The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Tuesday, February 23

Hi, everyone!

I’ll kick things off with a fun read about some pretty silly excuses Jürgen Klopp has used after Liverpool losses.

Ramble of the Day

The other day, I realized another food opinion that may be worth sharing: I don’t think chocolate and mint pair all that well.

I understand the idea of the pairing completely. There are, after all, a lot of interesting foods to pair with chocolate — any trip to a chocolate shop would reveal so. I think the main problem with the chocolate-mint pairing, though, is that it’s extremely hard to execute. A venue where I think mint really shines is in drinks, because it brings out the punch of the mint without disrupting the other flavors in a drink. For the most part, you do not have to mess too much with the form of the mint — crushing or chopping it only serves to spread out the flavor, not change it.

Mint, frequently, is not added to chocolate in a similar way. The Andes chocolate mint, for example, has the mint sandwiched in between chocolate. The mint is the same consistency and texture as the chocolate, so it only distinguishes itself in taste. The Ghirardelli dark chocolate mint square is a bit different — the mint appears in a gooey form, oozing out of your chocolate a bit like caramel might.

Photo by Ghirardelli

It might be an easy way to add mint to chocolate, but it doesn’t really deliver, especially the Ghirardelli square. Mint really is not suited to be gooey, but both miss the mark on taste. It probably does not help that both products have peppermint oil instead of actual mint, but again, that might be the easiest way to incorporate the flavor into chocolate. I think you lose a lot by changing the format — the freshness of mint doesn’t come off in the best way, like it does crushed in a drink.

It is one of the reasons I never opt for a chocolate-mint pairing — I’ve only ever had the Andes chocolate mint or the Ghirardelli square because someone offered it. The other reason is that I don’t think chocolate needs that type of freshness at all. The combination has frequently left a weird taste in my mouth, and I usually feel gypped of the experience of chocolate after eating something that combines the flavors.

tl;dr: I don’t really think chocolate and mint go that well together.

Stay informed, read this: Marjon Carlos interviews singer-songwriter FKA twigs on the abuse she experienced during a relationship with actor Shia LaBeouf for Elle

Links of the Day

Two referees in Scotland officiated a match despite being exposed to COVID-19, which required them to quarantine.

A Twitter bot tracking the Fantasy Premier League teams of Premier League players and staff appears to be the source on the news of Jack Grealish’s injury.

A longer read: Caitlin Murray on US Soccer’s attempts to create a more diverse and inclusive organization after a long history of ignoring inequalities for Yahoo Sports