Your Love Coach

Chocolates: Best Aphrodisiac?

I have yet to find anyone who does not like chocolates. How can they not love the heavenly sensual delight one experiences as soon as chocolate makes contact with their tongue?

From Wiki:

Chocolate is comprised of a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Native to lowland, tropical South America, cacao has been cultivated for three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolatl, a Nahuatl word meaning “bitter water”. The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After being roasted and ground, the result is chocolate or cocoa.

Much of the chocolate consumed today is made into bars that combine cocoa solids, fats like cocoa butter, and sugar. Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavours in the world.

Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Scientists claim that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, including a substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals, though the presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals.

In November, 2007, archeologists reported finding evidence of the oldest known cultivation and use of cacao at a site in Puerto Escondido, Honduras, dating from about 1100 to 1400 BC.

Roughly two-thirds of the entire world’s cocoa is produced in Western Africa, with 43% sourced from Côte d’Ivoire.

More recently, it has been suggested that theobromine and other chemicals found in chocolate, most notably phenethylamine, can act as mild sexual stimulants. While there is no firm proof that chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac, a gift of chocolate is a familiar courtship ritual.

Moreover, over 1,500 years ago in South America chocolate gained the reputation of being an aphrodisiac where it was considered to have mystical powers by the Mayan and Aztecs cultures. The Aztec emperor, Monteczuma, drank fifty golden goblets of chocolate a day to enhance his sexual prowess. In the film, Ever After, Prince Henri said that the Spanish discovered chocolates, true, but only after the South Americans did!

The main substances found in chocolate are Phenylethylamine and Serotonin, which are mood lifting agents. Human bodies have them naturally and are released when we are happy, experiencing strong emotions like love, passion and lust.

Eating chocolates also induces release of these substances - thus we feel happy. Rumours have it that Casanova consumed chocolate for its aphrodisiac qualities before engaging in wild passionate sex with his conquests.

Whether chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac is subjective in my opinion. Some may find gastronomic delight after its consumption, others may benefit from it more. But whatever we think of chocolates it is undeniable that the pleasure one gain after it melts sensuously in their mouth comes second to none.

How do you then pick the best chocolate for your valentine?

Here are the things you should bear in mind when choosing:

1. Freshness is key. In case you bought chocolates more than 2 weeks ago, forget giving them to someone you want to impress. The fresher the chocolate, the better the experience.
2. You get what you pay for. I’m not saying that you should buy the most expensive chocolates on the market, but don’t go with the cheapest either.
3. No calorie counting. If you’re giving the chocolates to someone diabetic, then by all means go for sugar-free. Otherwise, indulge!
4. No gift recycling. It is in bad taste if you give a box of chocolates intended for you to someone else.
5. Purchase flavours loved by the recipient. At the same time, it is also a good idea to include a couple of flavours you particularly like. In case they don’t like them, just say that you’re trying to share with them the experience of the chocolate, by sharing a part of you.
6. Size doesn’t matter. Look, you can buy them the biggest block of shell of chocolate or the tiniest. What matters most is how the chocolate tastes and the thought that went into buying it.
7. Be adventurous. You may have some trusted chocolatier, but perhaps it may be best to go with another supplier, one who’s highly recommended by their clients.

Here’s a list of some of the top chocolatiers:

1. Christopher Norman Chocolates
2. Aglamesis
3. Docwra’s
4. MarieBelle New York
5. Lake Champlain Chocolates
6. Cocoa Mountain
7. Romanicos Chocolate
8. L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates
9. Kshocolat
10. La Maison du Chocolat
11. Vosges Chocolates
12. Hot Chocolates
13. Richard Paris
14. Plaisir du Chocolat
15. Recchiuti Confections
16. Coco of Bruntsfield
17. Payard
18. Charlotte Flower Chocolates

Lastly, whatever chocolate you decide to procure - even though it is the cheapest chocolate you could find - nothing is sweeter than the loving words from your heart, nothing more sensual than the touch of your lips, and nothing could inspire passion more than the caress of an ardent lover.

Have the most sensual Valentine’s Day!

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