"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...

....

> It's all immaterial, though, because ultimately what counts is the quality
> of the chocolate. And in that respect, Amedei (at least IMHO) is the clear
> winner. So as far as I'm concerned, it would be just as well if Amedei did
> have an exclusive arrangement, and I'll continue to buy Amedei, and not
> Valrhona, not because I have any misgivings over the labelling, but
because
> the chocolate is better.

I'm going to jump in here even though I have absolutely no right to, since
I've been so unforgivingly lax about exploiting a major resource I have
right around the corner. But I'll throw myself at the mercy of whoever wants
to write a few words:

I live in Pisa, which is just a few miles/kilometers away from Amedei in
Pontedera. I was in a bar in Pisa (Salza) and picked up a bar of Chuao a
couple of weeks ago, tasted it, thought it was really interesting, and was
on the verge of writing to the newsgroup and asking what people might know
and think about it. Then this thread came along, which made it clear that
we're talking world-class here and I'm completely out of it. I've been
wanting to go visit Amedei for a while, but I realize now that I've got to
be better prepared than this. Anybody want to say a few words about their
various lines and what I should look out for when I go there?

Thanks,

John