Japanese Nama Choco Chocolate by Kanami

By Marie McDermott

I was so happy to be invited by Kanami Kawaguchi, founder of Kanami Chocolates, to taste some of her unique homemade organic treats. She makes a special Japanese chocolate called “nama choco” (“nama” means raw in Japanese).

The shocking thing is, Kanami has never even tasted her own chocolate. An allergy prevents her from eating cocoa (although I’m not sure that alone would keep me away from chocolate, unless it was deadly or something).

But anyway, this lead me to wonder just how exactly she finds the perfect taste.

“Maybe smell? Or texture?” she offered. “I’m always giving them to my friends and ask, ‘How was the taste?’ Some just say ‘Great, Delicious!’ But others give me good advice.”

All photos by Marie McDermott

I tried three types of the nama choco chocolate. My favorite was the Toasted Almond Marshmallow Chocolate Chunk. The light velvety texture produces a melt-in-your-mouth chocolaty goodness, and the marshmallow takes the chocolate to another delightful level. Quite honestly, it’s unlike anything I have ever tasted in New York…or America for that matter.

Any other chocolate fiends out there??

Visit kanamix.com for more info. To special order Kanami’s chocolates, email: [email protected]
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