Slow Chocolate

Recently there has been a subtle shift in how people wish to experience food. Increasingly, the most memorable moments are not about collecting or consuming ‘things’ or ‘stuff’, but are about paying much closer attention to flavour, texture, and the care that goes into creating something exceptional.

Chocolate, too, rewards this kind of focus. In a world where it is often given as a gift or eaten without thought, there is something quietly remarkable about slowing down to taste it properly.

At Umber & Ecru, our chocolate tasting experience is designed for people who care about quality and provenance. Guests explore a carefully curated selection of chocolate, noticing the subtle differences in flavour, texture, and aroma. Along the way, they also learn about chocolate itself - its origins, the unique qualities of different cocoa beans, and how growing, harvesting, and handling influence taste. Tastings also explore how chocolate interacts with other flavours, whether paired with food or drink, highlighting how ingredients complement, contrast, and enhance one another.

The sessions are small and unhurried. Conversation flows, questions are welcomed, and guests are encouraged to notice what is often overlooked: the snap of the chocolate, the aroma released as it melts, and the way flavours develop and linger. The tasting also offers insight into the time and skill behind each Umber and Ecru chocolate: guests learn how chocolates are individually hand-painted, a painstaking process that can take hours, where every detail is considered with care. Understanding this artisan work deepens the appreciation of both flavour and craft.

For anyone who savours food in its most considered form, the tasting is a rare opportunity to slow down, explore, and enjoy chocolate as more than a treat but as a moment of discovery, of craft, and, of course, pleasure!