The Chocolate Gallery - Pear and Ginger chocolate - July 31, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Chocolate Gallery

Pear chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Chocolate Gallery, Goleta, CA

Ginger chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Chocolate Gallery, Goleta, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

A friend and I stumbled upon The Chocolate Gallery, in the Calle Real Shopping Center (Goleta, CA), just north of Santa Barbara on a recent trip to the area -- when making a stop at another store nearby. I discover a lot of new chocolates this way.

Today's Pear chocolate caught my eye. I spoke with Chocolate Gallery co-owner, Karen, about the challenge of infusing pear flavor into chocolate. Natural pear flavor can be subtle and easily overwhelmed by more robust or dark chocolates. Some chocolatiers use pear liqueur or concentrated essence of pear to help boost the fruit flavor.

The Chocolate Gallery chocolatiers got the balance right. There was just enough subtle pear flavor in the ganache/filling in this chocolate to create a balanced and enjoyable tasting experience.

This Pear chocolate was also a great match for the company's chocolate covered ginger pieces. Pieces of slightly chewy candied ginger (bursting with authentic ginger flavor) were covered in chocolate. If you like ginger, this is a great combination.

Chocolate Gallery - Chocolate Explosion - July 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Gallery
Chocolate Explosion
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (guess) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Explosion, Goleta, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

During a recent trip to Santa Barbara, a friend and I visited Goleta, a community adjacent to the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), and just north of Santa Barbara proper.

When we saw the "Chocolate Gallery" sign, I had to stop and check out this local shop. We wandered into store, and after admiring shelves full of different chocsimiles*, and chocolates behind glass, we talked with one of The Chocolate Gallery owners (Karen Kegg).

Karen (and husband Tim Johnson) have been in the chocolate business in the Santa Barbara area for 35+ years -- a real accomplishment for any small business. And, that's long enough time to see many trends come and go. When I asked about certain flavor combinations, she admitted that she was not a fan of a lot of exotic flavors.

Basic chocolates (perhaps molded into different shapes), and basic flavor and texture combinations were her preference. She handed me a Chocolate Explosion to taste, that had a creamy chocolate filling and crunchy cocoa nibs, and was covered in dark chocolate. Yep, that's the essence of chocolate all right. And it was pretty tasty too.

*Chocsimiles are facsimiles of objects rendered in chocolate -- think Easter bunnies and other animals, musical instruments and other shapes.

Chocolate Maya - Basil chocolate - July 29, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolate Maya
Basil chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

I love flowers and herbs in filled chocolates, truffles and bonbons. So I was interested in trying this basil-flavored filled chocolate (adorned with a dark and white colored patterned stencil) from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA).

Chocolate and mint is a popular combination. And basil is a member of the very large mint family. Both the chocolate and the basil-almost-mint herbal flavoring in the smooth ganache (filling) complemented each other nicely and the flavors were refreshingly natural and authentic.

Today's piece was one of several interesting, unique and carefully crafted filled chocolates packed into a relatively small Santa Barbara-based shop that also contained a great selection of chocolate bars from around the globe.

Chocolate Maya - Buddha in Jasmin; Ganesh chocolates - July 28, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya

Buddha in Jasmin (sic) tea
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Ganesh
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

These two wonderful and exotic pieces, a Buddha-shaped chocolate infused with jasmine tea, and a Ganesh medallion-shaped chocolate, were from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA).

Both were made with rich, high-quality chocolate; and buddha contained a subtle hint of floral flavored tea.

Chocolate Maya - Milk and Honey and Champagne chocolate - July 27, 2015

www.chocolatemaya.com

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya
Milk and Honey and Champagne chocolate
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

I've been enjoying the assortment box of chocolates I purchased from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA) recently. We knew when we peeked in the door of this small, but wonderful shop that we'd be walking out with an interesting assortment of chocolates. And we did.

Today's "Milk and Honey and Champagne" bonbon was a creamy, sweet milk chocolate round topped with tiny (crunchy), gold candy "bubbles;" and it had a very slight hint of champagne grape flavor. Great for a gift or for celebrating a festive occasion, especially if you're milk chocolate fan.

Chocolate Maya - Elderflower Liqueur chocolate - July 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya
Elderflower liqueur chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .37 oz. (10.4 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 56 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 in 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week. I'm working my way through a few different assortment boxes of chocolates recently purchased in Santa Barbara, CA.

Today's purplish, flower-shaped confection came from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA) and was filled with elderflower liqueur (St. Germain I believe) infused dark chocolate ganache. This filling had just the right amount (for my taste) of slightly berry-tart elderflower flavor.

Chocolate Maya - Rosewater chocolate - July 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya
Rose - Rosewater Dark Chocolate
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

This Rose dark chocolate from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA) was deliciously dark and authentically rose flavored. And I loved that it wasn't overly sweet.

Unfortunately, the assortment box of great chocolates I bought at Chocolate Maya last week got squashed (my fault), so this photo does not do this lovely, heart-shaped, floral chocolate justice.

Chocolate Maya is a small shop, right off State Street, the main street running through downtown Santa Barbara. It's not far from the ocean and the Santa Barbara pier -- that offers great views of the ocean, the city and the blue and dusky beige mountains as a backdrop. But, back to the chocolate...

Swiss-born owner, Maya Schoop-Rutten uses organic cocoa from "ethical plantations" in her house-made confections. Good chocolate made a difference, as did a lighter touch of sugar. Her shop also is well-stocked with high-quality chocolate single origin bars from bean-to-bar chocolate makers.

Chocolats du CaliBressan - Kentucky Bourbon bonbon - July 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolats du CaliBressan
Kentucky Bourbon bonbon
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $1.80 for 1 bonbon
Purchased from: Chocolats du CaliBressan, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

Today's rectangular Kentucky Bourbon bonbon from Chocolats du CaliBressan (Santa Barbara, CA) was decorated with a gold, red and light blue stencil pattern -- with tiny graphic bursts and little "BAM" exclamations -- across the top. This "monthly special" chocolate for July was a good choice for celebrating Bastille Day, the 4th of July, or the summer in general.

Inside this bonbon, a chocolate ganache contained a tantalizing hint of Kentucky Bourbon that yielded a glowing warmth.

Today was the last day for featured chocolates from Chocolats du CaliBressan, but rest assured there will be more in the future, including the company's signature Limoncello truffle, and tasty "Buddha Beauty" salt caramel, and the company's Bisous bonbon (red lips filled with a tangerine liqueur infused ganache). 

Chocolats du CalifBressan - Bressan shoe, Sea Shell truffles - July 23, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolats du CaliBressan
Bressan truffle - Good ++ - Very Good
Sea shell truffle - Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) for 2 truffles
Calories: 119 calories (estimate) for 2 truffles
Cost: $3.60 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: Chocolats du CaliBressan, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week, and I celebrated with two different bonbons from Chocolats du CaliBressan (a shop with two locations: Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, CA).

Today's chocolates were part of an assortment box from this chocolatier in Santa Barbara that I purchased while visiting this Spanish-themed coastal city last week.

The first chocolate was a "Bressan" -- a shoe-shaped "milk chocolate and praline spiced with nutmeg, covered with milk chocolate." I loved the little spikes of fresh nutmeg embedded in a sweet creamy and firm filling (leavened by what might have been a few micro-specks of salt).

The second piece was shaped like a Sea Shell, with a silky dark chocolate and boysenberry ganache that sparkled with bright, authentic berry flavor, encased in dark chocolate.

Thank you to the staff for tips on which chocolates to buy. Lots of good ones; and it was hard to decide.

Chocolats du CaliBressan - Lotus bonbon - July 22, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolats du CaliBressan
Lotus bonbon
Good+
Weight: .39 oz. (11 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 58.5 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolats du CaliBressan, Santa Barbara, CA

I'm interrupting Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week(s), to feature several chocolates from a recent field trip to Santa Barbara, California.

Last week I visited this beautiful, coastal city where I'd lived for 4 + years earlier in life. Why I ever left is harder to fathom now (the world of work and adventure called). However, why I return there is no mystery. The scenery alone is worth it. And, of course, between the towering blue and beige mountains and the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, there is chocolate.

Chocolats du CaliBressan (Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, CA) has two locations, and is run by a French couple. Jean-Michel Carre calls himself the "French Chocolatier of the American Riviera." The downtown Santa Barbara location is right off State Street, tucked away next to a few other small independent shops, near a fountain with turtles sunning themselves.

Today's Lotus bonbons were attractively displayed in a red lotus bowl in the shop, and this piece was part of an assortment box I purchased. It was filled with a creamy, soft (dark + milk) chocolate ganache infused with lotus stamens and lotus leaf powder; covered in dark chocolate; and adorned with a lotus flower stencil.

The lotus flavor was so subtle that it was difficult to detect, but I enjoyed the thought that I was taking in some part of this flower.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

Woodstock - Mini Me's Organic Rice Bites - July 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Woodstock
Mini Me's - Organic Rice Bites
Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $5.59 for 1 package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week, with a focus on alternatives to wheat.

Rice was my first go to wheat substitute when I learned I had issues with gluten many years ago. And while rice cakes didn't seem as exciting as a "real" cake initially, I quickly got used to them. Rice cakes are, however, can be more interesting with a thin dark chocolate coating on top -- just like today's Mini Me's Organic Rice Bites -- a product of the Netherlands and distributed by Woodstock foods (Providence, RI).

These organic, diminutive rounds (billed as a "better cookie" and designed with children in mind) were gluten-free and were "produced with No GMOs." I appreciated the smaller, 3-bite size pieces.

The dark chocolate complemented the rice, and a light touch of sea salt tied everything together nicely.

Hu Kitchen - Almond Butter Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bar - July 20, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Hu Kitchen
Almond Butter + Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (59.4 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.59 in 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week, with a focus on alternatives to wheat, barley and other gluten-containing grains.

Hu Kitchen (New York, NY) is an eatery specializing in less processed foods; and they make chocolate bars with no refined or cane sugar. They also minimize the use of grains. Today's Almond Butter + Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bar was lightly sweetened with coconut palm sugar. No overly sweet sugar taste or sugar buzz. That was refreshing and wonderful.

This 4-ingredient*, vegan and "primal" 72% cacao dark bar was filled with almond butter, and contained no gluten, no emulsifiers or soy lecithin, and "No GMO."

*The 4 ingredients in this bar were: cacao, almonds, organic puffed quinoa and organic coconut sugar.

Nairn's - Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies - July 19, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nairn's
Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 5.64 oz. (160 g.) in total box
Calories: 90 calories in 2 cookies (per label)
Cost: $5.39 for 1 box of 4 packages of cookies
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

I found today's Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies from Nairn's (Edinburgh, Scotland) strangely addicting. These crunchy, satisfying sweet oat cookies were peppered with small chocolate chips and had a mild, oaty, chocolate flavor.

And the Scottish know their oats. Nairn's has been making oatcakes since 1896, and produces a line of gluten-free cookies made in a dedicated gluten-free bakery. They are careful to source gluten-free oats, and mention (on the back of the box) that one of their sources, a farm in Wyoming, is owned by a family of celiacs.

The box contained 4 "snack and go" packs (with 4 cookies per pack), a perfect size for a packed lunch, hike or emergency snack.

These cookies were made with gluten-free whole grain oats (50%) dark chocolate chips (14%), palm fruit oil from sustainable sources, demerara sugar, inulin, golden syrup, dark chocolate powder (3%), baking soda and sea salt.

Earnest Eats - Mayan Blend cereal - July 18, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Earnest Eats
hot and fit cereal earnest eats
Mayan Blend (cocoa and cashews + pepitas)
Good +
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) / 12.6 oz. (357 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1 (1/2 cup) serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

What did I like best about today's hot and fit cereal earnest eats - Mayan Blend from Earnest Eats (Solana Beach, CA)? It wasn't too sweet. Most granolas seem loaded with sugar. This was not. And there was enough cocoa to really taste some authentic, darker cacao flavor.

Billed as a vegan, wheat-free "Superfood Hot Cereal," made with oats, quinoa and amaranth, this blend was flavored with cocoa, cashews and pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

Heart Thrive - Chocolate Chip Energy Bar - July 17, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Healthy Baking Company, LLC
Heart Thrive - Chocolate Chip Energy Bar(s)
OK+ - Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) for 1 piece / 4 oz. (112 g.) in total package of 2 pieces
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.19 for 1 package of 2 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

This package of two heart-shaped energy bars was created by The Healthy Baking Company, LLC (Emeryville, CA), and is a part of a line of heart-shaped energy bars. This was the only flavor with chocolate that I saw at the store.

These energy bars are gluten free, Non-GMO and vegan; and they contain no wheat, dairy, preservatives, cholesterol, trans fats, and/or added oils. They are "naturally sweetened" with brown rice syrup and fruit juices. They are made in a nut-free facility.

These bars contained a smattering of small chocolate chips, but the chocolate was just a mild accent flavor. The bars had a hearty texture, but there was a slight skunky, odd flavor note. I shared a piece of this bar with a friend, and she shared this observation. Otherwise, all was good, and I loved the heart shape.

Theo Chocolate - Forbidden Rice bar - July 16, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.
Forbidden Rice bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate per label) in 1 oz. piece of bar
Cost: $3.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

The Forbidden Rice Limited Edition bar from Theo Chocolate, Inc. (Seattle, WA) was a 65% dark chocolate bar with Lotus Foods organic Forbidden Rice, a "deep purple, iron-rich ancient grain fabled to ensure longevity."

The bar had a sweet, pleasant chocolate malt aroma. It was fun to taste what black puffed rice tasted like. The taste of this bar was interesting but had a slightly bitter flavor note. It was difficult to know if this was due to the mix of rice and puffed quinoa, or one or both of these additions interacting with the chocolate and/or vanilla beans.

The packaging was adorned with an attractive Art Nouveau style illustration of the Goddess of the Harvest.

Alas, this Limited Edition bar may no longer be available; however, I did see another Limited Edition bar -- a Quinoa Coconut bar -- on the Theo Chocolate website, that would have fit right in also with this week's theme, as a bar with a grain-alternative.

jcoco - Agave Quinoa Sesame bar - July 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolates
jcoco Agave Quinoa Sesame bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend (thank you Toni!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

Grains are malty, neutral-tasting and a bit starchy -- a good foil for flavorful chocolate which has just enough acidic tang and bittersweet zing to liven things up.

Most chocolate and grain items come in the form of baked goods. Before I had to skip all things gluten, some of my favorites included: chocolate croissants, German chocolate cake, eclairs, and other lovelies. Thankfully there are plenty of gluten-free alternatives to these sweets now -- except perhaps flaky pastry items such as croissants.

This week, I'll be focusing on chocolates with grain or grass inclusions or alternatives, such as today's jcoco Agave Quinoa Sesame bar from Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).

Quinoa is from a plant native to South American that's grown primarily for its edible seeds. It has become popular in the last several years in the U.S. However, it is neither grass nor grain, but rather a "pseudocereal." (Chenopodium quinoa is more closely related to the beet family.) However, quinoa can serve, and is serving, as a grain alternative to couscous, bulgar wheat, rice and other starches, and can complement or replace other cereal grains.

Today's non-GMO and gluten-free Agave Quinoa Sesame milk chocolate bar was sweet and a good blend of creamy sweet milk chocolate and crunchy, chewy seeds and quinoa. Agave and sugar glazed quinoa to be precise. A dash of sea salt helped balance the sweetness.

This bar was part of an assortment of 6 small-sized, different flavored jcoco bars from Seattle Chocolates.

Bonnat - Los Colorados Equateur 75% bar - July 14, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Chocolat Bonnat / Bonnat Chocolatier
Los Colorados Equateur (Ecuador) 75% de cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #10, the last day of an extended Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Los Colorados Equateur (Ecuador) tablette (bar) was made by Chocolate Bonnat (Voiron, Isere, France).

Bonnat is a business with a strong family history in chocolate. Felix Bonnat established a chocolate shop back in the1880s in the French town of Voiron. And the family tradition continues today. The current Maitre Chocolatier (head chocolatier) is Stephane Bonnat.

The company has produced at least 10 single origin chocolates, including today's Ecuador bar.*

This 75% cacao bar was made in France, with unroasted cacao beans shipped in from Ecuador -- from the Santa Domingo de Los Colorados region, so named because of the local colors there associated with the Tsachilas people, who dye their hair (and clothes) with plant materials (achiote and other natural colors).

SOMAChocolate.com

The bar's aroma was subtle and pleasing. One of the Bonnat hallmarks was apparent with the first bite of this bar -- a buttery, creamy texture and melt combined with good flavor (flavorful and balanced dried fruit, floral notes and cream). I also get a tiny whiff of floral-banana-marshmallow with many Ecuador bars, including this one. The overall flavor was quite good and without strong bitterness.

I enjoyed a similar 75% dark Ecuador from Bonnat last year, but the packaging was a different color, the bar title was different; and it's likely the harvest year was slightly earlier. So I don't think this was a repeat.

Just in case, I had a second single origin chocolate today, albeit not from Ecuador. (They were single origin truffles from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada).) It was fruity and sweet and creamy and quite good. (The tasting notes mentioned wild raspberries and wildflower honey.)

*I was first introduced to Bonnat chocolate bars by Sunita de Tourreil, owner and chocolate curator extraordinaire at The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA). The creamy, buttery texture and smoother taste of these bars was a nice complement to some of the strong, bold flavors of craft bars emerging from the wave of new American makers several years ago. Thank you Sunita.

Pump Street Bakery - 100% Ecuador bar - July 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pump Street Bakery
Ecuador 100% - Guantupi 2013 Havest (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $13.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

One of the best ways to learn about chocolate is to sample a few 100% cacao dark chocolate bars. Experience chocolate without the sugar; this is cacao in its pure, dark state.

Today's Ecuador 100% - Guantupi 2013 Harvest (bar) (Batch #4712) was made from scratch by The Pump Street Bakery, a small family owned bakery and cafe in the U.K. They buy beans from the farmer, and after cleaning the beans, roast them in their bread oven(s), then grind beans and conch chocolate at their bakery location.

Yesterday, I tried Pump Street Bakery's Ecuador 75% - Guantupi 2014 Harvest (bar). The beans in today's 100% Guantupi 2013 bar came from the same plantation/farm in Ecuador as the beans used to make the 75% bar, but the harvests were one year apart. There are many potential variations between craft batches (e.g. roasting and conching times might have been slightly different), making this both vexing and delightful to consumers and makers alike. So even if the same beans were used, there may be variations possible between single region bars.*

The 100% bar had a faint aroma, and very uniformly dark bitter coffee flavor, whereas the 75% bar seemed to have more complex smell (slight fruit, even a tiny bit of spice?) and flavor. Could that really be just because of the sugar? It's hard to tell without a direct, side-by-side comparison (same batch -- one with sugar, and one without).

Both bars broke with a nice clean, hard snap (a sign of a good temper), and were quite smooth in texture. Both had uniform dark flavor -- with a somewhat bitter, dark roasted coffee flavor in both. Both had good, almost creamy (but not overly so) balanced texture.

Today's 100% bar was very well executed (no small feat) and interesting to taste, but was a bit too bitter for me.

*Additional Notes:

This would be a great 100% bar to add to a plate of other 100% bars for comparison taste testing. Also interesting, if possible, would be a side-by-side tasting with a bar made with cocoa beans from the same harvest (year, farm and batch #) and roasting and conch times, but with some added sugar, i.e. not 100% but same origin conditions.

Pump Street Bakery - Ecuador 75% bar - July 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pump Street Bakery
Ecuador 75% - Guantupi 2014 Harvest (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $13.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

The Pump Street Bakery (Orford, Suffolk, UK) is a blend of bakery and cafe, located in the village of Orford on Suffolk's Heritage coast; and creative things are happening at this family owned business.

It sounds like a great place to linger over coffee and cake, perhaps before taking a class or workshop to learn more about great food. And last, but not least, single origin, bean-to-bar chocolate is made in their bakery.

Today's Ecuador 75% bar had a pleasant, complex bittersweet cocoa aroma, and broke with a clean hard snap.

Both taste and texture were smooth and balanced in this three ingredient bar (cocoa beans, cane sugar and cocoa butter). Hints of dried fruit, marshmallow and slight floral flavor mingled with bittersweet vanilla tea or coffee notes. (There was no vanilla in this bar.)

This dark bar was crafted from Heirloom Cacao Preservation accredited cocoa beans (Guantupi 2014 Harvest) from Samuel von Rutte's Hacienda Limon farm on the Guantupi River (Guayas basin) in the Los Rios province of Ecuador. Pump Street imports their beans directly from Samuel "and carefully processes his great beans to produce a 75% smooth dark chocolate with notes of caramel and cream, finishing with roasted coffee and honey."

Trader Joe's - Ecuador bar - July 11, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
66% Cacao Dark Chocolate Ecuador bar
Good++
Weight: .795 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of 8-bar package, cost previously recorded
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

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

This 66% cacao Ecuador bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) was part of an 8-bar tasting pack, or "Chocolate Passport" -- with 8 different single origin bars.

This complex little bar had a sweet almost spicy chocolate aroma, and a flavor arc that included caramel, fruit, hazelnut, and ended with very slightly bitter earth. The texture was pleasantly creamy, in terms of mouthfeel and melt.

There wasn't a lot of information as to where the cacao beans came from within Ecuador, i.e. which plantation/farm or province. But if I had to guess I'd say it contained at least some Arriba Nacional fine flavored cacao.

The concept of a Chocolate Passport was great. I love to travel, but I may not be able to get to every chocolate producing country in the world. Eating single origin chocolate bars gives us a way to travel "virtually" to each of the major cacao producing regions and learn about geographic differences in beans, and in some cases the difference in soil and local conditions as well as processing.