ChocolateBet: July 18, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
.75 oz. melted for 1 sundae 
Taza Chocolate
60% dark chocolate bar (melted as sauce)
Good+
Weight: .75 oz. (21 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 112 calories for chocolate sauce (estimate) + 200 for ice cream

Cost: N/A - gift; thank you Alec
Purchased from: N/A - gift; store from Somerville, MA

Thank you to Alec for gifting me an assortment of Taza Chocolate bars (60%, 70% and 80% bars are pictured, right). He purchased these while on his recent bicycle trip from Boston to Detroit. (Taza Chocolate is based in Somerville, MA.)

Today I sampled the 60% dark Stone Ground Organic Chocolate Bar (yellow wrapper). All three bars were dairy free, gluten free, and soy free.

Since today (Sunday, July 18, 2010) was Sundae Day -- generally celebrated the third Sunday in July from what I gather -- I chose to melt 1/4 of this 60% Taza dark bar and use it as a topping for a scoop of homemade rum raisin ice cream (shown above right). Topped with a little mint, and it was officially a sundae -- also gone in six minutes. Did I lick the bowl? No I did not. I thought about it. But, my cat was watching.

ChocolateBet: July 17, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/8 bar
Taza Chocolate
Good
Weight: .375 oz. (9 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 50 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - gift -- Thank you Alec
Purchased from: N/A -- gift (purchased in store in Somerville, MA)

Thank you to Alec for providing Taza Chocolate bars for a tasting. Tonight Alec and I did a taste test of three different Taza Chocolate stone ground, organic bars: 60%, 70% and 80% cacao dark bars. I had tried the 70% bar some time ago. Today's choice was the 80% cacao bar. All three bars were dairy free, gluten free, and soy free, and included ground vanilla beans.

All three Taza bars also had a slightly grainy consistency. I am not sure whether it came from the stone ground technique or the ground vanilla beans. Tomorrow, my Chocolate of the Day will be the 60% bar, and I will try melting it so see what effect this has.