Satin smooth, deliciously creamy, sweet and sensuous - One bite is all it takes to make you swoon. Three top chocolatiers shares with us how they create these pieces of heaven on earth.

LIBERATE THE TASTE WITH JEAN-PAUL HEVIN CHOCOLATES

Jean-Paul Hevin was a pastry chef by the time he was 24 years old. Since being awarded the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's top craftsman) in 1986, this passionate craftsman has continuously invested thought and effort in his "flagship ingredient"-chocolate, so that he can turn it into the delicate, exceptional products that are displayed, much like jewels in his stores in Paris, Japan and Hong Kong. Gain an insight on J.P.H, one of the stars in the chocolate industry with us.

To you, what makes a good chocolate? Is it the aroma, freshness or the subtle balance of taste?

Aroma, freshness, color, balance of taste are all important. You can recognize a fine chocolate by its dark, warm color and, most of all, its fragrance. As soon as the box is opened, the aroma must be bold, pervasive, delicate, and insistent, all at the same time.

To guarantee extreme freshness, the boxes of chocolates are prepared each morning. Chocolates bearing the Jean-Paul Hévin label never sits on the store counter for more than three days. I love to create surprises by combining different taste and brings new tastes to customers. Chocolates bring happiness to people, so the overall nutritional values are also very important.

What are the qualities that characterize the Jean-Paul Hévin label?

I call my chocolates "black pearls" because each piece of the chocolates is made with the highest-quality ingredients, which I myself am constantly tasting and sampling. I travel all over the world in the hunt for cocoa beans. I am just as uncompromising on the subject of where our fine cocoa beans come from (selected mostly in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Madagascar) as I am about their flavor or color. My job, first and foremost, is that of a taster.

I will not entrust the responsibility of tasting to anyone else. I have developed a number of methods that enable me to "taste" each chocolate to detect the different levels of flavors hidden deep within. Each customer can customize his/her box and choose an assortment from a selection of extra dark ganaches, pralines, and milk chocolates. I use extreme care to select the essences (fruit fillings, spices, caramels, or liqueurs) that suit each ingredient and enhance their flavor and taste. To fully appreciate the quality of the chocolate, chocolate lovers should eat the delicacies within two weeks and not below a certain temperature: "It must be enjoyed at room temperature, like a fine wine or a cake."

I am also very concerned about the overall nutritional values of my black pearls. Cocoa beans are rich in carotene, vitamins in group B, and vitamins C, D and E. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron and fluorine. They are also rich in tannins, the substances that protect the heart and the blood vessels. Eating chocolates help stimulate blood platelet activity, thus reducing the levels of cardiovascular risk. To ensure that customers enjoy the health benefits of eating chocolates, I am very conscious about striking the right balance of cocoa beans, cocoa oil and sugar in the production of my black pearls. My black pearls are made with less sugar and I insist on using cocoa butter as opposed to butter. I want to see people eating the J.P.H. black pearls while staying healthy; and thus bringing overall happiness to mankind.

Inside Jean-Paul Hévin's stores, you'll find a taste reflecting modernity and perfection, combined with an atmosphere of elegance and comfort. These very qualities characterize the J.P.H. label; and give birth to the Jean-Paul Hévin black pearls.

You have won the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France Award in 1986 and have been ranked as the No 1 Chocolatier in Japan by Nikkei Shinbun. How did you cut through all the competition to achieve this current status?

Passion about chocolates. I never stop thinking of ways to improve. I simply never stop! I spend days and nights probing the secrets of chocolates; trying to better understand customers' needs. Chocolates and the art of its cooking are composed by many influences and contain multiple parameters. All the details remain essential and must be mastered. This search for the truth about chocolates takes me to Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, seeking special beans. I travel, visit, inhale, and compare. In fact, my black pearls and I have become one entity. When I taste chocolates, it is as though I am receiving communion, my whole being unfurls its antenna to analyze and savor.

How did J.P.H. start out? Please share some of the difficulties it faced initially, if any? How were they overcome?

In 1988, I opened my first shop ("Le Petit Boulé") on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris (7th arrondissement). In 1990, I opened a shop on Rue Vavin, Paris (6th arrondissement); and in 1997, I opened a shop/tea room on Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris (1st arrondissement). Throughout 2002 to 2008, I opened 6 shops throughout Japan. In 2008, I opened my first shop in Hong Kong. There were many difficulties - first and foremost - how to allocate 24 hours of the day to my various ventures? From cocoa beans selection, chocolates production, tasting, creating new flavors, creating new recipes to shop design, packaging, staff-training, publicity etc, I am in charge of everything. Of course I get tired. However, I am still as passionate as ever about my black pearls. I believe being passionate is the key to overcoming any difficulties.

I never stop thinking of ways to bring people pleasant surprises and ultimate happiness. Besides the splendid dress, I have created chocolate high heels, the Eiffel Tower (both only available in stores in Paris), cigars etc. One of my new creations is chocolate sunglasses to celebrate Father's Day (also only available in Paris). To celebrate the grand opening of the first Hong Kong store, I have also created some chocolate jewellery and we have invited models to wear them for a fashion walk.

In fact, the creativity of the J.P.H. label has attracted thousands of people to the stores throughout the world. For example, my deluxe hot chocolate once sparked an extraordinary craze during its launch in Japan - people lined up for more than three hours to taste this exhilarating preparation. At Tokyo's Salon du Chocolat in January 2007, fourteen thousand visitors flocked to the Isetan department store in just two days to see the creations of the man some did not hesitate to call, "a living masterpiece".

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