Cool Hunting

Wondering what to get us for the holidays? Our birthdays? Any days? We're obsessed with the chocolate craft of Pierre Marcolini, an artisian chocolatier in Brussels (with shops in Tokyo, London, Paris and New York).

What makes Pierre Marcolini chocolate so good? Like Blanxart they make their own chocolate from scratch, an increasingly rare art. They primarily use Criollo cacao beans grown in Venezuela, considered to be the world’s best. Butter comes from France. Vanilla from Madagascar. Almonds from Portugal.

The cocoa beans are processed and large blocks of chocolate are made. The origin of the beans and the percentage of the chocolate is stamped on the blocks, which are then used to make pralines, bars, and palets fins (thin, filled chocolate squares).

It’s all amazing, but we tend to go for the luxe square bars in their black and white packaging. They make many different bars, most from specific locations or of different cacao varieties. Our favorite is the Incrusté Cacao des Caraïbes au Nougat Torréfié (72% Carribbean chocolate with small crunchy bits of Pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and almonds).

Available at Pierre Marcolini shops.