Eating not the same as experiencing

It can be eaten by itself, or hidden within cakes and cookies. It can be served melted or frozen. It functions as a main ingredient or an incidental topping. It can be poured into a cup and topped with marshmallows. It’s been called the elixir of the gods and a cure for PMS.

But if you think good chocolate is a Hershey bar, Karalee Gallaway would like to educate your palate. Gallaway hosts chocolate tasting classes at the Chocolate Apothecary, located in the Flour Mill.

Last week, I attended a class with my mother-in-law, Juanita, and my sisters-in-law, Camille and Celena. The shop was packed with 19 women and one brave man. “Usually we do get a little more response from males,” Gallaway said. Then she laughed and clarified. “Well, their wives drag them along.”

Gallaway identified herself to the group as our “chocolate discovery director.” Now, that’s a job title you don’t often see on a résumé. She gave us each a program that detailed the fine art of chocolate tasting.

“I hope we don’t have to swirl and spit,” I murmured to Celena.

“Could get messy,” she agreed.

“Warm the chocolate between your fingers and place directly under your nose,” the program advised. “Inhale intently, noting aromatic nuances.”

That gave me pause. I wonder if anyone had died from snorting chocolate. I felt better when Gallaway said, “If you just want to shovel chocolate in your face, that’s OK, too.” Now that’s my kind of gal!

Our chocolate tour began with a brief history of the cocoa plant and a description of how cocoa beans are transformed into chocolate. Gallaway, a self-professed “chocolate nerd,” then asked us to sample cocoa nibs. The nibs come from the soft inside of the cocoa bean, and the flavor met with mixed reaction at our table.

“Bleh! That’s awful!” said my mother-in-law. The rest of us agreed that while the nibs might not be tasty on their own, they’d make a good topping on an ice-cream sundae.

Next we sampled white chocolate, which some folks don’t believe is chocolate at all. Gallaway said true white chocolate is made with cocoa butter. This candy was smooth and creamy and met with enthusiastic response.

From there we moved on to various milk chocolates, including a bar named “Organic Meltdown.” Not only did we enjoy the delicious flavor, but we also saved a tree. Each bar of Organic Meltdown chocolate sold saves a tree in the Amazon rainforest. Who knew there was such a thing as green chocolate?

Before we said farewell to milk chocolate and entered the world of dark, we tasted our group’s favorite treat: Droste half milk, half dark chocolate from Holland. These sweet discs offered the perfect combination of silky milk and rich dark chocolate.

Chocolate Apothecary features the most unusual flavor combinations I’ve seen. We tried chocolate made with ginger. It’s called “Sexy” and is made by Newtree. The candy’s surprising spicy pop made it easy to see why the makers say, “Sexy is chocolate in stilettos.”

We also sampled “Red Fire,” chocolate blended with chili peppers. I loved its sizzling slow-burn aftertaste. My sister-in-law Celena said, “It tastes like eating a Hershey bar with Hot Tamales.”

For some chocoholics, dark chocolate is the only chocolate, but even the most diehard dark-chocolate lover might pause when confronted with the last sample of the evening. It was extreme – literally. The “Extreme” chocolate bar is made with 88 percent cocoa and is one of the highest cocoa content bars available. I never thought I’d use the word sour to describe chocolate, but this bar put my teeth on edge. I guess you really can have too much of a good thing.

My mother-in-law was relieved we didn’t get to try the store’s most popular chocolate. They were completely out of “Mo’s Bacon Bar.” That’s right – a chocolate bar containing pieces of real bacon. Who says you can’t have chocolate for breakfast?

As we walked out into the summer night with expanded minds and tastebuds, something Gallaway said resonated. “A lot of people eat chocolate, but don’t really taste it.” What a shame. If life really is like a box of chocolates, I want to taste them all.