Michi Photostory

Many people love binging on chocolate but are not aware of the steps involved in making it. Some people don’t even know that its main ingredient comes from a tree. While it is okay to enjoy the different flavors it comes with and to gift your loved ones with chocolate, there are basic things about chocolate making that are worth learning about. The following are top 4 things you should know about how chocolate is made;


The main ingredient is the cacao tree 

A lot of people have no idea of what chocolate is made from. While there are several misconceptions about chocolate, many people don’t even know that it is made from cacao. The cacao beans are removed from the pod then left in their pulp for about a week to ferment as well as gain their flavor precursors. Another reason for fermenting them is to ensure that the seed does not grow again as fermenting kills it.

Drying and roasting

After fermentation, the beans are dried then roasted before they are taken to the factory. By roasting them, the flavors precursors developed during fermentation are turned into flavor through a series of chemical reactions. Roasting also helps to puff up the beans which make it easier to remove the nibs from their shells. Also, roasting helps to kill bacteria that the beans might have collected after they are been removed from the pods. Roasting is one of the major stages of making chocolate because it greatly determines how the chocolate is going to taste.

Winnowing, grinding, and melanging 

The well-roasted beans then undergo winnowing to separate the shells and the nib. After the shells are removed, the nibs are ground to form a liquid that is also known as the cocoa liquid. This liquid is then put in a juicer that also helps to filter it. When the beans are ground to a fine consistency, they are transferred to a melanger where sugar is added to help kill its bitterness.

Tempering 

After melanging the chocolate, the final step to the final product is known as tempering, which includes several steps before packaging. First, the chocolate is melted because it solidifies while melanging it, then seed crystals are created in some portion of the chocolate in order to obtain the required molecular arrangement. This portion is then poured into a mold or parchment paper then covered to allow it to solidify. The final product is the candied chocolate products like the Santa Barbara Chocolate you buy from the store.

Bottom line 

The chocolate-making process is not as easy as you may have imagined it to be, and it takes a lot of handy-work as well as machine work to get to the final product. There are a lot of steps and processes that are required to come up with a differently flavored product. While there are countable chocolate companies known of, a few of them are famous for their unbeatable chocolate products.

I have this chocolate chips in the fridge that I haven’t used because I don’t have an oven yet. It’s been several months simula ng nasira yung thermostat nung oven namin and until now, I have no plans to fix or replace it yet.

The service company was asking for 7k just to fix the thermostat and I find it expensive, pwede na ko bumili ng small electric oven nun e. My husband already looked for an oven but I told him, saka na lang kami bumili, mas gusto ko new refrigerator.


Wish granted, I have a new fridge but no oven. Hehehe! Anyway, before the chocolate expires, I decided to use it but the problem is, pang Christmas yung chocolate molder ko, ayaw ko pa gamitin. So I asked my husband to buy me an ice cube tray when he went to Singapore last week. Isinama ko na sa IKEA shopping list ko.

So last Sunday, my son and I made chocolate candy. I put the chocolate chips in a bowl and put it in the microwave oven for 2 minutes and stir. Repeat the process until I get the right consistency.

Papakin ang leftover chocolate. :)

But I noticed that my chocolate mixture is too thick, hindi siya liquid like nung nakikita ko sa cooking show. Then I read an article in wikiHow, “Do not use chocolate chips, baking chocolate or store bought chocolate bars because of the fluidity”.


So that is the reason why my chocolate mixture is not a syrup type. But I still continued my chocolate candy. I put chopped walnuts in the ice cube tray, yung iba wala because my son like a plain chocolate. Then I covered it with plastic cling wrap and put it in the fridge.


Then I unmold it, voila! We now have chocolate candy and my son likes it. Though hindi perfect yung shape nung chocolate, pwede na rin. It will melt in our mouth. hehehe!

How to Mold Chocolate Candy 

1. Melt your chocolate in double boiler or microwave oven
2. Spoon the mixture in the molder
3. Put the mold in the fridge
4. Unmold it and serve.

A few days ago, my mom was asking me if I already blogged about our Røros trip and I said no, hindi pa tapos but I posted a video on my YouTube Channel. Honestly, after our summer vacation, I don’t know how and where to start my Summer in Norway series. I have 5000+ photos in my album and it is really hard to choose photos.

I don’t know how travel blogger do it because it is really an effort to blog about the experience sa dami ng pictures. Hehehe! But don’t worry, matatapos ko rin yan series na yan so I can start our Iceland trip series too.

Moving on, I mentioned in my previous post that I’m nursing colds and cough and as far as I know bawal ang sweets sa may ubo. So I’ve been drinking tea with honey these past few days to calm my cough. Pero I can’t control myself so I still I ate chocolate again yesterday, ang hirap magpigil kung nakikita mo chocolate pagbukas mo ng fridge. Hehehe!

But you know what, I just read an article that, “The Best Cure for a Cough May Actually Be Chocolate”.  According to the article, chocolate can calm coughs because the theobromine suppresses coughs better than codeine. Cocoa also relieves irritation or inflammation. Oh di ba, nagpigil pa ko, pwede naman pala. Read more about it here.



Anyway, when we went to Norway, my sister gave me pasalubong from Sweden. When I saw the brand of the chocolate, I immediately remembered that a reader commented in one of my posts that Marabou is almost similar to Freia chocolates. My husband ate the Marabou Japp and he said okay lang ang taste.

It was only yesterday that I tried the chocolates, yes, inuwi ko pa siya sa Pinas. Hehehe! I ate the Marabou Mjőlk Choklad or Milk Chocolate. True enough, the taste is close enough to Freia but a little bit sweet. I’m happy to add this chocolate in my IKEA list. I always see this in IKEA but I only buy the IKEA chocolate but since Marabou chocolate taste is close to Freia, pwede na ito.

P.S.

Freia KVIKK LUNSJ is a Norwegian chocolate, it is similar to popular KitKat chocolate.


PEZ is a brand name of peppermint candy from Austria. I'm not familiar with this candy so I have to Google it because I don't know how to put the candy in the free pocket dispensers. Since my son is not fond of candy, I'm the one who tried this. hehehe! Now, wala na ko refill na candy. :(

I remember when I was young, I used to be active in the church. I was part of our Youth Ministry before and summer is a very busy month for us because of Vacation Bible School and Youth Camp. There is also an Educational Trip to South Korea too that I wanted to join but I know that we don’t have a budget for that. Life changed when I started working, got married, and moved to the province.


For the past decade, I was able to watch Jewel in the Palace, Queen Seon Deok, Baker’s King, and The Heirs. I only watched four Korean series so I don’t consider myself a Korean fanatic but I like Lee Min Ho.

Things changed when my friend gave me a copy of 5 Korean series last February and one of my friends suggested a website where I can also watch other popular series. So now, I can say that the Korean series is taking over my life. Starting in February, I already watched 11 Korean series.

1. W - Two Worlds
2. Descendants of the Sun
3. Legend of the Blue Sea
4. Doctors
5. Love Story in Harvard
6. Love in the Moonlight
7. Goblin
8. Cinderella and the Four Knights
9. Personal Taste
10. Boys Over Flowers
11. K2

I’m currently watching the Weightlifting Fairy. Care to share your favorite Korean series so I can add it to my list. And because of this, mas lalo ko ng gusto pumunta sa South Korea so I can see those places that I’ve seen in the series. I need to save for that trip pa, who knows I can see my oppa Ji Chang Wook and Lee Min Ho.


Anyway, since we haven’t been to South Korea. I was happy to taste and try stuff from SoKor. My husband has Korean officemates who generously give pasalubong. One of his officemates gave this Line Friends Prestige Chocolate for my son, I’m not familiar with the brand but it looks sosyal. Hehehe! One box contains different flavors of chocolate which is just okay for us.


We also received the Nature Republic Facial Mask and Missha Frui-Tea Cleansing Foam. Nature Republic and Missha are both South Korean cosmetic brands. I even teased my husband na baka maging kutis Koreana na rin ako after using this.

Our family has a sweet tooth so we always have chocolates at home. There was a time that we ran out of chocolates and my son said “Mommy, dapat lagi may chocolates sa ref”. “Oh, sorry naman, I’m not aware na bawal maubusan ng chocolates.” Hehehe! 

He likes eating chocolates especially during our review time, pampatanggal stress na rin. So every grocery, I always buy chocolates, it doesn’t need to be imported, Flat tops, Curly tops or choc-nut, masaya na kami. But I’m thankful for my family, relatives and friends who give chocolates. 

Though my husband is always out of the country, I don’t obliged him to buy pasalubong every business trip at nakakasira siya ng monthly budget. I always tell him, only buy chocolates if it is not available in the Philippines. So when he went to Austin, Texas, he sent me photos of these chocolates from Target. 





He asked me if gusto ko and babalikan na lang niya. Of course, I said yes. I haven’t tried these chocolates pa and feeling ko mura siya compared sa nakikita ko na price sa airport. Now, you will understand, why my son cried when he learned that his dad’s luggage was missing. His toy and these chocolates were inside the luggage kasi so sayang talaga kung nalost siya.

Godiva



I told my husband to buy Godiva chocolates before and he said, “di ba sabon yun?”. Hahaha! Naloka ko bigla! Anyway, Godiva is one of the premium fine chocolates founded in Belgium since 1926. Godiva also offers coffee, cocoa, truffles, biscuits, sweets, dipped fruits and many more. 

My husband bought Dark Chocolate Almond and Milk Chocolate. The Godiva Milk Chocolate is good but my husband said, mas type pa niya yung IKEA chocolates. We haven’t tried the Dark Chocolate yet since we’re not fond of dark chocolate.

Ghirardelli 



We are very familiar with Ghirardelli brand because that is one of our favorite instant brownie mixes. Ghirardelli is the third oldest chocolate company in USA, it offers chocolate in bar version or in mini squares. My husband bought the mini squares, Assorted Milk Chocolate and Milk and Sea Salt Brownie flavor. 



We liked the Milk Chocolate and Milk Chocolate Sea Salt & Almonds. I’m not fond of caramel so the Milk Chocolate Caramel is too sweet for my taste. The Milk & Sea Salt Brownies is a combination of sweet and salty, di ko lang mataste yung brownie. Hehehe! 

Lindt

Lindt is founded in 1845, it is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionary company that offers chocolate bard and chocolate truffles. We tried Lindt chocolates before so I know that their chocolates are really creamy and smooth. As of this writing, naubos na yung Lindt chocolates, I hope next time I can try the Milk and Hazel Nut variant. 



The price of these chocolates is not cheap so it is not something that we can eat anytime we want. What is your favorite chocolates?

My husband just came back from Malaysia and while waiting at the airport, he kept on taking photos of different chocolates that I might like, so I can choose.



There are times that he will not buy anything because I always say, “ang mahal naman, meron naman niyan sa Pinas” hehehe! So when he showed me this Swiss Delice Collection Selection. I said yes, para maiba naman. 

We haven’t tried this brand of chocolate from Switzerland. Swiss Delice Collection Selection is a collection of selected chocolate coated biscuits. There are 8 flavors inside the box. 




1. Truffino Classic - crisp milk chocolate wafer biscuit with hazelnut filling.
2. Truffino Noir - crisp chocolate wafer biscuit with hazelnut filling. 
3. Pralino - cocoa meringue with tenderly melting chocolate filling. 
4. Rocher - delicately crisp biscuit with milk chocolate and hazelnuts. 
5. Medaillon Classic - crisp meringue biscuit with tenderly melting hazelnut filling and milk chocolate. 
6. Cremetti - light, airy meringue biscuit with chocolate filling. 
7. Amandelle - crisp almond biscuit on milk chocolate. 
8. Choc Japonais - tender sandwich meringue with chocolate filling. 

So we’re been eating this last weekend and trying each flavor. Well, in my opinion, the taste is just ok, I still prefer Ferrero Rocher Chocolate compared to this. I even said, parang mas type ko pa KitKat, then my husband said, grabe naman masarap naman ito. Hehehe!

RM48 is not cheap so maybe I expected much but my son likes it and kung di ko pinigilan, he can finish the box of chocolate in one sitting. Well, kanya-kanya lang talaga ng panlasa.

Pasalubong is a Filipino tradition wherein we buy something from our destination so we have something to give to our family and friends. It is very common to balikbayans, OFW, or even travelers. 

My husband is not an OFW but he is always out of the country twice or thrice a month because of work and because of this, may pasalubong kami lagi. Lol Though I don’t really demand pasalubong at magastos ito. Mamumulubi kami because 2-3 times na gastos ito.

But there are times I asked something especially if I’m interested in trying delicacies or food from that country or place like lechon in Cebu, Kaya Spread in Singapore, and Royce in Brunei or Japan. Most of the time my husband will buy chocolates especially if there is a sale. 

Sharing with you some pasalubong that we’ve got during the last business trips.

Pasalubong from Singapore 

When he went to Singapore, I asked him to buy Kaya Spread so I can make Kaya Toast. I tried it before when someone gave me a bottle of this coconut jam and I liked it. He bought some at the Changi Airport and unfortunately I didn’t like it, it is not sweet and parang walang lasa. 


I just can’t remember the brand that I’ve tried before na ok ang lasa. Let me know if you know the best brand of Kaya Spread. Sayang, this is expensive pa naman, parang P1k+ itong Kaya Spread.


So I told him, don’t buy pasalubong na from Singapore kasi ang mahal, even the chocolates are expensive mas mura pa sa Pinas. 

Pasalubong from Thailand 


The famous pasalubong in Thailand is tamarind so he bought a few packs only since we will be going to Japan in a few days na rin. 

Pasalubong from Indonesia 

Every time he goes to Indonesia, I don’t ask anything because I don’t know what is the best pasalubong from Indonesia. So I was surprised when he bought this Monica original layer cake 55,000 rupiah. 


In Indonesia “lapis” means layer and this is a traditional snack which can also be found in Netherland because of colonial links. The taste is just okay.

Pasalubong from Brunei

He just came back from Brunei, initially I asked for Royce chocolate but before he left, I told him wag na lang para tipid but still, he brought something home kasi may tira pa daw siya Brunei dollar, hehehe! 

Read: Royce Chocolate 
           Royce Nama Chocolate



In fairness, we liked the Munchy’s Oat Krunch cookie and Loacker “Rose of the Dolomites”chocolate. Ubos agad. Hehehe! The Munchy’s are made in Johor Malaysia and of course, Loacker is an Italian company.

The first time I tasted Royce Chocolate was last year when my husband went home from Brunei. It was love at first taste and I have no idea that there is a chocolate that really melts in your mouth.

Read: Royce Nama Chocolate

So when we went to Japan last month, I did not leave the country without buying Royce Chocolate. Good thing that you can buy this chocolate in the airport and it is tax-free.



I was so happy that Royce Chocolate is so affordable in Japan and I wanted to hoard but of course I have to practice self-control. I only bought three types of chocolate.


1. Royce Chocolate Bar 

This Chocolate Almond Bar is 450 yen. It is milk chocolate filled with crunchy, roasted whole almonds. You can really see the whole almonds and hindi tipid. Honestly, the taste is good but it is like other chocolate that has nuts.


My son doesn’t like chocolate with nuts but he finished this chocolate bar, halos di ko na natikman. Hehehe! The shelf life is 3 months.

2. Royce Pure Chocolate

Royce Pure Chocolate has different flavors but I chose the Creamy milk and White flavors. What I like in this chocolate is the packaging, each chocolate is individually wrapped so if you are on a diet, you can just get one at a time just to satisfy your sweet tooth. I love the smooth taste of each chocolate. Royce Pure Chocolate is 720yen. The shelf life is 3 months.


3. Royce Nama Chocolate without Liquor

Of course, my favorite chocolate is Royce Nama Chocolate. Among the three, this is the best choice. Like I said before, this is the only chocolate that is soft and melts in your mouth even you just got it from the fridge. I tried the Mild Cacao flavor before so I bought White flavor “Fresh cream is blended in white chocolate that is finished in a mild and fresh taste.”.


I like white chocolate so I enjoy this but my husband prefers the Mild Cacao flavor. My son said “Yummy Cheese”. Hehehe! Royce Nama Chocolate is 720 yen. 20 pieces in a box. The shelf life is only 1 month.

You need to store this in a cool place so I paid 100 yen for the cooling bag because I have to travel the chocolate from Japan to the Philippines. If you are going to Japan, don't forget to buy this chocolate. :)

My husband will be going back to Brunei so I’m still contemplating kung papabili ulit ko ng Royce so I can still try other variants. Though hindi na nga lang siya presyong Japan but definitely much cheaper compared sa Philippines price.

Read: Pasalubong from Japan 

Update January 2019

4. Royce Nama Chocolate with Liquor



My brother frequent Japan because of work, sometimes natetempt ako na magpabili ng Royce kaso North to South din kami so gagastos din ako sa gas and toll so baka wala din ko matipid. But last year, when I attended my grandmother's 80th birthday, my brother gave us Royce chocolate. Yey, another flavor that we tried "Royce Nama Chocolate Au Lait". It a blend of milk chocolate and fresh cream. It contains liquor but I did not notice it. The shelf life is 1 month.

5. Potato Chocolate Fromage Blanc



When my husband went to Chengdu China last month, he had a layover at HKIA. So while waiting for his boarding, he checked different stores and he asked me if I want chocolates. I was contemplating if I will buy the Royce Chocolate because it is expensive. But after several minutes, I asked my husband to buy one Royce Potato Chocolate Fromage Blanc HKD105.

A potato chips coated with cheese-flavored white chocolate. Fromage blanc is a type of soft French cheese that has a creamy sour taste. I was surprised by the taste, okay din pala combination ng potato chips and chocolate. The shelf life is one month. This is good but expensive if you will convert it to Philippines Peso.

One of my favorite chocolates is Ritter Sport, it is not common and popular here in the Philippines and I don’t usually see this in the grocery or supermarket. If it is available, the flavors are very limited. One bar is not cheap too, the last time I bought Ritter Sport, it is P100+. 



I’m not sure what is the exact price now in the market so when my husband asked me if I want Ritter Sport, I was thinking twice if papabili ba ko. I said yes since it’s been awhile since the last time I asked for chocolate pasalubong. 

My husband bought this Ritter Sport chocolate last month at KLIA, Malaysia. The promo is buy 10 and get 2 for free RM99. It is a bundle pack so you cannot choose the flavor but the good thing is I can taste other variants which are not available in the Philippines. 



Among the 11 flavors, I’ve tried before the Raisins Hazelnuts, Whole Almonds, Whole Hazelnuts and White Whole Hazelnuts so I’m curious to try the remaining flavors.



I ate the Fine Extra Dark Chocolate and Dark Whole Hazelnuts and the taste is just ok for me since I’m not a dark chocolate lover. I prefer white or milk chocolate flavor so I was a little bit sad because the bundle doesn’t have Alpine Milk Chocolate or Extra Fine Milk Chocolate. 



My husband ate the Strawberry Yogurt and he said the taste was just ok, lasang strawberry. Malamang, strawberry ang lasa. Hehehe! My son likes the Butter Biscuit. We tried the Marzipan and we did not like it, there is an after taste that I cannot explain. The remaining two flavors that we haven’t tried are the Cornflakes and Dark Chocolate. 



I also like the snap-open packaging of the Ritter Sport, it so easy to open and close. In addition, I love the square size compared to other chocolate. If money is not an issue, I would love to visit the Colourful Chocoworld of Ritter Sport in Berlin. 

How about you, what is your favorite flavor?

Last year, we had a chance to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was just a short trip so we just visited the famous Petronas Twin Tower and had a KL City Tour. Since it was the first leg of our trip, I did not bother to research for the best pasalubong from Malaysia.

RM127.50 less 40%

My husband had a business trip in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week so he asked me again what I want for pasalubong. I checked the net and Malaysia is known for OldTown White Coffee, tea, batik and handicrafts. I’m not fond of coffee and tea so I told my husband to buy chocolate instead. 



My friend told me that Cadbury chocolates are inexpensive in Malaysia because there is a Cadbury factory there so I informed my husband about it. And guess what? He bought Cadbury chocolate at the airport and it is really cheap. 



There is no tax. Promo is Buy 3 Free 1 and there is an additional 40% discount because the expiration is near. My husband checked the expiration and chocolates will expire in two months. But knowing us, it will not last for a month.

No post for the last few days because last week was my son’s exam and I wasn’t feeling well these past few days. Anyway, hubby was in Brunei last week, he was asking me what I want for pasalubong. Honestly, I don’t know what is the popular pasalubong in Brunei so wala ko bilin. But my husband never fails to buy chocolate for pasalubong. 

Hubby’s flight was delayed last Friday + traffic in Pasay because of Oktoberfest so nakatulugan ko na paghihintay. The following day, I went down the stairs and I was surprised when I saw the Royce plastic bag.

Me: Ano yung Royce na plastic dun? 
Hubby: Pasalubong ko.
Me: Bigay sayo?
Hubby: Binili ko. 
Me: Wow, level up na chocolate mo.
Hubby: Bakit ano ba yun? 
Me: Mahal na chocolate kaya yun. 

My husband just bought Royce Nama Chocolate without any idea that it is popular and expensive chocolate. I was happy because finally, I can taste this chocolate. FYI, Royce was founded in 1983 at Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. 



I checked the fridge, the chocolate was inside the cooling bag with dry ice pack to make sure that it will not melt on your way home. 



I notice that the packaging is good and secure. 





I can really say that this is not an ordinary chocolate. It was cut in cubes and my son said, yummy brownies. Hahaha! I find it amazing that the chocolate is soft even it came from the fridge. It is not sweet so there’s no umay factor. 



We loved and enjoyed it very much and I told my husband to buy another flavor if he will go back to Brunei. It is cheaper compared here in the Philippines.