Michelin-starred chef, Thomas Keller, and Italian olive oil producer, Armando Manni, collaborated to create some truly unique and incredible chocolates. the K+M Milk Coffee + Sea Salt Chocolate uses cacao from Hacienda Victoria, an award-winning Ecuadorian estate, and organic Manni Extra Virgin Olive Oil in place of cocoa butter. The result is a wonderfully silky texture, filled with lush flavors of coffee and caramel, with hints of sea salt. The texture is smooth and creamy, but with a pleasant crunch from coffee beans roasted in Napa Valley.
The Thomas Keller K+M Milk Coffee + Sea Salt Chocolate is great to enjoy as a snack, or as an after-meal treat. Pair it with a glass of Merlot, or a cup of gourmet coffee.
K+M is an innovative collaboration between two minds, that of Thomas Keller and Armando Manni. These two men have made their names in the culinary world, and this collaboration is yet another very deserved feather in their already well-decorated caps.
Thomas Keller is the first and only American-born chef to get three stars from the Michelin Guide. He is a giant of American cuisine, and currently heads The French Laundry, the famous restaurant in Napa Valley, California.
Armando Manni has forged a reputation in Tuscany for his premium, super-antioxidant Italian extra-virgin olive oils. He developed the “Live Oil” process with the University of Florence and the National Council of Research in Italy. This process makes Manni EVOO the only oil to maintain its quality and taste for three years, and also gives it higher levels of antioxidants than other olive oils.
Together, Keller and Manni spent five years crafting a unique and innovative chocolate. In collaboration with the University of Florence, they developed a new method that preserves the antioxidants in the cocoa beans (traditional chocolate making can cause up to 60 to 80 percent loss). The result is a delicious and complex chocolate with an unparalleled silky quality, with all the full potential of the cocoa bean.
Store your chocolates in a cool, dark place, ideally between 18 to 24°C. You can use the refrigerator, but place the chocolate in an airtight container to keep the moisture and humidity out—and retain its full range of flavors, of course!