Harald Biehler is a master of sweet seduction.
He still makes chocolate by hand - from beans to bars.
This makes the Kohlgruber unique in the district and is only one of very few in all of Bavaria.
His latest task is the anniversary board for 150 years of the Bad Kohlgrub mud spa.
Bad Kohlgrub
- “Do you like it?” Harald Biehler observes Franz Degele intently.
"It is a little smokier in the finish," says Biehler expectantly.
But it doesn't take any nice words to completely convince Degele.
“It is.” Quite sure.
Neither of them talk about wine as observers might suggest.
It's about something sweeter.
More precisely, about chocolate.
Biehler is a first-class chocolatier.
Mayor Degele, on the other hand, is the one who is spoiled for choice between three varieties.
Degele knows that it should be perfect, the anniversary chocolate for 150 years of Bad Kohlgrub mud spa.
There is absolutely no question that he is in good hands with Biehler.
After all, the Bad Kohlgruber is now internationally known thanks to television and radio.
After the anniversary beer and chronicle, there is now hand-made chocolate
For Degele and his administration, there is no question that the anniversary beer and the chronicle, which is to be published in the next few weeks, still need something as a present for guests and a treat for locals.
“We want to have everything that has anything to do with moor.” So the color brown in particular should run like a red thread through the anniversary utensils.
"And what better color than chocolate?"
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From bean to table: This is what the original product from Ecuador looks like when it is delivered to Biehler.
© Josef Hornsteiner
In March Degele asked if Biehler could take on the task.
"Of course," assured the chocolatier.
For five years this has been producing chocolate and everything that can be made of it in its tiny factory across from Kohlgruber Linde.
In no way can it be compared with others.
Not twice with the one from the supermarket.
Biehler is one of the last to actually produce chocolate from the bean.
He has built up a small empire, an art workshop of good, sweet taste.
He knows his cocoa bean suppliers personally - he is planning a trip to South America soon
He knows his cocoa bean suppliers from South America personally - at least over the phone. He has so far been denied a trip to the country of origin of his most valuable ingredient. He wanted to run it last year. But Corona got in the way. “When travel is allowed again, I will plan my visit there,” he says.
Then he wants to go to Ecuador.
There, on a small slope, the beans for Bad Kohlgrub's anniversary chocolate are harvested.
After a long search, he came across a small mountain farmer in the northwest of the continent who met his high quality standards.
He manages the plantation with the cocoa trees just like the indigenous people have been doing for thousands of years.
Quite naturally and without chemicals.
"You mustn't be too angry," says Biehler.
That would not go with the slightly tart note of the bar, which consists of 55 percent cocoa.
"A strong milk chocolate."
Corona pandemic causes delivery problems internationally
Due to the pandemic, there are international delivery problems.
Fortunately, in January he stocked up on time and appropriately for this year.
"I'm sure I won't run out of ingredients until autumn."
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Preparation like in 1900: the “Melangeur” transforms the beans into liquid chocolate for three days.
© Josef Hornsteiner
5000 pieces are planned for now.
Always 30 kilograms at a time, which corresponds to around 600 bars.
He makes them by himself only with the help of a small team.
A masterpiece considering the cramped conditions of the approximately 50 square meter manufactory.
But that poses great challenges for him.
After all, his “normal” chocolate business also has to continue.
“You come to the limit.” Especially since the way from the bean to the table is a long one.
The South American farmers ferment the fruits in banana leaves, wash the pulp and let the cocoa beans dry in the sun.
Packed in bags weighing 70 kilograms, they embark on a long journey to us in Bavaria.
When they arrive at Biehler's, he first washes them, sorts out branches, stones and unsuitable beans.
Then he roasts the beans so that they get their incomparable aroma.
That alone takes a few hours.
He grinds them into so-called “nibs” and uses a complicated process to separate the beans from the inedible shell.
This is called separation in technical terms.
The melangeur is the heart of Biehler's manufacture
The nibs are then placed in the heart of Biehler's factory: the “Melangeur” is a centrifuge with two stone wheels. He only generates heat through movement. After two days, the “crashed” beans finally look like chocolate. Hours before he processes the mass, he adds whole cane sugar. “I deliberately do without the white ones from the industry. It's healthier and tastes better. ”All these work steps alone distinguish it enormously from mass production. Just like the ripening time that he allows the raw chocolate. The sweet mass is stored for up to four weeks "in order to be able to develop its aroma". As a final step, he tempered the brown candy by hand before filling it into the bar.
Town hall boss Franz Degele is very proud to have such a luminary in his town.
Even if Biehler is currently looking for larger premises and additional employees for his factory, the mayor secretly hopes that he will find them in Bad Kohlgrub.
As an excellent advertisement for the place.
And to cheat the big, often unhealthy industrial goods.
SELLING POINTS
The anniversary chocolate is available either directly from the Harald Biehler chocolate factory, from Feinkost Frank, from Nah & Gut, from the tourist information (all in Bad Kohlgrub) or from the Ammergau Alps (online).
The 50 gram bar costs 4.20 euros.
The chocolatier is donating 50 cents of this to the Bad Kohlgrub elementary and middle school for the new pavilion (we reported).
