DeBrand Fine Chocolates Review
August 14, 2008 by Heather R.
Filed under Chocolate, Chocolate Products, Chocolate Review
I recently had the chance to try some chocolate from DeBrand Chocolatier. DeBrand was founded in 1987 by Cathy Brand-Beere and currently has four retail shops and a mail order catalog.
My chocolate showed up in a very well insulated box, complete with cool packs that not only survived the trip across the country but also made it through the 108+ degree temps of a delivery truck all day!
I was sent a Sweet Potato Pie Tasting Bar and was immediately taken with the packaging. Look how cute it is! The bar is actually divided up by how big of a bite you might be in the mood for as well. The sweet potato pie is actually bits of hard toffee mixed in with the chocolate, not a center filling like I first thought it might be!
I was sad to find that I wasn’t that crazy about the Sweet Potato Pie bar. I do know why, though: I’m very picky about pumpkin or sweet potato pie to that point that I don’t even like whipped cream on it, so tasting those same spices and flavors in chocolate was too weird for me.
The chocolate, however, was smooth and sweet, and at only $6 for a 3.3oz bar of gourmet chocolate I think I’m going to need to order some of the dark (82%!) and the raspberry and the espresso and the peanut butter bars!
I also got to try a 9-piece box from the Connoisseur Collection. The artisan chocolates were packaged beautifully in a reusable little box complete with a small magnetic claps and consists of Boysenberry, Brazil, Cassia, Espresso, Aztec, Chai, Passion, Dulce Caliente and Aphrodite chocolates (Aphrodite doesn’t look to normally be part of the 9-piece).
My favorite by far was the Aphrodite. Oh my. Dark, rich chocolate ganache, pomegranate, ginger. If I could have an entire box of just the Aphrodite I’d be happy forever. Delicious!
My second favorite was the Espresso, but I think chocolate and coffee are a perfect combination by default! The little square had a soft ganache center with a light espresso flavor. At first it didn’t seem like it was enough but then I realized there was no funky, overpowering aftertaste either, which I always get after having coffee-flavored chocolate.
I was surprised by the Passion because while I’m not a big white chocolate fan I didn’t mind the white chocolate ganache center. The fruit flavor in this one was also very light, bordering on floral.
The Chai more than made up for the light tastes with a big dose bold Indian chai tea. It also seemed to get stronger after I was done!
The Aztec and Dulce Caliente both have peppers in them and oh man, I’m loving this trend! The little squares are the perfect portion for spiced chocolate, I think. At least it keeps me from wanting to eat a big bar all at once, so that counts for something!
If you’re in the mood for a little indulgence I really recommend the Connoisseur box. Perfect, beautiful little tastes of high quality chocolate!
[images used with permission from DeBrand Chocolate]
I would not give Cathy Brand-Beere any more of my business. I worked for her and her staff for two years, and I got a lot of projects done for them. At around the time that I was due to be up for a raise and more benefits, I got laid off. I wouldn’t support a business like this! Oh, and her chocolates aren’t that great either. I ate them almost every day at work and I’ve had better!