Chocolate Encyclopedia

As a matter of fact, one bar of chocolate contains up to 600 different flavors. This can be a little overwhelming. Therefore, we recommend using the flavor wheel. This will help you capture some of the flavors by carefully smelling and tasting them. You can also attend one of our workshops.

laflor sources the cacao and carries out all the important steps at the manufactory in Zurich – roasting, grinding, conching and tempering. Only the cleaning and peeling of the cacao beans is done for us by the Felchlin company in Schwyz, as we currently do not have the necessary premises and machinery.

Once the roasted nibs are ground, they are then stirred in the concheuse until the chocolate mass is smooth, silky and, most importantly, has developed its wonderful flavor. For the grinding and the conching we have a machine at laflor, the stone grinder, which can take up to 72 hours, depending on the type of cacao, until we are happy with the chocolate.

Co-founder Laura Schälchli explains it this way: cacao beans contain over 600 flavor components. So chocolate is very similar to wine. We want to show our customers the nuances that exist and tell them about the proper way to enjoy and store chocolate. laflor doesn’t just sell chocolate, but also organizes workshops, tastings and private events.

As with wine, cacao varies according to the variety, climate, weather and soil conditions. It is usually harvested twice a year. Cacao is a naturally occurring product that, through fermentation, drying and roasting, is transformed into a noble resource for the chocolate production.

All our cacao beans are fermented and dried on site. The fermentation takes place in wooden boxes for about four days. Then, the cacao beans are dried in the sun for several days and under constant turning. Thanks to these two processes, the different varieties develop their distinct characteristics. This distinguishes our cacao from conventional mass-produced cacao that we know from milk chocolate sold in supermarkets. Often, much less time is spent on these processes, which leads to the need for additives such as alkali, to prevent the final product from being too bitter. If given enough time in the fermentation and drying process, the cacao beans develop fruity notes and a delicate acidity instead of bitterness. Consequently, the laflor chocolate flavor differs significantly from that of the large commercial chocolate brands.

Cacao beans contain beneficial ingredients that are said to make us happy. The naturally occurring stimulant theobromine is an energy booster that belongs to the caffeine family, but is longer-lasting in chocolate and causes less nervousness.

The “love drug” serotonin and the natural sedative magnesium are found abundantly in cacao. In addition, flavonols are beneficial for healthy skin and the strengthening of collagen. In other words, chocolate can be enjoyed entirely without reservations. However, the quality of the cacao is very important.

Cacao grows on trees at our South American partner farms. The cacao farmers grow the plants, nurture them, harvest the fruit and ferment and dry the cacao beans before they are packed in bags and shipped to Europe. It is part of laflor’s DNA to pay our cacao farmers genuinely fair prices.

The handwritten receipt from the Tesoro Escondido farm in Ecuador, dated June 7th, 2021, confirms a price of US $4.70 per kilo. To compare: the Fairtrade minimum price/kilogram set by Max Havelaar was adjusted from CHF 2.00 to CHF 2.40 at the end of 2018.

Rio Sinu cacao is grown by the Integrasinu Foundation in northern Colombia. The foundation consists of nearly 200 smallholder farming families who cultivate a total of 432 hectares of cacao. In addition to cacao, bananas, rice and corn are also grown in Rio Sinu. In a centrally located processing station, the cacao beans are separated by variety, fermented and dried. Our partners at Disidente have put together an assemblage of different cacao varieties for laflor. The beans then find their way to Europe on the sailing freighter “Tres Hombres”. The main objective of the Integrasinu Foundation is to improve the living standards of the community through the cultivation of high quality cacao.

Choose among the 3 laflor annual chocolate subscriptions and treat your chocolate-loving friends or yourself to a lot of joy. Pleasure-Boost consisting of 5 deliveries per year with 2 laflor products each, Extra-Pleasure-Boost consisting of 10 deliveries per year with 2 laflor products each or Ultimate-Pleasure-Boost consisting of 10 deliveries with 3 laflor products each. Find out more here!

During the complex process of tempering, the chocolate undergoes a process of pre-crystallization, which means that only the good and correct crystal form is preserved.

A perfectly tempered chocolate can be recognized as follows:

• even surface gloss
• clear, firm break
• slowly melting in the mouth

First, we gently cool the chocolate at laflor and then reheat it; the goal is always to aim for only the good crystal form. This amazing educational video from our friends at Felchlin Switzerland gives you an idea of the art of glazing, the term used for the tempering process carried out on the marble slab.

The name “Flor” dates back to Zurich’s somewhat forgotten history of the silk industry between the 14th and 19th centuries. While the business with the fine fabric once flourished, only little remained; the Hotel Florhof near the Kunsthaus is one of a few examples. Zurich was famous for its black silk, the Flor Silk. What must have been a smooth, fine quality silk inspired us to choose the name of our chocolate: laflor.

It symbolizes our demand for high quality and also connects us to the historical handicraft of Zurich.

The organic almonds of the Pizzute variety used by laflor taste slightly sweet and are very flavorful. They grow around the small town of Avola in southeastern Sicily. Experts in search of the best almonds in the world won’t miss this variety. We roast and caramelize these delicious treats very traditionally in a copper kettle in our manufactory in Zurich, before giving them a delicate coating of Ecuador chocolate 74%: a favorite of laflor friends.

A big word that we take seriously. Because we do not use any additives for our chocolate. In other words, you’ll find cacao, cacao butter and sugar in the chocolate. That’s it. We add organic certified Swiss milk powder to the Dark Milk Chocolate. That’s all. Naturally, this is laflor.

We are proud of our 5 Origins. The general idea is that laflor only processes cacao from so-called single origins. Currently, our product range consists of five Origins distributed across four countries: Brazil, Ecuador (2 Origins), Colombia and Venezuela. Each laflor chocolate is loved for its typical flavor – caused by the variety and the region of the cacao. More factors include, soil, cultivation, climate, weather and the individual production process. The recipe influences the characteristics of the chocolate made at our manufactory in Zurich as well. Find out more about the Origins here.

We’re genuinely always on the lookout for new combinations of foods that could go well with chocolate. Flavors such as citrus fruits, banana or even red and black berries are some of the options that go very well with chocolate. Books such as The Taste Thesaurus by Niki Segnit provide great inspiration here.

There are countless books and opinions about the quality of chocolate. laflor chocolate does not always taste exactly the same. You as the consumer are the first determining factor when it comes to tasting. How are you feeling right now? Did you taste anything else before eating chocolate? Everything influences the subjective perception of the chocolate, including the environment. The second factor is the fact that laflor produces the chocolate bars by hand. Each batch of cacao beans exhibits the typical flavor characteristics of the variety, but is still always unique. That’s how it should be, and that’s how we want it to be. Why does laflor chocolate not always taste the same? There is one more factor: time. laflor chocolate can be stored for at least 14 months, depending on the variety.
By roasting and conching the cacao beans, we are changing the complex blend of the 600+ flavor components that are found in chocolate. The goal is to get the perfect flavor from a cacao bean. That is why laflor chocolate tastes best when freshly wrapped.

Cacao nibs, which are peeled and chopped cacao beans, can be used as snacks or for cooking and baking. Depending on the variety and harvest, we roast the cacao nibs before we turn them into chocolate. This is a time-consuming process that requires the full attention of our chocolatières. The resulting scent is enchanting. The perfectly roasted cacao is now placed in the stone melangeur for up to 72 hours.

It is thanks to the cacao butter that we get the fine, irresistible glaze of laflor chocolate. Our cacao butter is produced from organic Dominican cacao beans by Pronatec in Winterthur. It is deodorized, a process that neutralizes its taste, making it versatile in use. The vegan cacao butter plays an important role in the original process of “solid” chocolate, but is also a popular alternative to use at home, for example as a frying or baking butter.

laflor’s DNA is transparency in every respect: the origin and cultivation of the cacao, the people for whom cacao is the source of their livelihood, the transport from South America to Europe, the ingredients and processing in the manufactory in Zurich, the way laflor does business and guides the company into the future. Heini, Ivo, Laura and Zelia, the four founders, are responsible for this.

The Olmec people, who lived in the Mexican lowlands, were already feasting on chocolate as early as 1500 BC. Most likely, this occurred in liquid form. In the 19th century, people used to drink chocolate, too; solid chocolate as we know it today did not yet exist. It took years and many innovative minds before today’s soft-melting chocolate bar became a hot seller. We look forward to a sustainable future with more cacao and less sugar!

laflor chocolate is vegan with a few exceptions; it contains cacao beans, cacao butter and organic certified local sugar. Milk Chocolate Ecuador 56% and Milk Chocolate Ecuador 62% with nibs are the exceptions.

Connoisseurs and lovers of white chocolate do exist and are becoming more and more numerous. For a long time they did not dare to admit it. But the combination of finest cacao butter, sugar, milk and often a dash of vanilla makes an irresistible chocolate that melts on the tongue. Due to lack of availability of the proper quality cacao butter, laflor had to take a break from producing white chocolate for a while. Coming back soon!

The name of what may have been the first beverage made from fermented cacao derives from the Mayas and Aztecs. We, too, love the hot chocolate made from our 100% Cacao chocolate mixed with warm water. Laura recommends simply adding hot water instead of milk, which is truly a magical alternative to your morning cup of coffee.

If you look at yoga as beneficial for your mental and physical health, then the tasting of the finest chocolate is the perfect grand finale to this ritual. With a wink, we recommend our vegan Dark Chocolates.

On one hand, the four laflor founders met in Zurich, and on the other hand, the city, which has meanwhile become a melting pot of diverse food offerings, provides a wonderful setting for laflor, which was founded in 2017.