I乌鸦传媒檓 sitting in a wingback chair in the luxurious Gold Lounge of Victoria乌鸦传媒檚 iconic Fairmont Empress hotel, soaking up the spectacular view of the Inner Harbour as velvety milk chocolate melts in my mouth.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a little darker than your typical milk chocolate with a 46.5 per cent cacao content, and I did that because it has more of a depth of flavour to it,乌鸦传媒� explains the Fairmont Empress乌鸦传媒檚 executive pastry chef, Gerald Tan. 乌鸦传媒淚 was inspired by the ocean so there乌鸦传媒檚 a touch of salt in there, a hint of caramel and honey, and fruity notes. We named it Golden Aura because the sunsets here are so beautiful.乌鸦传媒�

I乌鸦传媒檓 tasting the Fairmont Empress乌鸦传媒� new signature chocolates 乌鸦传媒� the creation of which, I乌鸦传媒檓 told, are a first for a Victoria hotel 乌鸦传媒揳nd they do not disappoint.

乌鸦传媒淲e try to do things that are special and make us stand out, so I really wanted to have a product that defines the Empress in dessert form,乌鸦传媒� Gerald says. 乌鸦传媒淭he whole idea behind creating the chocolate is to have something unique to the property and something that embodies not only the Empress, but also Victoria and Vancouver Island.乌鸦传媒� 

With notes of bark and pine capturing the woodsy aromas of the West Coast, red berries from Vancouver Island, and a hint of rose to honour the hotel乌鸦传媒檚 lush rose gardens, the 66.8 per cent cacao dark chocolate does just that. It乌鸦传媒檚 called Midnight Bloom 乌鸦传媒� a nod to all the flowers in the City of Gardens 乌鸦传媒� and it乌鸦传媒檚 Gerald乌鸦传媒檚 favourite.

乌鸦传媒淚 love the dark chocolate because there乌鸦传媒檚 just more intensity to the notes and as you taste it more, you get hints of olives and wine,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a bit stronger than your average dark chocolate, but it乌鸦传媒檚 velvety and there乌鸦传媒檚 no bitter aftertaste.乌鸦传媒�

To find the perfect combination of flavours, Gerald travelled to Paris to taste all of the delectable options at high-quality chocolate maker Barry Callebaut.

乌鸦传媒淭here are different notes of chocolate that you go through and then you narrow it down to the flavour profile you want,乌鸦传媒� he explains. 乌鸦传媒淒o you want it to be sweet or to have a strong cacao taste? I went with the more floral and a bit of fruitiness, and they created three different recipes for me that I brought back for the executive team to taste. And then we decided what was the best fit.乌鸦传媒�

For Gerald 乌鸦传媒� who乌鸦传媒檚 been a pastry chef for 10 years and moved to Victoria a year and a half ago, after working at the St. Regis Hotel in his hometown of Toronto 乌鸦传媒� it was an exciting but also daunting endeavour. 

乌鸦传媒淚t was definitely a lot of pressure!乌鸦传媒� he says with a laugh. 乌鸦传媒淗ow do you express what the property is about? It was really about getting to know the history of the Fairmont Empress as well as what makes Victoria special. So, I did a lot of exploring.乌鸦传媒�

Making both the Reserve Noir and the Reserve Le Luminaire chocolates even more special is the heraldic emblem embossed on each delectable piece 乌鸦传媒� another nod to the rich history of Canada乌鸦传媒檚 castle on the coast. Highlighted with gold dust on the piece of dark chocolate I乌鸦传媒檓 sampling, the 乌鸦传媒淏adge of the Empress乌鸦传媒� features a cougar (Vancouver Island has the highest concentration of cougars in the world) coming out of a crown that乌鸦传媒檚 rimmed with Pacific dogwood, British Columbia乌鸦传媒檚 official flower, and Canadian maple leaves.

乌鸦传媒淭he emblem and the chocolates are truly one of a kind and reflect the essence of our unique property,乌鸦传媒� Gerald says, adding that both signature chocolates are featured in the hotel乌鸦传媒檚 popular afternoon tea, and will be key ingredients in desserts at Q at the Empress this summer.

The raised arms of the cougar on the Empress emblem mean that it holds onto its good fortune and I乌鸦传媒檓 about to do the same by tasting the four-piece bon bon box ($20), available for purchase in the Lobby Lounge. The flavours emerge as a taste of Victoria, and include Empress honey, which is harvested on the property through the hotel乌鸦传媒檚 pollinator program, and even a Saanich berry, with white chocolate that乌鸦传媒檚 oozing with the most delicious raspberry ganache I乌鸦传媒檝e ever tasted. And since it乌鸦传媒檚 the Empress, there乌鸦传媒檚 also a tea-infused Earl Grey Midnight Bloom bon bon.

With Vancouver Island as his inspiration, Gerald and his team of 12 are constantly creating new sweet treats, from homemade ice cream to Gin Baba, a new twist on the citrusy Rum Baba that乌鸦传媒檚 made with the hotel乌鸦传媒檚 famous signature Empress 1908 Gin.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 very important for me to make things from scratch because there乌鸦传媒檚 a sense of pride from the team that we came up with this, and that it乌鸦传媒檚 homemade,乌鸦传媒� says Gerald, who乌鸦传媒檚 always loved baking and grew up making chiffon cakes with his mom. 乌鸦传媒淚 find it tastes better, the quality is better and it乌鸦传媒檚 unique 乌鸦传媒� you乌鸦传媒檙e not going to find it anywhere else and I乌鸦传媒檓 constantly amazed at the creativity of my team.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淲hat the pastry team comes up with is unbelievable and since Gerald乌鸦传媒檚 changing the menu every season, we always look forward to tasting what the team creates,乌鸦传媒� Empress public relations director Lisa McPhail tells me. 乌鸦传媒淚 was never a chocolate person and now I乌鸦传媒檓 suddenly a chocolate person, which says a lot.乌鸦传媒�

As I bite into the last piece of chocolate on my tasting platter 乌鸦传媒� Midnight Bloom, beautifully decorated with rose petals and freeze-dried raspberries 乌鸦传媒� I ask Gerald if you can have too much chocolate.

乌鸦传媒淚 have a sweet tooth so it乌鸦传媒檚 very hard not to eat everything!乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淲e always taste everything we make but I still have dessert at home every night as well.乌鸦传媒�