Devon Hunter

For those who have been here a while, you will know that I am a spiritual person. And the season is about to change yet again. Here we are! Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, and it couldn’t have come any sooner (given some of the dark and stormy moods I’ve been in these last few days). To celebrate this fresh, new summer I have decided to post a video that I really love. Natasha Bedingfield is a fabulous singer and song writer – the mood and theme of “Unwritten” are so absolutely perfect for my current situation, and it seems like an obvious summer anthem. I also celebrated today by having some incredible chocolates, which I will describe for you after these sunny moments with Natasha:

Remember: We create our own realities, so choose happiness! YAY!

Okay, now to the important bidnizz at hand: CHOCOLATE.

While the rest of the gay porn microcosm is slashing its face open over my comments about gay-for-pay videos, I have been out walking in the breezy sunhine in San Francisco. I had a beautiful lunch at my 5-star hotel, walked the two peaceful labyrinths at Grace Cathedral, and then stumbled upon a little gem of a boutique. It’s called Christopher Elbow: Artisanal Chocolate. I knew the Goddess loved me: She guided me to heaven.

Located at 401 Hayes Street, the store is set up like a trendy cafe or bar. The handmade treats are served on beautiful dishes, and there are hot drinks to choose from as well. But let’s not get distracted by all the frills, what matters here is the chocolate. I had already had tiramisu for dessert at lunch, but fuck it. THESE ARE HANDMADE (plus the tiramisu was artisanal too, so it’s good for the soul, especially these last couple days). I chose four flavors that I’d not tried before, and I was moved to write about each of them (click to enlarge):

The first chocolate I put in my mouth was Jasmine Tea. High-quality chocolate should nearly immediately revert to a thick liquid when you start chewing it. This one melted beautifully, and the earthiness of the chocolate was lightened by the floral tea and flower aromas. I found that letting this one rest in the mouth overly long cancelled out the delicate nature of the Jasmine, so, if you try one, I suggest swallowing it before the high notes are subsumed again by the chocolate.

Next I sampled the Venezuelan Spice, because I thought it would be a dramatic shift from the Jasmine Tea. Boy, was I ever spot on!! The richness of this flavor builds extremely slowly. In addition to the chile oil, there is also spice (I want to say cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove). Immediately there is the richness of the chocolate blending with what tastes a bit like pumpkin pie; however, when you savor this one it builds in volume and gets more complex. Gradually the chile begins to be released and over several moments you get not only flavor but temperature. It is subtle, so you don’t have to fear being scalded, but after I swallowed this chocolate it aggressively kept playing its song. I had to wait several minutes before my palate was ready to move on. The chile and spice lingers even longer than the chocolate, which is fine, since it all so well balanced.

I knew I needed another total aboutface, so I went with a flavor I’d never even considered as a possibility before: Lemongrass. My experience with lemongrass is taking it as a rather revolting shooter along with protein shakes. It tastes like mushed up green dirt when it comes out of the pressing machine, so I was interested to see how this would work. And you know what?? THIS IS WHAT SUMMER TASTES LIKE. OMG! It was like the sun had come up in my mouth. There is dawn in this bonbon! The chocolate itself was brightened from a deep tone to a medium, and the lemongrass floated on top like a greenish yellow light. Just magnificent. It made me break into a smile. This is happiness. HAPPY SOLSTICE!

Okay, I had saved what I thought would be the most evocative (or at least most interesting) for last, but after Lemongrass I was wondering how that would work. I have to say: My instinct is always right. Despite how wonderful the first three were, Caramel Rosemary was definitely both the most interesting and the most unexpectedly satisfying. Honestly, I thought it was going to be rather disgusting, yet curiously artistic and thus acceptable enough as a flavor experiment. Oh, no, no, no, no… This can’t be real: The shell of chocolate imploded unexpectedly as the LIQUID carmel exploded outward in a rush of rosemary and buttery sugar. I thought it was going to be a chew, not a gush! Before I was ready, my mouth was full of salty sweet yummy stuff (stop being a pervert), and all these discordant separate flavors quickly started assembling themselves in a perfect chord. It was like a symphony warming up and then playing the first note. I was laughing out loud. Just marvelous. The caramel sustains the flavor profile beyond what the rosemary would have done on its own, and the chocolate provides a consistent bass/base for the herbed sweetness to dance on top of. Just marvelous. I would do a whole box of those. Anytime, anyplace. Bring it, baby. I ain’t askeered…