Thursday, January 31, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 31, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

~ 2 pieces
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Intense Dark Series - Twilight Delight - 72% cacao
Very Good
Weight: ~.9 oz? (~26? g) / 3.5 oz. (100 g) total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) / 500 calories total bar
Cost: $ 2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

This bar is similar to the Ghirardelli 86% cacao bar I tasted yesterday. Both were part of Ghirardelli's Intense Dark series of bars, and were good.

I think I like the 86% dark bar a bit better, but this higher cacao content version might be a little too bitter for some.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 square
Ghirardelli
Intense Dark Series - Midnight Reverie - 86% cacao (very high percent for mass commercial brands)
Very Good - This bar is bittersweet, but that's fine with me.
Wt.: ~ .509 oz. (~11.25 g.) (out of 3.17 oz., or 90 grams, total bar)
Calories: ~ 79 calories
$ 0 (shared with a colleague)
Purchased from: I did not purchase. (Colleague purchased from Fry's Electronics store in Sunnvale, CA.)
Note: Fry's is a popular chain for those of us in the technology industry in Silicon Valley. Fry's stores also have a long narrow aisle that all customers are funneled through, before they're directed to one of a long line of cashiers. This aisle is stocked with various candy, chocolate, chips, and other impulse-buy items. It's a good place to do a quick scan for new/different chocolate brands.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 29, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving/bar
CocoaVia
Original Chocolate Bars (box of 5 individually wrapped servings)
Very Good - dark chocolate
Weight: 0.78 oz. (22.1 g) per bar; 3.90 oz. (110.5 g) total for whole box/5 servings
Calories: 100 calories for 1 bar
$?
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

The CocoaVia line is marketed as being heart healthy. Text on the box states that the company uses a process that helps retain flavanols. They also add extra calcium.

Both these claims seem to address recent health-related topics that have come up in the press in the last few months: 1) the claim by some that many manufacturers use processes that result in the loss of flavanols in many chocolates, and 2) the findings that too much chocolate may result in weaker bones, created in part by acidic compounds that are found in chocolate (and other foods) that can block/slow absorption of calcium.

Perhaps equally important to encouraging healthy chocolate eating, these tasted good.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Chocolate News: Jan. 28, 2008 - Weaker bones?

Does Chocolate Cause Weaker Bones?

A recent Australian study followed 1,001 older women who ate chocolate regularly and found they had weaker bones. The study, which has been getting some press in the past week, points to a potential downside of eating chocolate daily - weaker bones. Many women are already concerned that losing bone mass as they age may lead to a higher incidence in fractures. Apparently oxalate/oxylate, an acid found in chocolate (and found in some other foods we eat as well), interferes with the body's ability to retain calcium. And sugar added to chocolates (which is one of several substances in our modern diet that is linked to excretion of calcium) probably doesn't help matters.

While researchers continue to confirm findings that chocolate is heart-healthy, this is the second piece of "mixed news" about chocolate in as many months. The British journal, Lancet, (last month, in December 2007) noted that many chocolate manufacturers remove some of the antioxidants, and health benefits, when they remove flavanols from chocolate. Presumably this is done to give chocolate a less bitter taste.

For more information, search for stories, such as "Chocolate linked to weak bones" (Indo-Asian News Service story posted from Perth - on 1/25/2008, and updated on 1/26/2008), and related stories that ran in the Daily Mail.

Check also, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/1/175

ChocolateBet: January 28, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces/individually-wrapped squares
Hershey's - Cacao Reserve
Single Origin Collection
Java - Premium Milk Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 14 g. in 2 pieces/ 4.2 oz. (119 g.) in total package
Calories: 76 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $1.74 (sale price)
Purchased from Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

This milk chocolate (37% cacao) square from Hershey's was made with Criollo cacao beans from the Indonesian island nation of Java. It was very good - especially for a milk chocolate. I generally find most popular milk chocolates too sweet.

The individually wrapped squares were part of a larger "Cacao Reserve by Hershey's, Single Origin Collection" package of 3 different chocolates (Sao Tome, Arriba (Ecuador), and Java).

Sunday, January 27, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 27, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

5 pieces
Dove
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Flavored Caramel
Very Good - Had tried the sugar-free version of these last year
Weight: 40 grams out of a total 5.80 oz. (164.4 g) for whole package
Calories: 200 calories for 1 serving/5 pieces
Cost: $2.50 for whole package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

ChocolateBet: January 26, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces /individually-wrapped squares
Hershey's Cacao Reserve
Single Origin Collection
Sao Tome - Premium Dark Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) for 2 pieces / 4.2 oz. (119 g.) total package
Calories: 76 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $1.74 for total package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

These single origin dark chocolate (70% Forastero cacao from Sao Tome) squares from Hershey's were quite good, with slightly richer flavor than most other dark chocolate from other large commercial brands.

Most major brands are now marketing at least one higher-end dark specialty chocolate, probably to take advantage of the increase in market demand for premium dark and single origin chocolates. They may command higher prices (and yield higher margins) too; I'm not sure.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 25, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces/individually-wrapped squares
Hershey's Cacao Reserve
Single Origin Collection
Arriba, Premium Dark Milk Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 14 grams (estimate) /4.2 oz. (119 g.) (in entire package)
Calories: 76 calories (estimate) in 2 squares
Cost: $ 1.74 (sale price)
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

This Arriba single origin square from Hershey's was very good. It was made from Arriba (Forastero) cacao from Southern Ecuador, and this 50% cacao chocolate reminded me of the "deep" milk chocolate flavor (in Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar) that I enjoyed recently.

Well, I think I'm closing in on the 500th day of eating a different chocolate each day, and I'm (happily) not running out of different chocolates to sample. And with Valentines Day just a few weeks away, there should be plenty of new chocolates in the stores to get me to at least March 2008.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 24, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bite
Reber (Paul Reber GmbH and Co.)
Mozart - Piano Bar
OK
Weight: I had about 5 grams out of a total weight of 45 grams
Calories: I ate approximately 25 calories out of 240 calories total
Cost: $2.95
Purchased from: Powell's Sweet Shoppe, in Los Gatos, CA

Today's Mozart - Piano Bar from Paul Reber (Germany) had a promising blend of chocolate, hazelnuts, rice crisps, and what tasted like a bit of almond flavoring. Unfortunately the first thing I tasted was a faint gasoline or solvent-type taste; maybe this was just a bad batch. 

ChocolateBet: January 23, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece/patty
Asher's Chocolates (made for/sold through The Candy Shoppe)
Dark Chocolate Pecan Patty
Good - Very Good
Wt.: ~.8 oz.
Calories: ~130 calories
Cost: $~.67
Purchased from: The Candy Shoppe, in the Las Vegas, NV airport

Comment: While Asher's Chocolates is based in Pennsylvania I believe, all of the Asher's Chocolates I've tasted have been sold via small shops in the U.S. So, I've had to ask to find out who made them in many instances.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 22, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package/box
Godiva - chocoiste
Milk Chocolate Strawberries
Good - Very Good
Weight: 2.0 oz. (57 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 250 calories in one package/serving
$ ?
Purchased from: Macy's, Sunnyvale, CA?

ChocolateBet: January 21, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Ethel M Chocolates/ethel's chocolate
Dark Chocolate Bourbon Creme Liqueur
Very Good
Wt: ~ .6 oz.
Calories: ~ 85 calories?
$ 2.00
Purchased from: Ethel's chocolate lounge, Las Vegas (Airport), NV

Monday, January 21, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 20, 2008

Chocolate of the Day
1 piece
Asher's Chocolates
Dark Chocolate Almond Bark
Very Good
Wt.: ~ .90 oz.
Calories: ~150?
$ .67 (estim.)
Purchased from The Candy Shoppe, at/in the Las Vegas, NV (airport)

Saturday, January 19, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 19, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
MaryJanesFarm - outpost
Organic High Attitude Chocolate
Flavor: Almond Daze
Very Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 194 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI (outdoors store, co-op), in Mountain View, CA

This Almond Daze milk chocolate bar with almonds and coconut was a successful blend of chocolate, nuts and coconut -- a combination of flavors I like.

The coconut flavor came largely from (organic) coconut oil in this bar. From what I could discern, there were no coconut flakes or shreds that you might find in popular candy bars, such as Almond Joy or Mounds bars.

Friday, January 18, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 18, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Shokolaat
Sicilian Elegance
Very Good; pistachio marzipan flavors, drk choc, topped w/ a toasted pistachio nut
Wt.: 0.35 oz.
Calories: ?
$ 2.00/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from Shokolaat, Palo Alto, CA

Shokolaat is a restaurant, bar, and purveyor of chocolates, in downtown Palo Alto, CA.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 17, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
Shokolaat (flavored with saffron) chocolate
Very Good - Yum; nice blend of flavors, nice finish
Wt: ~.35 oz.
Calories: ?
$2.00/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from: Shokolaat, Palo Alto, CA

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 16, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
London Fog Lifter (fleur de sel style, drk choc, elongated cylindrical shape)
Very Good
Wt.: ~.35 oz?
Calories: ?
$ 2/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from Shokolaat, Palo Alto, CA

Shokolaat is a restaurant, bar, and chocolate shop in downtown, Palo Alto.
Today was a foggy day. I hope this helps lift the fog! And, it might. It has (like the other chocolates from this shop) a nice balance of flavors and a good finish.

Dark Chocolate Health Benefits - Lancet

Chocolate in the News - Health Benefits (again)

(The excerpt below is from "Labels miss dark chocolate's full story" - which ran in The Register, by Register staff writer Dawn Sagario, (today) January 15, 2008. The article, and several others in the past few weeks, have commented on a Lancet editorial titled "The devil in the dark chocolate", December 22, 2007.)

"...A number of studies have linked the sweet treat to lowering blood pressure, decreasing LDL (or "bad") cholesterol and increasing blood flow.

The reason: Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are naturally rich in flavanols - the plant-based compounds with powerful antioxidant properties that are also found in red wine.

But that chocolate fix may not be as good for you as you think, warned an editorial in December in the British medical journal Lancet.

That's because some chocolate manufacturers remove the flavanols due to their bitter taste, the Lancet editorial said, and darken the natural cocoa solids. So, while a chocolate may look dark, it lacks the healthy flavanols.

Companies rarely include flavanol content on their product labels, leaving consumers in the dark, the journal notes.

In addition, the percentage of cacao on a product label is not always related to the amount of flavanols in the chocolate..."

I've written previously about my personal experience (and blood test results) associated with eating chocolate (mostly dark chocolate) every day. I'll be very curious to see more research studies and findings in the future on this subject. In the meantime, I'll ask around to see if anyone is doing any studies on people eating dark chocolate like me. I also try to add cinnamon to various food items and drinks. Both of these are supposed to have some beneficial effects on moderating blood sugar I believe. Ah well, too much information...once again. Watch those flavanol counts I guess.

ChocolateBet: January 15, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
Brother Monk chocolate
(a leaf-shaped dark chocolate, with a dark chocolate center - flavored with Banyuls, a dessert wine from Southern France)
Very Good - Yum - very nice flavors, from start to finish
Wt. ~.4 oz.
$2/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from: Shokolaat, Palo Alto, CA
(Shokolaat is a restaurant, bar and chocolate shop in downtown Palo Alto.)

Monday, January 14, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 14, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
Johnny-B-Good
Very Good +; nice blend of dark chocolate, Kentucky bourbon, and Tahitian vanilla (roundish drk choc w/ little white splotches)
Wt: ~.4 oz.
Calories: ?
$ 2/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from: Shokolaat, Palo Alto, CA

Another very nice chocolate from Shokolaat (restaurant, bar, chocolate shop); I'm feeling compelled to go back and try more of them.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 13, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
24-Carat Pate De Fruit
Very Good - Yum; dark chocolate with gold flakes with a very nice fruit gel center - not too sweet. It was a very well-balanced, high-quality chocolate.
Wt. ~.4 oz.
Calories: ~65 calories
Cost: $2.00/piece (corrected price)
Purchased from: Shokolaat, Palo Alto , CA

Shokolaat is a restaurant, bar, and chocolate shop; a nice combination. I'll have to come back.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 12, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Hershey's Kisses
New York Cheesecake flavored creme
OK - Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 grams) total - for all 5 kisses per package
Calories: 190 calories total (for all 5 pieces); approximately 38 calories for 1 piece
Cost: $ 0.99
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

These Hershey's Kisses with New York Cheesecake flavored creme centers were quite sweet (a bit too much so), and were somewhat artificial tasting. But, then again, mentioning New York Cheesecake sets a high bar, by conjuring up wonderful cheesecake memories in my mind.

Friday, January 11, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 11, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Raspberry Cordial
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
$0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Very Good. As mentioned previously, I'm not usually a huge fan of cordials. However, this one had a combination of a nice dark chocolate and an authentic-tasting raspberry center (like a good raspberry jam - including the seeds). Much better than the artificial flavor that some other cordials possess.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 10, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Cherry Cordial
Very Good; I really enjoyed both the dark chocolate covering and the cherry center more than other cherry cordials I remember tasting (I'll admit that cordials are usually not my favorites.)
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
$ 0 (gift assortment box)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 9, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Dark (Choc) Caramel
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
$0 (gift) asstmt. box
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 8, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Milk Chocolate Caramel
Good - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

I'm not as fond of caramels (especially milk chocolate ones) and cordials. I decided to eat these last in the assortment box I received. This means they were also "older" by the time I got to them. So, my apologies if I'm not giving these a fair shake.

Monday, January 7, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 7, 2008

Chocolate of Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Milk Praline Heart
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
$ 0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Sunday, January 6, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 6, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece 
Godiva
Almond Praline Raindrop
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

I thought a "raindrop" chocolate would be appropriate, as it's been raining cats and dogs and elephants around here lately. 

Saturday, January 5, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 5, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Strawberry Truffle
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) 
Calories: ?
Cost: $0 (gift asstmt box)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

This strawberry truffle has a nice authentic strawberry taste to it. It has a primarily white chocolate coating (with strawberry ganache-type center), but I'm counting this one because it has a dark chocolate "frosting" decorative flourish on top. (I've not been counting white chocolates, as a general rule, unless they have some other milk or dark chocolate component to them.)

ChocolateBet: January 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva 
Roasted Almond truffle
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

ChocolateBet: January 3, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Maple Walnut truffle
Very Good
Wt: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: ?
$ 0 (gift)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

ChocolateBet: January 2, 2008

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
Godiva
Double Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
Very Good
Wt: ~ .5 oz.
Calories: ?
$ 0 (gift box)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online 

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Chocolate Math - Day # 477 of eating chocolates

As the clock turns over into 2008, I've now eaten a different kind of chocolate each day for 477 days in a row.

How much chocolate is that? Below are the answers I've been giving to people this week who have asked me...It's Chocolate Math time!

Q? 1.) How many pounds of chocolate items have you eaten?
If I've averaged about 1 oz. of chocolate each day for the last 477 days, then I've eaten 477 ounces. Four hundred seventy-seven ounces divided by 16 oz (in a pound) and you get 29.8125 pounds of chocolate items consumed in the last 15 1/2 months.

Q? 2.) How many calories worth in chocolate items?
If I've averaged just a little over 1 oz., or approximately 165 calories per item, each day, then
477 days x 165 calories = 78,705 total calories
(78,705 calories divided by 3,500 calories in 1 pound = 22.49 pounds worth)

Q? 3.) How much money have I spent on these chocolate items so far?
If I've averaged approximately $1.50 an item each day, then $1.50 x 477 days = $715.50 USD (U.S. dollars).

Q? 4.) How many pounds have I gained?
I think I've gained approximately 6-7 pounds since I started this bet on September 11, 2006. Actually, I don't know; I'm just guessing here as I didn't weigh myself back then when I started. So, while that is a lot of weight gain for me, all this chocolate ended up taking the place of other things I would have eaten (such as other dessert or carbohydrate items). In other words, it could have been worse if I hadn't stopped eating some of these other carbs. I didn't gain the whole 22.49 lbs. mentioned above in question # 2.

Q? 5.) What is your blood cholesterol level(s)? Has your cholesterol gone up?
No, it's actually gone down (when I had my last tests done a few months ago at least).

ChocolateBet: January 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Cappuccino truffle
Weight: ~.5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: ?
$ 0 (gift assortment box)
Purchased/sent from: Godiva online

Last night was New Year's Eve. And, I stayed up late talking on the phone, and watching youtube videos of the ball dropping in Times Square, New York City at midnight.

So, a Cappuccino truffle (i.e. something with some chocolate and coffee in it) from Godiva sounded appropriate.

To greet the New Year, I fixed black-eyed peas and greens (honoring a Southern tradition); took a walk out by the San Francisco Baylands (along with many, many others who had the same idea); cleaned up the house; and went to a movie. I feel like 2008 will be a better year. Yes, I do.

Happy New Year all!
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