Morgan C.
Yelp
So there's plenty of chocolate out there, and that's a great thing. But if you really want to taste what a boutique chocolatier can do with raw ingredients, you need to search out Jinji. Because what you'll get is a truly raw, dark chocolate experience, made with serious love and a whole helluva-lot of passion.
Jinji works the 72-76% cacao range with her chocolates, and no matter how light they may end up (due to different nut butters being mixed in), they are all dairy free and 100% dark chocolate.
I'm not going to lie, I have a bit of a problem with chocolate. That part of the normal brain that says "yeah, you've had enough' doesn't seem to work well for me. So after having the opportunity to meet Jinji and hear her discuss her history, her chocolate, and even watch her make some...I kind of went nuts. I think we bought (at least) one of everything in the case...oops. I'll do a quick rundown of some standouts.
Chocolate Shot - yep, it's pure chocolate in a small plastic tube. It would be silly to pass this up, because 1.) it's a shot of chocolate (and you're not dumb, you wouldn't pass up a good thing), 2.) It's the perfect way to taste the essence of what it's all about. You can add a lot of things to chocolate, but here's your chance to taste the un-adultered foundation upon which Pure Chocolate is built.
Pot de Creme - I'm not sure I spelled that correctly. It's a small plastic tub (think jell-o shot sized) filled with creamy chocolate..almost like a pudding, but far more refined. This stuff is ON POINT. It has a variety of flavors including a bit of cayenne pepper for a backend kick. Just awesome. I could get a big spoon and put the whole thing down in one chomp, but it's better to take the smallest little baby spoon you can find, and savor each little bite. In doing so, you'll catch all the different layers of flavors.
Fluffernutter Truffles - They're VERY light, and have a tendency to melt much sooner than the darker truffles. They even got a bit of cacao butter slickness to them, making them hard to pick up. They're more mild than the other truffles, but just as complex and delicious. You'll be amazed at the chocolate flavour, but much less bitterness. This is a go to for a younger kid that wants something, but wouldn't appreciate the dark chocolate the way someone with a more refined palate would.
Chai Truffles - These dark truffles have a small amount of 'chai' filling. Delicious and complex. I can't explain the filling, but it's a great.
No matter what you get, you want to savor it; really take the time to contemplate the flavors and appreciate how they work together. Jinji said it best, "nothing is done on accident, everything we make is very deliberate." If you're like me, and prone to popping a whole chocolate in your mouth, try to break that habit and take a small bite. Let it melt in your mouth, role it around, and enjoy the layers of flavors you're going to experience. I admit, that sounds oddly sexual and yet delightfully cheesy, but I'm sorry, I can't think of any other way to describe it. Just trust me on that. Jinji (and her staff) really do have a passion about what they're doing, and if you try (or even if you don't), you're going to taste that passion in her product.
Jinji has a limited distribution (look for her chocolate in MOMs Organic Markets), but every piece of chocolate you find is coming out of her E Belvedere Ave shop. It's all handcrafted, and there's no huge production machine pumping these things out. It's a truly boutique, and very special chocolate experience.
Like most chocolate, this all comes with a NUT ALLERGY warning. But for real, Jinji uses a lot of nut butters. That's about the only dietary restriction but which you'll probably be limited. No dairy in the mix, so you're good on that front.