at Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:49:04 GMT in <QsIjf.1804$s96.74@trndny01>,
(Janet Puistonen) wrote :

>Reg wrote:
>
>> You're right though when it comes to shops. I haven't been able
>> to find a good bark in a shop either. Cups either. Both of these
>> I have to make myself. Good truffles are everywhere, however.
>>
>> I think it has to do with the perception as you say. Truffles
>> beat bark every time, so people will pay a premium for one
>> and insist on paying as little as possible for the other.

>What do you consider distinguishes a bark from a bar, other than the
>regularity of shape?

IMHO a bar doesn't have nuts or other inclusions protruding. In order to
achieve this, a bar generally has a lower proportion of such additions.
Also, barks are generally thinner than most bars - although there are
exceptions. Usually the exceptions are pure chocolate bars, however.

Do "truffles beat bark"? Not every time IMHO. There are times when yes,
you're in the mood for something super-creamy, and then a truffle is the
way to go. But there are other times when you're looking for a different
sensation - something with more bite, and perhaps with more of a mix of
flavours as opposed to a very pure chocolate taste.

However, there is one commanding aspect of truffles that I suspect may make
them a winner - they're bite-size. So the format is ideal for getting a
quick fix or satisfying a craving. It's a much more impulsive sort of thing
to get. Given that the necessity of siting chocolate cafes in areas that
have high foot traffic speaks heavily to impulse buying, it should hardly
surprise us that they enjoy such a prevalence.

And in addition while truffles cost a lot on a per-pound basis, if you're
just going for that isolated impulse buy, it's easy to justify, say, $2.
But a bark is something that, not being so associated with impulse, you
would more probably be buying a fair amount, and this adds up if you use
quality ingredients to make the bark, which is where people balk - they
don't like spending $20 for, let's say, 1 lb.

OTOH, this theory doesn't account for cups. So there's something else going
on as well.

--
Alex Rast

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