Azul Master Chocolatier

You may have noticed that, against all odds in the midst of high-tech competition, board games and puzzles have proliferated. This boost originated well before the pandemic, but was certainly aided and abetted by it. 

My return to board games started about a decade ago, when my coworkers were avid players of Settlers of Catan. I think Big Bang Theory in particular had influenced them. Periodically we would arrange a board game night or even play over our lunch hour in the board room. A few years later, I joined a book club and there were a few board game enthusiasts in the group. We periodically got together to play a variety of different games. 

As I was introduced to new (to me) games, my personal collection started to grow. I purchased Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride. I arranged a game night with friends to play Apples to Apples (let's not talk about my now infamous pairing of "ancient" with "my friends," which I thought was hilarious but went over like a lead balloon...). I received board games as presents, including Pandemic (oh, the irony that real life would soon emulate a game!) and one based on the TV show Dexter (it had tiny garbage bags, so, really, it was a must-have). More recently, my friend Tanya introduced me to Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra. I loved it so much that I bought a copy and brought it home with me on vacation a few summers ago. I played game after game with my sister in her camper -- it's addictive.

Then in March of this year, an unexpected message came on Facebook. In a group chat, a screenshot showed the image of a limited edition version of Azul, called Master Chocolatier. "Janice!!!" said Tanya. "I need it!" I replied. I ordered it immediately.

Now, did I reeeeeeally need it? Probably not. But when being a professional chocolatier is part of your identity, it's hard not to be attracted to (and collect) chocolate "things."

When the game finally arrived in April, I was excited to arrange a time to play it. But life intervened and plans fell apart. And it's been nagging at me for months that I hadn't yet made good on that. The road to hell is, after all, paved with good intentions. And so last week, I decided it was fair game to play Azul: Master Chocolatier on my chocolate study night. I sent the girls a message and we made a plan.

Now, let's be honest: playing this game doesn't really qualify as chocolate study. I know that. You know that. Let's just agree to give me a pass this time.

And so earlier this week, I finally had the opportunity to play Azul: Master Chocolatier with Tanya. For an overview of the game play, I recommend this tutorial on YouTube. But basically, you draw pieces of "chocolate" from the factory, and, following the rules of play, you pack a box of chocolates. When a horizontal row is completed, game play stops and the winner is the person with the most points. (Azul always has a complicated scoring system, so just play with someone else who knows it already and can tutor and correct you, like Tanya did with me!)

All of the Azul games are visually appealing, and this one is no exception. The boxes are beautifully designed with vibrant colours. I absolutely love the dark chocolate and milk chocolate pieces that look so much like bonbons you'd see in a chocolaterie. It is a little disappointing that the solid white and ruby "chocolate" tiles have no patterns or  embellishments, but that's a minor detail, I suppose. It's a fun theme and with two different set ups, you have the option of more advanced game play.

Of course, the recommended snack for Azul: Master Chocolatier has to be chocolate! We had a few pieces of a Peace by Chocolate milk chocolate bar. 

You can't beat an evening that combines a fun game with a delicious snack and great conversation. 

And chocolate study can wait for another day.