ChocolateBet: July 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 truffle
Monique's Chocolates
Bolivia - Dark 68% truffle
Very Good  - Very Good +
Weight: .45 (12.7 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 65 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.00 for 1 truffle
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, in Palo Alto, CA

My choice for Day #7 of Chocolate and Single Origin Week (with an emphasis on chocolates from South America) was this 68% dark truffle from Bolivia. It had clear and pleasant notes for a dark chocolate, and was apparently made from a strain of wild cacao trees that had been fenced in and allowed to grow. There are many interesting stories that come with single origin and/or single plantation chocolates. And, the more ingredients that are mixed together, the more stories. Thank you also to the (more local) cows who contributed the nice cream for these truffles, and to Monique's Chocolates for skillful blending of ingredients from so many different parts of the world.

ChocolateBet: July 5, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 truffles
Monique's Chocolates
1.) Columbia 70% - Very Good
2.) Brazil (Santarem) 65% - Very Good + - Yum
Weight: ~.9 oz. (25.47 g.) (estimate for 2 pcs.)
Calories: 131 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00 for 2 truffles
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, in downtown Palo Alto, CA

To celebrate Day #6 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week, I visited Monique's Chocolates, a shop with a nice selection of single origin and blended chocolate truffles. The 70% Columbia truffle was nice and smooth. However, my favorite was the 65% truffle (made with cacao) from Brazil. This dark truffle (pictured above right, with green pattern on top) had wonderful smoky and earthy notes. Thank you to the owners and staff at Monique's for making some helpful suggestions, and answering questions about chocolate suppliers and origin stories.