The confections at Luis Moro Chocolate of Scotts Valley are annointed with the names of cities, regions and countries from around the world, reflecting the provenance of their ingredients, and proprietor Luis Ellisos Dinos Moro’s love of travel.
Born in Madrid, Moro was once a travel agent. But a trip with his wife to a chocolate boutique and lavender farm in France changed his life. After training at the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando and with Jean Pierre Wybauw at the French Pastry School in Chicago, he set out to make chocolates with plants, herbs, and fruit.
A four-piece box is $10; an eight-piece box is $18; and a 16-piece box is $35.
I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.
Luis Moro Chocolate: Elegance and finesse are two words that come to mind immediately when seeing these bonbons. The “Valencia” is a rectangular confection of dark chocolate and orange, topped with slivers of candied peel. It’s a customer favorite and it’s easy to see why. The bittersweet citrus marries beautifully with the rich, deep chocolate. The “India” is a paisley-printed milk chocolate square that has huge hit of floral flavor. It’s like sipping a fine cup of jasmine tea. The bonbons have nice, thin shells, and very smooth fillings. Rating: 9 lip-smackers.