Conching chocolate was a major development for chocolate, invented by Rodolphe Lindt. He wanted to improve the flavor and texture of eating chocolate. In 1879, he developed the process of conching, which produced superior chocolate aroma and melting characteristics. The conche aerates and removes moisture from the chocolate, drives off unsuitable flavors, and turns the […]
In Honor of Father’s Day
Our Founding Fathers and Chocolate George Washington was a documented chocolate lover. Chocolate was a favorite drink at Mount Vernon in George Washington’s lifetime. His first recorded order for chocolate was for 20 pounds of the delicious treat, which arrived from England in 1758. He continued to buy chocolate throughout his life, in quantities […]
My dear friend and neighbor, Jane
Nothing is grander than spending a beautiful spring afternoon with a delicious cup of chocolate and my dear friend and neighbor, Jane. Mrs. Jane Franklin Mecom, the youngest sister of our famous Benjamin Franklin, lives in a small two-story brick house built by Ebenezer Clough (ca. 1716), just behind the Old North Church on Unity […]
Who was Captain Newark Jackson and why is there a chocolate shop named after him?
Captain Newark Jackson was a mariner and merchant in Boston’s North End during the 1730s and ’40s. But he truly enjoyed his work as a chocolate maker. He owned a chocolate mill and made and sold chocolate in his shop near what was Mr. Clark’s Shipyard. Besides selling chocolate and other goods, he was also […]
Did you know? Chocolate consumption dates back 3500 years!
For thousands of years before the Spanish Conquest of the New World, the Mesoamerican peoples were drinking chocolate. Chocolate, as a beverage, was enjoyed by all social classes, especially the warriors and the nobility. It was also used as part of most religious ceremonies. It’s thought that the Olmec were the first to domesticate the cacao […]