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."








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