Cool Hunting marries bean-to-bar chocolate and artisanally-processed fruit in a delicious collaborative bar We admit to a serious weakness for the mind-altering tastes of the artisinal chocolates crafted by the Mast Brothers . Intent on bringing out the heavenly natural flavor of cacao, primarily sourced from Venezuela and Ecuador, the brotherly duo of Rick and Michael Mast developed a process for producing the finest in small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate. Their signature flavors, running the gamut from single origin Dominican and Madagascarian bars to chocolate sprinkled with roasted Stumptown coffee beans, range from the deliciously rich to the downright sublime. We’ve previously featured the Brooklyn-based Brothers in our Cool Hunting video series, so it seemed only natural that we would pair these chocolatiers with stem-to-fruit guru June Taylor , another video subject. Taylor, a longtime favorite of Cool Hunting, uses traditional preserving methods to make positively ambrosial jams, preserves, syrups and marmalades. Her creatively paired concoctions include Oro Blanco Grapefruit and Rose Geranium marmalade as well as Wild Fennel Syrup; everything she whips up in her Berkeley kitchen is yummy, natural and inventive. The Mast Brothers bar that utilizes June Taylor’s fruit combines the best of each purveyor’s specialties; the CH Edition 72% bar features sumptuous Madagascar chocolate as well as Taylor’s candied blood orange peels and candied oro blanco grapefruit peels. Of his collaborator, Rick Mast gushes, “June Taylor is the greatest woman on Earth who is pioneering amazing fruit confections. She is also a babe.” We can’t imagine a sweet treat (from two sweeter companies) that we’d rather find in our stocking than this delightful concoction. Find the Mast Brothers and June Taylor chocolate bar exclusively at our Cool Hunting for Gap holiday pop up shop.

Follow this link:
CH Editions: Mast Brothers and June Taylor

An unemployed security guard from Ecuador is Spain’s top snoozer.

See more here:
Jobless guard is Spain’s top snoozer

Deep in the Ecuador jungle, a local tribe works to protect its traditions, and a visitor finds answers through visions and revelations.

More:
Amazon Awakening

Deep in the Ecuador jungle, a local tribe works to protect its traditions, and a visitor finds answers through visions and revelations.

Read more here:
Amazon Awakening

The bodies of two of four miners believed trapped since Friday in a collapsed gold mine in southern Ecuador have been found, officials said Saturday.

Read more:
No miracle in Ecuador; 2 miners dead, 2 missing

Four miners have been trapped in an incident at a mine in southern Ecuador, a government official said Friday.

Go here to read the rest:
Four trapped in Ecuador gold mine

Rafael Correa’s mixture of polyglot academic success, street-smart political acumen and crude outbursts against his opponents make him a contender for the region’s most enigmatic leader.

See the original post here:
Ecuador’s Leader Confounds Backers and Detractors Alike

More than 40 police officers are detained in Ecuador in connection with last week’s revolt against President Rafael Correa.

Here is the original post:
Ecuador police suspects detained

Rogue national police who held Ecuador’s president captive for 11 hours last week talked about killing him, according to an audio recording the state-run Andes news agency said were police radio transmissions.

Read more:
Cops on tape talk of killing Ecuador prez

Peru and Colombia reopen their borders with Ecuador, a day after President Rafael Correa accused the opposition of a coup attempt.

Follow this link:
Ecuador neighbours reopen borders

The police chief resigned on Friday after an uprising by officers who held President Rafael Correa captive.

Read the original here:
Standoff in Ecuador Ends With Rescue of the President

South American leaders were meeting in Argentina early Friday to discuss the political situation in Ecuador, where police allegedly kidnapped the president to force him to revoke a new law they said would cut their compensation.

Read more:
Coup attempt in Ecuador condemned

There have been chaotic scenes in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, as police have taken to the streets protesting against austerity cuts.

Read more here:
Ecuador in state of emergency

Disturbances broke out Thursday on the streets of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, as national police protested the government’s cancellation of bonuses and promotions, images on the official Ecuador TV showed.

Original post:
Ecuador emergency amid ‘coup attempt’

Quito, Ecuador, has descended into chaos as members of the state’s police force flooded the streets, angry at cutbacks in bonuses and promotions. Mobs threw tear gas at President Rafael Correa, who was sent to a nearby hospital, and other policemen…

Read more from the original source:
Ecuador’s Massive Police Uprising