favorite treat! Go beyond dark or milk chocolate to discover the many exotic flavors now being created, including Earl Grey and cardamom-flavored chocolate. Learn the secrets behind the art of couverture and its effect on the taste and texture of fine chocolate. Each chocolate is analyzed in detail, with valuable tasting notes and details of seasonal specialties and availability.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chantal Coady is the proprietor of Rococo, one of London’s finest chocolate shops, which she founded in 1983 as an outlet for high-quality chocolates. In 1991, she established the Chocolate Society along with a fellow chocolyte, as they call themselves. The society is dedicated to promoting interest in fine handmade chocolates. Chantal is such a purist about chocolate that you can frequently find her deep in the jungles of South America in hot pursuit of the ultimate cocoa bean. Chantal is the author of Chocolate: Food of the Gods.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 2nd edition (December 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076242897X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762428977
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For The Love Of Chocolate, February 2, 2007

By 

TheSuiteQueen (Blue Bell, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Chocolate Companion (Paperback)

If you love chocolate - and I do love chocolate - then this book is a must have!!!

It highlights the finest chocolates from around the world!!! It includes addresses, phone numbers and histories of the most reknowned chocolatiers!!!

And if I never have the opportunity to taste some of these chocolates in this life - at least I'll have the chance to sample them through the savory descriptions in the 'tasting notes' - not quite the same - but delicious in it's own right!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I HEART this chocolate guide!, November 12, 2007

By 

ParisBreakfast "ParisBreakfast.com" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chocolate Companion (Paperback)

This book covers the map, litterally. Anywhere in the world they have chocolate, Chantal Coady has been there and tasted them and here she gives your her astute biased opinion with pictures of the maker's actual chocolate bonbons. Does it get better than this? You can learn a lot from the little guide and come out way ahead on your chocolate connoiseurship.

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag of Mixed Chocolates, October 11, 2011

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Chocolate Companion (Paperback)

Some of you may know that I run a group called The Chocolate Cult where we specialize in reviews of products and all forms of culture related to Chocolate. I got this book wanting to see if someone else was doing something similar. Not quite and the book falls flat on a few fronts.

The photos are very lovely in this book and I liked that Chantal Coady covered chocolates from around Europe with some in America, one in South America, one from Canada, and a European company with a Japanese shop. At first this might seem like variety but I've seen many chocolate competitions and we've reviewed products from a wider range of locations in our short time around. Give this is supposed to be a connoisseur's guide, perhaps it is simply a matter that other areas have yet to product this level of chocolate.

However, that would be acceptable if all of these companies received 4 or 5 stars yet we have many 3 star and even a few 2 star listed companies. But what does this rating system mean? It is unclear and the listing for them may give titles but we are never told the criteria for judgement. One problem with the judgements is that this book is supposed to be by Chantal Coady, herself a chocolatier, yet her shop is one of those listed. Granted she doesn't review it but doesn't that seem like a conflict of interest?

The process of reviewing is very vague. At times Coady discusses what arrived, the packaging, and several of the sense yet at other times this information or part of it is missing. It is not clear how she got these chocolates. Did she purchase them or were they given to her by the chocolatiers wishing to be in the book? Without that information how can we judge how unbiased her reviews may be?

The introductory sections are great because they provide a good brief history of chocolate and some facts about chocolate that are clearly written. The photos are color and well placed; you can almost feel and smell the chocolate. The advice for tasting chocolate is good but I'd say you should use water not wine because then you cannot have conflicting flavors.