Thursday, December 31, 2015

Santosha Chocolate - Cinnamon, Cayenne and Maca bar - Dec. 31, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raw Shakti Chocolate LLC
Santosha Chocolate
Cinnamon, Cayenne and Maca bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (29 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome was Day #10 of Chocolate, Smoke and Fire Theme Week—and the last day of 2015. Happy New Year's Eve to all!

A heart on fire was emblazoned across the packaging for today's Santosha Cinnamon, Cayenne and Maca bar from Raw Shakti Chocolate LLC (Asheville, NC). This festive red seemed appropriate for celebrating 2015, and greeting a new year of chocolate in 2016. Out with the old; and in with the new in a blaze of glory!

This raw 70% (Peruvian, stone-ground) cacao chocolate bar with a kick was Organic and "Non-GMO, Vegan, Low-Glycemic*, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free."

Sweetened with coconut palm sugar*, today's Santosha bar had an authentic, slightly sweet aroma and flavor—with the maca (think butterscotch) it was reminiscent of graham cracker—without a hard processed/white sugar buzz*. Cinnamon increased the overall warmth. And cayenne pepper provided a sizzle of heat toward the end of each bite.

*Overall the number of calories (or potential/stored energy) is similar for most sugars. However, Coconut Palm Sugar (made from sweet sap gathered high up in coconut palm trees) has scored lower on the glycemic index (GI) than white cane/beet or "table" sugar, in part because it contains more sucrose and less fructose. 

It's thought that this lower GI score (of about 35 vs. about 50 for table sugar) results in a lower spike in blood glucose or blood sugar. I have noticed this phenomenon myself with some raw and semi-processed chocolates made with coconut palm sugar. But, with something as complex as chocolate, it's difficult to tell how various substances might be interacting to create a "buzzed" feeling.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...