Now don’t get me wrong, I adore a bar of (fridge cold) Dairy Milk, but some occasions call for an altogether higher class of chocolate…
Cartografie was founded by ex-head pastry chef at The Ritz Kae Shibata, Sven-Hanson Britt (Winner of Masterchef The Professionals) and Daniela Nunzi-Mihranian (from award-winning Studio Minerva) with an aim to make a positive impact on the industry. Their creations (calling them mere chocolates doesn’t seem impressive enough…) come with a conscience; not only do they produce Michelin-star quality, handmade, single-origin chocolates, but they do so with a deep caring for sustainability, biodiversity and ethics.
With an independent chocolate studio in east London and online shop, Cartografie sources the very best cocoa beans for its handcrafted pralines and bon-bons, originally sold through their social media platforms. With ingredients sourced from ethically-minded suppliers, guaranteeing a level of provenance and traceability that matches three ethos, each of their tiny taste bombs takes you on a journey through the chocolate world.
Packaging is simple and sustainable and oh so elegant. I kindly received two boxes, one of the Purity Collection (from £9) of pure origin chocolate discs enhanced with a sprinkle of Scottish sea salt, made from 8 types of chocolates of different intensity. The second was the Cartografie Collection (from £16) of single origin couvertures, filled with a bespoke ganache to elevate the flavour of each one. Each box comes with its own tasting notes which I found utterly fascinating. Approaching as one would with a wine tasting, savouring each individually to maximise on its intriguing flavour notes, these are not choccies for binging. These are to be treated with care and respect and savoured.
My favourites? The Udzungwa, from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, with notes of ‘scorched hay infused caramel ganache with roasted banana’, along with the Yuna, from the Yuna River Valley in the Dominican Republic; a white chocolate with salted beurre noisette ganache. Finally the Arhuaco, from the Arhuaco Ancestral Lands, La Lengüete, Colombia was a sesame praline with roasted rice ganache, quite unlike any flavour I’ve encountered before and utterly decadent.
I’ve timed this post too late for Valentine’s or Mother’s Day, but next time you need a really special something for a chocolate lover, you might want to to try www.cartografiechocolate.com. Or of course if you’re in the market for an indulgent treat for yourself, this certainly outshines the Dairy Milk...
