Melts in Your Mouth丨NIBBO Chocolate Exhibition and Tasting

This weekend, I signed up for the Nibbo Chocolate Exhibition and Tasting held at Wuyi MIX320. The chocolatier shared their 2024 team's road trip from Kunming, Yunnan, to Lhasa, Tibet, in search of local ingredients to combine with cocoa beans to make chocolate. 📜Tasting Menu: 🤎Chocolate 1️⃣Rose Geranium-Infused Dark Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Rose geranium from Kunming ▫️Cocoa: Trinidad and Tobago ▫️Characteristics: Showcases the fusion of cocoa and flowers with the aroma of roses and the sweetness of lychee. Through the scenting process, the aroma of rose geranium is absorbed by the cocoa and gradually released upon tasting. 2️⃣Tamarillo-Infused Dark Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Tamarillo from Pu'er ▫️Cocoa: Belize ▫️Characteristics: The cocoa beans used have a pineapple-like sweetness, and the tamarillo itself has a complex sour flavor of tomato and pineapple. This chocolate offers a tropical fruit flavor profile. 3️⃣Zanthoxylum-Infused Dark Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Zanthoxylum (Dai pepper) from Lancang ▫️Cocoa: Colombia ▫️Characteristics: The cocoa itself has herbal notes and exudes a citrus aroma after aging. The Zanthoxylum adds a slight numbing sensation but is not overpowering. 4️⃣Rose Glutinous Rice Pu'er-Infused Milk Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Dali Mo Hong rose, glutinous rice ▫️Cocoa: Trinidad and Tobago ▫️Characteristics: The sweetness of rose intertwines with the aroma of glutinous rice, creating a rich and distinct flavor. The lychee notes of the cocoa beans complement the ingredients well, resulting in a warm and sweet taste. 5️⃣Tibetan Red Apple-Infused Dark Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Tibetan red apple from Shangri-La ▫️Cocoa: Peruvian Chuncho ▫️Characteristics: The cocoa itself has white floral and apple aromas, which pair well with the Tibetan red apple grown at the foot of the Baima Snow Mountain. This is a classic red apple-flavored chocolate. 6️⃣Butter Tea-Infused Milk Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Butter tea from Lhasa ▫️Cocoa: Ecuador ▫️Characteristics: The cocoa has inherent tea and mint notes, and when mixed with yak milk, it develops a distinct buttery aroma and a very smooth texture. 7️⃣Highland Barley Wine-Infused Dark Chocolate ▫️Ingredients: Highland barley wine from Lhasa ▫️Cocoa: Belize ▫️Characteristics: This low-alcohol highland barley wine, home-brewed by Tibetans, initially tastes of the slight acidity of cocoa. Chewing releases the aroma of rice and the pineapple notes of the highland barley wine, with a subtle fermented touch. 🍎Desserts: I also tasted two desserts in collaboration with Endo: 1️⃣Snow Mountain Apple The top of the puff pastry is white chocolate mousse, paired with green apple jelly, shaped like a snow-capped mountain, and decorated with fennel flowers, adding a unique aroma. The puff pastry shell is crispy, and the filling is a custard made with fennel leaves, chamomile, and green apple, offering a rich and layered texture. 2️⃣Oriental Rose This rose tart has a top layer of cocoa butter raspberry crumble. This small tart has two layers: rose chocolate and fermented bean curd chocolate, creating a unique collision of Eastern and Western flavors, resulting in an unexpected taste experience. These chocolates and desserts are not only a treat for the taste buds but also an exploration of ingredient flavors. Nibbo has participated in and won awards at many world competitions. The chocolatier said they want the world to know that Eastern ingredients can also be used to make exquisite chocolate. I felt their deep connection with the ingredients and their passion for chocolate, a passion that drives them to explore mountains and seas. 🏠Exhibition Information: 📍Location: Wuyi MIX320 🎫Tickets: Free, all the chocolates above are free to try 📅Dates: February 14–March 9