Three Twins - Mexican Chocolate ice cream - April 23, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Three Twins
Sergio Romo's Mexican Chocolate ice cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (85 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: ?
Purchased from: ?

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I bought this creamy, organic Mexican Chocolate ice cream made by Three Twins  Ice Cream (Petaluma, CA), but I know it was in the San Francisco Bay Area -- because of the tribute to/tie-in with Sergio Romo, a pitcher for the championship-winning San Francisco Giants baseball team.

What is Mexican Chocolate ice cream? Chocolate ice cream infused with cinnamon and vanilla. I felt like I was savoring a dish of frozen, Mexican horchata (cinnamon and vanilla flavored milk drink) -- a chocolate version, that is.

Because yesterday was Earth Day, it's also worth mentioning the Three Twins land conservation initiative called Ice Cream for Acres. The company donates money to land preservation efforts (36 million square feet and counting...).

Today was Day #3 of Mexican Chocolate Theme Week.

Taza Chocolate Mexicano - April 22, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Chocolate Mexicano - Guajillo Chili
Good+ - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.4 g.) / 2.7 oz. (77 g.) total package
Calories: 75 calories in 3 wedges
Cost: $5.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Soto's, Cambria, CA

Today was Day #2 of Mexican Chocolate Theme Week.

Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) offers a line of Mexican-style, stone-ground chocolates. This circular package of Guajillo Chili dark chocolate contained 2 discs. These discs were wrapped in paper and were easily broken into wedges. Taza chocolates have become popular enough that they can be found in numerous locations, including Soto's market in the small coastal town of Cambria, CA.


Today's Taza Guajillo Chili Mexican Chocolate was flavored with just the right amount (not too hot, not too mild) of dried mirasol chili, widely used in Mexico. And each of the three wedges that I ate (that spelled out the name of one of my favorite cartoon characters -- T-A-Z) were bursting with sparkling flavor.

Happy Earth Day. This may be stretching the concept a little, but enjoying something round and green (in the literal and figurative sense) did fit the occasion.

Sweet Offerings - Mexican Chocolate truffle - April 21, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sweet Offerings
Abuelito's Mexican Hot Chocolate truffle
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $ ?
Purchased from: Sweet Offerings, Cambria, CA

Hola, y bienvenidos a dia numero uno de la semana de Chocolate Mexicano.
(Translation: Hello, and welcome to Day #1 of Mexican Chocolate Theme Week.)

During a recent trip to the Central Coast region of California (about 4 hours south of the San Francisco Bay Area), a friend and I stopped at Sweet Offerings Confections, in downtown Cambria -- a small village on the coast where the pace was a bit slower and the people seemed a bit friendlier than in the big, bustling cities.

Even the chocolate seemed friendlier, if that's possible. This Mexican Hot Chocolate truffle from Sweet Offerings was a gentle giant (close to a full ounce, or 28.3 grams each) that imparted a soft spicy glow of chili (Hatch green chilies) and cinnamon in each bite.

Bovetti Chocolats - Dark bar with dried fruits - April 20, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Bovetti Chocolats
Dark Chocolate Bar with Dried Fruits
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, San Mateo, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Pistachio Theme Week.

Happy Easter Sunday to those who celebrate this spring holiday that speaks of resurrection. Today we celebrated with a great lunch, colorful fruit sorbets, and pieces of this Dark Chocolate (73% cocoa) with Dried Fruits and Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios) bar from Bovetti Artisan Chocolatier/Bovetti Chocolats (France). It was all good. I felt thankful to be able to sit down with family and enjoy a meal together.

Earlier in the day I also sampled a lovely pastel green-colored pistachio gelato (that likely had a little almond extract in it as well), with some gluten-free pistachio and cranberry biscotti, and pistachio nuts. Perhaps having three Easter Sunday desserts today was excessive, but small portions allowed for more variety.

Fiorello's - Toni Spumoni Gelato - April 19, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fiorello's Artisan Gelato
Tony Spumoni gelato
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (130 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) container
Calories: 320 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $7.99 for 1 Pint container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Pistachio Theme Week.

This pint container of "Tony Spumoni" gelato contained a melange of chocolate, almond and pistachio gelato(s) from Fiorello's Artisan Gelato (San Rafael, CA). A pistachio butter (with ground pistachios and almonds) provided a rich, sweet, nutty flavor to the combined flavor mixture.

I sprinkled my little dish of gelato with some green, shelled, lightly salted pistachio nuts and a spritz of rosewater, and I had one heckavu Tony Spumoni sundae.

Lindt - Milk Chocolate Pistachio bar - April 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lindt
Pistachio bar
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 3 pieces (per label)
Cost: $3.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Pistachio Theme Week.

Each rectangular piece of the Lindt Pistachio bar contained an embedded capsule filled with "white almond creme" and pistachio nut(s), covered in Swiss Milk Chocolate -- giving the bar a unique and fun look.

This bar looked and tasted fresh; and freshness and previous storage and handling is important for chocolates. So, I'm always thankful for a good distribution supply chain and good practices at stores. (Thank you Piazza's!)

I admit, I thought this bar was going to be too sweet for me. As I've commented before, I generally like less sugar (and lactose) in my chocolates. However, the flavor and texture were good -- and the sugar level was consistent with what I imagined a sweeter, creme-filled milk chocolate bar should taste like.

Blue Bunny Cocoa Pistachio ice cream - April 17, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blue Bunny
Cocoa Pistachio Ice Cream
Good
Weight: 5.5 fl. oz. (162.6 mL)(103 g.) in 1 container
Calories: 230 calories in 1 serving/container
Cost: $0.99 for 1 small container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Pistachio Theme Week.

The weather has been getting warmer this week, so I found an ice cream that combined chocolate with pistachio nuts. The single-serving container (complete with white plastic spoon) of Blue Bunny Cocoa Pistachio Premium ice cream contained cocoa (chocolate) ice cream with bits of pistachio nuts.

I topped this ice cream with an extra handful of green pistachios, for some extra crunch and nutty flavor.

With added pistachio nuts

Blue Bunny is part of Wells* Enterprises Inc. (Le Mars, Iowa). The company has been making dozens of ice cream flavors and similar offerings for many years.

*Wells is one of the largest privately held and family-owned ice cream makers in the U.S. The business was founded in 1913. The Blue Bunny brand was born in 1935.