As I have mentioned before, I frequently make deliveries to various businesses in downtown Austin for work. One of the interesting things about it this time of year is that the lobbies of these hotels, offices, and skyscrapers are littered with merchants. It’s like a mini-bazaar of people selling jewelry, candles, and clothing as convenient holiday gifts.

None of these things really pique my interest, and I normally just brush right past them. However, on a recent trip to the twenty-second floor of 301 Congress, one little table caught my eye. It was a display of artisan chocolates. I hurried to the elevator to make my delivery so that I could quickly come back down and review the products for sale.

Upon my return, I noticed a stunning collection. There were molded chocolates designed for Christmas and wine bottles matched with wine glasses that were both decorated in a chocolate coating so that you could enjoy a drink and nibble on some Belgian chocolate concurrently. But the highlight of the table by far proved to be a series of molded chocolates that were depictions of paintings.

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I once listened to a radio broadcast about a baker who manufactured artisan bread in Maine. When he was asked what possessed him to become such a baker, he replied with a response of almost disbelief:

“To me, artisan bread just means making the best possible bread by hand. I think everything should be made that way.”

The sheer simplicity and truth of that statement has stayed with me over the years, and it is one that rushed to mind as I began reviewing a line of chocolate bars from Blanxart.

Blanxart is a Spanish confectionery company created back in 1954 by three brothers. Now, Europe is frequently associated with gourmet chocolate, but rarely if ever did I equate Spain with such a thought. Truthfully, as the Spanish were the first to make contact in the New World – where chocolate originated – it would make sense that they retain a claim to being the original European purveyors of gourmet chocolate.

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Amano Artisan Chocolate is a new chocolate company just starting out, but what makes them noteworthy is that they will be making chocolate here in the U.S. all the way from the beans. This means they will handle the chocolate-making process from the raw cacao beans all the way to the finished chocolate. Much of the equipment they are using is vintage chocolate-making equipment imported mostly from Europe.

They sent me a sample of a batch they just made and WOW is it good. It was 70% cocoa solids so it was a very dark and rich chocolate. It had some incredible flavor with some great fruity undertones to it. It’s really hard to describe, but soooooo good. They are still perfecting their recipes, but if the samples I tried are any indication of things to come, they will be making some great chocolate. Look for Amano Artisan Chocolate to open for business later this year.

• Amano Artisan Chocolate

candy, chocolate, artisan