Tasting Notes – Chocolaterie Puyricard

When we were in France last September, my aunt took me to one of the Puyricard shops in Marseille. It was at the end of the two week European holiday and I had already sampled and bought chocolate in Germany and Belgium so I only selected a handful of chocolates, even though the shop had an amazing display of tantalising pieces, displayed as if they were each a rare jewel.

Well, I sampled that chocolate on the plane back to the United States, and it was at that moment that I realized that I had not been overly cautious but rather very foolish. It was exceptional and I immediately forgot I was stuck in the middle of others in coach class.

I stopped thinking about that experience and rather contented myself with the Côte d’Or, Fassbender & Rausch (shop in Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin also well worth a visit), Feodora, and Leonidas, that I had brought back in fair quantities.

But around Christmas time I had a sudden craving for Puyricard chocolate so I took to the internet to buy myself a fabulous Christmas present. Wouldn’t you know it, their chocolate cannot be ordered by mail on account of how fresh it is. 

But all was not lost, just yet. I happened upon Puyricard Signature, a club based in New York which promises its members a regular delivery of new chocolates. 

From their website:

Is it possible to stop sand from running through an hourglass?…

A secret, based on the magic of an emotion, becomes a moment of pure
happiness: the tasting of Puyricard’s Signature chocolates;

A chocolate made with love…; unforgettable, with
deep flavors, born under the bright Provencal sky, the land of so many
chef d’oeuvres.

A chocolate that you buy for you, or to give as a gift, which enables
you to slip through the hourglass of the god Chronos; like diamond dust,
shining again and again in you and in
those you have initiated. 

How could anyone resist? Certainly not I.  So I investigated further. To apply for membership, not only did I have to be referred by a current member, I also had to be prepared to part with at least $4000 (or $500o for Member “Privilège”) for the first year then $2000 (or $3000 for Member “Privilège”) each year after.  

Hmmmm! I mean the chocolate is exceptional, that’s true. But $4000? Then $2000 each year after?

Hmmmmm, I actually thought mighty hard about that one.

In the end, I decided that a trip to France (which would be much cheaper) should come sooner rather than later, and that whatever the itinerary is must include a trip to the chocolaterie itself and perhaps  a class or two there.