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Posted by on Feb 22, 2014 in Swiss recipes, vegan / vegetarian | 15 comments

Sweet Zurich – A Swiss chocolate tour Extravaganza!

Sweet Zurich – A Swiss chocolate tour Extravaganza!

When visiting Switzerland, the idea of exploring the Swiss chocolate, famous for it’s quality and variety is on everyone’s list of top things to do.

What if you could take a tour that combines the best of the Swiss chocolate world, while exploring the old historical town? And what if it could change your views on chocolate for the rest of your life?

Well, that’s what happened to me. I was searching for an interactive way of exploring the city of Zurich, a different way of engaging with the city, of literally tasting the flavors it had to offer. After all, I have been living in the world’s capital of chocolate.

Convinced I would probably be a passive spectator in the tour, mostly because I’m vegan and don’t eat any animal products, I was proven wrong by Kerrin, the amazingly passionate and super knowledgeable tour leader of the Sweet Zurich tours. Kerrin is a New York native, who settled in Zurich many years ago. She  has been running the Sweet Zurich tours for over 3 years now.

Swiss chocolate

My favorite chocolate – criollo de Venezuela with strawberry and rose pepper

 

Swiss chocolate

Incredibly delicious and creamy black chocolate

 

Kerrin and I strolled around the streets of the old historic Zurich, in search of the most traditional and high quality of chocolates. She was extremely attentive to the fact I don’t eat dairy and together we explored some of the most amazing black chocolates I never even thought existed.

Kerrin educated me to the fact that Chocolaterie is a fine art, just like wine and olive oil. The different aromas, smells, textures and concentrations of cocoa powder and cocoa butter can make a tremendous diffirence on the end product. I never imagined the world of chocolate could be so interesting, to be honnest. I found out there absolutely no need to feel limited to the bitter, dry and terrible dark chocolates we vegans are unfortunately used to.

 

Swiss chocolate

Black chocolate extravaganza

 

Swiss chocolate

Kerrin teaching me how to read the labels and identify the quality of the product

 

During the tour, you’ll get to learn about the interesting history of the Swiss chocolate, the families who started this old art, the processes in which is produced, the origins, the ingredients and concentration of and variations of ingredients and how to read a label properly.

The varieties of chocolate you’ll be exposed during the tour is mind blowing.

Swiss chocolate

There’s chocolate for all tastes

 

Swiss Chocolate

Sampling the best dark chocolate in the world!

I really appreciated the fact that I got to visit the off the beaten path small family shops I would have never find by myself, as well as getting to know about the bigger stores around town.

It would have been a waste not getting to know about them and talking to the people behind the counter.

CUP CAKES

Beautiful cup cakes

 

I loved the experience and I highly recommend this amazingly interactive tour of the  city’s old town and chocolate world. I would specially recommend VEGANS, Lactose and gluten intolerants who usually feel they can’t get much of food and sweet tours, to join and experience this adventure. Kerrin is very careful when selecting the samples and turning this a fun experience. You won’t feel left out or restricted in any way.

Swiss chocolate

 

The tours take place all year round. This experience was a courtesy of Sweet Zurich tours. Follow them on Facebook and check how other people rated their experience on Tripadvisor

 

** featured photo: thefutureofhealthnow.com

15 Comments

  1. WOW, what a sweet post. :)

    • Sweet indeed :) I had no idea there was such a variety of chocolates :)

  2. How awesome! I was in Zurich last year, traveling as a vegan family of 4. Oh how I wish I had known about this tour!

    • Wow Tanya whata shame you missed it! If you ever come again to Zurich, you’ll be amazed by all the vegan delicacies you can actually have!

    • Chanel, you’ll be surprised by the incredible quality of their chocolate.Forget everything you know about that Sweet delight, as Switzerland will blow you mind with the varieties.

  3. Oh I wish I would have known about this tour when I lived there 😉 although I think I did a good enough job of successfully taste-testing every shop I passed! I worked near the Lindt factory for a while – yes you COULD smell chocolate in the air every other day – like a real life Willy Wonka – just less exciting…

  4. Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with chocolate. I try to stay away but it finds me. It has found me once again.

    • Hahahaha, I took this tour a while back and I still think about this amazing chocolates I tried while in Zurich.

  5. You know I have a sweet tooth, so this post has just killed me!! I tried some chocolate in Brussels last summer, but Swiss chocolate seems so yummy as well. Would love to try it one day!

  6. I wish we knew about this whilst we were in Zurich, even if at that point we were still vegetarians and not vegans yet, I’d have loved to do this tour :)

    • Now you know, if you ever pass by Zurich, take a chocolate tour :) You won’t regret!

      • The quality of chocolate is not measured by its % but the amount of flavonoids still present in the chocolate. Ever tasted real high flavonoid medicinal raw chocolate from nonfermented wild criollo beans ? Did you know only in criollo there are 25.000 taste differences ? I only buy medicinal raw nonfermented and nonroasted prepared chocolate that does not contain acrylamide or cafein.
        90% of the flavonoids are distroyed by fermenting and also all enzymes. So chocolate is used as a candy nowadays but the inca and azteks usedused it as a medicine . like to learn more just contact me by facebook or at instagram @mrchocobean

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