It’s official – the Mast Brothers chocolate fever is invading Europe!
When the bearded connoisseurs of Brooklyn set foot on English land, chocolate lovers across the nation should be ready to throw a fitting European welcome for this glorious confectionery.
Competing with the best
Having readied themselves to go through long commutes from New York to London, Michael and Rick Mast, the duo that form Mast Brothers Chocolate, have finally decided to build a chocolate factory at Shoreditch. But it’s not just the constant travels these Iowa-born brothers are preparing themselves for; it’s the actual invasion itself. Now on war-footing, they are eager to compete with some of the best, time-tested and most prestigious chocolatiers in Europe.
The patience, devotion and expertise put into every Mast Brothers chocolate bar makes it worthy of being placed side by side with Valrhona of France, Godiva of Belgium and Puccini Bomboni of the Netherlands. The Mast brothers have earned their mantle to be among the best, with no less than the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) recognizing their gastronomic genius. “The Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook” was awarded as the best cookbook in the “Single Subject” category in the recent IACP food writing awards.
Pure perfection
The Mast Brothers’ advantage is the indulgent and addictive taste of their chocolate, a delicious offshoot of their tenacity to find the best source of organic cocoa beans.
Chocolate is a pan-European word coined by the Spaniards who accidentally introduced it to their European counterparts after having discovered the sweet delight in their voyages through Mesoamerica in the 1500s.
The Spanish royalty loved the confection which they flavored with cinnamon, sugar and vanilla, and decided to keep it for themselves for over 100 years. But a marriage between the royal princess and King Louis XIII brought the secret out when the bride gifted her groom with her favourite chocolate.
To make their heavenly sweets, the brothers follow a scientifically-calculated, painstaking process that borders on obsession. They require organic cocoa beans, no less. The beans are shipped, not flown, from Belize and Papua New Guinea to their factory in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Each bean is carefully roasted to medium-rare, a technique that Rick learned during his days as executive chef. The roasted beans are meticulous ground and only plain cane sugar is added to highlight the sweet taste – nothing more, nothing less. What comes out is a product of pure perfection. The chocolate is guaranteed healthy and pure, with no additives and no artificial flavors.
Truly, Mast Brothers chocolates have redefined decadence, and there is no doubt it will conquer even the most discriminating taste buds of European nobility.
Heather is a writer, photographer and explorer of the world with bylines in Archaeology Magazine, Porthole Cruise Magazine, Taste & Travel, amongst others. She is addicted to pen, paper, hotels, organisation and hippos. In addition to Travel Gluttons, you can find her over at Cloggie Central. 
