The Chocolate Chamber's new chocolate creations: Pree & Tada

And the story of Maria Cacao continues…

Our Chocolate Queen, Raquel Choa never ceases to tell us stories from our Philippine Mythology through chocolate as her medium.

The Chocolate Chamber does not only sell chocolates for the sake of just presenting and making it available to the market instead miss Raquel’s greatest dream is to bring back the life of the forest - meaning, she wants the stories from her childhood where she lived in a far away land - in the mountains of Balamban where evenings were spent  to tell stories of legends and myths to entertain and understand about taking care and respecting the forest including the creatures that may have lived in it.

With the belief of Maria Cacao’s existence in our folklore comes the notion of the creatures of the mystical world like “Kapre” and “Engkantada” thus the birth of the two new chocolates made of cacao   with nibs and sesame seeds which are now available in TCC Bohol and TCC Galleria.

As I was given a chance to have a conversation with Miss Raquel Choa, she shared that these two new chocolates was a product of her visit in San Benito Farm few

months ago. She was mesmerized of the place that her imagination plays a brilliant idea seeing a big old Mango tree situated inside The Farm at San Benito where a white peacock can be seen every now and then. This brought her to her childhood - where stories of Kapre who stayed in the tree with silky, dark and smoky presence. Peacock symbolizes the mystical creature that she got the name “tada” derived from the word “Engkantada,” which refers to fairies or enchanted beings with fair complexion, golden hair and endowed with supernatural powers.

And when asked the reason of sesame seeds in these two chocolates? Miss Raquel Choa’s reply was; since The Farm at San Benito is centered on wellness, Sesame seeds benefits are put to emphasize the new chocolate creations.

Some benefits of Sesame seeds are: 

 

* Good Source of Fiber. ...

* May Lower Cholesterol and Triglycerides. ...

* Nutritious Source of Plant Protein. ...

* May Help Lower Blood Pressure. ...

* May Support Healthy Bones. ...

* May Reduce Inflammation. ...

* Good Source of B Vitamins. ...

* May Aid Blood Cell Formation

* May Aid Blood Sugar Control

* Rich in Antioxidants

* Supports Your Immune System

* Soothes Arthritic Knee Pain

* Supports Thyroid Health

* Aids Hormone Balance During Menopause

 

How great it is to have someone in the market like our very own Chocolate Queen who continues to uphold our culture in bringing back stories from our ancestors passing it to the new generation making her chocolates more interesting and more enticing to the public who loves to know more about Philippine Mythology. She is not just selling chocolates to the world but she is telling stories to make the Philippines known to the world - She is likened to be our modern “lola basyang.” A character in the Philippine Art who is characterized as an elderly woman fond of telling stories to her grandchildren but this time it is our Chocolate Queen bringing back the stories through her chocolate creations. 

I’ve tasted both Pree and Tada chocolates and while savoring it, my imagination was activated to what miss Raquel said. With the color of “Pree” chocolate, It gave me an impression of seeing a “Kapre” who is tall, dark and left me a scary feeling. “Tada” on the other hand, made me smile because I visualized a beautiful fairy who is beautiful and with its magical wings and a fairy dust. I was amazed on how TCC’s chocolates can bring back the childhood in me. I love it everytime the Chocolate Queen would give me her stories on how she came to create her chocolates. She is such a unique artist that has the charisma of making the stories alive and relived through her 

chocolate creations.

 

Stay updated with her new chocolates as you learn more about our Philippine folklore stories packaged in The Chocolate Chamber Chocolates.