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“Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.” It’s one of my favorite lines uttered by Miranda Priestley in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada. I couldn’t stop myself from repeating this in my head after I discovered that ylang ylang essence was infused into a chocolate bar.
Florals? For chocolate? Groundbreaking as well?
Auro Chocolate recently introduced a collaboration with international Filipino fashion designer Lesley Mobo. The flavors inspired by Chef Victor Magsaysay were encapsulated in a limited collection that Auro meticulously crafted from scratch. Carefully infusing the finest essences, Auro used certain ingredients that Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have the best of to embody each of these islands.
Asked why Mobo was the choice for this union of fashion and food, Mark Ocampo, founder and managing director of Auro, shares, “We’ve always been fans of Lesley Mobo — he was introduced to us by Chef Magsaysay. He was pivotal in creating the overall concept and we incorporated his beautiful patterns and the Filipinas dressed in his ‘Tropical Ternos’ in our designs.”
Mobo’s “Tropical Ternos” are fun and colorful. The collectible packaging is just as chic as the ternos’ prints with the glossy sheen on the floral prints. The designs were chosen based on the different flavors each bar evokes while the different colors of the foil stamping, from gold, to silver, to rose gold, emulate the changing time of the day – morning to night. Each set is carefully placed in a pandan box woven by artisans in Laguna with instructions on how to preserve this collection by framing the chocolate boxes.
Lesley Mobo explains his contribution, saying, “It was all for fun in our pursuit of passion. We had no intention of commercializing this product; we just wanted to do something that represents the modern-day Filipina and for them to be proud of it. We wanted to create something that brings joy especially during this time; we just needed something to be happy about.”
Taking cue from Marco Sison’s classic song, the chocolates were named after the iconic “Si Aida, Si Lorna, O Si Fe.”
Floral notes can be an acquired taste. Some don’t fancy these because it reminds them of perfume scents, while others find it weird because people generally don’t eat flowers.
I was intrigued with Aida, which embodies Luzon. It’s 64% dark chocolate infused with ylang ylang essence under roasted white chocolate. I didn’t immediately smell or taste the floral notes until the chocolate slowly melted in my mouth. When it happened, it didn’t feel like I was consuming perfume because the floral notes and dark chocolate offered a light and pleasant balance, like honey on my palate.
Lorna, which embodies Visayas, was quite decadent. It’s 32% white chocolate infused with pandan, peanuts, and dried green mango. The most fragrant among the 3, the pandan essence was evident as I opened the pack. This also had the nicest texture with the creamy white chocolate filled with crunchy peanuts and chewy bits of dried green mango.
Some of the best mangoes in the Philippines come from Guimaras in the Western Visayas region and I believe this as a fitting tribute to the island.
Pineapple may not be endemic to the Philippines but because of our tropical climate, it is grown and harvested for export and we are known globally for our pineapples. Northern Mindanao is the leading producer of pineapples in the country.
Fe, which embodies Mindanao, is made of 50% dark milk chocolate infused with vetiver, freeze dried pineapple, and pinipig or rice crispies. The smell of the vetiver was quite lovely as the chocolate slowly melted in my mouth. I loved the added citrus and sweet flavor that the pineapple brought to the chocolate. The crispy texture of the pinipig was an added delight at every bite. Among the 3, this is my favorite.
Aida and Fe had both already won Gold in the recent International Academy of Chocolate Awards in the UK. This special collection is sold on Auro’s website, Aurochocolate.com. Fifteen percent of the proceeds will go to supporting Auro’s agricultural programs that turn Filipino farmers into agri-entrepreneurs. Once the limited 1,000 sets are sold, Auro will no longer produce another batch.
Ocampo shares, “It’s extremely hard for us to produce as every single chocolate has to be made and infused with the essences from scratch. For Aida, it’s half our roasted white chocolate and half our ylang ylang infused dark chocolate that have different tempering temperatures. We have to find the right balance to set it perfectly.”
It was new to see some of these essences infused into chocolate since these are typically more olfactory than gustatory. Auro chose specific chocolate bases of complementing flavors before adding the well-loved local ingredients to make it even more enjoyable. I was initially unsure, hesitant to bite into these, thinking it was like consuming perfume. Surprisingly, the essences aren’t overpowering and they rather enhance the flavors to create an elevated chocolate experience.
After all the tasting, I’m so ready to pour myself a glass of Sangiovese and simply enjoy these chocolates without analyzing the complexities too much. – Rappler.com
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