Article written byRiccardo Berti

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Roberto Catinari: Chocolate as an art form designed for an aware customer

Considered by many to be one of the best chocolates in the world, it amazes with its little moments of joy.

His name is certainly not unknown to chocolate veterans. Roberto Catinari is an icon of Italian chocolate and was one of the undisputed protagonists when the Tuscan Chocolate Valley was born. Indeed, it was he who inspired other good Tuscan chocolatiers, he who, in 1973, returned from Switzerland with the ambition of producing chocolate in his native town - Bardalone - considering that at the time it was difficult to find all sorts of materials, from ingredients to the necessary equipment.

Roberto Catinari is a true Master, who deserves a capital M, thanks to his great experience in the field, from the dawn of craftsmanship to the most recent developments in the sector. It is no coincidence that he is among the very rare in Italy to still produce chocolates filled with liqueur - in his case Vin Santo, Brunello or Chianti - "in a sugar crust". «It is a very complex process that I learned in Switzerland – explains Roberto – and so artisanal that it has now almost been lost due to the high production costs. It consists of letting the drops of liqueur or wine "rest" in trays of corn starch so that they form a thin sugary crust, which are then dusted and covered in dark chocolate.»

«I have seen many "seasons" pass before my eyes and I must say that chocolate has always fascinated Italians a lot, in particular the artisanal specialties, those that cannot be found in the supermarket, linked to particular local ingredients or made with raw materials of high quality and natural aromatic nuances. Today more than ever the public is looking for true craftsmanship and is hungry for information. He loves knowing the origin of the cocoa from which the chocolate is derived, knowing that the almonds are of the best quality from Bari, the hazelnuts from Piedmont, the pistachios from Bronte, the citrus fruits from the South.»

A name that has marked the history of Italian chocolate, combining Swiss craftsmanship with the excellent raw materials of our territory, reveals some of his tricks for a successful chocolate shop

Our company is a small company in the province of Pisa dedicated to the production of artisanal excellence. «The quality of chocolate is everything for me – states Catinari – because it is the raw material on which I base my work. This is why I chose the expertise of Icam, a company that satisfies all my needs thanks to its wide range of products and customer attention. I purchase the top of the offer, namely the Grand Crus, including Los Bejucos of Dominican origin.

For each coverage, the technical yield and intensity of flavor are specified, and this allows me to obtain unique and extraordinary results. Also very interesting is the Organic range (White Chocolate, Extra Dark Chocolate, Prestige Milk) and Los Bejucos Grand Cru Cocoa Paste. The latter particularly struck me with its pleasant taste, unlike most pastes, which are extremely bitter and have a powerful astringency.

Cioccolato Saotomé, il modo migliore per sperimentare il sapore del cacao.

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“The value of emotions in unique pieces”


The search for the value of emotions in unique, unconventional pieces, designed for an aware customer, who understands the meaning of the gesture of putting a chocolate different from all the others in his mouth and tasting it.

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