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One of the questions I hear most often at Chocology is:
"Why do you always ask us to smell the chocolate first?"
The answer is simple.
Long before chocolate reaches your palate, your sense of smell is already shaping what you experience. While our tongues recognize only a handful of basic tastes, our noses detect countless aromas that help our brains interpret flavor.
That's why the first step in the Art of the Chocolate Tasting Ritual is always the same:
Smell.
Sometimes simply recognizing an aroma before tasting unlocks flavors you might never have noticed otherwise.
That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to introduce my Aroma Discovery Partner for Chocology in Bloom.
I'm delighted to welcome Tara Penske—certified aromatherapist, educator, and founder and co-owner of Amadeus Aromatherapy.
Together with her daughter, Meghan, Tara creates handcrafted cold-process soaps, luxury botanical body care, and bespoke aromatherapy products using exceptional botanical ingredients and rare, exotic essential oils.
What drew me to Tara wasn't simply the beauty of her products. It was our shared belief that slowing down and engaging our senses allows us to notice more, appreciate more, and discover more.
That shared philosophy makes this collaboration a natural fit.
Throughout Chocology in Bloom, Tara and I will explore the fascinating relationship between aroma and flavor through special sensory experiences designed to complement my chocolate tastings.
Together, we'll invite you to slow down, engage your senses, and discover chocolate in a whole new way through aroma pairings, guided sensory explorations, educational tastings, and special pop-up events.
Whether you've been tasting chocolate with me for years or this is your very first visit, I hope these experiences inspire you to notice something unexpected and discover chocolate from an entirely new perspective.
Because sometimes...
discovery begins before the first bite.
I hope you'll join Tara and me this summer as we explore chocolate through sight, smell, taste, and curiosity.
Stay tuned for upcoming Aroma Pairing dates and special events as Chocology in Bloom continues throughout the summer.
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One of the greatest joys of Chocology in Bloom has been watching chocolate bring people together in unexpected ways. This week was filled with music, new friendships, sensory discoveries, honey pairings, and a reminder that the best experiences are the ones we share.
One of the sweetest discoveries at our first Point Reyes Cheese & Chocolate Experience wasn't on the tasting board—it was the wonderful people who shared the journey.
