Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate [Hardcover]

Clay Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

There’s a difference between a chocoholic and a chocophile, and Clay Gordon is decidedly in the latter category. It’s not enough for him to simply love this rich indulgence; he is equally addicted to the finer points of choosing it, just as a wine aficionado enjoys researching different varietals and developing a taste for particularly fine ones.

In Discover Chocolate, Gordon opens a world that extends far beyond cookbooks and coffee-table books that feature assorted gooey shots. Yes, his primer is packed with more than a hundred gorgeous photographs of chocolate and truffles, but this is a guide that also includes a handy rating system, a field guide for discerning among different types and styles of chocolates, an overview of how cacao becomes chocolate (including maps of where cacao is grown), advice for pairing chocolate and wine, and, perhaps most important of all, how and where to shop for the best chocolate in the world.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and Clay Gordon is there to help you relish every drop of it, discerning why you like certain types but not others and generating a personal list of favorites. This is the book every true chocolate enthusiast has been craving.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Clay Gordon’s Discover Chocolate is clearly a labor of love. A thorough and informed guide, it offers valuable insight for those with a passion and desire to learn about the world of chocolate.”
—Jim Goldman, President, Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.

“In tasting chocolate with the same passion and precision as wine critics do wine, Clay Gordon has elevated the whole idea of appreciating chocolate to new heights.”
—W.R. Tish, former editor of Wine Enthusiast magazine and founder of www.wineforall.com

“Any fan of Clay Gordon’s website chocophile.com will find all its enjoyable qualities combined in this book: a first-time explorer’s spontaneous enthusiasm, an insider’s perspective, and a refreshingly personal conversational style. I am impressed especially by Clay’s nuanced but substantive approach to the art of tasting chocolate. Discover Chocolate will be an original, insightful, and informative addition to any chocolate-lover’s library.”
—Maricel Presilla, culinary historian and author of The New Taste of Chocolate

“Clay’s thorough and meticulous investigation on chocolate is the foundation for this comprehensive book that leaves very little undiscovered in the marvelous world of enjoying chocolate today."
—Michael Antinorsi, Owner, Chuao Chocolatier

“Discover Chocolate is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex world of chocolate today. Highly informative and easy to use, Clay Gordon’s new book is the ultimate guide to chocolate, just as the subtitle promises.”
—Alexandra Leaf, chocolate educator, cookbook author, and culinary historian

About the Author

Clay Gordon is the editor and publisher of Chocophile.com and the founder of the New World Chocolate Society. A leading independent authority on chocolate, he conducts chocolate tastings and classes across the country. His insights about chocolate are frequently published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Business Week, among other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592403085
• ISBN-13: 978-1592403080
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Buying Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute delight, October 19, 2007

By 

Asher R. Snyder - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate (Hardcover)

This book is absolutely awesome. I knew very little about chocolate before reading this book, but now feel confident in my chocolate knowledge. It has increased my interest in choclate, and am now able to scrutinize the chocolate wherever I go.

Furthermore, the author does a good job of conversing with the reader. One feels like they're having a conversation with Clay, rather than being lectured. Overall a great book, a must buy for anyone even remotely interested in chocolate.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For every Chocophile out there, March 2, 2008

By 

Sera "Kabochahime wit ha roycal candy obsession" (LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate (Hardcover)

I love this book! It provides the groundwork for your own personal exploration in the world of fine chocolate. The information is solid and applicable and I feel better prepared how to understand and evaluate the chocolate I encounter from now on. The chapter on tasting notes is especially good, considering how little is written on the subject. If you are a lover of chocolate, this is a must read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The discovery of fine chocolate, October 25, 2010

By 

Adrenalin Streams (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate (Hardcover)

Clay Gordon is a self-taught expert and dedicated chocophile from the US. This book sets out what he has learned about fine chocolate in the 15 years since he began his mission to become an expert. The book is split into four main sections covering how to taste chocolate, the story of chocolate from bean to bar (including a look at the genetics of cacao), how to judge and buy quality chocolate, and pairing chocolate with wine and other alcoholic drinks. Gordon writes with all the passion of an enthusiast and his style is both easy to read and quite winning. I think the sections of the book on how to taste chocolate and from bean to bar are particularly well written and laid out and worth the price of the book alone. The section on buying quality chocolate is interesting, while I could live without the section on pairings with alcohol. Another big plus for the book is that it contains an excellent glossary of terms used in the chocolate world, which will be very helpful to both beginners and keen amateurs alike. There are relatively few books on chocolate as a subject, as opposed to recipes using chocolate, and even fewer that seek to explore the world of high cocoa content, quality bean, fine chocolate. We are therefore lucky that the books that do exist are all complementary to each other and well written and/or inspirational. If I was advising a fine chocolate novice on getting started I might suggest first reading Chloe Doutre-Roussel's short and sweet "The Chocolate Connoiseur", then following up with this book, which is much more in depth, and then rounding off with Sarah Jane Evans's "Chocolate Unwrapped", which looks in detail at the leading 80 fine chocolate manufacturer's around the world and their bars.