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Consider the Chocolate: Askinosie Tasting Notes

chocolate bar

The writer William Blake said, “For nothing is as pleasing to God except the invention of beautiful and exalted things.” I can only imagine God is quite pleased with the inspired works and bean-to-bar chocolates made by the good people behind Askinosie Chocolate.

I had my first taste of an Askinosie Chocolate bar one year ago and gained access to an entirely new world of flavor.  With just the smallest square of a San Jose del Tambo Nibble Bar I suddenly became aware of complex flavors and playful textures I had never experienced before. That rough, dark square of chocolate no bigger than a quarter had more flavor compressed into it than any over-sized, American candy bar I had ever tasted. One bite and I was left transformed by its rich and earthy tannins, hints of smoke, bitter cacao (all seventy-two percent of it), and the satisfying crunch roasted cacao nibs.

One bite of Askinosie’s chocolate made me a chocolate obsessive.

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Consider the Chocolate: Askinosie’s Inspired Bar

Some of the world’s greatest ideas have come in the form of divine inspiration. Einstein once said that important discoveries “seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master.” The writer William Blake believed his poetry came directly from God.  In the case of Shawn Askinosie, a successful criminal lawyer from Springfield Missouri, the journey to become a celebrated chocolate maker started with a prayer for job advice.

It was 2005, and the trial-weary lawyer was on a road trip to an elderly family member’s memorial service. He had some time on his hands and began praying for insight on a job opportunity. What he heard back from his higher power was startling. It said: “You need to make chocolate from scratch.” It’s anybody’s guess why the successful criminal lawyer (and later his entire family) with absolutely no idea how chocolate is made would heed such improbable career guidance.  But heed he did, and what’s resulted has been something much bigger than just some award-winning, small-batch chocolate.

Shawn Askinosie of Askinosie Chocolate
Shawn Askinosie, Founder and Chocolate maker of Askinosie Chocolate. Photo: Askinosie Chocolate

Shawn traveled to the Amazon soon after his road trip epiphany, and began learning about the origins of chocolate first hand. In the sticky heat of the jungle,  he watched the fermenting and drying process of the cacao beans. He witnessed the rural cacao farmers tending their crops and struggling to feed their families. Then, while standing under a canopy of trees in the Amazonian rain forest, the gray-haired lawyer experienced another kind of awakening.

Askinosie realized he needed to leave his law practice.

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Taste of a Better Life

I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan when everything changed. It was October, and I was like the trees of the college town—tall, proud and newly painted with the vibrant colors of transformation. I was a sight to behold—a woman with a heavy backpack and camera around her neck—proud, energized, and flush with the bright hues of an internal revolution. I glowed with happiness as the passing days brought life-altering change. I gave things up. I invited change. I stopped wasting time. I found a new way of writing. I found a new kind of love. I felt like a long-limbed Maple in full flush.

As pieces of my former-self scattered with the altering winds of November, I embraced the conversion. I begged for change. But by the end of December, I was stripped bare of all that I once was. I was as simple as a line drawing of a tree on a snowy hill.

In the austere simplicity of my new life, I realized I needed to live simply. Like a tree, all that I truly needed was food, water, and the all-powerful light from above. Without these things, I realized I could not thrive. And yet–before the Fall of change—I was living life on much less. Food, wine, and work was all that sustained me. Water and light were an occasional luxury. My roots were never tended.

But now, all of that has changed.

The most significant thing is how much light I have in my life now. And water. For what may be the first time, I seek out nourishment. Food fulfills me, rather than covers or mutes deeper problems. I’ve turned away from the numbing comforts of wine and cocktails and embraced being in the moment fully. I dedicate myself to plugging in, not checking out. I find inspiration everywhere. Now, I shy away from my blog’s stats page and listen to the analytics of my muses.

According to the voices of inspiration, it’s time I start writing about chocolate. Continue reading “Taste of a Better Life”