Noka is some sort of expensive chocolate brand that costs about $2,080 per pound, a considerable investment for something that your body will eventually process into solid waste. DallasFood, a local food blog, decided to take a closer look at the vaunted brand and discovered that a) they do no make or source their own cocoa and b) they’re probably not as good as they claim.
Remember, however, that taste is a very subjective thing. If you put a hunk of chocolate in a fancy steel box and another piece of the same choco in a box labeled “Bird Poop and Incidental Chocolate,” your brain will automatically prefer the fancy brand. I know it’s a bit off topic, but I know you guys like chocolate, so head over and read the thread.
Incidentally, this sort of chicanery happens in many high-end industries including watches, cigars and, of course, technology. If you knew who made your Sony plasma, you’d probably pee yourself.
What’s Noka Worth? [DallasFood via BoingBoing]
For some reason when I saw this my brain was thinking of that ‘chocolate’ cell phone. I guess the word chocolate and “noka” being close to “nokia” made some random things fire in my brain. Whew, it’s getting late. I need some rest. I’ll come back to read this tomorrow.
you think you’ve got it rough. I’m so jet-lagged that I’m telling you guys about chocolate.
This is too close to the “Nokia” name, especially the font. I was still thinking Nokia for some odd reason, and especially with the LG chocolate phone, that didn’t help!
Ummnn. Chocolate coated cell phones, my favorite!!!! That and Godiva truffles… Yummm………………..
Now that’s a gift! “What should I get your mother for Valentine’s day?” Don’t get her jewellery or gift certificates, get her chocolate!
I’m partial to not paying 2080 per pound for chocolate – i’ll stick with Valrhona at Tjoes.
And even though Ive seen this story before, I STILL also thought nokia/chocolate/cell phone. Arg.
Good lawd that’s looooooooooong. And he arrived at the conclusion that NOKA Chocolate really IS very high quality and very pure single-source chocolate — just as they claim. Holy cow! Is it expensive? Duh. Is it worth the cost? That’s entirely up the person buying a box as a gift. If you want to send a message to a lover or business associate, send the world’s most expensive chocolate — in a stainless steel box no less. Now there’s a gift that makes an impact. The fact that the author chooses to remain anonymous just makes me wonder if this isn’t a candy-coated hatchet job by a competitor or disgruntled former employee.
Dan,
“Scott” has been a regular on Chowhound and other online food forums for many years. He’s been writing about food in Dallas on the DallasFood blog since *before* Noka opened for business. You might not know him from Adam. But a lot of online foodies have known him for a long time. Rather than insinuating that he’s a competitor, why don’t you show what, if anything, he got wrong in the story?
The reports show that Noka has manipulated the media to create the false impression that Noka makes its own chocolate when they do not.
The reports show that Noka’s prices are many times higher than those of any chocolatier or chocolate maker in the market.
The reports show (in too *much* detail, I think) that Bonnat is the only chocolate maker with single-origin chocolates that match what Noka is using. They also show that Bonnat is a fraction of the cost.
The reports show that, unlike the 20+ prominent chocolatiers he called (including several celebrities, with television programs, cook books, awards, etc.), Noka was the only chocolatier that *refuses* to say who is providing their chocolate.
The reports show that Noka isn’t willing to answer serious questions about their chocolate. Added to that, I know some people who were former customers that sent emails to Noka since the story got out to try to get some kind of response and have heard nothing back. They’ll probably be asking for refunds if Noka doesn’t come up with a good explanation.
What you’re saying is that Noka’s response should be, “There’s a sucker born every minute”? If that’s all they can say, then they’re making the right decision in keeping quiet.
Maybe some people are suckers who are willing to pay way too much for things. But that doesn’t give Noka a “get out of jail free” card for pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
Sam
I see that Dan has missed this site; he said he’d post clarifications where he commented. Anyway, the upshot is that he’s a PR person. At the time he wrote that he wasn’t employed by Noka, but he is now. His own description: http://www.keeneypr.com/en/art/?222
I want to bring it to everyone’s attention that “Dan” is a hired PR person working for Noka chocolate. He has been using many other aliases and has been outed in the Dallas food’s forums. Eat us, Dan, Eat us.
This is the story of one hot chocolate that won’t survive the fire.