ChocolateBet: December 31, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 truffle
Sweet Earth Chocolates
Lavender Truffle
Very Good
Weight: .45 oz. (12.6 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 67 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - holiday gift assortment box
Purchased from: N/A - holiday gift; (from San Luis Obispo store)

Happy last day of 2010 to all. This past year has been a challenging year for many people. Today (New Year's Eve.), is Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Week. A big chocolate bouquet of wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.

Today's chocolate was a  Sweet Earth Chocolates Lavender Truffle. This white chocolate truffle with a dark chocolate ganache was topped with a few grains of purple sugar on top. Sweet Earth Chocolates makes Organic, Fair Trade chocolates.

I am also experimenting with adding lemon and lavender flavors (lavender sugar, food-grade lavender buds) to baked apples, ice cream, yogurt, etc. -- and I can tell you, if you like lavender, it's a great way to brighten winter days.

ChocolateBet: December 30, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/6 bar
Alter Eco
Dark Chocolate Velvet bar
Very Good
Weight: .583 oz. (16.5 g.) in 4 squares / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 88 calories in 1/6 bar
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - obtained from Alter Eco, at a benefit event

I toyed with the idea of having a Theme Week(s) around Chocolate and paper, cloth or concept art in 2010. I could not find seven different items under this category for a full 7-day theme week. However, I did find a few wonderful chocolate-related things to share today, Day #7 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week.

First, a bar from Alter Eco -- a maker of Fair Trade Certified bars made from cacao beans from El Ceibo Cooperative in Bolivia. Alter Eco also sells quinoa (and a chocolate bar with quinoa), sugar, rice, coffee and olive oil. I hope to visit them in their San Francisco facility one day soon. Their Dark Chocolate Velvet bar (Velvet is a type of fabric/cloth, no?) contained a "delicate touch of milk" -- giving this bar a sweet, smooth milk chocolate mouth feel and taste. This bar is also GMO Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free and contains no emulsifiers.

* * * * * * * *

"Enjoy Revolution" Project - Liudmila and Nelson

The second item I'd like to share today is a concept for a series of chocolate bars by Cuban artists Liudmila and Nelson. It's a chocolate bar that, for now, exists on paper, and in a photograph below.

The husband and wife team have imagined chocolate bars (made with Cuban chocolate), with wrappers inspired by billboard and revolutionary images from different parts of Cuba (photographs from their "Cuban Landscapes" series). Above is an example of an image from their "Enjoy Revolution" project. I hope we will be able to see, and taste, the manifestations of this creative concept in the new year (2011).

ChocolateBet: December 29, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Just Born, Inc.
Peeps

1.) Chocolate Mousse flavored Marshmallow Reindeer
Good+
Weight: .39 oz. (11.16 g.) in 1 reindeer/ 2 3/8 oz. (67 g.) total pkg.
Calories: 40 calories in 1 reindeer
Cost: $1.39 total package of 6
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Milk Chocolate Covered Mint flavored Marshmallow
OK+
Weight: .10 oz. (2.8 g.) in 1 package/tree
Calories: 11 calories in 1 bite

3.) Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkin
OK+
Weight: .10 oz. (2.8 g.) in 1 package/pumpkin
Calories: 12 calories in 1 bite

Peeps! Who can argue with Just Born, Inc.'s famous marshmallow
Peeps, especially chocolate flavored and chocolate covered ones.

Today is Day #7 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week. I would have done a full Peeps theme week in 2010, but I couldn't find seven different kinds with chocolate.

My favorite was the reindeer. It could easily imagine this Peep lolling around in a large mug of hot chocolate.

ChocolateBet: December 28, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Chuao Chocolatier
Firecracker (bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.97 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walmart, in American Canyon, CA

What? I can't hear you. There are tiny little explosions going off in my head. It's the chocolate and popping candy. Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week. I've been exploring unique chocolate-related flavor combinations and ideas this week.

Chuao Chocolatier's Firecracker 60% cacao dark chocolate bar was flavored with chipotle, salt and popping candy. I had previously enjoyed a bonbon version of this bar. Both were very good.

But, why leave well enough alone? If a little popping candy was good, would flavored popping and/or fizzing candies be even better? I tried lemon, watermelon, orange, clementine (tangerine), and lime flavors. My opinion: tangerine and lime flavors showed the most promise, followed by orange.

It would be interesting to try cola flavored popping candy. Maybe next year.

ChocolateBet: December 27, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Tootsie Roll Industries/TR Brands
Tootsie Roll Midgees
Good
Weight: .21 oz. (6 g.) /.64 oz. (18 g.) total lunchbox
Calories: 23 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $1.49 for Midgees collectible tin lunchbox
Purchased from: World Market/Cost Plus, in Mountain View, CA

What in the name of Batman lunchboxes is this mess of items? It's Day #5 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week. Each day this week I've been focusing on a different theme that involves a unique take on chocolate.

Tootsie Rolls have been around in some form since 1896 -- an impressive fact. They may have been consumed as a lunchtime treat back then. However, today's modern-day lunchboxes probably contain more things like this lovely array of candy meats and other fast food items. One can argue that everyone had lots of fun making lunches more convenient and less nutritious in the mid- to late-1900s; and now we're trying to make lunches healthier again. I still like being creative and playing with my food though. Tootsie Roll is careful to point out that Midgees are "a low fat food." So, my apologies for mucking this up by wrapping one in bacon. (A piece of solid chocolate or a salt caramel filling might be another option.)

Today, I tried a mashup of candy lunch meat and chocolate. In the photo: realistic-looking Ford Gum bubble gum bolagna and hot dogs; less realistic looking tiny e.frutti gummi candy hamburger and hot dog items; and a miniature Tootsie Roll metal lunchbox filled with individually wrapped Tootsie Roll Midgees. In the foreground: real strips of bacon -- so that I could make a version of pigs in a blanket* -- a Midgee wrapped in bacon. Lunch is served!  But remember to add candy fruits and vegetables.

*Pigs in a blanket are typically made by wrapping a small cocktail weiner in dough and cooking them in an oven.

ChocolateBet: December 26, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:


3 squares
World Market/Cost Plus
All Natural Milk Chocolate 42% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (16.9 g.) in 3 squares / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 88 calories
Cost: $1.99
Purchased from: World Market/Cost Plus, in Mountain View, CA

Mixed With....

Part of 1 spider
Jelly Belly Candy Company
Pet Tarantula - gummi candy ("100% Vitamin C")
OK + - Good
Weight: .2 oz. (5.6 g.) in 1 bite (estim.)/ 1.5 oz. (42 g.) total tarantula
Calories: 17 calories
Cost: $1.75 total tarantula
Purchased from: Jelly Belly Candy Company, Fairfield, CA

Today is Day #4 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week -- a week of seven different, unique themes. Today I focused on a favorite combination of...well, almost no one it turns out. Chocolate and Spiders. Previous attempts to try chocolate covered (real) insects met with limited success, so, in this case, the spider was a pet tarantula made of gummi candy.

In the photo to the right, you can see the spider demonstrating good taste as it headed for the chocolate fondue, made from a World Market milk chocolate bar. However, for its trouble, it had the tips of its two front legs bitten off. Poor spider.

ChocolateBet: December 25, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1/3 lump of chocolate coal
Maramor Chocolates
Premium Milk Chocolate - "You Deserve a Lump of Coal!"(R)
Good +
Weight: .41 oz. (11.5 g.) in 1/3 pc. / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) total package
Cost: $ (need to find receipt)
Purchased from: Blockbuster, in Palo Alto, CA

Maramor Chocolates "You Deserve a Lump of Coal!" was another example of a theme that was too limited for its own theme week in 2010: chocolate and minerals/carbon. There are chocolate diamonds; but those aren't edible. And I doubt chocolate covered anthracite would be a big hit.

It's also a little depressing to think about deserving only a lump of black foil wrapped coal in your stocking on Christmas Day. So, in addition to a few bites of "coal," I ate a Chocolate Banquet's worth of other goodies today.

As a child, we could count on finding candy canes and tangerines in our stockings. So, I felt obliged to sample a bit of Brown and Haley's Candy Cane Roca as well. And, yes, tangerines are good and refreshing as a palette cleanser between chocolates.

I hope Santa was good to everyone.

ChocolateBet: December 24, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bite
Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates, Inc.
Reindeer Pies
Good
Weight: .2 oz. (5.6 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) total package/pie
Calories: 30 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Michael's in Mountain View, CA

Today is Day #2 of Chocolate Theme Weeks that didn't quite make the cut in 2010. Every day this week I'm focusing on a different theme that was too unique for a whole theme week, but worthy of mention in its own special way.

It's Christmas Eve. Please pass the reindeer pies. Somehow that doesn't quite fit in with today's Christmas Eve holiday meal. However, Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates is one of several companies that have had fun with chocsimiles (chocolate facsimiles) of animal poop. Over the past four + years I've sampled chocsimiles of Montana moose poop, Wyoming bear poop, Monterey Bay otter poop....So, why not poop from one of  Santa's reindeer? The package assures me that "Yule love them" and the pie in question is, in fact, "Pure Chocolate, No Doo-Doo"-- Belgian Milk Chocolate with Almonds to be exact. In closing, Tom and Sally's also leaves us with this bit of advice: "Beware of UFOs: Don't look up on Christmas Eve"...and..."Santa leaves the presents. The reindeer leave the pies."

Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate this occasion. May visions of sugar plums dance in your head -- and may these plums crowd out any other images I've just conjured above.

ChocolateBet: December 23, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bite of zombie
Palmer
Zombies - Milk Chocolate Flavored Solid Decorated Pieces
OK + - Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) in 1 bite of a zombie/ 5 oz. (142 g.) total package
Calories: 38 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.00 (sale)
Purchased from: Rite Aid, in Mountain View, CA

Time is running out on 2010. And, some would say, given hard economic times this past year for many, that is a good thing. However, the end of the year is also a time to review all the theme weeks that might have been on Chocolate Banquet (this blog) -- themes that were just a little bit too "different." This week's theme week tackles a different imaginary theme every day.

Today is Day #1 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week, and today we explore chocolate and zombies, with a few Albanese Gummi Army Guys thrown in for fun.

Palmer makes lots of fun novelty chocolates, and their Milk Chocolate Flavored Solid Zombies offering is in tune with the recent resurgence in popularity of zombies (e.g. local San Jose Metro cover above right). The fruit-flavored (green apple-ish) Gummi Army Guys were made by the Albanese Confectionery Co., based in Merrillville, Indiana. Poor chocolate zombie never had a chance.

ChocolateBet: December 22, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Sacred Chocolates

1.) "Ixcacao" truffle (pictured on right)
1/2 truffle

Peruvian maca, mesquite, topped with Ocumare cacao nibs
OK + - Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 9 truffles
Calories: 35 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com site

2.) "Sacred Fire" truffle (pictured above, left)
1/2 truffle

Dark ganache flavored with ancho, morita, guajilo, pasillo, chipotle chilies with black pepper, cinnamon; and topped with small piece of gold leaf
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 9 truffles
Calories: 35 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com site

These Sacred Chocolates truffles incorporate stories and ingredients from Central and South America -- the birthplace of chocolate. Ixcacao is a goddess of chocolate.

ChocolateBet: December 21, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
DeMartini Orchard
Chocolate Dipped Glace Apricots (milk and white chocolate)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in two pieces/ 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 11 pieces
Calories: 200 calories in two pieces
Cost: N/A  - Holiday present
Purchased from: N/A - Holiday present

DeMartini Orchard's website has a big fruit basket on their top page -- brimming with apples, pears and other seasonal fruits. This local fruitstand-style store was the perfect choice for Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. A gold foil covered box contained both milk chocolate and white chocolate dipped, sweet glace apricots. I had one of each. The apricots were very moist and delicious, and reminded me of the apricot orchards in this area (Los Altos, CA) years ago.

ChocolateBet: December 20, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Jelly Belly Candy Company
Chocolate Dips - 4 different fruit flavors
Cost: N/A samples
Purchased from: N/A - sample box from Jelly Belly Candy Company, Fairfield, CA

1.) Orange
Good +
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

2.) Strawberry
Good
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

3.) Raspberry
Good 
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories 

4.) Cherry
Good
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

All you jelly bean fans who also like chocolate. No need to choose anymore. Jelly Belly Candy Company recently announced dark chocolate dipped jelly beans. (You might be able to just make out the cartoon jelly bean that is happily drowning in chocolate in the box shot above.)

My favorite dipped bean in this fruit bowl (box actually) was Orange; the orange flavor tasted the most natural to me as well. Note: Chocolate Dips also come in Coconut, a flavor I featured earlier this month.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: December 19, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 truffle
Harry and David
Chocolate Truffles - Orange
Good - Good +
Weight: .33 oz. (9.25 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.)
Calories: 50 calories for 1/2 truffle
Cost: $12.95 total package of all 3 flavors
Purchased from: Harry and David store (booth, at Waterfront Suisun Bay Wine & Chocolate Festival), Vacaville, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. And what better selection today than a Harry and David Orange Chocolate Truffle from the company's "Fruit Bowl Assortment" package that included Cherry, Orange and Raspberry flavors.

ChocolateBet: December 18, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece/truffle
Sacred Chocolate
Ajaya truffle w/ lime zest
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. So, far this week I've sampled chocolates flavored with banana, orange, tangerine, mango and other flavors. Looking at my own fruit bowl, I always try to have at least one lime on hand, in part because I think lime pairs well with chocolate items.

Ajaya is a goddess of love. She made her appearance today in the form of a Sacred Chocolate dark chocolate truffle with lemon grass, ginger, Balinese long pepper -- and topped with lime zest.

ChocolateBet: December 17, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces/truffles
Sacred Chocolate

1.) Tangerina truffle
(citrus dark chocolate ganache infused with tangerine and orange oils)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of a 9-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

2.) Yellow Tara truffle
(curry infused truffle, topped with mango powder)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of a 9-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. A hearty Sacred Chocolate truffle with tangerine and orange oils topped with a strip of Mineola tangelo zest, and another truffle "covered with a dusting of sun-ripened mango powder" ruled the day. When combined with a small fresh tangerine and some fresh, hot ginger tea, these truffles were a good wake-up snack for a gray, rainy day.

ChocolateBet: December 16, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Coco-Zen
Dark Chocolate Orange Blossom with Almonds
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - part of a benefit
Purchased from: N/A - chocolates/samples were being served at benefit screening, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. December is a good month to pick ripe oranges here in California. I don't have a tree/bush in my yard, but I know several people who do. So, the fruit bowl on my kitchen counter almost always has an orange in it.

Today's Coco-Zen Dark Chocolate Orange Blossom truffle is infused with orange and topped with toasted almond pieces. I picked up this Fair Trade Certified chocolate from Coco-Zen founder, Joyce Kushner, at a recent benefit screening of the movie "The Dark Side of Chocolate," at World Centric in Palo Alto, CA. I asked Joyce for a few samples to go. Fortunately, World Centric specializes in biocompostable serving trays and other items. Thank you to Aseem Das for this small clamshell container -- it was perfect for transporting a few chocolate truffles.

ChocolateBet: December 15, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sacred Chocolate
Cheeky Monkey Truth Truffle
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $32.00 total box (estimate)
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

What's in Your fruit bowl? Anything that could flavor a truffle or a chocolate bar? Probably. Today is Day #1 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. I'm beginning this theme week with a Sacred Chocolate Cheeky Monkey truffle -- with a dark ganache (filling) flavored with caramelized banana, and topped off with a pecan half.

This raw, vegan chocolate truffle was one of 9 different "Truth Truffles" in a small assortment box I ordered. (I'm not sure what the "truth" part is exactly, but that's OK. I think it refers to ingredients that are authentic, organic, sustainably grown, and unprocessed.)

ChocolateBet: December 14, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 


1.) Michael Mischer Chocolates
Spiced Almonds - Single Origin - Criollo; 65% Dark Chocolate
1/8 bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 108 calories (estimate) in 1/8 bar
Cost: $ (varies by bar)
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

2.) Michael Mischer Chocolates
Mixed Nuts - Single Origin - Criollo; 65% Dark Chocolate
1/8 bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 108 calories in 1/8 bar (estimate)
Cost: $ (varies by bar)
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

It was difficult to pick just one Michael Mischer dark chocolate and nut bar. So, I chose two bars to conclude (Day #7 of) Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. The Spiced Almonds had a kick to them; and the mixed nuts bar included a generous sprinkling of toasted almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios. Both 65% bars were made from single origin Criollo beans.

ChocolateBet: December 13, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 Bar
See's Candies
Walnut Square Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.)
Calories: 240 calories
Cost: $4.00
Purchased from: See's Candies/Benicia Main Street store, in old depot; Benicia, CA

Yesterday I went walking on the other side of San Francisco Bay, to the little town of Benicia -- a city with several historic buildings, built close to the water. Located in a restored railroad depot building (shown at right) by the Bay (along the Bay Trail), was a small See's Candies shop, run by the Benicia Main Street organization. Since this week is Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week, I felt obligated to duck inside and pick up a See's Walnut Square Bar (caramel and walnuts coated in dark chocolate).

I have memories of growing up in California in a house with three walnut trees in the yard; and I attended Almond Elementary School. So I wanted to honor my nutty California heritage and include both walnuts and almonds in this week's theme week. California is still a large nut producer, but those of us who have seen orchards disappear and transform into Silicon Valley, we now have to drive further to see actual nut trees.

ChocolateBet: December 12, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
6 pieces
FreeHeart Farm
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Good +
Weight: .93 oz. (26.4 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) for 6 pieces
Cost: $11.00 total package
Purchased from: Califia Market A Go Go, Town and Country Village, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. I live in California, a large nut-producing state (and by nuts, I mean the food crop, not the people). Today's selection: dark chocolate covered almonds from FreeHeart Farm, gives me the opportunity to give some recognition to all the nut producers in the valley(s) east of where I live. FreeHeart Farm is located in the small, agriculturally-focused town of Esparto, California -- and is part of the Capay Valley Region of Central California.

ChocolateBet: December 11, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Patric Chocolate
PBJ OMG - dark chocolate with peanut butter bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 169 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.00 (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Peanut butter and jelly, also known as PB and J or PBJ, generally refers to a type of sandwich in the U.S. However, some of the most original chocolate flavor combinations borrow from food favorites like this. This Patric Chocolate PBJ OMG -- a rendition of an American lunchbox sandwich staple in bar form -- blended dark roasted peanut butter and cane sugar with cacao that had "naturally occurring jam-like bursts of berry flavor."

And, in fact, I did taste peanut butter and jelly notes in this dark chocolate bar. The talented maker(s) at Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO) handcraft their bars with great skill.

ChocolateBet: December 10, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 package - 3 cups
SunSpire
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) total package of 3 cups
Calories: 190 calories
Cost: $0.99 (sale)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

The peanut butter cup resides in the pantheon of chocolate. Today's SunSpire chocolate is a version of this popular staple -- made with MaraNatha almond butter instead of peanut butter. (Note for people with peanut allergies, these may contain traces of peanuts.) Having tried these cups, I'm thinking it might be interesting to compare different legume and nut butter chocolate cups side-by-side. Another future chocolate lab experiment to be scheduled.

Today was Day #3 of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: December 9, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/4 bar
Michael Mischer Chocolates
65% Cacao with toasted Almonds (bar)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

Today was Day #2 of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. Michael Mischer does nuts well -- perfectly toasted, and sprinkled across a rich, dark chocolate (65% cacao) bar base, made from single origin Criollo beans from Venezuela.

ChocolateBet: December 8, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/6 bar
Theo Chocolate
Nutcracker Toffee (bar)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) total bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/6 bar
Cost: $4.00 total bar
Purchased from: REI store, in Mountain View, CA

The holiday season is in full swing here in the Western U.S. Today was the first day of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week, and Seattle-based Theo Chocolate's Nutcracker Toffee dark chocolate (70% cacao) bar package was adorned with a likeness of the famous wooden soldier/king nutcracker. The nuts in this bar were tiny bits of almonds and hazelnuts.

* - * - * - *
Elsewhere in the world, chocolate continued to play a key role in recent holiday celebrations, such as the two below:

1.) Ferrero unveiled a large, edible Christmas tree in London's Covent Garden (November 25, 2010)
This 11-foot high tree was made of more than 10,000 Ferrero Rochers (Golden Ferrero Rochers, Rafaello chocolates, and Ferrero Rondnoir chocolates). The tree took five hours to erect, and likely was picked clean in short order. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ZhjzL5Aeg

2.) Chocolate Nativity Scene in Cordoba, Spain (December 2010)
http://gospain.about.com/b/2010/12/07/chocolate-nativity-scene-in-spain.htm

ChocolateBet: December 7, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 square
gnosis chocolate
Aphrodisia bar
Good +
Weight: .33 oz. (9.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 47 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: gnosis chocolate, Long Island City, New York

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

This gnosis chocolate raw, vegan chocolate bar was infused with herbs (like maca root and dong quai), fruits (figs, raspberry), and contained coconut oil. It was also gluten, soy and dairy-free, and was sweetened with palm nectar rather than processed sugar.

The sun was out, in between storm fronts this week. Not that there's really a bad place to eat chocolate, but sampling a square outside in the sunshine is a great thing to be able to do in December.

ChocolateBet: December 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece/bottle
Anthon Berg
Malibu Caribbean Rum with Coconut
Good +
Weight: .55 oz. (15.5 g.)
Calories: 82.5 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: BevMo, in Mountain View, CA

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

I often try to include a beverage of some sort as part of a theme week. The beverage in this case came in a unique form: a miniature, dark chocolate bottle with Malibu coconut rum flavored filling. This little foil-wrapped bottle was part of a set of 16 liquor/liqueur inspired chocolates from Anthon Berg.

ChocolateBet: December 5, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Hotel Chocolat
Caramel Chocolate (Christmas tree in coconut snow)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - evaluation sample
Purchased from: N/A - evaluation sample from Hotel Chocolat

It was a dark and stormy night. But, up ahead, a majestic evergreen tree stood in the snow. The tree was made of chocolate, and the snow that swirled all around it was made of coconut. Well, if you live in California and you're looking for a white Christmas, sometimes you have to use your imagination.

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

ChocolateBet: December 4, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 cup serving
Luna and Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss
Naked Almond Fudge
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup serving / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 240 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.49 for 1 Pint container
Purchased from: Sprouts, in Sunnyvale, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week. What is Naked Almond Fudge? Well, it's a coconut milk-based, gluten, dairy and soy free, frozen dessert that looks and tastes like vanilla-coconut ice cream, with an organic chocolate swirl and some almond pieces. Phew, that was a mouthful.

I've always been partial to this flavor combination (coconut, chocolate and nuts), so I enjoyed it. What does the collage I made in the background have to do with Coconut Bliss? Absolutely nothing, other than it brightens up a black background.

ChocolateBet: December 3, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Ethel M Chocolates
Coconut Delights (Dark)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Ethel M Chocolates, in Henderson, NV

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week. This piece -- from the Ethel M (also known as the Mars Retail Group) store and cactus garden near Las Vegas, NV -- was a classic take on dark chocolate with a sweet, shredded coconut filling.

On a recent visit to the Ethel M facility in Henderson, Nevada, we took the short factory tour available there. Outside the Ethel M building in the cactus garden were inflatable holiday figures. Don't get too close to those cactus spikes Mr. and Ms. M&M!

ChocolateBet: December 2, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Gateau et Ganache
Le Noix de Coco
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $15.99 for total box of 8 bonbons
Purchased from: Piazzas, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

Gateau et Ganache's coconut bonbon (far right, front row) is a skillful combination of coconut flavors and textures, combining coconut with coconut liqueur, covered in dark chocolate, and topped with a dusting of finely shredded coconut pieces.

ChocolateBet: December 1, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/5 sample box
Jelly Belly Candy Company
Chocolate Dips - Coconut
Good +
Weight: .83 oz. (23.2 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box of 5 different flavors
Calories: 87 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - sample evaluation box
Purchased from: N/A - from Jelly Belly Candy Company

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week. I feel warmer and more tropical already. That's a good thing, because my house is very cold right now.

Jelly Belly Candy Company, has come out with a new offering -- Chocolate Dips. These dark chocolate covered jelly beans arrived in an assortment box; there were five different flavors. I ate all the coconut ones in this sample box. Other flavors included orange, raspberry, strawberry and very cherry. Chocolate Dips are guaranteed to please those who like both jelly beans and chocolate. (I also liked that flavors and colors listed included natural sources, such as carrot.) Chocolate Dips are available this week (Dec. 6, '10) at www.JellyBelly.com/Shop.

ChocolateBet: November 30, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
The Hershey Company - Reese's
Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Pumpkin
Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 grams)
Calories: 170 calories
Cost: $?
Purchased from: ?

I celebrated the last day of November, and Day #7 of Chocolate and Fall Flavors Theme Week, with a Reese's Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter filled pumpkin. For those on the creative side, you can design your own jack-o-lantern face on the blank milk chocolate surface.

And, yes, I do count the different Reese's novelty/seasonal items as different chocolates. This rule has allowed me to enjoy the classic Reese's peanut butter cup formula in different guises (trees, bunnies, pumpkins, etc.).

Tomorrow we slide into December and colder weather. Snow has arrived in the mountains further east. My reaction to this news was to schedule a chocolate and coconut theme week, starting tomorrow. I see coconut as the tropical equivalent of white snow. This helps me imagine that I'm on a warm island with palm trees and cacao trees, somewhere a bit closer to the equator.

ChocolateBet: November 29, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces
Moonstruck Chocolatier/Moonstruck Chocolate Co.
From 6-piece Flavors of Fall Collection box

1.) Maple Walnut Mousse Truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .515 oz. (14.6 g.) / 3.09 oz. (88 g.) total 6-piece box
Calories: 75 calories

Cost: $16.99 for total 6-piece box

Purchased from: Draegers, in San Mateo, CA

2.) Pfeffernusse Spice Truffle
Good
Weight: .515 oz. (14.6 g.) / 3.09 oz. (88 g.) total 6-piece box
Calories: 75 calories
Cost: $16.99 for total 6-piece box
Purchased from: Draegers, in San Mateo, CA

The Maple Walnut Mousse Truffle was very attractive -- a perfect half walnut, perched on top of a molded chocolate, realistic-looking walnut half shell. And the maple filling blended well with both of these other elements.

I was less sure about the Pfeffernusse Spice Truffle. This acorn-shaped, all-chocolate truffle, was decorated with tiny chocolate pieces (dark vermicelli) at one end; and the chocolate filling was flavored with a spice combination that may have included cloves and black pepper. However, I am not familiar enough with Pfeffernusse items to judge whether it tasted "authentic" or not.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Fall Flavors Theme Week.