Valrhona Cocoa Powder - 3 kg

I used to bake, but nowadays my interest in cocoa powder is for hot cocoa, which I consume a fair amount of in the wintery months. I used to buy Droste Cocoa exclusively. Some years ago when I bought some Hershey's to compare, Droste beat Hershey's so badly I returned the Hershey's to my local supermarket for a refund, it was that terrible.After decades of nothing but Droste I decided a few years ago to try some other high end cocoa powders. I bought an 8.8 oz package of Valrhona locally and decided that I liked Droste more. I then bought a kilogram of Pernigotti through Amazon, and determined that it was superior to Droste and my absolute favorite. I have maybe 25% of that kilogram left. Recently I bought a kilogram of Callebaut cocoa powder from Amazon, decided it wasn't bad, but not as good as Pernigotti. Out of curiosity a week or so ago I again tried the Valrhona, of which I had a few ounces remaining. Lo and behold I like it far better than the Pernigotti or the Callebaut! It's far far smoother, less abrasive than the others, the experience far more pure and pleasing. It's my absolute favorite now. I don't have any Droste at the moment to compare it with, but I plan to buy a box when I visit my local grocery in a few days, however I'm pretty sure I will prefer the Valrhona and likely purchase the 3 kilogram package from Amazon.I have a formula for hot cocoa that makes it possible to prepare quickly, easily and accurately every time. I have a small digital scale (about 1 kilogram maximum) in my kitchen that I utilize rather than volume measurements when cooking, when practical to do so, which is most of the time. My formula for hot cocoa mix is this:By weight:1 part cocoa powder2 parts white sugar3 parts nonfat dry milk powderI add a mere dash of salt (optional), put these in a large covered container and shake to mix it all well and store in tightly covered containers. When I want to make a cup of hot cocoa I do this:By weight:1 part hot cocoa mix (made by the above formula)3 parts water brought to the boiling pointStir well and enjoy.I'm finding that when using Valrhona cocoa powder the result is the most pleasing, but I find it a bit on the sweet side, so I think I'm going to modify the recipe to increase the proportion of cocoa powder. The other high end cocoa powders mentioned need more sugar to compensate for their relative harshness. By contrast, Valrhona is very mellow.- - - -Edit next day: I figured it out. Buying 3 kilograms here now is at 1/2 the price of what high quality cocoas cost locally, including Valrhona. I'm in, just ordered (I'm running out, not an option)!- - - -Edit the next day: I bought an 8.8 oz package of Droste Cocoa, just as I have done dozens of times before, to compare to Valrhona, Callebaut, Pernigotti to make sure. Yes, Valrhona is much the superior cocoa. I will never again buy a package of Droste or the others. Hopefully, the 3 kilograms I'm about to receive is as good as the little that remains of the 8.82 oz box I bought probably a couple of years ago.

Nothing comes close to the superior taste of Valrhona cocoa. It is rich, dark, and performs better than all other cocoas I've tried.

Valrhona cocoa is an excellent cocoa. It's flavor is complex and aromatic with a true cocoa flavor. It is difficult to define flavor, as each individual tastes things slightly differently, but the flavor of this cocoa is reminiscent of a good, 65-70% dark chocolate. It is rich and fruity. If you bake a lot it is a good idea to purchase the 3 Kg (6.6 lbs), as it keeps well in the freezer about 1 year, provided it is well sealed (vacuum packed). This box contains 3 pouches of a Kilogram each (2.2pounds). You can also share with friends and split the cost. I use this cocoa in hot chocolate, but don't expect it to taste like commercially prepared brands such as Swiss Miss, etc. these brands have other flavorings and additives that enhance the flavor of the poorer quality cocoas they use. It is absolutely wonderful in chocolate desserts and the brownies are to die for. If in doubt, but a smaller quantity to try, and try different brands until you find the one that suits your taste the best. After all, taste is a matter of preference.

Cheapest way to get this great cocoa

Valrhona Cocoa is the best I have tasted on the market; it is well worth buying it in bulk; especially since it is hard to find in stores. If you don't use cocoa often, you can easily dump some in a mason jar, tie a bow around it and give it as a gift when you aren't sure what else to give someone. It is a dark cocoa with deep/rich flavor but is not overly bitter. It blends phenomenally in buttercream frosting and with cake batter (which I make with this often). I baked two cakes for cowrokers, one with Valrhona and another with Scharffen Berger cocoa; every other ingredient was exactly the same between the two. Several coworkers said the Schargen Berger cake tasted good, but they said it tasted like I put more love into the Valrhona cake, which they stated was superior in flavor. I agreed. Valrhona is now the only cocoa I use.

Love the flavor. I'm a chocolate guy and have used this in making commercial gelato and other treats. Super positive results from my customers! A bit pricy, but worth it.

You can never go wrong with company. Perfect for making chocolate baked goods or hot cocoas. This is a large quantity I’m sharing with others:-)

I've been buying the smaller retail packs for many years and it was by far my favorite drinking cocoa. This is a big disappointment -- and apparently not returnable. While this product has the very rich and very slightly smoky characteristic of Valrhona which I value, this has an "off" taste, perhaps faintly metallic making it undrinkable (by my wife) and otherwise of marginal overall quality. It was not an outdated product or damaged product, so perhaps it was improperly stored or a second. Anyway, I suppose I'll have to go back to ScharffenBerger which I don't care for quite as much, but the bulk pack I purchased from Amazon earlier this year was fresh and consistent with the smaller retail packages. Not sure what the problem is causing the mixed reviews, but I hope that Amazon would sort it out.