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I have a couple of questions for you first of all. Do you like chocolate? Or does it go deeper than that? Do you love chocolate are you what is called a chocoholic? And lastly, was that attitude fashioned by store-bought chocolate such as Mars Bars, Galaxy and Snickers?

I asked all those questions because, if you love chocolate and all you have ever tasted is store-bought chocolate, you have a real surprise waiting for you one day. A really fantastic revelation. One day you will taste gourmet chocolate and it will bowl you over. It will make you regret all those days of your life that you had not known it.

Gourmet chocolate is to a Mars Bar what fillet mignon is to a ham sandwich or what champagne is to cheap plonk. It sounds as if I am running Mars Bars down and I suppose I am in a way, but I do believe that they have their place in the hierarchy of the realm of chocolate, it is just not near the top and when you have tried gourmet chocolate, you will agree with me.

You will see the light and come to understand that perhaps you used to eat store chocolate for the sugar rush and not for the chocolate, because the store kind is, in fact, a very adulterated copy of the real thing. If you do not believe me, look at the contents list on the back of the wrapper.

Dark chocolate is created by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. The U.S. Government calls this “sweet chocolate”, and demands a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor. European regulations specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids. It does not sound very much, does it? (By the way, chocolate liquor is like lumpy gravy and if you pulverize the lumps and take away most of the fat, you get cocoa solids).

This is why European chocolate has a better name than American chocolate in general, although there are excellent gourmet chocolate manufacturers in the USA (called chocolatiers; like a chef is to haute cuisine)..

Some inexpensive chocolates are even blended with wax and most bakery chocolate products have very little, if any, real chocolate in them! They contain mostly sugar of one kind or another and “partially hydrogenated palm oil.” On the other hand, gourmet chocolate will echo the quality of the ingredients, which includes high quality cocoa beans, no preserving agents or vegetable fats (other than cocoa butter) and sugar, which is also a preserving agent, should only be used in moderation.

Some chocolate is made from only one variety of bean, just like some wine is made from one kind of gape and some whisky is single malt, but most is made from a blend of several kinds of beans again lust like the cheaper wines and whiskeys. Gourmet chocolate has a far greater percentage of cocoa butter, and will be more extensively refined.

Aficionados of gourmet chocolate are like connoisseurs of fine wines and single malt whiskies, they appreciate the object of their attention. In time, they can talk about the advantages of one bean or process over another. If you want to go down this road, you could join one of the many good gourmet chocolate clubs on the Internet

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Romantic Gifts: Ideas. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

The occasion of a wedding is a very special day for anyone. Just being asked to one can cause real excitement. It is always a pleasure to see someone walk down the aisle with the hope of true love and life long happiness. choosing a wedding present can be a lot of fun as well. There are thousands of presents that you can buy online or in retail shops.

Personalized gifts is a common trend in weddings presents. Bespoke gifts bring out your originality because you can dictate the style, design and message you want to be printed on them. Items range from photo frames, mugs and clocks, among many others.

When buying presents, always keep in mind your budget but be sure to get the look you want on the goods you buy. Here are some gift ideas that would definitely be a hit:

Tapestry – It is lovely to remember the wedding day, but how best to do this? Personalize everyday belongings by printing the couple’s picture on them. You can have it printed on pillows, blankets or bags.

Have them printed on a tapestry wall hanging and they can be kept as heirlooms. Different coloured cotton threads can make your pictures come to life just like the photo itself.

Photo Frames – Keep your best pictures in exclusive photo frames. You can add romantic messages like ‘lovers forever” or “ideal couple”. Romantic lines from songs or poems are recommended too. You can choose from the different frames obtainable like natural wood, quality resin, or metal steel.

Private messages are mostly engraved by laser or cut out of wood. The couple would love putting there favorite wedding photos in such frames to remind them of the happiness of their special day.

T-shirts – Show your own personality and thoughts by having them printed on comfortable tees. Many couples would love to demonstrate their love for each other on cute shirts. The most common of the slogans on these shirts is the letter “I” followed by a big red heart and then name of the groom or bride.

You could tell the world how you feel towards a person with such a personalized tee. If you want to be more intimate, you could even print romantic messages on lingerie or underwear.

Accessories – Women love accessories. Bracelets are ideal items for personalization. You could choose sterling silver or even 9 carat – 22 carat gold. This depends on your budget, of course. But remember, it is the thought that counts.

Common themes that are put on bracelets are the date of your wedding or your anniversary or the couple’s name. You can personalize rings and necklaces in the same way too.

Tankards – Tankards are very handy. If you are giving a gift to the groom, customizing his beer mug or wine glass would surely be appreciated. Choose a beer mug that is not embarrassing. Pewter or glass look nice and the personal message would stand out clearly.

Clocks – You could buy a wall clock or personal watches. Either way, you can be assured that the couple would find them very handy. Engraving one’s name on a metal steel sports watch is an eye catcher too. A pocket watch would be just as valued.

Looking for wedding gifts can be very enjoyable. Personalizing your gifts would add a special touch to each present. No matter the value of the gift, remember that it is always the thought that matters most.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Romantic Gifts: Ideas. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

The Theobroma Cacao or ‘the food of the Gods’ is what we all know as the cocoa tree. It’s origins can be traced back to South America’s rain forests, particularly to Central America, although historians are still at variance over certain facts surrounding this tree.

It is suggested that the Mayans first grew the cacao tree in 300 AD, although others point to inadequate evidence that it was grown or at least harvested in around 3,000 BC. The Aztecs also used the cacao, but from about 1100 AD.

The chocolate (drink) that we all know nowadays was called ‘xocoatl’. It was a very exclusive beverage that was made with cacao, chilies, anise seed, vanilla, corn meal and some other spices. It is said that only royalty were allowed to drink it and then only from golden chalices, which were to be used for the purpose only once.

The cacao tree is very responsive to its environment and it most frequently grows in the shade of the rain forest canopy. If just for this reason alone, chocolate lovers should join forces with the environmentalists to save the rain forests so that the cacaos will continue to exist.

This tree is unusual because its fruits grow directly on its branches and trunk; midges cause the pollination of the flowers during the night time.

The cacao tree is very productive, but not very fruitful. It can have in the region of 10,000 blossoms, but only about 10 to 50 of those will mature into fruits or pods. This is thought to be because the cacao tree can adjust the number of blossoms that will mature according to its ability to handle the energy loss of bearing fruit or pods.

The cacao tree regulates itself in this way to maintain its health. Too many pods might exhaust its energy so much that it would not survive a viral or insect attack or too many ripe pods might snap off its branches.

The cocoa beans grow within the pod, the fruit of the blossom. Harvesters wait for the pod to ripen. They will then crack open the pods and take out the seeds, which are surrounded by a white pulp. This is thrown away these days, but it is thought that many years ago it was fermented into an alcoholic drink for ceremonial purposes. The beans are the source of chocolate, although there is lots to do yet..

The seeds are very bitter at this point and it is for this reason that they will go through a procedure of fermentation for between three and seven days. This causes the seeds to go through chemical as well as physical changes. The result of this was used for the royal drink, the ‘xocoatl’.

However, to turn it into what we know as chocolate, the fermented beans have to go through several more processes. Processes by the name of: drying, cleaning, roasting, grading, opening, separation, grinding and liquefying.

After liquefying, you have unadulterated chocolate in the form of chocolate liquor. This is sold to chocolate manufacturers and the good ones make high-quality chocolate from it and the bad ones adulterate it so much that it is hardly chocolate any more.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Gourmet Chocolate Candy. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

A song can tell you a lot about life, the person who wrote it, the person who sings it and the person who likes to listen to it.. Songs belong to different genres. Have you ever come across a genre that is immortal? If you did would it be about love or hatred? Naturally, everybody would say that ‘love’ is the most discussed, written and sung about by people of all races and nationalities. So, it is no surprise then to find out what makes a date worth cherishing?

Music almost always has something to do with it and music could actually fashion the mood of your date. Dating is such a great way of selecting your future lifetime partner. When you are out on a date, see to it that the music is well-selected and that it generates a mood of romance.

People have composed all styles of songs, but the ones they write the best are love songs. Since the day the first love song was sung, people’s hearts have been melting. Songs of finding a new love, losing love, songs of inspiration, songs of moving on, songs about romance, first loves and the gush of emotions.

With all due respect to all the artists concerned and their fans too, here are some of the most popular songs of Romance. They demonstrate the feelings of two people in love during a very romantic date:

Truly, Madly, Deeply: (Savage Garden) – this duo’s song speaks about a deep love and promises made to the other person.

I’d be your dream I’d be your wish I’d be your fantasy I’d be your hope, be your love Be everything that you need

This I Promise You: (N-Sync) – this group filled the airwaves with love. This song is really a pledge of a lifetime’s dedication. It is often used as a wedding song.

And I will take you in my arms And hold you right where you belong Until the day my life is through This I promise you

Iris: (Goo Goo Dolls) – it gained popularity not just because of the film in which it featured, but because the song touches the heart.

And I don’t want the world to see me ‘Cause I don?t think that they’d understand, When everything’s made to be broken- I just want you to know who I am.

Dreaming of You: (Selina) – the singer died tragically, but the song lives on. It is a light song, but it goes straight to the heart.

I’m dreaming of you tonight ‘Til tomorrow And for all of my life And there?s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

Songs will always be a big part of courtship and that usually begins with a date. Music is the food of love and music is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. Generations always have, and generations always will, continue to keep the tradition going. Music not only induces love and romance, but it also keeps love and romance alive.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Romantic Gifts: Ideas. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

Chocolate candy must be the most well-liked sort of candy in the world. It definitely is in Europe and America. We eat tons and tons of Mars, Cadburys, Lindt and Nestle chocolate candy every year. The sad thing is that most of the people who admit to liking chocolate have never tasted a decent bar of chocolate in their lives.

To a connoisseur, chocolate candy can come from anywhere in the world although Belgium, Switzerland and France are the countries, whose names come to mind first. Despite that, high-quality chocolate candy is also manufactured in Great Britain, Spain, the USA and some parts of Latin America.

This is not surprising as chocolate first made its debut among the Mayans of Central America in at least 300 BC and maybe even as far back as 3000 BC. In 300 AD it was a special drink exclusively for royalty and was very bitter. It was so special that it had to be drunk from a golden chalice and that chalice could be used for that purpose only one time.

In those days, many more herbs and spices were added to the royal drink called xocoatl. It was also a lot purer in terms of cacao content than practically anything you can buy on the shelves in the supermarket today as well. The closest we have to that purity is gourmet chocolate.

Gourmet chocolate will usually have been manufactured by a chocolatier, which is similar to what a chef is to cuisine. These manufacturers of chocolate candy are the best in the world, highly skilled and head-hunted by the best chocolate makers. They can demand large salaries and become world famous among the aficionados of fine chocolate candy.

Fine chocolate candy must have a high chocolate content. That sounds as if it should go without saying, doesn’t it? However, to be called chocolate in the US, candy only has to contain 15% actual chocolate and ‘bakers’ chocolate’ frequently does not contain any at all. In Europe that figure is 35%, which is why most Americans think that European chocolate candy is sumptuous.

Good chocolate candy is supposed to break cleanly with an audible ’snap’ and ought to have a glossy surface. The chocolate candy most liable to have a high cacao content is dark chocolate, which is also often somewhat bitter, reminiscent of the actual taste of cacao before most manufacturers put sugar into the mix. Purer chocolate candy also melts on the tongue and produces a mild feeling of well-being.

Purer forms of chocolate candy have had various reputations over the centuries. It has the reputation of being a pick-me-up and had the reputation of being an aphrodisiac, in all probability for the same reason. This is due to a chemical naturally present in the bean called Theobromine. Theobromine has effects on other animals as well. For instance, it is a proscribed substance for racing horse because it has an huge effect on horses and chocolate should never be given to cats or dogs because it is poisonous to them.

Theobromine and another chemical present, phenethylamine, have been associated with the production of seratonin, which is stimulated by prescribed drugs to fend off depression.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Gourmet Chocolate Candy. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas

categories: romance,love,gifts,weddings,marriage,friendship,jewelry,gold,product reviews,family,society,happiness,stress management,other

More roses are sold in the few days before St. Valentine’s Day than in any other similar timespan in the year. Until not so long ago, people were mindful of the significance of the colours of roses (I am pretty sure that it did not concern other flowers too).

For instance, it would have been a serious faux pas to give a young teenage girl a red rose, but not a pink or a yellow one. All the colours had a meaning. However, it is a bit like reading Tarot cards, not everyone agrees on those significances.

Anyhow, out of interest and to keep the tradition going, I will give you the generally accepted significance of the colours of roses below.

‘My love is like a red, red rose’, so goes the poem and when most people think of a rose, the first colour that probably comes to mind is red and, in fact, the word ?rose? comes from the Latin word ?rosa?, which means red.

It is also true that red roses are the most common and the most bought colour, but there are so many other colours that there is a whole lexicon of meanings that can be expressed with them.

Here are some colours and their meaning:

Red – Love, romance, beauty, obsession, desire and admiration

Burgundy – Unwitting loveliness

Red but withered – Our love is over

White – Wholesomeness, youth, pure love and virginal virtuousness

Pink – Happiness, admiration, gratitude and grace

Dark Pink – Thankfulness or thank you

Yellow – Happiness, gladness, companionship, pleasure or platonic love

Yellow with Red Tip – Falling in Love

Orange – Fascination, desire, or enthusiasm

Red and White – (a bouquet of roses of two colours) – Passionate wholesomeness or unity

Peach – Sincerity, gratitude, indebtedness, modesty, admiration, or sympathy

Lavender – Love at first sight or enchantment

Black – Death or our love is over

Blue – Unfeasible, unattainable or mystery

Red Rosebud – Symbol of wholesomeness and beauty

White Rosebud – Girlhood or youth

Thornless Rose – “Love at First Sight”

Single Rose – Straightforwardness

Two Roses – An engagement or impending marriage

Rose Leaves – Sign of hope

Roses – Sent every month – loveliness ever renewed

Unfortunately, there no true black or blue roses in nature, as the pigment structures in the rose do not allow these colours to be developed, although it has not stopped gardeners attempting it for hundreds of years. However, there are some very dark purple roses, which are used in stead of black roses. There are also some very pale lavender roses that seem to be blue, but have a shade of pink in them. Traditionally, blue roses are generally white roses dyed.

No matter what you want to say with your flowers, a bouquet of roses can convey your feelings. So next time you give a bunch of roses, why not try to express what you want to say by selecting the colours carefully. The recipient almost certainly will not understand these day, but you could send them a copy of this article or have fun explaining the meaning to them over a bottle of wine.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with valentines Day Gift Baskets. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas

categories: romance,love,gifts,weddings,marriage,friendship,jewelry,gold,product reviews,family,society,happiness,stress management,other

There are not many things in the world more nerve-racking than attempting to finish all of your Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. After fighting through the crowds to pick through the sparse leftovers in dozens of shops for the perfect gift, eventually settling for a present that is “good enough”, and then standing in line for an hour in an attempt to pay for that present even a lobotomy may seem preferable; after all, at least they anesthetize for that!

However, because of the busy agenda of individuals today, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to get things done ahead of the Christmas rush. After all, shops have long-standing hours which in general inconveniently coincide with the hours that most of the world’s population has to be at work. (More than one individual has speculated that this is not, in fact, a coincidence).

Intentional or not, it is difficult for a lot of people to do their shopping in a bricks-and-mortar shop. For this reason, virtual stores are on the rise as individuals enjoy the ability to do their shopping at any hour of the day or night from the comparative comfort of their own homes.

Shopping on the Worldwide web does not, however, eliminate one of the most critical problems facing Christmas shoppers, that is, deciding what the should buy. For years the jewellery industry has been doing its level best to provide shoppers with an opportunity to pick a romantic present for that special individuals in their life, say, a ring, a necklace, a bracelet, a brooch or a tie pin. It seems as though there is always something for everybody in the world of jewelry, no matter what the individual or their character.

However, giving the same presents year after year can become very tedious and jewelry shops have to constantly fight to stay on top of the market. They are consistently coming up with trendy new items to bring in customers and they have done it again with the introduction of silver card pendants.

Silver card pendants are pendants that attach to a card and can be worn as a necklace by the person who received them as a gift. That sounds effortless enough, does it not? The best thing is that regardless of who you are shopping for, there is a silver card pendant that suits the occasion! Is your wife’s birthday coming up? Buy her a pendant with a romantic heart on it . Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and you have not even started to think about what you are going to buy your beloved?

Buy her a pendant inscribed with “With All My Love Always” and give it with a card. Is your partner a new mum? Why not buy her a pendant that permits her to slide in a picture of your new bundle of joy and carry him or her with her wherever she goes?

As you can see, no matter what the situation, a silver card pendant makes the ideal gift. They can be bought from almost any online specialty retailer; you only have to do a search.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Romantic Gifts: Ideas. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

categories: romance,love,gifts,weddings,marriage,friendship,jewelry,gold,product reviews,family,society,happiness,stress management,other