Monday, December 24, 2012

Zchocolat


Zchocolat makes chocolates since 1999, selling them only online, shipping in 244 countries worldwide. Their chocolate is the result of their collaboration with Pascal Caffet, a master chocolatier, who once became ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France''. He has created 26 recipes for zchocolat's numbered chocolates, 0-24 and their z piece.



After tasting all of their 26 chocolates, I can tell they are superb. This is how the chocolate should be. Once you open the box you get all the aromas from the different pure origin chocolates. Every ganache has silky tecture and very distinctive flavour. There is a small booklet in the package describing every piece.

Every product used on making this chocolate has a name of origin. There is 40% Ivory Coast milk chocolate, 70% Venezuelan dark chocolate, Piedmont hazelnuts, Valencia almonds, Iranian pistachios, coffe beans from Kenya and Nicaragua, Sri Lankan coconut, Vietnamise star anise and so on.









I chose a wooden presentation box in basswood, which is handmade in France. It had their 2 assortments. The most I liked their flagship Z chocolate which combines salted caramel and crunchy praline from roasted hazelnuts, the number 12 with the sesame seeds, the 20 with the silky chocolate, orange flavoured, ganache, the 21 with licorice ginger and more,  and the 24 honey milk chocolate ganache. The ones with violet and lavender had also exceptional taste. The only one that didnt work out well for me was the one filled with mango and passion fruit. I think it is a matter of preferences.







This chocolate comes with a price, but you really get some of the best chocolate you can find worldwide, nicely presented, with very good customer service. I only wish they didnt charge extra for customization options like, choosing your personal selection of chocolates(!) or having something posted or engraved on the package or card. 


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A visit at the BMW museum


The museum is located next to the factory near Munich's city center. Inside the museum you can see many motorcycles, production and racing models and some prototypes. Also BMW's great engines from cars and planes used during the last century.




 
The best model I came across was the racing variant of the Mclaren F1, the BMW McLaren F1 GTR race car with the 381km/h max speed.











Other racing cars, the BMW Z4 gt3, with the 4.4l V8 engine producing 508bhp. The M3 race E36, the M1 group 4, the 1977 BMW 320 Turbo, the 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL.













Some classic cars, like the bmw 507 roadster that looks like a z8, exterior and interior, to me. The 328 roadster, the 335 from 1939, the mini bmw isetta, the 1978 635csi, the M1, the evolution of the 3 series.   


















Prototype models, BMW GINA Light Visionary Model, bmw turbo 1972 prototype.








BMW badges and two engines, the M power from 2001 and a V12 from 1999.









Sunday, November 18, 2012

Best chocolatiers


These are the top 10 chocolate assortments I have tasted. I will end up in number 1, my personal best chocolatier, till now. 

10. Demel, pastry shop and chocolatier from Vienna, since 1786. Some interesting flavors, but the texture of the chocolate and the ganache was a disapointment. 




9. Confiserie Sprüngli, the Swiss luxury confectionery manufacturer founded in 1836. Very nice milk swiss chocolate. 






8. Pierre Herme, most famous about his excellent macarons. 





7. David, switzerland, it was pretty good chocolate, althought I havent found any other information.





6. Godiva, one of the most famous chocolatiers, founded in Belgium in 1926.





5. La maison du chocolat, one of the most famous french chocolatier. Very good chocolate although I expected something more. Their eclairs on the other hand are sublime.






4. Dallmayr, it is a luxury delicatessen food shop in Munich, dating to the 17th century. Their chocolate was a big surpise, really good quality and taste.





3. Jean-Paul Hévin, the french chocolatier. Very nice chocolate and ganache. I would also suggest to try his chocolate based spreads. 





2. L' artisan du chocolat, from London, with really nice ganache in taste and compinations, excellent chocolate and ganache texture. Try their tobacco ganache.







1. Pierre Marcolini, the chocolatier from Brussels. My personal favorite chocolates, for the texture and especially the taste.









I have yet to taste some others chocolatiers too that I have in mind, like Jacques Genin, Pascal Caffet at Zchocolat, Philippe Pascoet the chocolatier from Paris and Geneve, Bernachon from Lyon, or Mariebelle from New York.






Σχετικά με τις καλύτερες σοκολάτες που έχω βρει. Στην πρώτη θέση ο Pierre Marcolini απο το Βέλγιο, με τις ωραίες ganache και την εξαιρετική ποιότητα σοκολάτας που χρησιμοποιεί. Στην δεύτερη θέση απο το Λονδίνο, L' artisan du chocolat, με την καλύτερη υφή και ωραίες ganache, ιδιαίτερα αυτη με γεύση καπνού. Η σοκολάτα αυτή είναι επιλογή του Gordon Ramsay που την σερβίρει στα εστιατόρια του, αλλά και του Heston Blumenthal, chef του The fat duck. Τρίτη θέση για τον Jean-Paul Hevin, από το Παρίσι. Τέταρτη, για τις σοκολάτες απο το γερμανικό Dallmayr, που ήταν έκπληξη καθώς η Γερμανία δεν φημίζεται για την σοκολάτα της, και μάλιστα σε μισή τιμή έναντι των άλλων της γαλλικής πλευράς. Πέμπτη θέση στο διάσημο La maison du chocolat, από το οποίο παρόλο που ήταν πολύ καλό, περίμενα κατι παραπάνω, ίσως και λόγο της τιμής. Παρόλα αυτα το δυνατό του σημείο νομίζω είναι τα εκλέρ και οι τάρτες σοκολάτας του. Έκτη θέση στην Godiva, που έχει απλωθεί σε όλο τον κόσμο και μπορείτε να την βρείτε σε πολλά duty free αεροδρομίων. Έβδομη στο David απο Ελβετία που βρήκα τυχαία και ήταν αρκετά καλή. Οι σοκολάτες του Pierre Herme μόνο στην όγδοη θέση, καθώς σε αντίθεση με τα εξαιρετικά μακαρόν του, και τα γλυκά, κέικ και μπισκότα του, δεν είχαν κάτι το ξεχωριστό. Μετά, τα ελβετικά Sprungli, διάσημο για τα luxemburgerli του ( ελβετικά μακαρόν), είχε καλή σοκολάτα αλλά το αντίτιμο δεν αξίζει μιας και στην Ελβετία ακόμη και μια απλη σοκολάτα του 1 ή 2 ευρώ (πχ. Cailler) μπορεί να ειναι ισάξια ή και καλύτερη. Δέκατη θέση στην Demel απο την Βιέννη.     


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Supercars in London and Switcherland

My second post about supercars. I ll start with supercars in London, and then Switcherland.
The Pagani zonda cinque, only 5 ever made, with 670bhp. Bugatti Veyron and Veyron grand sport, Ferrari 599, enzo , sls, Rolls Royce Drophead coupe, Aston Martin DBS.






























Ferrari Enzo, Pagani Zonda, Lamborghini Murcielago, Spyker, Koenigsegg. 



The amazing interior of a Rolls Royce Drophead...


Interior of the Rolls Royce Ghost with the perfect thick carpets.



This photo was taken really fast, so the quality is very bad, but it is a Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang, only 5 in the world.



Switcherland




Ferrari 512 BB





Very nice interior of a Ferrari California



Ferrari 360 challenge stradale



Ferrari F430 scuderia





Ferrari 512 TR





Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni