Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate - June 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC
Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate
Good
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total puck/package
Calories: 240 calories in 1 puck
Cost: $2.99 for 1 puck/package
Purchased from: Vista House, Crown Point, OR

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

While I haven't seen these cookie-shaped Protein Pucks where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to find and purchase some on recent trip to Oregon, at a scenic site called Vista House at Crown Point, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

And across the gorge, lies Washington, the state where this Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck was manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC (Spokane, WA).

The Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck/bar contained small chunks of dark chocolate (not immediately visible from the package), and was substantial and filling.

This gluten free and vegan bar contained almond butter, agave, gluten free oats, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, dark chocolate, coconut and sunflower oil.

Jo-sef's Gluten Free - Chocolate O's cookies - June 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Jo-sef's Gluten Free
Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 8.5 oz. (240 g.) for 1 box of cookies
Calories: 190 calories in 2 cookies (1 serving)
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies from Jo-sef's Gluten Free (Brooklyn, NY) were an allergy-free take on the classic, crunchy, creamy American chocolate sandwich cookies.

They were "Egg Free, Wheat Free, No Chemical Preservatives; Nut Free, Lactose/Dairy Free, Casein Free, Vegan."

Mary's Gone Crackers - Minis Cocoa bites - June 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc.
Minis - Cocoa bites
Good
Weight: 11 pieces - .53 oz. (15 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total box
Calories: 70 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Cookies Theme Week. (All gluten free folks.)

Today's Minis—Cocoa* bites from Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc. (Gridley, CA)—were tiny organic cookies made with a gluten-free flour blend, and contained crunchy bits of whole grain quinoa flakes and chia seeds.

Lightly sweetened, a single serving (22) of these vegan 1-bite shapes would likely allow you to enjoy the sun, the moon and the stars. (And the hearts too.)

Just like Mary's seed crackers, a few of these Minis left me feeling like I'd eaten something substantial and satisfying. Thank you to the team at Mary's for continuing to develop nutritious snacks that contain whole grain, with no wheat or gluten. (Mary herself has Celiac disease, a big reason why she got into the gluten-free cracker business.)

*Mary's Minis (bites) also come in vanilla and graham flavors.

Tin Pot Creamery - Chocolate Walnut Cookie - June 27, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Tin Pot Creamery
Chocolate Walnut Cookie
Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $ mission information
Purchased from: Tin Pot Creamery, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

What a great gluten-free chocolate cookie I had today.

It was made by the Tin Pot Creamery (Palo Alto, CA), a local 2-shop enterprise (with Palo Alto and Los Altos locations) that is better known as a scoop shop with high-quality ice creams and sorbets.

This individually-wrapped, rich, dark chocolate cookie with embedded pieces of walnut, had almost brownie-like richness. It was substantial, moist, very slightly chewy, and hung together well without being crumbly.

Liz Lovely - Cowgirl Cookie Truffles - June 26, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Liz Lovely, Inc.
Cowgirl Cookie Truffles
Good
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) / 6.7 oz. (190 g.) in total container
Calories: 150 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $8.99 (estimate) for 1 container of 6 truffle cookies
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week. As with all other chocolate items on this site, these Cowgirl Cookie Truffles—manufactured and distributed by Liz Lovely, Inc. (Waitsfield, VT)—were gluten free.

What are truffle cookies? Well, in this case, these rich confections were thick, soft chocolate chip cookies completely covered in dark chocolate. One was enough to satisfy, so it's possible that this container could be enough to share with five others.

Cookie Truffles (flavors) offered by this company include: Cowgirl, Moose, Sugar and Mint.

These cookies were certified gluten free, vegan and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Lindt - 90 percent Supreme Dark bar - June 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Lindt and Sprungli
90% Cocoa Supreme Dark bar
Good++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $?.?? for 1/5 bar
Purchased from:

Welcome to the final day (Day #7) of Swiss Chocolate Week.
It would be unfair to exclude Lindt chocolate, for this might be the first Swiss Chocolate that many people in the U.S. taste.

While bean-to-bar aficionados may move on to more bold, hand-hewn bars, there's something to be said for large manufacturing processes that can produce consistent flavor.

Lindt understands this end of the market, and the company has been producing chocolate since 1845. Among the many other accomplishments that Swiss chocolate makers contributed in the 1800s, Rodolphe Lindt has been credited with producing one of the first bars that was creamy and melted in a pleasant way on the tongue.

Today's 90% dark bar had a pleasant, sweet, roasted cocoa* aroma and had a flavor that was smoother and "sweeter" than most other bars that are this dark.

It had a creamy, uniform, chocolate flavor without some of the acidic or bitter harshness* that one might normally expect with a 90% bar.

This is due in part to added cocoa powder that had been processed with alkali. This cuts acidity (and occasional sharpness due to less than optimal fermentation), and also helps boost the cocoa percentage.

There were no spikes* of fruit*, olive, funk or off flavors, except for a very
slight bitter aftertaste, that didn't kick in until about a minute after I swallowed the chocolate.

*"Ingredients: chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa powder processed with alkali*, sugar, bourbon vanilla beans."

Signature Select - 85% Cacao Dark bar - June 24, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Signature Select
(Distributed by Better Living Brands LLC*)
85% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar (2 bars for $5.00)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Swiss Chocolate Week. When people think of Swiss chocolate they often think of milk chocolate, but in the closing days of this theme week, we'll look at a few ultra-dark bars made in Switzerland.

Today's Signature Select 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar (made in Switzerland and distributed by Better Living Brands LLC, Pleasanton, CA*) had a dark, complex but well balanced aroma and flavor profile.

Far from being a one-note bar, there was a bit of earth, a bit of chocolate fudge, and even a bit of a sweet green, floral top note. Flavors unfolded nicely without any huge spikes or "off" flavors.

Speaking of flavor, this five-ingredient** bar did contain some "natural flavor," although that doesn't tell us much. It could be natural fruit or nut flavorings; or it could be almost anything really.

There was a tiny bit of granularity in the texture, but nothing too off-putting. (Given a choice, I'd rather have a slightly shorter conch time and retain more volatile flavor elements than have a sub-micron level smoothness with less flavor.)

I don't know what the origin(s) and supply chain were for this ultra-dark bar, but for $2.50, it was a commendable and reasonably-priced bar for eating; and it might be great in a dark brownie mix.

*Better Living Brands LLC is associated with Safeway (Pleasanton, CA). In 2008, Safeway (large U.S. grocery store chain) unveiled the Better Living Brands Alliance to market health brands (e.g., O Organics, Eating Right product lines). Brand and private labeling strategies have continued to evolve since then. Sometimes it's easier to keep brands floating above underlying corporate mergers and acquisitions; although it does make tracking more difficult.

**Ingredients: Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Cocoa Power, Natural Flavor

Menrose - MilkBoy Milk Chocolate bar - June 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Menrose GmbH
MilkBoy Milk Chocolate bar
Good
Weight:  .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calores in 1/5 bar
Cost: $6.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Swiss Chocolate Week. Yo-de-le-hee-hoo (as my mom used to say).

Today's MilkBoy "Finest Alpine" Milk Chocolate bar from Menrose GmbH (Zurich, Switzerland) was made in Switzerland and imported to the U.S.

The bar's packaging was adorned with the same charming black and white mountain scenes that were on yesterday's MilkBoy dark chocolate with essential pine oil bar.

This 33% cocoa bar was quite sweet with a thick and creamy mouthfeel. (The bar also contained sunflower lecithin.)

The 24% milk solids portion of this bar was achieved using whole milk powder. Because chocolate is somewhat hydrophobic (fear of water is not correct but will do here), and will seize up if water is added at the wrong time, (dairy) milk chocolate bars are created with milk powder.

It's the first week of summer. Perhaps the cows in Switzerland are already being guided up to higher alpine pastures. As part of a seasonal traditional to celebrate the ascent (and descent of the cows in September), villagers may dress up. Thus the picture of the milk boy (in traditional garb carrying a milk bucket over his shoulder) on the MilkBoy label.

Menrose - MilkBoy Switzerland bar with Pine - June 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Menrose GmbH
MilkBoy - 60% with Pine bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Swiss Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 60% Cocoa* MilkBoy bar from Menrose GmbH (made in Zurich, Switzerland) felt a little more authentically Swiss. After all, the packaging was adorned with a black and white illustration** of villagers frolicking through a Tyrolian village somewhere in the Alps.

I'm sure of it. I can almost see the white Edelweiss flowers and smell the clean, pine-scented mountain air. The "MilkBoy"—dressed in traditional gear and carrying a milk pail on his back—is about to lead his cows up to higher pastures for the summer.

So, what was the very subtle hint of mint + mild floral citrus note I tasted in this bar?

I should have guessed. The dark Swiss chocolate bar was flavored with just the right amount of essential pine tree oil: enough to have some fun without being overpowering. So, a few extra points for the creative flavor infusion.

And speaking of fun, look at those goats up in those trees. And what are those two monkeys doing inside the Swiss chalet? Oh, wait, those are two cats with long curling tails. Never mind.

*This bar was made from Utz certified cocoa.

**The image on the packaging was the work of an artist skilled in the traditional art of papercut silhouettes (decoupaging incredibly carefully trimmed black paper shapes on white paper).

Toblerone SnowTop bar - June 21, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mondelez International
Toblerone - SnowTop bar
Good
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

It's the beginning of our summer here in California, and I'm already hoping I can make a trip to the cooler Swiss Alps to check out local Swiss chocolates. Maybe next summer.

Welcome to Day #3 of Swiss Chocolate Theme Week. Most of the chocolates I'm featuring this week are Swiss-made for U.S. or International companies. Toblerone, part of Mondelez Global LLC, makes a variety of iconic triangular-shaped bars in Switzerland.

Today's Limited Edition Toblerone SnowTop offering—the Swiss Milk and White Chocolate with Honey and Almond Nougat bar—had the classic mountain range shape, a row of 12 perfectly aligned chocolate peaks fused together. The difference? This bar was topped with white chocolate "snow."

Creamy and crispy, this milk bar was quite sweet.

Truffili - Coconut Curry and Ginger truffles - June 20, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Truffili di Pellegrini
1.) Coconut Curry - OK+
2.) Ginger - Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) in total box of 8 pieces
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $22.00 for 1 box of 8 truffles
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

This was Day #7 of a theme week devoted to India-inspired Chocolates, and Day #2 of Swiss Chocolate Theme Week.

Today I sampled the two remaining flavors in an India-inspired variety box of truffles, made in Switzerland for Truffili di Pellegrini (Point Richmond, CA): Coconut Curry and Ginger.

Of the two, the Ginger was my favorite. It was quite sweet, but had authentic tasting ginger flavor.

Truffili - India-inspired Cardamom and Chai Tea truffles - June 19, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Truffili di Pellegrini

(Swiss made for)

1.) Aromatic - Cardamom (milk chocolate) - Good
2.) Chai Tea - (milk and white chocolate) - OK +
Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) in total box of 8 pieces
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) for 2 truffles
Cost: $22.00 for 1 box of 8 truffles
Purchased from: Draegers, San Mateo, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and India Theme Week, and Day #1 of Swiss Chocolate Week.

Today's box of 8 Swiss-made*, India-inspired truffles included two each of 4 difference flavors: Aromatic - Cardamom, Chai Tea, Coconut Curry and Ginger. I sampled the first two today.

The Aromatic truffle, topped with a green floral graphic across the top, was my favorite of the two. Both were quite sweet and had a creamy (cocoa butter) melt and texture, but the authentic-tasting cardamom flavor shone through with this one.

I didn't taste any chai spices in the second truffle, which contained an infused milk chocolate ganache and was enrobed in white chocolate. I did pick up a slight sweet alcohol and bubble gum note though.

*These chocolates were made in Switzerland for Truffili di Pellegrini (Point Richmond, CA).

Note: These truffles contained glucose, maltodextrin and other ingredients that may not be suitable for very food-sensitive or gluten-free readers.

Endorfin Foods - Dark Mylk bar - June 18, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Endorfin Foods
Dark Mylk bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar ($45 box with 9 different bars)
Purchased from: Endorfin Foods

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

Today's Dark Mylk bar was from Endorfin Foods (Oakland, CA). The non-dairy (soy and gluten free) bar was made with un-roasted cacao, coconut sugar, cocoa butter and coconut). The 56% cacao chocolate bar had a smooth, relatively rich cacao flavor with a hint of coconut and brown sugar. (Other Endorfin bars I've enjoyed thus far have had flavor additions.)

Indian Dessert Pairing
After sampling the bar, I thought I would try part of this unflavored bar to pair with some Indian desserts. And I thought a bar made with un-roasted cacao might fare better with the pairings I had in mind.

I paired this Endorfin Dark Mylk bar with various popular Indian desserts. And I have to say, there is a reason why not all things should be mixed together. This had less to do with the chocolate than common sense on my part.

Chocolate is not a common ingredient in Indian cuisine. And now I understand why.

Mostly, today I had fun trying gluten-free Indian desserts that I hadn't tried before: such as diamond-shaped Kaju Katli (cashews, sugar, rose water); and Motichoor Ladoo, tiny muffin-shaped (chickpea flour-based sweet cakes flavored with saffron and cardamom).

Adding chopped pistachio nuts to these two desserts worked, but adding chocolate did not. Far from me to argue with the wisdom of sweets. Lighter, floral and fragrant traditional flavors with a very long tradition like this were better left un-messed with.

The least objectionable pairing: a tiny bit of chocolate bar with candy-coated fennel seeds (from a traditional Indian digestive mix). And I couldn't help but wonder what Endorfin's Absinthe bar might be like...double dose of fennel/anise flavor? But I digress.

Failed experiments aside, I hope to try Indian-made chocolates in the future. For example, I was communicating with Filter (Chocolates) online (Mumbai, India). They offer a series of attractively packaged chocolate bars with flavors inspired by different regions in India. Unfortunately, there is no easy way for me to sample these at the moment, short of flying to India. Field Trip!

Scharffen Berger - Pistachio Dark bar - June 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Scharffen Berger
Pistachio - Dark Chocolate with Sea Salted Pistachios bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 147 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lucky, Union City, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

Today I made two versions of kheer (Indian rice pudding), using milk, coconut milk, rice, cardamom, rose water, saffron, pistachios, almonds—all relatively traditional ingredients.

However, one pudding was a "milk chocolate kheer," blended with a melted Scharffen Berger* Toasted Coconut milk chocolate bar.

And the second kheer, a more traditional rice pudding, was merely accented with pieces of today's Scharffen Berger Pistachio Dark Chocolate with Sea Salted Pistachios bar.

Chopped pistachio nuts have crossed over and become more common atop desserts in the U.S. So, why not a chopped pistachio chocolate bar? Foolish to be sure. But, I enjoyed both versions.

The 72% cacao dark Pistachio bar had a rich, bold and balanced roasted and fermented cacao aroma, and it wasn't too sweet. (Thank you.) With it's very slight earthy and olive notes, this bar might pair best with dark chocolate brownies or flourless chocolate cake.

However, the bits of crunchy pistachio in this bar added some crunchy texture and nutty flavor to this dessert. And the deep dark chocolate pieces contributed a slightly bittersweet contrast to what is traditionally as very sweet dessert.


*Formerly a San Francisco Bay Area based company, Sharffen Berger headquarters were moved east some time after Hershey acquired the company.

Endorfin Foods - Dark Mylk Chocolate with Coffee and Cardamom - June 16, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Endorfin Foods
Dark Mylk Chocolate with Coffee and Cardamom bar
Good +
Weight: .93 oz. (26.4 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) in 2/3 bar
Cost: $5.00 (1 of 9 bar box)
Purchased from: Endorfin Foods

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

As a follow-up to yesterday's India-inspired Cardamom and Rose Petals bar from Moonstruck, I enjoyed a mix of similar flavors today, starting with a Dark Mylk Chocolate with Coffee and Cardamom bar from Endorfin Foods (Oakland, CA).

Later in the day, I also happened upon the best Rose Petal ice cream (with a generous helping of real red rose petals) that I'd ever tasted. But, I digress.

Today's smooth "mylk" 60% cacao chocolate was made with unroasted cacao, cocoa butter and coconut (and no dairy or refined sugar). The lightly sweetened* spicy coffee and cardamom bar paired well with savory, Indian-themed "Bombay Spices" garbanzo/chickpea beans from Saffron Road.

While not certified organic, all individual ingredients listed in the bar were organic, and, as far as I could tell, in addition to being dairy free, there was no gluten, soy or GMOs.

Thank you again to Endorfin founder and maker, Brian Wallace for great flavor combinations.

*sweetened with coconut sugar

Moonstruck - Cardamom and Rose Petals bar - June 15, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Moonstruck Chocolate Co.
Cardamom and Rose Petals bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.88 oz. (110 g.) in total bar
Calories: 143 calories (per label) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Moonstruck, Portland, OR

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and India-inspired Theme Week.

Today we're getting closer to India-inspired flavors with this Cardamom and Rose Petals milk chocolate bar from Moonstruck Chocolate Co. (Portland, OR). Thank you to the wonderful woman in the company's small downtown shop who helped me pick out this bar.

A base of cardamom infused milk chocolate was adorned with festive bits of crystallized rose petals, candied orange (and) pistachio pieces.

Pretty and exotic, this India-inspired bar had a light candied fruit and floral aroma that mingled with sweet milk chocolate. The chocolate was a bit too sweet for me, but the overall flavor blend and appearance was beautiful. The cardamom spice was very subtle and added brightness.

Smooth and creamy blended with chewy crunch from the generous helping of candied pink petal and orange, and green pistachio nut bits.

Heart of Shasta - Rose Himalayan Salt bar - June 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Heart of Shasta
Rose with Himalayan Crystal Salt Organic Raw Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Flowers Week, and Day #1 Chocolate and India Theme Week.

The use of roses and other edible flowers has a long tradition. They were crystallized in the Victorian era when granulated sugar became more widely available. These candied flowers sat atop Victorian sponge cakes and other delicacies.

The use of flowers in the U.S. declined about the time industrial food manufacturing processes started to offer quicker, cheaper, mass produced options and flavorings. However, a resurgence in interest in all things natural starting in the later 1900s, accelerated in the 2000s.

So, happily, edible flowers are back in style. If you have access to unsprayed roses, violets, pansies, lavender, borage, etc., and time to hand-craft something with them, you're in luck. (Rose petals are great dipped a bit of chocolate as well.)

Today's Rose with Himalayan Crystal Salt Organic Raw Chocolate Bar from Heart of Shasta (Mt. Shasta, CA) was soft and fudgey in texture. This raw, organic bar was lightly sweetened with honey and contained a mild hint of rose (rose oil); and the sea salt was well incorporated and very subtle.

This bar was dairy, soy and gluten free.

India and flowers

India has a long tradition of using flowers (such as marigolds, roses and rose water, kevda (iris), kewra (pandanus), saffron, lotus) to flavor foods.

While the closest connections to this bar and India might be the notion of rose flavoring and Himalayan salt, I'm looking forward to the coming week of chocolate blended with India-inspired spices and other ingredients. While chocolate isn't extremely popular in Indian desserts, the potential for fusions of Indian flavors, chocolate and gluten free sweets is undeniable. 

Sjaak's - Organic, Extra Dark Chocolate Bite (flower) - June 13, 2016

Source: Sjaak's Organic Chocolates

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
Organic, Extra Dark Chocolate Bite
Good+
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) for 1 chocolate
Calories: 73 calories (estimate) for 1 chocolate
Cost: $0.75 (estimate) for 1 chocolate
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Flowers tend to inspire. Today's Extra Dark Chocolate Bite from Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA) was literally a flower—molded into a sunny, upbeat daisy shape. This chocolate contained no floral ingredients; it was solid, smooth dark chocolate through and through.

The individually-wrapped, two bite (three bite if you take time to savor) flower-shaped chocolate was made from organic, 70% dark chocolate. (They also can be bought by the piece in several great retail locations locally, or in bulk from the company's website.)

Sjaak's specializes in organic, Fair Trade, and vegan chocolates (bites, bars and other confections).

Xocolatl de David - Rose Hips and Berries bar - June 12, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Xocolatl de David
Rose Hips and Berries bar
Good++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Meadow (original Mississippi location), Portland, OR

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate with Rose Hips, Berries and Hibiscus Flower bar was from Xocolatl de David (Portland, OR).

David Briggs, the chief chocolatier at Xocolatl de David, has created different lines of bars: Raleigh Bars, Truffle Bars, and others. The company's Truffle Bars, like today's bar, are designed to have a smoother texture, more like a chocolate truffle.

This thin 72% dark chocolate square bar was pliably soft with a slow, smooth truffle fudge-like melt. The bar was full of subtle berry fruit and floral notes, and sparkles of fleur de sel (sea salt).

A well-balanced sweetness (not too much sugar and aforementioned sea salt) allowed the berry additions (red currants, raspberries, blackberries) to unfold like a good book. Rose hips and hibiscus flowers and vanilla provided faint accent flavors that rounded out the berry flavors nicely.