Monday, June 15, 2015

Perugina - Milk Chocolate Almonds bar - June 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perugina
Milk Chocolate Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (39.68 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 4 squares, or 2/5 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Greedy Ant, Belmont, CA

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

This Perugina Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar was good for the sweet tooth. It was very sweet, making it difficult to pick out any particular chocolate or almond flavor notes. The smoothness of the chocolate was difficult to isolate as well, due to the riot of tiny caramelized almond bits so profusely present in every bite of this bar. The bar had a smooth finish. There were certainly no harsh flavors, and there was very little aftertaste.

Perugina was founded in 1907 in Perugia in central Italy. The Perugina brand now belongs to Nestle (Vevey, Switzerland). However, to this day there is a sense of pride about the company's Italian roots and base. (This bar was made in Italy by Nestle Italiana S.P.A., and distributed in the U.S. by Colavita USA.)

The Greedy Ant, the wonderful, small deli-style store where I bought this bar, was brimming with Italian-American origin stories, with most of the chocolates in stock having an Italian connection.


Tout Sweet - Chocolate Almonds - June 14, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tout Sweet Patisserie
Crunchy Caramel Chocolate Coated Almonds
Good+
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 3 oz. (84.9 g.) in total container
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. serving
Cost: $7.00 for 1 container
Purchased from: Tout Sweet Patisserie, Palo Alto, CA

It's always wonderful to find new chocolate makers or chocolatiers with new chocolate items to try. Yesterday I stumbled upon the new Palo Alto location of Tout Sweet Patisserie (San Francisco).

Entering into the shop, I was confronted with a visual feast. Colorful pyramids of gluten-free macarons, and impressive looking cakes and pastries, large and small all beckoned. I bought some small gluten-free cake/pastry items to take to a graduation celebration, and they were all very good. Look forward to featuring those and more chocolate items from this store in the future.

It was only as I turned to leave, bag of cakes in hand, when I saw today's Crunchy Caramel and Double Chocolate Coated Almonds, and realized they'd be perfect for this week's almond-themed chocolate week.

These chocolate covered almonds featured perfectly roasted/toasted almonds that were attractively dusted with cocoa powder. No gooey "caramel" here, but the nuts perfectly done, and the star of the show. The chocolate played second fiddle.



Trader Joe's - Chocolate Covered Almonds - June 13, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Trader Joe's

Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 155 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $1.49 for 1 package/bag
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Daly City, CA

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package/bag
Calories: 230 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $0.99 for 1 package/bag
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Daly City, CA

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

These two dark chocolate covered almonds snack-sized packages from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) were fun. The first one, Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee -- round chocolate spheres with crunchy sweet toffee and roasted California almonds at the center -- was quite good. Sweet, without being cloyingly so.

The second package was filled with dry roasted almonds coated with dark chocolate. The almonds contributed a pleasant, roasted nut crunch and flavor. The surrounding dark chocolate had a very slight bitter or burned flavor, that was not entirely unpleasant -- but rather a contrast with the sweeter toffee almonds.

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