Tag Archives: seth-ellis

Seth Ellis Chocolatier coffee truffles

seth-ellis-coffee

Photo credit: Rick Levine

I’m a sucker for coffee-flavoured anything. And coffee and chocolate is one of my favourites. The flavours go so nicely together, with the coffee enhancing the chocolate-ness of chocolate. And, let’s face it, if I can get a kick of caffeine while eating chocolate – or at least, the perception that I’m getting a kick of caffeine - that’s a great thing.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier’s coffee truffle doesn’t disappoint. In a nod to yesterday’s post about molded chocolate shells, the shell on this truffle is lovely. It’s perfectly uniform, and just thick enough to hug all the coffee ganache that’s waiting inside.

And oh, what a coffee ganache. It’s like staring into a cup of freshly brewed dark roast coffee, taking a deep breath, and feeling like you’re falling into a pool of deep, dark, slightly bitter deliciousness. The coffee and chocolate compliment each other perfectly, bringing out the fullness of both flavours. It’s divine.

Seth Ellis chocolates are available at select locations in the Denver/Boulder area, and that page will soon be updated to reflect the five NYC Whole Foods that now carries them. You can also buy them online through It’s Only Natural Gifts or through Foodzie.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier dark chocolate truffles

seth-ellis-dark-chocolate

Photo credit: Rick Levine

When I learned how to make molded chocolates (as in, the ones that come in pretty shapes), I had several things beaten into me (nearly literally). The shells need to be completely uniform, and as thin as possible while still holding all its goodies inside.

Well, here’s the thing. Seth Ellis Chocolatier dances that line between artisan chocolate shop and manufacturing facility. Spend five minutes with Rick Levine and hear him talk about how he’s constantly perfecting recipes and trying to get things just right, and there’s no doubt that he’s creating an artisan product. But at the same time, he has to balance the books and produce a certain amount of chocolate in order to balance said books. And so, he has a few machines that help him along the way – as does any chocolatier who turns a profit. Let’s be perfectly clear: the concept of a truly “handmade” chocolate is fine if you’re dicking around in your kitchen at Christmas, but I’ve yet to meet a profitable chocolatier who doesn’t have a few machines up his or her proverbial sleeve.

It’s a tension, but a good kind of tension. I’m still thinking about how I feel about it. I’ll let you know when I’ve come to a decision.

But back to the chocolate shells. Seth Ellis Chocolatier’s dark chocolate truffles taste lovely. It’s a perfectly smooth centre with dark cocoa flavour, and just a hint of nuttiness. But what’s that I spy? It’s a shell that’s thicker on one side than the other, and one that has a bit more chocolate than I’d like in the corners. Picky, I know. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it.

In the end, it doesn’t make a difference to you or to me, because I’ll still eat these with glee. But it has me thinking about how these particular chocolates are made, and wondering if Rick will figure out a way to perfect the shell so that I can’t tell it was made by a machine. If anyone can figure it out, he can.

Seth Ellis chocolates are available at select locations in the Denver/Boulder area, and that page will soon be updated to reflect the five NYC Whole Foods that now carries them. You can also buy them online through It’s Only Natural Gifts or through Foodzie.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier lemon truffles

I love lemons. Lemon juice is a lot like salt – used properly, you don’t taste it, but it makes a huge difference to a finished dish. Also, the masochist in me likes the sour-tart thing that lemons have.

seth-ellis-candied-lemon

Photo credit: Rick Levine

Plus, they go so well with sweets. Seth Ellis Chocolatier makes their own candied lemons, and enrobes them in two layers of dark chocolate. The resulting confection is chocolatey, bitter, sweet and tart – all at once. It’s quite lovely.

Like any good food producer, they don’t let anything go to waste. The delicious lemon syrup that’s left over makes its way into their lemon truffles. Inside a dark chocolate shell is a lemon-kissed dark chocolate ganache that hints at the bitterness of lemon pith, but stops short of actually getting there. There are wee bits of lemon zest dispersed in the ganache, and while I’d normally complain about it, this time I like the textural interest of the zest.

seth-ellis-lemon-truffle

Photo credit: Rick Levine

And since we eat with our eyes, I think one of the best parts of this truffle is that they look like little art deco buttons. It’s like eating a chocolatey version of a vintage Chanel suit. And how often do you get to do that?

Seth Ellis chocolates are available at select locations in the Denver/Boulder area, and that page will soon be updated to reflect the five NYC Whole Foods that now carries them. You can also buy them online through It’s Only Natural Gifts or through Foodzie.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier milk chocolate truffles

Seth Ellis Chocolatier is a Boulder-based company that makes certified organic, nut-free, gluten-free confections. Before you raise a skeptical eyebrow at the laundry list of buzzwords, you should meet one of the brains behind Seth Ellis Chocolatier. And since you probably won’t, I met with Rick Levine for you. See how far I’ll go for my readers? Visiting a chocolate shop while on vacation – crazy stuff.

You won’t find any really wacky flavours from Seth Ellis. They make chocolates that they like to eat, and that their family and friends like to eat. That’s always good criteria to follow. In keeping with that, all their ingredients are certified organic (many of them custom-made for Seth Ellis). All of their chocolate and sugar is fairly traded.

seth-ellis-milk-chocolate

Photo credit: Rick Levine

So let’s start with the most pedestrian of chocolates. Their milk chocolate truffles look pretty shy. I mean, they’re shiny and pretty with a stripe of dark chocolate down them, but really?

Oh, really.

The milk chocolate doesn’t taste cloyingly sweet or leave a milky aftertaste on your tongue. And it’s nothing compared to the ganache inside: buttery, caramel notes on top of actual cocoa flavour that melts on your tongue like silk.

What a great way to start a box of chocolates, and this series of posts.

Seth Ellis chocolates are available at select locations in the Denver/Boulder area. You can also buy them online through It’s Only Natural Gifts.

[EDIT: Apparently, you can also get them at five Whole Foods stores in NYC. They'll be updating their website soon, apparently. Also, you can buy them online through Foodzie.]

Seth Ellis Chocolatier

When I was in Boulder last month, I had the pleasure of meeting with Rick Levine of Seth Ellis Chocolatier. He kindly spent three (three!) hours with me, explaining every aspect of his business. Of course, there were samples of his fine work, too. Ever the giver, I’ll review each piece for you. It’s going to be a good week.

Also, in an unrelated note, tonight was the James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony. Here are the winners.