Simply Enjoy - Toffee & Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar - Aug. 31, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Simply Enjoy
Toffee and Sea Salt Belgian Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.34 oz. (38 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 3 squares of bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Simply Enjoy Toffee and Sea Salt Belgian Dark Chocolate bar (distributed by Foodhold U.S.A., LLC in Landover, MD) was made with UTZ* Certified cocoa.

This dark chocolate (57% cocoa solids) bar was filled with crispy crunchy butter toffee bits and a hint of sea salt.

*UTZ Certified is a large program (and label) for sustainable growing of coffee and cocoa that provides education to farmers on how to grow "better crops" through farm practices and management, as well as education about the environment. It was founded by Belgian-Guatamalan Nick Bocklandt, in 2002 for coffee growing and was later expanded (2007) to include cocoa. UTZ Certified is a non-profit organization based in Amsterdam (Netherlands). 

While producers don't have to pay the higher costs associated with Fairtrade and other certifications (which can be too high for farmer co-ops and smaller companies), the organization does not have as their primary goal guaranteeing of higher prices for farmers.

Cemoi - Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Crystals bar - Aug. 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cemoi Chocolatier Francais
Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Crystals bar
(Chocolat Noir Fleur de Sel)
Good
Weight: 1.413 oz. (40 g.) in 4 squares / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 4 squares of bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

As a flavor addition to chocolate bar, salt can be incorporated in at least three different ways. Salt crystals can be layered on the front, or back, of a chocolate bar. Salt can be broken down and homogeneously blended with chocolate. Or, whole crystals can be embedded within a bar.

Today's 47% cocoa Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Crystals (Chocolat Noir Fleur de Sel) bar, from the French company Cemoi* (Perpignan, France), falls into this third category.

This bar had a faint cocoa aroma and smooth texture -- punctuated with an occasional crunch from a sea salt crystal, followed by a tiny spark of intense salt flavor.

*The Cemoi brand was created in 1919 in Grenoble, France by Felix Cartier-Million. Georges Poirrier bought the company in 1981 and took the Cemoi brand as the name for the new company.

Steve's Ice Cream - Chocolate Salty Caramel - Aug. 29, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Steve's Ice Cream
Chocolate Salty Caramel - Dairy Free Ice Cream
Good
Weight: 1/4 cup (53 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 135 calories in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $2.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Steve's Ice Cream (Brooklyn, NY) has produced several rich, creamy ice creams. This was the first Steve's offering I've tried that wasn't technically ice cream.

Today's Chocolate Salty Caramel dairy-free, frozen dessert was made with organic cane sugar and coconut cream, as well as organic cocoa.

Swirls of flowing, salty caramel ran through this light cocoa-colored "ice cream" -- the salt was part of a relationship with Jacobsen Salt Co. and Steve's pursuit of unique, quality mix-ins.

This frozen dessert was relatively free of allergens. It was gluten free, egg free, soy free -- and GMO free. Hats off to Steve's Ice Cream for creating some good alternatives.

The only ingredient that wasn't a favorite for me in this frozen dessert was pea protein. It has a fairly strong, distinctive flavor. Granted, if you remove dairy, soy and nut options, the Non-GMO protein possibilities are limited.  

Sulpice Chocolat - Salt and Almonds Milk Chocolate Bar - Aug. 28, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sulpice Chocolat
Salt and Almonds Milk Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .92 oz. (26 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 134 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $0.99 (estimate)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

This Salt and Almonds Milk Chocolate bar from Sulpice Chocolat (Barrington, IL) was sealed in a gold inner wrapper.

I like attractive design and packaging. However, effective packaging also prolongs freshness. Hand-crafted and folded paper and foil wrappings are nice to look at, but they don't do as much to preserve freshness as sealed wrappers. Today's bar simply tasted fresher.

This Non-GMO and Gluten Free milk chocolate bar also had a pleasing design on the bar itself. Drizzles of pink and orange cocoa butter "paint" were splashed across the top of this "hand-painted artisan chocolate" bar.

The chocolate itself was thick creamy milk chocolate with a fairly soft "bite." Soy lecithin gave it a very slightly gummy chew, but it was not nearly as bad as some bars in this respect.

The salt was enjoyably uniform throughout the bar without being overly salty; and the salt helped balance sweetness. I couldn't really taste any almonds. They could have been in very tiny bits.

Salazon Chocolate - Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar bar - Aug. 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Salazon Chocolate Co.
Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Turbinado Cane Sugar (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139.8 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA

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

I enjoyed seeing and tasting the sparkles of sugar and salt pressed into the back of today's bar from Salazon Chocolate Co. (Eldersburg, MD) -- a maker of organic, single origin bars with salt.

Salazon founders enjoy being out of doors, and a bar with a little salt helps replenish sodium on a long hike. I'm a hiker too, and I appreciate that sentiment. Chocolate bars with salt also taste good. Salt can complement chocolate and help balance sweet, bitter and other flavors.

The company founders also decided to give back. A percentage of proceeds from this bar go to support the Pacific Crest Trail Association. I'm happy to support good causes by eating chocolate.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Organic Turbinado Cane Sugar (bar) had smooth cocoa notes, and just the right amount of sugar and salt texture and flavor for my taste.

The Republic of Tea; Hu Kitchen Salty bar - Aug. 26, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Republic of Tea
Peppermint Chocolate Tea
Good
Weight: .056 oz. (1.6 g.) / 1.35 oz. (38.4 g.) in total box of 24 tea bags
Calories: N/A - less than 5 calories (estimate)
Cost: $13.99 for 1 box of 24 tea bags (already recorded)
Purchased from: East-West Bookstore, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week and Day #1 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week.

I enjoyed two chocolate items today, starting with a sip or two of Peppermint Chocolate Tea from The Republic of Tea (Novato, CA).

The company name "The Republic of Tea" first drew me to this tea maker. And interesting decaffeinated tea flavors introduced over the years have kept me coming back.

I've been working my way through a "Cuppa Chocolate Teas" assortment box. (I featured the Red Velvet, Coconut Cocoa, Strawberry Chocolate, and Banana Chocolate Teas previously.) This Peppermint Chocolate flavor was the last tea flavor in the box.

Rooibos*-based, each round, individually-wrapped, Peppermint Chocolate unbleached tea bag contained a blend of "carob, cocoa kernels (I'm assuming these are finely ground cocoa nibs), peppermint leaves, sweet blackberry leaves, natural mint, chocolate and vanilla flavors."

The resulting tea was a rich, reddish color -- largely from the rooibos (also known as bush or redbush tea). Rooibos literally translated means red bush.

The second chocolate came in bar form...

Hu Kitchen
Salty Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: 2.1 oz. (59.4 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 320 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

This 72% cacao dark Salty Chocolate Bar from Hu Kitchen (Brooklyn, NY) contained just the right amount of salt for me. It was spread fairly uniformly throughout the chocolate.

The paleo and vegan bar contained no cane or refined sugar, soy lecithin, gluten, emulsifiers or GMO ingredients.

*Rooibos is a naturally caffeine-free plant that serves as a tea substitute. Also low in tannic acids, rooibos -- grown in Southern Africa, and now other parts of the world -- is also low in tannic acids (found in conventional teas).

Mission Hill Creamery - Mint Chocolate Confetti - Aug. 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mission Hill Creamery
Mint Chocolate Confetti Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 4 oz. (88 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) container
Calories: 215 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $8.49 for 1 container
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA


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

The team at Mission Hill Creamery (Santa Cruz, CA) crafts their ice cream from organic ingredients from companies like Straus Family Creamery, an organic dairy in California. (Wise move; I've never met a dessert made with Straus Creamery products that I didn't like.)

I enjoyed a dish of the company's Mint Chocolate Confetti Ice Cream today, topped with a mint leaf plucked from a bush in my yard. (I preferred the organic peppermint flavoring in this Mission Hill ice cream to the spearmint from my garden.)

The creamy mint ice cream was flecked with chocolate shreds that were just the right consistency -- allowing tiny bursts of chocolate flavor to break through now and then. These shreds were so much better than the little frostbitten and bland, dark waxy bits that you'd find in some mint chocolate chip frozen desserts.

York (Hershey) - Minis Peppermint Patties - Aug. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

York
(owned by The Hershey Company)
Minis - Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 260 calories in 1 package
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

People ask me if I review popular, mass-market chocolates, e.g. from Mars or The Hershey Company.

The answer is yes I do. These chocolates are part of our chocolate heritage in the U.S. And I somehow feel obliged to cover products that people remember from childhood.

I featured most Hershey chocolates in the early years of this blog; however, new flavors continue to be introduced, such as today's York* "Minis" (a brand owned and distributed by The Hershey Company, based in Hershey, PA).

Sold in a "King Size" 2.5 oz. (70 g.) bag -- with a traditional York shiny silver and navy blue colored wrapper -- these miniature Peppermint Patties were left loose to jostle about in the bag. Unlike their larger (original) counterpart patties, these Minis were a bit too small to be individually wrapped.

The taste, however, was similar to what I remember: quite sweet, with a generous white disc of peppermint-flavored filling. They were relatively low-calorie (106 calories for a 1 oz. serving). Sweet peppermint was the dominant flavor; however, the chocolate coating helped off-set the sweetness, and made them more tempting.

Note to those who eat gluten-free, most York Peppermint Pattie products are listed as gluten-free, "except York Minis and York Pieces candy." I didn't see any gluten-containing ingredients on today's Mini label, but wheat starch and flour can end up in a lot of places, and is sometimes used to prevent pieces from sticking together in manufacturing environments. These patties are also made with Polyglycerol poliricinoleate (PGPR), probably something you don't want to eat a lot of.

*York Peppermint Patties were, according to a wikipedia.org entry, originally introduced in York, Pennsylvania, by Henry C. Kessler. It was, apparently, a firmer, less gooey, version of other, similar mint patties in its day.

Valor - Doblones Rellenos, Mint - Aug. 23, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolates Valor, S.A.
Doblones Rellenos Negro 70% - Crema de Menta
Good - Good +
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) (estimate) in 1 square
Calories: 37 (estimate) calories in 1 square
Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

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

There was a lot of goodness packed into this small square. It was from a package of Doblones Rellenos (filled chocolates) with five different flavors from Chocolates Valor, S.A. (Alicante, Espana).

The thin, filling layer in the middle of this Crema de Menta (mint cream) piece had a balanced, natural-tasting mint flavor; and the surrounding 70% cacao chocolate was smooth and rich.

A friend traveling in Spain brought back a package of individually-wrapped Valor squares earlier this year. (Thank you Toni!)

Foxy's Pash - Wild Berry and Chocolate, with Basil - Aug. 22, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Foxy's Pash
Sneaky Pash - Wild Berry and Chocolate Flakes frozen yogurt
Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (67 g.) / 1 pint (473 mL) in 1 container
Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $2.49 for 1 pint container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

The Lamiaceae family encompasses a large family of flowering, aromatic mint plants, including spearmint and peppermint, as well as herbs like basil, rosemary, sage and lavender.

Basil is found more in savory dishes than sweet desserts; however it can provide a great flavor accent in (or atop) sorbets and fruit-flavored ice creams. And, like most members of the mint family, it harmonizes well with chocolate. A few tiny, fresh basil leaves helped balanced out the sweetness of today's frozen Wild Berry frozen yogurt.

This Sneaky Pash Wild Berry and Chocolate Flakes frozen yogurt was from Foxy's Pash (Ventura, CA). Foxy's packaging featured fun -- black and white photos of cheery people, reminiscent of 1950's product advertisements. And these happy, slightly frisky snaps were framed with pleasing pastel colored graphics.

Dove - Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream - Aug. 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dove
Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (69 g.) / 15.10 fl. oz. (447 mL) in total container
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $ (unknown)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

Today's pretty, pastel-green Dove Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream (distributed by Mars Chocolate North America (Hackettstown, NJ)) was flecked with small pieces of Dove chocolate.

Haagen-Dazs - Peppermint bark bar - Aug. 20, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Haagen-Dazs
peppermint bark ice cream bars
Good - Good +
Weight: 3 fl. oz. (84 g.) / 9 fl. oz. (266 mL) for 1 box of 3 bars
Calories: 280 calories for 1 ice cream bar
Cost: $2.29 for 1 box of 3 bars
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Due to an abundance of chocolates with overlapping inclusions, some chocolate theme weeks flow into the next. Today was one of those days. Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

Today I enjoyed a refreshing peppermint bark ice cream bar from Haagen-Dazs (distributed by Nestle Dreyers Ice Cream Company, Oakland, CA).

A core of white chocolate ice cream was dipped in dark chocolate and peppermint candy pieces. The chocolate and mint flavors were well balanced -- neither too sweet or too minty.

These Limited Edition individually-wrapped peppermint bark ice cream bars came packaged 3 to a box.

Tillamook - Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream - Aug. 19, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Tillamook
Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (70 g.) / 1.75 quarts (1.66 L) in total container
Calories: 190 calories for 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Summer wouldn't be summer without ice cream and frozen refreshments.

With a long history in the dairy business, the 100 farm families that make up the Tillamook dairy co-op (in Tillamook, Oregon) -- as well as the cheese and ice cream makers there -- know a thing or two about ice cream.

Over time, Tillamook has expanded their ice cream and ice cream bar offerings. Today I tried the company's Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream. It was laced with broad ribbons of chocolate and chunks of fudge, in a base of creamy chocolate ice cream.

This ice cream was made with "extra cream." I'm not sure what made it extra (beyond having 13.5% butterfat), but I found it noteworthy that the company plans to transition next year to a recipe that is "even creamier than our current recipe while eliminating Carageenan, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Mono and Digyclerides, and Polysorbate 80." That sounds like a good thing to me.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week. 

The Piping Gourmets - Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies - Aug. 18, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Piping Gourmets
Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) (per label) for 1 box of 4
Calories: 210 calories for 1 pie
Cost: $7.99 for 1 box of 4 pies
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Frozen Dessert Theme Week.

Yesterday, I tried a Double Chocolate Whoopie Pie from The Piping Gourmets (Miami, FL). Two rounds of moist chocolate cake (sandwiched together) held a chocolate frosting filling. Today I tried the company's Chocolate Raspberry flavor (chocolate cake with raspberry frosting).

Both these Whoopie Pies were made with gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cookie-shaped cakes -- and were surprisingly good given what they'd left out or artfully substituted. The vegan raspberry "cream" frosting filling was not too heavy or sweet, which I liked.

Whoopie and moon pies in the U.S. are "hand pies" that have the frosting on the inside, making cake suitable for eating fork-free, with your hands. And these were very nice eaten cold, like an ice cream sandwich, as well.

While technically not meant to be a frozen dessert, like yesterday's Double Chocolate flavor, I ate this individually-wrapped Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pie right out of the freezer. It was great treat to beat the heat.

These pies were certified gluten free, vegan and kosher, and were Non GMO Project verified.

The Piping Gourmets - Chocolate Chocolate Whoopie Pies - Aug. 17, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Piping Gourmets
Whoopie Pies - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
(Double Chocolate)
Good+
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) in total box of 4 pies
Calories: 210 calories in 1 pie
Cost: $7.99 for 1 box of 4 pies
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

On a hot August afternoon, there's nothing like a tall glass of ice water and some ice cream. A close second might be an ice cream sandwich. Or, today's chocolate -- a frozen chocolate Whoopie Pie.

The first Whoopie Pies probably originated with the Pennsylvania Amish, and are round cake-like sandwiches filled with a creamy filling.

Today's frozen "Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting" Whoopie Pie was from The Piping Gourmets (Miami, FL). Co-founders Leslie Kaplan and Carolyn Shulevich developed a gluten-free and dairy-free version of what looks a bit like a cookie ice cream sandwich.

Sold frozen, and packaged in boxes of 4 individually-wrapped sandwiches, these Whoopie Pies were technically not a frozen dessert. They were meant to be thawed and eaten at room temperature. However, I thought they were good right out of the freezer, especially on a hot day.

Today's Double Chocolate flavor was one of a half dozen different flavors sold by the company. Each individually wrapped Double Chocolate cookie-cake sandwich was filled with chocolate frosting.

The Piping Gourmets Whoopie Pies were made in a dedicated gluten-free facility and were also Non-GMO, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, and Kosher.

Mars - Dove Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream - Aug. 16, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Mars
Dove Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (72 g.) / 15.1 fl. oz. (447 mL) in total container
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

It's August and it's hot. Perfect for a week of "cold" chocolate -- in the form of ice cream and frozen desserts.

Today's Dove brand Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream (distributed by Mars, Hackettstown, NJ) was loaded with concentrated chocolate flavor -- shards and flecks of chocolate were buried in a chocolate ice cream base.

I ate this chocolate ice cream in the morning. But it was already so hot, that the ice cream started to melt within seconds after I scooped it into a glass to eat. It still tasted refreshingly great.

NadaMoo - Gotta Do Chocolate - Aug. 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

NadaMoo
Gotta Do Chocolate - Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (35.5 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL)
Calories: 60 calories in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 Pint container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the first day (Day #1) of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

This week will be focused on ice cream and other frozen desserts that incorporate chocolate.

Today's "Gotta Do Chocolate" flavor of Organic, non-dairy ice cream from NadaMoo (Austin, TX) was made with coconut milk instead of milk and cream. This was nothing like the more granular or uncertain, icy melts sometimes present in other non-dairy options. Each chocolate mouthful of NadaMoo melted with a silken creaminess.

NadaMoo is a family business that started after making their coconut milk-based frozen dessert for locals. Now there are several certified organic, gluten free, vegan and kosher flavors more widely available in the U.S.

Probar - Chocolate Cherry Cashew Bar - Aug. 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Probar LLC
bite Organic Snack Bar
Chocolate Cherry Cashew
Good
Weight: 1.62 oz. (46 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, San Carlos, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week.

There are many snack bars, energy bars and trail mixes that have incorporated chocolate into fruit, nut and seed products, for example, this Chocolate Cherry Cashew flavored bar from Probar LLC (Park City, UT).

This snack bar is one of six different flavors in the company's Bite Organic Snack Bar line of dairy-, gluten- and soy-free, individually wrapped bars.

The bar had 6 grams of protein which may have contributed to a more satisfying tasting experience. Cashew butter, cashews, flax and chia seeds, and oats helped contribute some protein. Unlike some other ultra-sweet snack bars (this one had 10-11 grams of sugar), I didn't feel like I'd be suffering from a post sugar high crash a few hours later. (Thank you Probar.) It had a soft, chewy and slightly malty or grainy texture as well.

The bar contained cocoa, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter; but the chocolate flavors were almost too subtle to detect. However, better this than an overload of chocolatey sweetness in a snack bar that I take on a hike or might eat any time of day. Odd how sweetness levels are great for one item but not for others.

Mamma Chia - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Bar - Aug. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mamma Chia
Cherry and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

The Mamma Chia website is filled with pictures of healthy, beautiful athletic people. I could aspire to look more like them, but today I just want to enjoy some chocolate and think about "test driving" one of these bars on a hike in the near future.

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Cherry and Dark Chocolate (with Chia) bar from Mamma Chia (Carlsbad, CA) had the same moist-but-not-messy texture as the company's Blueberry and Dark Chocolate bar I had earlier this week. This Cherry bar contained both blueberries and cherries, making it relatively fruity and sweet. Pecan and almond pieces added a chewy crunch, as did chia seeds. The dark chocolate was more of an accent flavor to the seeds, fruit and nuts.

The bar was BPA Free, Non GMO and Gluten Free. The company supports giving back to  community(ies), e.g., by being a member of 1 Percent for the Planet.

Ghirardelli Chocolate - Cherry Tango bar - Aug. 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
Cherry Tango bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate based on label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walgreens, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to was Day #8 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week at Chocolate Banquet -- where the definition of a week is an elastic concept. A "chocolate week" here often stretches from 7 to as many as 14 days (and chocolates). I appreciate chocolate, and life in general. I am truly grateful to have access to so many different chocolates, including quite a few with fruit and nuts.

Today's Cherry Tango bar from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (San Leandro, CA) was part of the company's "Intense Dark" bar series. If you're wary about deep dark or bitter chocolate, don't let the phrase "Intense Dark" scare you; this Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar was quite mellow and a bit of added cocoa butter added to the smoothness.

This Cherry Tango bar was studded with tiny almond chips, and had a uniform cherry flavor (dried cherries and "natural flavors"), that reminded me of sweet cherry chocolate candies that had whispers of vanilla and a subtle marzipan/almond extract flavor notes. I have fond childhood memories of these cherry chocolate confections, and this bar evoked some of those memories. The bar was a bit on the sweet side, but not overly so.