What was I expecting? Coffee shop, large glass windows, beyond busy making chocolate?
I had trekked out from Sheffield city centre to Kelham Island, a desolate area of abandoned Victorian buildings, or at least caught a bus, choice of No 7 or No 8, driver not very helpful, had passed by where I needed to alight, with the eventual help of a lady at a flea market in one of the abandoned buildings, found Cutlery Works, in the far corner, a dim and dingy corner, Bullion, no one around, a sign instructing ding a bell. I decided to take a wander around the two floors of Cutlery Works, claimed to be the largest food hall in the North.
After a not very good coffee from Foundry Coffee Roasters, I returned to find now someone around.
A little crowd-funded coffee shop, not much larger than a kiosk, a seating area, and beyond, where bullion bean-to bar chocolate made.
I had encountered Bullion at Steam Yard, I was now at their chocolate making facility.
Three bars of chocolate, No 1, No 2, No 3. wrapped to look like bars of gold.
I thought Bullion, gold bars, expensive. No, though could be, cacao beans were used by the Mayans as currency, such did they value chocolate, which they consumed, not as bars or as chocolate, a hot spicy drink for their elite. Gold bars as currency.
Christopher Columbus encountered cacao beans on his fourth voyage, where he found to be used as currency.
Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, a seventeenth century writer and historian, gave an account of what the cacao beans would buy among the Nicaroa people.
- one rabbit – ten beans
- eight pieces of a local fruit munoncapot – four beans
- the company of a lady – ten beans
- a slave – one hundred beans
When Spanish Conquistadors raided closely guarded treasure houses they found not gold, sacks of cacao beans.
Chocolate was a gift from the gods. Mesoamerican cultures transformed cacao beans into a mystical drink that was a portal to other worlds and dimensions.
Chocolate maker Max introduced himself. Offered samples of No 2 and No 3 to try and apologised no No 1.
Taste was that of fruits, not added flavourings God forbid, the natural favours notes of chocolate, each different.
I would have had a coffee, but no barista. I regretted my coffee at Foundry Coffee Roasters, as Bullion were sourcing top quality coffee from Caravan.
On offer various chocolate themed cakes.
I was looking forward to a cookie, but had sold out.
Currently experimenting with coffee infused chocolate. If chocolate good but not good enough to stand on its own merits.
The coffee beans ground very fine in an EK43 coffee grinder, then ground again with the chocolate.
I tasted. It changed the flavour profile of the chocolate, though not noticeable coffee.
Coffee grounds have their uses, add to compost heaps, add to cakes. I suggested try adding coffee grounds. Max was not sure due to water content.
I also suggested embed coffee beans on the top of the bar of chocolate to give a crunch and interesting texture when biting into the bar.
Another possibility chocolate coated coffee beans.
Food for thought.
Bean-to-bar chocolate is following in the footsteps of coffee. Direct trade, working with growers, fairer prices for quality, not the Fair Trade scam, transparency and traceability, care with fermentation to bring out the intrinsic flavours, roast profile to safeguard the intrinsic flavours.
I came away with a beautiful presentation box, into which exactly fitted three bars of chocolate and a bookmark with information on the chocolates. No number 1, but I was given a small sampler bar as recompense. I could have popped to Steam Yard but no time. Luckily I found I had No 1 from a recent visit to Steam Yard.
On the bookmark, details of the different chocolates.
There are as many wines as people, as many coffees as people, as many cacao as people.
We are used to seeing the name of the chateau or vineyard the year on a wine label. We are seeing the same with specialty coffee, starting to see with bean-to bar chocolate, the name of the farm, the grower, the variety, how processed, altitude, region.
Coffee has more flavour notes than red wine, chocolate more than coffee.
In the early 18th century, in his Conversations with Eckermann, Goethe said: ‘One cannot develop taste from what is of average quality but only from the very best’.
Taste is dictated by culture, some may think Cadbury’s make chocolate, to eat at McDonald’s is haute cuisine or that tax-dodging Starbucks serves coffee.
Paulo Coelho discusses with reference to fashion in The Winner Stands Alone, we all wish to belong to a tribe, dress in the uniform of the tribe, all look alike.
In Clear Bright Future, Paul Mason contrasts the diktat of fashinistas with the individuals of the 1960s who led not followed.
Bourdieu calls this phenomena habitus, the influence upon us of our surrounding culture.
When the beans are roasted, be coffee or cacao, the roast profile is determined by the desire to bring out the intrinsic flavours of the beans. Which in turn are determined by the grower, the terroir.
The merit of a bar of chocolate is no more determined by how bitter, how dark, the percentage of cocoa mass, than the merit of a bottle wine the alcohol content or a cup of coffee how bitter or strong.
The role of the barista source the best beans to deliver an excellent cup of coffee, that of the bean-to-bar chocolate maker source the best beans to deliver an exquisite bar of chocolate, no additives, no emulsifiers, only cocoa mass, cocoa butter sugar and maybe a little vanilla.
If do not wish to trek out to Kelham Island, then visit Steam Yard, excellent coffee and not only Bullion on sale but also Bare Bones.
Nearby Tamper Westfield Terrace on my last visit also had on sale Bullion, though I do not recall the complete range.
Both coffee shops serve excellent coffee.
Bullion is featured in From Bean to Bar, a whimsical tour of bean-to-bar chocolate makers in Great Britain.
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