The State of Ren

Name: Marks & Spencer Organic Fairtrade Dark Chocolate 72% cocoa solids
Price: RMB 20
From: Marks and Spencer Shanghai (Nanjing Xi Lu)
Cocoa origin: Peru and Panama
Upon bite: Smooth and creamy
Taste on the ‘buds: Cherry
Palate-attack level: Low, doesn’t linger
Bitterness rating: Low-medium (this is one of the creamiest 70%+ dark chocolates I can remember having)
Meltiness: High (break it without touching [...]

The artist: The Bionaut
The track: Lush Life Electronica
The year: 1995
The reason: I heard this for the first time just a few hours ago and it immediately took me to a place significant enough to endorse right now. Instrumental big-sounding electronica. Food for your ears. Do it.
Serving suggestion: A worthy listening companion, Bowmore single malt 17 [...]

The band: The Smiths
The track: How Soon Is Now
The year: 1985
The reason: One hell of a depressing song that, for some reason, makes me feel good every time I hear it. It’s one of the few Smiths tracks I can tolerate without needing air and sunshine soon after. That aside, this would easily rate in [...]

 
I am a big fan of single malt scotch whiskies - the older, the better. I am also a big fan of dark chocolate - the more cocoa, the better.
 
Recently, I’ve been reading about the complementarity of good whisky and dark chocolate. Odd, I thought, with a hint of intrigue. I usually drink my whisky straight, rinsing [...]