Theonistas Unite!

Black Butte XX from Deschutes to feature Theo Cocoa Nibs and other delicious things

Bend, OR brewers Deschutes, have amped up their classic Black Butte Porter in honor of their 20 year anniversary. I highly recommend giving it a try should you find it on tap at your local Public House. And if you can't find it in your neighborhood, that sounds like it's time to take a road trip to Bend, OR for a taste at the source. Also, for the cherries jubilee. Check out the good news in the Deschutes Newsletter.

Here is a quote from their Press Release:

"Black Butte XX is a tribute to Black Butte Porter, the revolutionary Deschutes Brewery beer that has excited beer enthusiasts since its release in 1988. This special Reserve Series brew is an extreme version of Black Butte Porter that the Deschutes brewers enhanced with several pounds of Bellatazza coffee, Theo Chocolate cocoa nibs and by aging parts in Stranahan's whiskey barrels. These regional partners from Bend, Seattle and Denver, respectively, each provide quality artisan ingredients that give this commemorative beer a truly handcrafted complexity.

Available for the first time outside the Bend public house, a limited amount of Black Butte XX will be released in hand-waxed 22-ounce bottles and on tap at select establishments as part of the Reserve Series. Black Butte XX is perfect served with flank steak and chimichurri sauce, crème brulée, cherries jubilee and strong bleu cheeses."

Sounds like it's time to take a road trip to Bend, OR for a taste at the source. Also, for the cherries jubilee. Check out the good news in the Deschutes Newsletter.

Introducing Big Daddy

Check out this awesome drawing Zaara sent us today!

Those of you have been in our brick-and-mortar store will have already witnessed that beautiful thing which is the BIG DADDY. These large (and in charge) confections come in two mighty flavors, Peanut Butter and Marshmallow, and are a crowd pleasing sensation wherever they go!

Theonistas Craft Chocolate Sculpture with a Little Help from Antoine Rondenet

Antoine Rondenet, pastry chef and instructor at the Seattle Art Institute came to the Theo Confectionery Kitchen last Friday to teach our Theonistas the fine art of chocolate sculpture.

 

Phinney Gift Pack Gets a Facelift

Feel the Love with our new "Choose Your Own Adventure" style Phinney Pack. Available now on our website! You can now customize the six bars in the pack to whatever your little hear desires. Impress your friends with a six-pack of Coconut Curry, or perhaps 3 Hazelnut, 1 Fig, 1 Chai, 1 Bread & Chocolate (my dream team.) Simply write your six pack flavors down in the comments field of the order page, and Miss Mack (our trusty packerator) will build to your specifications. Same Great Price, Now Your Way! (okay, that was a little overboard. It's that whole Friday thing.)

Theo Wine Pairing Kit Debuts This Weekend!

Our Fabulous New Wine Pairing Kit is now available on theochocolate.com - Order Here.

Included in this kit:
• Theo 65% Madagascar Dark Chocolate  Bar
• Theo 75% Ecuador/Panama/Ghana Blend Dark Chocolate Bar
• Theo 84% Ghana Dark Chocolate Bar
• 3400 Phinney Bread & Chocolate Dark Chocolate Bar
• 3400 Phinney Fig, Fennel & Almond Dark Chocolate Bar
• Instructions for orchestrating your tasting
• Tasting Notes placemat (make copies for your guests!)
• Enough chocolate for a tasting party of 6-10 people

We chose five of our bars for their flavor balance and compatibility with wine. Theo bars are named for the country of origin of their cocoa beans. Each bar highlights flavor characteristics unique to their geography, or “terroir.” Chocolate and wine both share this “sense of place.“ 3400 Phinney bars are named for our factory address, and feature innovative flavor inclusions. Our selections prepare you for a wonderful wine and chocolate pairing party!

Wine not included! This kit is focused on pairing red wines with chocolate. Red grape varietals that we enjoy include Zinfandel, Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc and Grenache based wines like Cotes du Rhone.

Show me your Moves. Theo makes the New York Times

OMG!Theo makes the New York Times!Check out this article on the front page of the Dining & Wine section today! We are so zazzed.

Theo Chocolate Adds Two New Bars to Popular 3400 Phinney Line

Very Important Sounding Press Release!!Check it out! We have two new <blink>AWESOME</blink> Phinney flavors- we launched them at the Fancy Foods Show and in our Retail store at the factory this weekend to resounding acclaim! Fig, Fennel & Almond is a chewy and aromatic vegan delight, and Hazelnut Crunch (my new obsession) is a crescendo of velvety milk chocolate, hazelnuts, crunchy brittle & sea salt. Buy two, because you'll eat the first one so fast your head will swim. And correct me if I'm wrong, but these are some of the cyootest labels evarrr~! You can't see it on the final bar it's in the glue zone, but one of the hazelnut babies is, in fact, wearing the most anerable little striped socks and legwarmers. (you must forget the lapse into my native lolspeak, I am overcome with both cuteness and deliciousness!)

The Short and Improbable Life of the Chocolate Bunny in These Modern Times.

Wine and Chocolate Pairing and more from The Nibble

I'm back to satisfy your thirst for pairing knowledge with a selection of articles from The Nibble:

Here is an interesting article and tasting chart for Wine and chocolate pairings.

Here you will find an excellent glossary of chocolate language to guide you on your journey to pairing heaven.

And this little number is a nice comparison of single origin chocolate growing regions.

The Classic Box of Chocolate Redefined - and not just for Valentine's Day!

Culinate, hailing from Portland, Oregon, offers a look at 8 unique chocolate gifts that will please any time of year. We are honored that Theo Confections made the cut!

If your in the mood for a little DIY, this Fudge Bar recipe looks simple yet effective. To Theo-fy, replace the unsweetened sugar with the Theo Origin Bar of your choice, and reduce sugar accordingly. For example, if you are using a 75% cocoa bar, 25% is going to be sugar. Since 4 ounces of chocolate are called for, 25% is one ounce, therefore, you can reduce the granulated sugar by 2 tablespoons and off you go.

Is it Beer or is it Chocolate?

Take a minute for this fun little quiz.

Then read this fascinating article about an early chocolate beverage.

Seattle Food & Wine Show!

It's day one of the Seattle Food & Wine Show. If you're thinking of checking it out, be sure to find us for some samples! Looks like a ticket to the Food & Wine Show gets you into the Christmas show as well, if that's your bag. (Ho, Ho, Ho...)

Seattle Magazine "Best of 2007"

Hurray for Chocolate! Here is a nice shout out for Theo in this month's Seattle Magazine, as well as kind words for the good folks at The Chocolate Box.

Awesome Photos from the Chocolate Show

Check out this awesome collection of photos from the New York Chocolate Show! This image, of course, is my favorite, but the Chocolate Pony has to come in a close second.

Chocolate: The Exhibition - on Tour

Chocolate:The Exhibition is on tour from the Chicago Field Museum. It will be here Seattle in '09 - I can't believe they are making us wait so long! In the meantime, check out their extremely fun and informative website. It is chock full of information, and has some wonderful educational interactive tools. Here is the upcoming schedule, perhaps it is visiting your town soon?

2008	February 9 - May 4, 2008	Great Lakes Science Center Cleveland, OH
	May 31 - September 7, 2008	Henry Ford Museum Dearborn, MI
	October 4, 2008 - January 5, 2009	Indiana State Museum Indianapolis, IN
2009	January 31 - April 26, 2009	Pacific Science Center Seattle, WA
	May 23 - September 6, 2009	North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh, NC
	October 3, 2009 - January 3, 2010	Union Station Kansas City Kansas City, MO
2010	January 30 - April 25, 2010	Memphis Museums Memphis, TN
	May 22 - September 5, 2010	Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Norman, OK

David Lebovitz Chocolate FAQ and Tempering Guide

Thanks to David for some great chocolate tips! Here you can find some interesting chocolate baking questions and answers. This is a guide to the hows and whys of tempering chocolate.

Chocolate Television - Taste TV

Well look who it is, Miz Pamela Hinckley, our own Chief Brand Ambassador captured on video for all to enjoy. Thanks to the good people of Taste TV for featuring us in their chocolate television lineup. Not sure when this video actually hit the streets, but I caught it on in this article from Kyla Myers' Seattle Blog.

In her sweet job, chocolatier concocts strange but wonderful confections

Find out more about our talented chocolatier, Autumn Martin in this Seattle Times article.