Search Results for: chocolatier

Melt introduces our…NEW Log Cabin Advent Calendar Melt is proud to announce our newest addition to our Advent Calendar Collection 2024. The NEW Log Cabin Advent Calendar. In this blog we will take you through the story and inspiration behind this hand-painted advent calendar. Inspired by Colorado ranch houses and 500-year old swiss chalets, this log cabin is a loving dedication to the mountain lifestyle. Ralph Lauren Log Cabin Inspired At Melt, everything we do we want to exude style and beauty. Real luxury isn’t just a price, its a eye for the best there is. Hence when the Melt creative team was researching log cabins there was really only one that stood out beyond the rest. Ralph Lauren’s Colorado Ranch log cabin is the paradise only dreams could conjure… Real taste is hard to come by. Search up ‘luxury log cabins’ and these slick, shimmering-lighted kitchens with views over snowy-topped peaks appear. Ultimately they are void of the life that these mountain settings deserve. Mountains are rich with alpine culture, mineral-saturated streams, tales of wolves and fireplace community. The mountains are a place to loose yourself in the sublime, almost oppressive clench of rocks that stuns as much as it scares. A log cabin therefore should represent this feeling of awe and caution. There should be wide open windows to marvel at the view, yet simultaneously generous piles of logs to prepare for the winter cold. Ralph Lauren’s interiors are a perfect balance. Respecting the history and tradition of the place, while combining the luxurious elements of grand rooms, walk in showers and incredible design… In the House & Garden interview, it is observed that… “There are quilts and patchworks with Native-American motifs, and paintings depicting buffalo hunts. There are wide chimneys for fires of thick, crackling birch or beech logs and collections of Navaho, Sioux or Shawnee poetry. There are animal pelts, hunting trophies, Katchina dolls, antique feather headdresses, cowboy hats, multicoloured woollen ponchos and rugs from Arizona and New Mexico. Everything within these sturdy, red-cedar log cabins speaks of the region’s strong identity: its people, craftsmanship and past.”   The interiors of Melt’s Log Cabin are all inspired by real English furniture and antiques. Every piece of furniture in there exists and is heavy with history or English sensibilities. As we are an London-founded chocolate company, we wanted to put our own twist on the log cabin dream. Swiss Chalet Inspired Combined with the interiors and authenticity of Ralph Lauren, we decided to lean towards the quaint beauty of Swiss chalet’s. Villages like Chandolin and Zermatt in Switzerland are famous for their distinct wooden chalets, many of them around 500 years old. Their wood has aged exquisitely. The sunlight and weathering turns the wood black – so it can store heat well. Made with such craftsmanship that they only better with age. Aligning ourselves with the skilled Swiss craftspeople of the past, our chalet advent calendar is entirely hand-painted. Every line on the wood has been painted painstakingly to recreate this aged look. We embrace natural lines and shapes.   Chocolate Advent Calendar: What’s Inside? Filled with delicious, fresh, bespoke chocolates inside each of the amazing 24 rooms our favourite Christmas selections […]

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The History of Chocolate Have you ever wondered where chocolate comes from? How it is made? What ingredients are used? The history of chocolate is a long, complicated one, intertwined with the history of Spanish colonialism in the Americas. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the history of chocolate and how it has evolved over the centuries. We will also explore some of the key milestones and innovations that have shaped the chocolate industry, as well as the cultural and economic impact of this delicious food. So grab a bar of your favorite chocolate and join us on a journey through the rich history of this beloved treat. The First Cacao Consumers: The Mayo-Chinchipe People Recent evidence from The Santa Ana-La Florida site (SALF) in Palanda made a discovery that would re-write chocolate history. They found cocoa starch grains in pottery that pre-dated the existing “pioneers” of chocolate, the Olmecs by 2,000 years. This little-known culture was called the Mayo-Chincipe or Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón. Cacao had a significant social and symbolic component for the Mayo-Chinchipe people. Just like the cultures that would come after, cacao was used for elite rituals and but it is also believed to have been consumed in domestic pottery in every day enjoyment. This discovery has revealed that the domestication of the cacao tree likely occurred in South America, around the Amazon/Andean foothill region. The Journey of Cacao: Mayan & Aztec So how did chocolate start as a bean growing on the cocoa plants in South America to a luxury chocolatier in London? The history of chocolate dates back to the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, where it was consumed as a bitter beverage and used in religious ceremonies. The next shift in chocolate history came with the introduction of different ingredients to the consumption of cacao. This is believed to have been the Maya and Aztecs who first introduced delicious spices and sweeteners. This bitter cocoa beverage was made by mixing ground cocoa beans with water and spices – such as chilli and vanilla. It was often served cold and frothy, and was enjoyed by both the elite and common people. Mayan Lord featured with a frothy cacao drink (Chocolatl) The Mayans and Aztecs believed that chocolate had medicinal and spiritual properties, and it was often used in religious ceremonies and as a tribute to the gods. In the legends of the Aztecs, the cocoa tree was brought down from the mountains by the God of sun, wind and air, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl as depicted in the Codex Telleriano-Remensis The the cocoa tree was stolen by Quetzalcoatl from paradise where all the other gods lived and planted by him in Tula, Mexico. Hence, it was believed that Quetzalcoatal taught humans, more specifically the Toltecs, how to use cocoa beans to make chocolate. Because of this, chocolate was often associated with Quetzalcoatl and other gods, becoming precious currency and part of religious iconography. Melt’s Aztec Fire Chilli Chocolate Bar It is said that the Toltecs where transformed into powerful and influential people as a result of the delicious and energising cocoa beverage! The arrival of the Spanish and the introduction of sugar The arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century […]

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