It’s time to treat yourself to Starbucks® delicious holiday season coffees.

Personally, we’re thrilled that two of our favorites are on the shelves.

Here’s what to look for:
 
 
STARBUCKS HOLIDAY COFFEE

 
Both flavors are available in Roast & Ground and K-Cup® pods during the holiday season, while supplies last.

 
Need something that is ready to sip? Here are two in bottles:

 
 
TIP FOR SWEETER COFFEE OR TEA

If you like sweetness in your coffee or tea but not a sweetener, buy Lactaid or other lactose-free milk.

Lactose-free milk contains an enzyme called lactase that helps break down the naturally-occurring milk sugar, lactose, into two simple sugars: glucose and galactose.

The lactose-free milk seems sweeter than regular milk because they can taste of the break-down of the lactose bonds.

Lactose-free milk is one of our favorite “diet” tips for people who want something a tad sweeter.
 
 
> COFFEE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE

> THE HISTORY OF COFFEE

[1] Starbucks Peppermint Mocha coffee turns into a sweet snack or a drinkable dessert (all photos © Starbucks).

[2] Starbucks Holiday Blend, with maple and herbal notes.

[3] Peppermint Mocha is a chocolatey, minty treat.

[1] Vosges Haut Chocolat’s brilliant box for Holiday 2020: Chocolate Alchemy Truffles (all photos © Vosges Chocolate).

[2] A close-up of the insides shows how beautifully artistic each detail is. To give you an idea of the size, the spheres and triangles are the size of regular bonbons. For the large orbs: Bring a knife!

[3] How can you decide where to start?

[4] Jupiter: apricot, ylang ylang flower, fennel pollen, almond and Amaretto liqueur in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate tinted shell.

[5] The Moon: Grenadian nutmeg and Blackwell Jamaican Rum in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell with pearlescent dust.

[6] Neptune: early-harvest first pressed Mediterranean olive oil in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell.

November 29th is National Chocolates Day.

What’s the difference between chocolate (which has its own holiday) and chocolates?
 
 
CHOCOLATE VS. CHOCOLATES

Chocolate

Chocolate refers to the food product made from the roasted seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. The seeds are more commonly known as cacao beans.

The hulled meat of the bean, the nib, is ground and processed into various forms of chocolate for eating and drinking. After the nibs are ground, however, the chocolate-making process has many more steps to go. Check them out.

 
TRIVIA: For thousands of years, chocolate was only a beverage. While the same cacao could be used to flavor puddings and baked goods, the first chocolate in solid form (i.e., a chocolate bar) was finally devised in 1847. And that was coarse, “rustic” chocolate, not the smooth, melt-in-your mouth product we know today.

Chocolates

A distinction is made between chocolate, the general food product made from cacao beans, and chocolates, which are confections made from chocolate: bonbons, pralines, truffles, etc.

While “chocolates” is also the plural form of “chocolate,” simple grammar rules should make this distinction clear.

Chocolate bars are referred to as chocolate. Items of more complex fabrication are chocolates.
 
 
THE VOSGES HEALER COLLECTION: CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY TRUFFLES

This new, limited edition, 2020 Holiday Collection is a real knockout.

It’s what you get when you blend astrology, alchemy, the classical elements*, great design and innovative flavors into a memorable collection of artisan chocolate truffles.

Each piece represents the solar system, the five elements of nature or the seasonals.

You don’t have to be into astrology, healing or magic to go crazy over this collection of 17 bonbons, large and small.

Rather, these are French truffle bonbons: centers of ganache, infused with “healing” flavors, in shells of dark, milk and white chocolate.

The flavors are not your typical creams, fruit purées and other soft centers.

Rather, along the lines of the healer and alchemy themes, each ganache has been infused with one or more healing elements: exotic fruits, liquors, oils, seeds and spices.

A full description of the pieces is on the ordering page, but here’s a taste:

 
The sizes range from bite-size to enormous (equal to three or four standard bonbons).

The fun and flavor: equally enormous.
 
 
GET YOURS HERE

Any sophisticated chocolate lover will adore this gift. Get it at VosgesChocolate.com.

The exquisite box, 14 inches in diameter (photos #1, #2, #3), is a definite “keeper”—a reminder of your wonderful gift long after the chocolate is gone.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
________________

*“Classical elements” typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and later, ether, which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. The ancient cultures of Greece, Ancient Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, Japan, Tibet and India had all similar lists.

Here’s an idea from Éclat Chocolate, an artisan chocolatier in West Chester, Pennsylvania (shipping nationwide, of course).

They topped a cup of hot chocolate (photo #1) with one of their “mendiants” or “mondiants,” plain or filled chocolate disks.

The disks melt, of course, making an even more chocolatey cup of hot chocolate (photo #2).

As the chocolate melts into the drink, you can eat the melty chocolate with a spoon, or stir it into the beverage.

It’s much richer than stirring in a garnish of whipped cream.
 
 
MENDIANTS, MONDIANTS & FRENCH MONDIANTS

French mendiants (photo #4) are different from what Éclat calls mendiants (photo #2—see footnote for an explanation of the classic French mendiants).

Éclat’s Mendiants

Éclat’s mendiants are plain chocolate disks, available in five varieties.

 
Éclat’s Mondiants

“Mondiants” are a name created by Éclat to describe filled disks of chocolate. They’re available in:

 
Both Éclat’s mendiants and mondiants have beautifully designed and textured surfaces.

In addition to enjoying one as a nice piece of chocolate, either mendiant or mondiant can be:

 
 
CHARMING GIFTS

From Eclat’s mendiants and mondiants to the others shown in the photos, all are welcome holiday gifts for those who appreciate fine chocolate.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF HOT CHOCOLATE
 
 
> HOT CHOCOLATE & COCOA: THE DIFFERENCE
 
 
________________

*Mendiants (French for mendicants, i.e. beggars) are traditional French chocolates: disks or bars of chocolate that are studded with nuts and dried fruits. Mendiants can also be made in large slabs and then broken into smaller pieces, like bark.

The colors of the nuts and fruits traditionally referenced the color of the monastic robes of the orders of the Augustinians (hazelnuts), Carmelites (almonds), Dominicans (raisins) and Franciscans (dried fig—photo #4). Today, a wider variety of fruits, peels and seeds are used: candied orange peel, dried cranberries and coconut, for example.

Unlike chocolate bars that enrobe the nuts and fruits, mendiants are created with the fruits and nuts studded on top, to offer visual appeal.

[1] A cup of hot chocolate, waiting for its mendiant or mondiant (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Éclat Chocolate).

[2] Hot Chocolate with a mendiant garnish. The chocolate disk will melt into the beverage, making it more chocolatey.

[3] Caramel mondiants, one of three flavors in a “keeper” gift box.

[4] French mendiants from Michel Cluizel (photo © Michel Cluizel).

[5] These Americanized French-style mendiants from Woodhouse Chocolate use bright fruits in addition to nuts (photo © Woodhouse Chocolate).

[1] You can buy a Cluizel chocolate bar (next photo), or make your own with this kit (photo © Michel Cluizel)

[2] If you can’t find Michel Cluizel chocolate locally, head to a specialty chocolate site like Worldwide Chocolate (photo © Worldwide Chocolate).

Here’s a terrific gift for a lover of fine chocolate.

Michel Cluizel, one of the world’s great chocolatiers (more about him below), has created a bar-making kit that lets us chocolate lovers experience the pleasure of making our own bars.

The Michel Cluizel Indulgence Bar Kit is a reusable insulated bag with all the ingredients to make four gourmet chocolate bars—with your favorite toppings—in your own kitchen. The kit includes:

 
It’s fun and delicious!

Here’s a video that shows how easy bar-making is. The video is also accessible via a QR code in the package.
 
 
> GET YOUR CHOCOLATE BAR KIT HERE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
> CHOCOLATE TERMINOLOGY & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOCOLATE
 

ABOUT MICHEL CLUIZEL CHOCOLATE

Michel Cluizel is a family business that started in 1947 in Normandy, France when pastry chefs Marc and Marcelle Cluizel decided to venture into the world of fine chocolate.

Cluizel takes immense pride in quality ingredients, using strictly cane sugar and Bourbon vanilla pods.

To enable the purest chocolate flavors he avoids lecithin—an emulsifier commonly used for added smoothness and mouthfeel—so that every nuance of the cacao shines through.

In the 1980s, the company produced the first chocolate with 72% cacao. Cluizel also debuted “Noir Infini,” the first 99% cacao chocolat.

In 2000, the brand obtained the “Noble Ingredients” label, that guarantees consumers that all of Cluizel chocolate is made with pure cocoa butter, free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), without artificial colors or flavors.

In 2012 Cluizel was recognized as a “Living Heritage Company,” a distinction awarded to French firms with exceptional craftsmanship skills, and industries that know how to reconcile tradition and innovation [source].

In 2005, his sons Marc, Catherine, and Sylvie took over the business, and their children, the fourth generation, have recently joined.

Read more about Michel Cluizel and the world’s other great chocolatiers here.

Michel Cluizel passed away on May 26, 2020 at the age of 87. As long as people desire fine chocolate, his name and legacy will be lauded.

Here’s a tip for everyone who cooks:

Do you use a peppermill?

If not, why not? Pre-ground pepper from the store has half the flavor of freshly-ground.
 
 
A BETTER WAY TO GRIND PEPPER, SALT & SPICES

When you cook a lot and grind a lot of pepper, the idea of not having to turn the mill 10 times is very appealing!

Small conveniences in the kitchen can make a big difference in daily cooking. That’s why we recommend the Kyocera Electric Mill for grinding pepper, salt—or spices.

It can easily grind coarse salts, wet salts, peppercorns or spices: celery seeds, cumin seeds, flax seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and more.

The Kyocera Electric Mill is a one-hand operation with the flexibility to choose your grind, from fine to coarse.

It’s ultra-quiet, too: no jarring grinding noise.
 
 
FEATURES & BENEFITS

 
Plus, it reducing fatigue from repetitive motion for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel and general overuse of hands.

We’d been using a high-end manual mill, but the Kyocera Electric Mill has become a must-have tool we never knew we needed.

In addition to easily changing the size of the grind, we love the one-handed operation. Just press the button!

In fact, you may want more than one: Black for pepper, White for salt.

See the mill in action here.
 
 
GET YOUR ELECTRIC MILL HERE!

In Black or White, $49.95.

[1] The handsome electric spice mills are available in black or white (all photos © Kyocera).

[2] One-handed operation. The stand (at right) catches residual grinds.

[3] It’s attractive on the dinner table.

*Ceramic is a pure material that is 50% harder than steel and close to diamonds in hardness on the Mohs Hardness Scale. The ceramic burr in Kyocera’s electric mills will last much longer than other materials and won’t flake or chip into the spices like an acrylic might.