Saturday, February 28, 2015

Stirs the Soul - Maca Chocolate bar - Feb. 28, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stirs the Soul
Maca Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .33 oz. (9.3 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 50 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the final day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Maca Theme Week.

The chocolate-maker(s) at Stirs the Soul (Portland, OR) pride themselves on "Conscious Raw" bean-to-bar* chocolate. This Maca bar was crafted with "fairly traded, sustainably grown and allergy compassionate" cacao, added cocoa butter (for a more silken melt and mouthfeel), and lightly sweetened with coconut palm sugar.

Raw chocolate made and sweetened this way lacks the hard sugar buzz of conventional, commercial chocolate. While it may lack some of the roasted and fruity notes (depending on the beans used) found in some other bean-to-bar craft chocolate (made with roasted beans), it also may have a smoother flavor for some.

This bar was made and packaged in a dairy, egg, peanut, tree-nut (except coconut), soy and gluten-free facility.

*The company stone-grinds their own cocoa beans, and chocolate is made keeping temperatures below 111 degrees Farenheit (43.8 degrees Celsius). 


Pascha - 55% Cacao with Goldenberries bar - Feb. 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pascha Chocolate Company
55% Cacao with Goldenberries bar
Good
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 185 (estimate) calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Maca is from South America, and today I stuck with an Andean theme by pairing a 55% Cacao with Goldenberries bar from Pascha Chocolate Company (Toronto, Canada) with maca powder.

The sweet, organic bar base (a product of Peru, made for Pascha) was a good complement for the sprinkle of golden berries (think of a cross between golden raisins and a tart berry) that were on the back of this dark bar.

I also blended melted shavings from this bar (without berries) with a small spoonful of TerrAmazon organic maca powder and hazelnut "milk" to make my own version of organic, maca chocolate milk.

A small amount of maca will do. The powder was a warm beige color, and had a very subtle maple-sweetness (some say butterscotch) with a very slight radish/parsnip aroma. The nuttiness in the hazelnut milk rounded this out nicely. The combination made an interesting slightly fruity, nutty, earthy and rich chocolatey drink. Add a scoop of organic vanilla ice cream in a blender, and a little fresh nutmeg, and you'd have an interesting milkshake.

The Pascha bar was Organic and Non-GMO certified, Kosher, and "free from peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, wheat and gluten."








Friday, February 27, 2015

Gaia Herbs - Maca Boost smoothie - Feb. 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Gaia Herbs
Maca Boost
Good
Weight: .125 oz. (3.5 g.) / .25 oz. (7 g.) in total packet
Calories: 13 calories in 1/2 packet
Cost: $1.29 for 1 packet
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

I used this Maca Boost powder from Gaia Herbs (Brevard, NC) in a blueberry, strawberry, kale and coconut milk smoothie. It doesn't have to be this complicated. A bit of this powder in your chocolate milkshake or simple chocolate smoothie would probably be just fine as well.

This organic, unsweetened Maca Boost powder contained cacao, Peruvian maca root, ginger and rhodiola*.

*Golden Root or Rhodiola rosea is a flowering plant that grows in the Arctic and colder regions of Europe and Russia that is used by some as a "tonic herb."

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sequel Naturals - Vega Maca chocolate bar - Feb. 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Sequel Naturals Ltd.
Vega - Organic Maca Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 107.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.09 for 1/2 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

This gluten-free dark chocolate bar was a blend of organic 70% cocoa and Vega maca.

Distributed by Sequel Naturals Ltd. (Burnaby, BC, Canada), the bar had a subtle chocolate aroma, was sleek and shiny, lightly sweetened, and had a pleasant maca butterscotch-maple flavor and a very faint coffee note. (There was no coffee in this bar).

A bit of added cocoa butter gave the bar a relatively smooth melt.

This Vega bar was also certified vegan, organic and Non-GMO.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Lulu's Chocolate - Maca Buttercups - Feb. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lulu's Chocolate
Maca Buttercups
Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) in 1 package of 2 cups
Calories: 192 calories in 2 cups
Cost: $5.59 for 1 package of 2 cups
Purchased from: Country Sun

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Maca Theme Week.

One of the best things about these Maca Buttercups from Lulu's Chocolate (Sedona, AZ) -- was the filling.

Maca powder was incorporated into a base of sprouted, ground almond butter, and judiciously sweetened with coconut palm sugar -- a great, lower glycemic sweetener. (It's pleasantly sweet, without the hard buzz of processed sugar.)

Covered in raw chocolate, these cups were vegan, soy-free, fair trade and gluten-free.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Earthsource Maca bite; Pacari bar - Feb. 23, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Earthsource Organics
Maca - Cacao and Maca, Bite Size
OK
Weight: .26 oz. (7.4 g.) / 35 oz. (9.9 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 39 calories (estimate) in 3/4 piece
Cost: $1.29 for 1 individually wrapped piece
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

My first pick for the day was the individually-wrapped, bite-sized "Righteously Raw" Maca square from Earthsource Organics (San Diego, CA). Certified Organic and Non-GMO, this chocolate contained cocoa butter, maca powder, mesquite powder, vanilla bean powder and salt... but no cocoa solids, from what I could tell. Since I only "count" items that also contain cocoa solids for my Chocolate of the Day, I added a second chocolate, from Pacari Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador).

Pacari Chocolate
Raw Sea Salt and Nibs 70% Cacao bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) piece / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) for .5 oz. (14.1 g.) piece
Cost: N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample

Ecuadorian cacao can have wonderful floral flavor notes. I especially like Pacari Raw (and roasted) bars for this flavor. Pacari claims they are the first company to make chocolate from tree to bar, in Ecuador. (Most cacao is grown in one country and the fermented beans or liquor (mass) is shipped to another country for manufacturing.) Making chocolate "in country" offers more control over the process, and development/preservation of certain flavors.

Floral flavors are not for everyone, and also can be fairly volatile, i.e. easily lost as cacao is being processed, heated, and made into bars. Today's Raw Sea Salt and Nibs 70% Cacao bar was smooth and flavorful with lovely floral notes intact. This organic, kosher and gluten free bar was a World Chocolate Awards 2012 Silver winner.

Pacari offers a series of bars and chocolate items, made with raw, and some with roasted cacao (almost exclusively from Ecuador*). I would have written about the Pacari 70% Raw cacao bar with Maca -- for Maca theme week this week -- but I already featured this Maca bar last year.


*Pacari has/had one bar made with cacao beans from next door neighbor Peru, and the company incorporates Cuzco salt, Maca and other ingredients from the larger Andean region in their Andean flavors collection.






Sunday, February 22, 2015

ChocolaTree - Maca Maca - Feb. 22, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

ChocolaTree

Maca Maca
Good+
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces
Calories: 112 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $4.44 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: ChocolaTree, Sedona, AZ

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Maca Theme Week.

What is Maca?
Maca is a from a plant (Lepidium meyenii), from the Andes in Peru, that has been cultivated as a vegetable crop for thousands of years. It looks (and smells) a bit like a large butterscotch radish. It's also known as "Peruvian Ginseng," and is used medicinally. The slightly nutty, sweet flavor lends itself well to desserts and in combination with chocolates.

I've found enough chocolate items that contain maca lately that I'm devoting a theme week to it.

The ChocolaTree cafe and marketplace ("organic oasis") (Sedona, AZ) offered several chocolates on-site, including some that contained maca, honey, lucuma, mushrooms, and other "health foods." Most intriguing was the "The Chocolate Room" door that we passed on the way to the backyard patio. I knew I must be in the right place.

ChocolaTree's Maca Maca, a faceted dome-shaped chocolate -- was filled with golden creamy filling and the soft nutty texture and flavor of a macadamia nut (the other "maca" in Maca Maca). This sunny center was lightly sweetened with honey, and contained a hint of vanilla.

I also enjoyed sampling two other ChocolaTree chocolates: a Caramel Macchiato (with chocolate, honey, coffee and lucuma); and a "Treasure" chocolate that contained mushrooms. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to go back and taste more of these chocolates in the future.

ChocolaTree chocolates are made using raw chocolate, and without processed sugar. From what I could see, all of the items in the cafe and chocolates were gluten free. Heaven for me.







Saturday, February 21, 2015

Devnaa - Milk Chocolate chai masala bar - Feb. 21, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Devnaa
Milk Chocolate infused with chai masala, ginger bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 94 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $26.70 (part of a 4-bar package)
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

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

Chai tea beverages have become popular in the U.S., and chai spice blends have made their way into chocolates as well.

Devnaa (London) makes several different India-inspired chocolates (with cardamom, saffron and other lovely spices). They also offer a chai filled chocolate, and today's Milk Chocolate bar infused with chai masala* and a hint of ginger.

The flavors were wonderful. Melt a few pieces of this bar into your chai, or and give your hot/steamed milk some chocolate chai ginger snap flavor.

Chocolate Cups + Indian flavors
I wasn't quite ready to leave chocolate and India behind. Seven days was not enough for the Indian Sub-continent. Milk chocolate kheer will have to wait. I was able to fill a chocolate cup with some new flavors.

Chocolate cups are very easy to make and can be filled with fruit, liqueur, and/or creamy favorites (no-bake cheesecake, pudding, mousse, yogurt, ice cream, etc.). To make the cup shown at right, I melted Guittard Extra Dark chocolate chips in the microwave, spooned the melted chocolate into a silicon cupcake mold, and let cool. After carefully peeling off the silicon mold, I filled the chocolate cup with homemade coconut cream, and swirled in a bit of Sukhi's Mango Chutney.

Other fillings: Rose water or orange blossom flavored vanilla ice cream, drizzled with honey and topped with an edible flower is not bad either.

*The chai masala, a blend or mixture of chai spices, included cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove.)





Friday, February 20, 2015

Spicely - Cardamom Anise chocolates - Feb. 20, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Spicely Organic Chocolates
(Organic Spices, Inc.)
Cardamom Anise chocolates
Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) in total tin/container
Calories: ??? calories in 1/2 serving
Cost: $11.99 (less $2.50 discount) for 1 tin/container
Purchased from: Spicely, online order

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

Cardamom is one of the most natural spices to flavor chocolate with, and so I was excited to try these Organic Cardamom Anise chocolates from Spicely Organic Chocolates/Organic Spices, Inc. (Fremont, CA).

These organic, 60% dark chocolate, disc-shaped rounds tasted a bit like star anise or five-spice powder. I couldn't really detect much cardamom flavor in them. But, the discs were a good size and shape for tasting.

I enjoyed these chocolates with gluten-free Zouq Indian snacks (Golden Lentils, and Curry Crunch flavors).

Spicely also offers other organic chocolates with popular Indian spices, such as their Organic Saffron White Chocolate, and their Turmeric Coriander 60% Dark chocolates.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Devnaa Dark bar; Cashew Butter, "Chaat" Cups - Feb. 19, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Devnaa
Dark Chocolate with almonds and honey bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories:
Cost:
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet, online order (UK)

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

This Devnaa dark chocolate bar with honey
had a subtle spice flavor and small bits of almond.

I also decided to make some dark chocolate filled cups with Guittard chocolate.

Guittard
Extra Dark Chocolate Chips
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 11.5 oz. (326 g.) total bag/package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3) serving
Cost: $2.49 (estimate)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Guittard (Burlingame, CA) sells their chocolate (in bars, blocks and chips) to chocolatiers, dessert chefs and home bakers of all sorts.

It's consistently good chocolate for making confections. I started by microwaving (melting) Guittard's Extra Dark (63% cacao) Chocolate Chips to make dark chocolate cups. I coated small, colorful, cupcake style silicon molds with melted chocolate and, once the chocolate hardened, filled these with Indian-inspired flavors.

Cashew butter chaat* cups
The first batch of dark cups were a variation on peanut butter cups. I filled these with cashew butter and crunchy Fiery Stick snacks from Zouq Foods International (Gardena, CA). These "chaat" cups were flavorful and creamy-crunchy with a touch of savory, spicy flavor, and not too much sugar.

Dark chocolate, coconut India cups
The next batch of dark chocolate cups were filled with a coconut milk, cream cheese, coriander and honey layer, and topped with chopped pieces of a savory, not sweet "India" bar from Slow Nation (Slow Food for Fast Lives) (San Francisco, CA), and flakes of freeze-dried mango.

*Chaat is an Indian term for types of snack food, often characterized by dishes with pieces of fried dough.





Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Devnaa - Chai Masala Caramel, Honey Cadamom Fudge - Feb. 18, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Devnaa

Chai Masala Caramel
Good+
Weight: .485 oz. (13.75 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 in 1 box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

Honey Cardamom Fudge
Good
Weight: .485 oz. (13.75 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 for 1 box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and India Theme Week, and I sampled two more exotic chocolates from an India-Inspired Chocolate Collection box from Devnaa (London).

Devnaa's Chai Masala Caramel was full of flavor. This salted caramel was infused with a "subtle blend of traditional chai spices -- cinnamon, cardamom, clove and ginger," and enrobed in a milk chocolate shell.

The second piece, a Honey Cardamom Fudge square, had a honey and fresh ground cardamom flavored sweet center, and was covered in dark chocolate.

The freshly ground spice flavors in these chocolates really made them sparkle without being overwhelming. (I love cardamom and authentic spice flavors.)


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Devnaa - Coconut and Cardamom, Passion Fruit Caramel - Feb. 17, 2015


Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Devnaa

Coconut and Cardamom
Good - Good +
Weight: .485 oz. (13.75 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 for total box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

Passion Fruit Caramel
Good - Good +
Weight: .485 oz. (13.75 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 for total box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

There are so many wonderful spice blends and flavors from India. We're just starting to see more Chai chocolates (and chocolate chai hot beverage blends) in the U.S. I think this is the beginning of more to come.

Today's two little round, diet-spoilers were from Devnaa (London, UK).

Both the Coconut and Cardamom and the Passion Fruit Caramel (white chocolate) were infused with robust, but well balanced, authentic Indian spice and flavor blends. (Thank you!) Real coconut and cardamom, and passion fruit flavors.

*Note to those with dietary restrictions: Devnaa chocolates may contain gluten (barley, glucose syrup, flour).


Monday, February 16, 2015

Devnaa - Saffron Caramel, Mango Fudge - Feb. 16, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Devnaa

Saffron and Pistachio Caramel
Good +
Weight: .485 oz. (14.2 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total 16-piece box
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 for 1 box
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

Mango Fudge
Good
Weight: .485 oz. (14.2 g.) / 7.77 oz. (220 g.) in total 16-piece box
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $26.70 for 1 box
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet.com, online order

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

Eight different India-inspired chocolates (2 each) were nestled together in this Devnaa (UK) Signature Chocolate Collection box.
(Brother and sister team, Roopa and Jay Rawal, founded Devnaa and were influenced by Indian family traditions and sweets.)

Packaged in a brightly-colored, pink and purple, tiffin*-inspired carbboard box, this 16-piece collection included today's two chocolates.

First, I tried the company's Saffron and Pistachio Caramel. Beneath the outer round of sweet white chocolate that was dusted with pistachio bits, was a heavenly soft caramel center redolent of saffron (a favorite flavor of mine). I couldn't have been more pleased with the flavor of this filling.

The second piece, a square of dark chocolate covered Mango Fudge, also had the taste of real mango. The fudge in this case was what I might call a mango-tinged "white" fudge, infused with authentic tropical mango flavor.

*"Tiffin boxes are widely used in India as lunch boxes and food carriers with compartments for different foods and a handle for easy transportation." The tiffin set I have is a stack of small stainless steel containers, that work well for hikes and picnics as well as lunchboxes. I recommend them.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

ChocolaTree - Rose Saffron - Feb. 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

ChocolaTree
Rose Saffron
Good ++
Weight: .37 oz. (10.4 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 55.5 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.22 for 1 piece
Purchased from: ChocolaTree, Sedona, AZ

Today was Day #7 of Valentines Chocolates Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

I've been interested in Indian spices, snacks and other flavors for several years now. I'll be featuring some chocolatier offerings that incorporate these flavors into chocolate bars and confections.

I'm also blending some of my own chocolates that I hope capture the spirit of India -- at least from an American perspective, and given that I haven't actually been to this very large and diverse country.

I love the use of flowers in Indian dishes, including marigolds, kewra, onion, drumstick, banana, orange blossoms, roses (petals and rose water), and saffron.* Roses are also popular this Valentines Day weekend.

Today's Rose Saffron chocolate from ChocolaTree (Sedona, AZ) incorporates two of these floral ingredients from the above list. This chocolate had a velvety melt and texture, was suffused with authentic rose flavor. It was also gluten free, dairy free and soy free.

I also sampled a ChocolaTree white chocolate elephant flavored with frankincense which tasted as intriguing as it sounded. My thoughts wandered to Indian elephants (especially male elephants with tusks) that are being killed by poachers in India. Best wishes to those who are in a role to help protect this endangered species.

* Kewra water is made with an extract distilled from the pandanus flower.
**Saffron is a spice made with the red-orange stamens from the saffron crocus flower (Crocus sativa).
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