"Best of Davao 2017: Chocolates category"
Sun.Star Davao, February 10, 2017
NOTHING is more synonymous to February than chocolates, especially since Valentine’s Day falls into this month.
We know that a lot of folks out there are already looking for sweet chocolates that would exactly match their sweet love for their special someone. Sweet, isn’t it?
Because of that, we are doing our own legwork to help you all find the “right” sweetness in your journey to winning the right person.
Now, in our quest to find the best chocolates that are proudly made by Dabawenyos, we have listened to the grapevine to figure out what has been making a buzz in the market lately.
And so, we had picked three locally-made chocolates in Davao City, namely the Kai Artisan, the Cacao de Davao and Coco Dolce, and invited three jurors to help us decide which is the best among the best.
Of course, since we are presenting only the best in the market, jurors had a hard time picking a winner, but like any other game, there has to be that one who has to be on top.
For the review, we let the jurors decide for us. But before we go on, let’s step on the brake first as there are some few facts you should know on how the judging was done: The jurors were not informed about the brand of the chocolates when they tasted them to prevent any prior biases from surfacing even before the tasting was done.
For each chocolate, we asked the jurors some questions that are crafted out from our research in determining the qualities of a good chocolate. They were then asked how they would rate each chocolate from the scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest). To know the result, read more (winks).
And so, we had picked three locally-made chocolates in Davao City, namely the Kai Artisan, the Cacao de Davao and Coco Dolce, and invited three jurors to help us decide which is the best among the best.
Of course, since we are presenting only the best in the market, jurors had a hard time picking a winner, but like any other game, there has to be that one who has to be on top.
For the review, we let the jurors decide for us. But before we go on, let’s step on the brake first as there are some few facts you should know on how the judging was done: The jurors were not informed about the brand of the chocolates when they tasted them to prevent any prior biases from surfacing even before the tasting was done.
For each chocolate, we asked the jurors some questions that are crafted out from our research in determining the qualities of a good chocolate. They were then asked how they would rate each chocolate from the scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest). To know the result, read more (winks).
KAI ARTISAN
Their box of eight chocolates just made a lot of impression to the jurors who were all in sync in saying that it had a good presentation. From its packaging, to the appearance of the chocolate and down to the last bite, this chocolate never ceased to amaze the jurors.
“From the way it is presented, it looked like it came from a gourmet chocolate shop. The exterior part of the chocolate is quite firm but then when you bite into it, it’s actually soft inside,” Juror Wowie said, referring to Kai Artisan chocolates she had tasted.
Juror Tessie agreed with it and describe the chocolates as firm on the outside but “silky, smooth and chewy” on the inside. The jurors said the sweetness was just right.
For being a local chocolate, Juror Chito said it tasted really good. “Pagsimhot pa lang nako daan, murag gusto na nako siya kan-on. Kung sama saba, as a consumer. Kani gyud akong gusto tilawan (Its smell alone will entice you to eat it. As a consumer, this is what I would really love to taste),” Chito added.
The jurors said they liked the way the chocolate was presented as it looked very high end. “I like the way it was presented because you’d feel excited that there’s two layers, the crunchy part and the soft part inside,” Juror Wowie said.
Wowie: 4
Tessie: 4
Chito: 4
CACAO DE DAVAO
This chocolate is proudly made in Davao that it even bears the name of our beloved city. Those tiny pieces of dark chocolate with Durian fillings even accented more the fact that it is produced in the home city of the current president of the country.
Juror Tessie said that chocolate and the Durian filling just went well together. There might be some people who do not like to eat Durian but since its Durian filling is not too strong, those who do not like to eat Durian can actually eat it, she said. “I think it’s more of a dark chocolate. It’s a little bitter but still sweet,” said Juror Wowie, adding that it is more of like the native chocolate that Dabawenyos are used to.
Juror Chito said its presentation can compete in the international level and that it has a “pang export ug dating” look.
Wowie: 3
Tessie: 3
Chito: 3
COCO DOLCE
This chocolate got Juror Wowie really excited as it is the only chocolate bar among the three items that can be tested for snapping.
According to research, one of the qualities of a good chocolate is when it snaps properly when you break it. Voila! It really did snap when Juror Wowie broke it into two pieces. No bits and pieces came out after it was broken. “This one taste more like our native chocolate and it’s a bit bitter so I guess it is dark chocolate,” Wowie expressed. “Although… you would be deceived by the appearance because it would appear as if it’s milk chocolate but actually it’s more of a dark chocolate,” added Wowie, saying further that compared to the other two chocolates, this one has a faint chocolate smell.
Juror Tessie agreed on this too and expressed that for one to really be able to smell this chocolate, one should really have to smell it for a few more seconds. It is also the least sweet among the three. Juror Chito said though he is not fond of dark chocolates, he can eat this one.
Wowie: 3
Tessie: 2
Chito: 3
WINNER!
Based on the figures dropped by the Jurors, we have come up with a winner and it is pretty obvious, right? From the presentation, to the appearance, color, texture, smell, and of course, the taste of the chocolate, Kai Artisan aced this review. Kudos Kai Artisan for winning this month’s Best of Davao: Chocolate category.
***** Meet the jurors Janette Huang-Teves also known as Wowie (“Mom-About-Town”) is a lifestyle columnist of SunStar Davao for 10 years now. She was once the Davao City Tourism Officer under former Mayor (now President) Rodrigo Duterte.
Tessie Alcoriza Paña is the General Manager of SunStar Davao.
Chito Samontina is the TV Host of “KolChito,” a segment in “Biyaheng DO30” on GMA 5 Davao that promotes Davao Tourism and a multimedia artist and social media influencer with more than 65,000 active followers in Facebook.
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on February 10, 2017.
***** Meet the jurors Janette Huang-Teves also known as Wowie (“Mom-About-Town”) is a lifestyle columnist of SunStar Davao for 10 years now. She was once the Davao City Tourism Officer under former Mayor (now President) Rodrigo Duterte.
Tessie Alcoriza Paña is the General Manager of SunStar Davao.
Chito Samontina is the TV Host of “KolChito,” a segment in “Biyaheng DO30” on GMA 5 Davao that promotes Davao Tourism and a multimedia artist and social media influencer with more than 65,000 active followers in Facebook.
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on February 10, 2017.
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