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February is the month of love, thanks to Valentine's Day, so what do you love? If you're a chocoholic -- or know one -- this newsletter will give you a greater appreciation of this delicacy that, unlike many,is available to us on a daily basis. Like gourmets studying the intricate nuances of cheeses or spices, a chocolate connoisseur takes delight even in the way the candy melts on the tongue and teases the nose.

Chocolate is also a complex conglomeration that, if it gets on your clothes, can cause problems. We've got information on that, as well, so read on.

See you soon!
Jim

Chocolate Factoid

Cacao trees produce thousands of pods each year. Each pod contains 20-50 of the precious beans that eventually give us chocolate. Each pod's beans, when dried, weigh about 2 ounces -- and it takes about 400 beans to make a single pound of chocolate.

A Coupon to Love!

Just about everybody wears something red on Valentine's Day, and that means a lot of people are going to spill on something red, too. Red is sometimes a tricky color in fabric because it can run. We work with red all the time, and we can handle it. This week, have $10 in regular drycleaning done and we'll do a red garment of equal or lesser value at no charge. (Include first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer expires 2/26/05. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

Chocolate -- A Sweet Story

When you inhale the fragrance of rich chocolate and take that first, tantalizing bite, you probably don't think of anything but the ecstasy you are experiencing through your tastebuds. But chocolate has a rich and fascinating history, and actually is quite difficult to make. Here are a few facts to make you appreciate it even more.

Rich History

Whether you're a fan of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or another variety, the earliest discovery of chocolate goes back to Central and South America, possibly as far as 2000 years.

• The Mayas and the Aztecs were very aware of the cocoa beans, which they used to make a frothy drink. They served it to Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez in gold goblets in 1519. (Montezuma reportedly had at least 50 servings of it a day!)
• The Spaniards exploring the New World didn't like the "chocolatl" until they added sugar cane.
• The native people of Central and South America valued the cocoa beans so much they used them as currency (400 beans equaled one Zontli; 8000 made a Xiquipilli -- now you know!)
• Cortez set up a cocoa plantation where he said "money" would be in cultivation.
• Europeans took up the discovery when it came back in treasure ships, and added cinnamon and vanilla, then tried serving it hot. Spaniards, however, kept the secrets of cocoa's production for nearly 100 years.
• It wasn't until 1847 that chocolate was first sold in solid format ("eating chocolate"), instead of liquid. And in 1875 Daniel Peter, of Switzerland, discovered how to add milk to it and increase its sweetness markedly.
• Henri Nestle perfected the making of condensed milk -- essential in milk chocolate.
• Chocolate melts on the tongue because cocoa butter remains in solid state until it reaches 89 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit -- something discovered by Rudolphe Lindt (1855-1909) and for which his chocolates are still renown.
• People love chocolate so much that when it is scarce, there is noticeable distress. In World War II, room was made in transport ships for cocoa beans to keep the supply available.
• Today's Army soldiers still receive 3 four-ounce chocolate bars in their rations.
• Chocolate has ridden with astronauts into space.

Nothing so good is easy.

The chocolate we eat begins in the tropic areas of the planet (mostly Central and South America, and some areas of Africa) where the cacao trees grow only if carefully protected. After about 4-5 years, they begin producing blossoms right on the trunk or biggest branches of the tree. Some of the blossoms will go on to produce fruit (pods), which are carefully harvested twice a year -- carefully, because the trees are delicate.

The pods are split open with machetes -- a proficient "breaker" can split 500 pods in an hour. Inside the pods is a fruity membrane and the precious beans, arranged in five rows. Each pod will produce 20-40 beans. They are fermented with some of the fruit they cling to over a period of days, then dried over more days, and packaged in sacks for delivery to the docks and shipment out. The market price of beans is carefully regulated by special Cocoa Exchanges (like the Stock Exchange) and based on availability of beans, quality of the harvest and other factors.

As if this weren't enough, the formation of chocolate as we know it is hardly even begun at this stage! Beans are blended, roasted, "cracked" to get the outer hulls off, crushed and ground to get out the cocoa butter (cocoa powder doesn't have it, eating chocolate depends on it), then shaped, filled, wrapped, and shipped to your local store. The details of how each individual factory makes chocolate are closely guarded.

• Read more about the growing and processing of cacao beans here.
• Read more about the actual process of making chocolate here.
• Read more about the history of chocolate here.

Chocolate Good for You?

In recent years, we've heard of every kind of medical "truth" about everything from chocolate to carbs, grapefruit to gin. Here are a few interesting medical facts about chocolate, gleaned from the Chicago Field Museum's website about its Chocolate Exhibit (sounds yummy!)

• Chocolate doesn't cause cavities! It actually has antibacterial agents that can prevent tooth decay. (Don't get so excited -- the candy we eat has a lot of sugar, which DOES cause cavities.)
• Chocolate doesn't raise your cholesterol. The Mayo Clinic has done studies that show it has stearic acid, a neutral fat that doesn't increase "bad cholesterol". In addition, cocoa butter has oleic acid, which is monounsaturated -- like the fat in olive oil, which may help increase "good cholesterol."
• Chocolate does not cause acne. In fact, most studies have shown that diet has little impact on whether a person gets or doesn't get acne.
• Chocolate is not addictive. At least, it's not physically addictive. However, many people are "hooked" on it from a habitual or cultural standpoint. (Besides, who'd want to get off chocolate?)
• Chocolate can make you feel better. But you knew that already! Actually, there are small amounts of mood-elevating elements in chocolate (such as phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator.) There's even a study from the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, CA that says some chemicals in chocolate mimic what marijuana does in the brain. Don't worry about getting high, though. You'd have to eat about 25 pounds at a sitting! (And the side effects of that would outweigh any benefits.)
• Don't worry about caffeine in chocolate. Yes, it has caffeine, but in such small amounts that an ounce of milk chocolate has about the same as a cup off coffee -- decaffeinated coffee.
• Chocolate IS bad for your pets! Never allow your cat or dog to eat chocolate -- whether it's candy, cake, ice cream, or something else. It contains things they can't process in their bodies, and it can bring on seizures and even death. Take your pet to the vet immediately if you suspect it has consumed chocolate and is acting sick. (Dogs are more prone to eating chocolate that is left unsupervised.) Baking chocolate is the worst, since it contains about 100 times as much of theobromine -- the chemical that pets can't tolerate -- than milk chocolate. 3 ounces of baking chocolate can kill a 20-pound dog.

Chocolate Stains and Your Clothes

Chocolate is made SO smooth and lovely by that cocoa butter we talked about earlier. Unfortunately, that butter also makes chocolate a "compound stain" -- it is both a greasy stain because of the cocoa butter, and it leaves a color stain due to the residue of the chocolate itself. This makes it very problematic for you to remove at home. You can find all kinds of tips on the internet for "how to remove chocolate stains at home" and they involve adding all kinds of things to the stain. We see the results of this all the time at our store -- and what has happened is that all those attempts have simply set the stain for good.

Bottom line: Don't mess with it; bring it to us, point it out,and we'll use our expertise and our specialty spotting agents to remove the stain if at all possible. Why turn a sweet memory into a disaster, if you can help it?

Happy Valentines Day!

Just as most grocery stores accept and recycle shopping bags, many drycleaners accept hangers from customers. We participate in IFI's "Caring for the Future Now" program which is designed  to help members make a difference in their communities by offering recycling services.  The program offers cleaners the means to accept hangers for reuse. Show you care for your community and your environment by helping us help you.