Trader Joe's - Crunchy Toffeed Hazelnuts - Nov. 29, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Crunchy Toffeed Hazelnuts
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 pack of 12 mini bars
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Almonds and Hazelnuts Theme Week.

For those who like to sink their teeth into crunchy, nutty toffee-like items, today's Crunchy Toffeed Hazelnuts mini bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) might be of interest.

This milk chocolate mini bar was thick; and it contained crunchy bits of caramelized hazelnuts (hazelnuts, sugar).

I paired this bar with some True North small, lightly sweetened, Almond Pecan Crunch clusters to enhance the nuttiness.

This bar was part of a Trader Joe's "Milk Chocolate Portfolio*" assortment box—with five other milk chocolate, individually-wrapped mini bar flavors (Butterscotch, Cocoa Nibs, Coffee, Caramelized Sunflower and Sesame Seeds, and Orange).

*The milk chocolate bars were manufactured in England and distributed and sold exclusively by Trader Joe's. All appeared to to gluten-free except the Butterscotch flavor which contained glucose (wheat).

Nirvana - Crispy Almonds bar + SOMA Gianduja drinking chocolate - Nov. 28, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Nirvana Belgian Chocolates
Organic Belgian Dark Chocolate
Crispy Almonds bar
Good++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

SOMA Chocolatemaker
Gianduja Roasted Hazelnut drinking chocolate
Good ++
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total package
Calories: 188 calories (estimate per label) in 1/2 package
Cost: $8.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Almonds and Hazelnuts Theme Week.

Squirrel haters should stop reading here; because I've dedicated today to these furry, nut-loving balls of mischief. Happily I may not be the only one who enjoys them. Both of today's chocolates have illustrations of squirrels on their packaging.

The first chocolate was a Crispy Almonds bar from Nirvana Belgium Chocolate (product of Belgium). The 72% cacao Organic dark chocolate base was sprinkled with a sea of caramelized almond bits. Thankfully, this well-tempered dark bar was smooth and rich, without being too sweet. The illustrated red squirrel with tufted ears in the branches of an almond tree (due to clever packaging design and cut-out above the bar) appeared to be dreaming of the chocolate and nuts inside.

SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto) goes one step farther, by stating its yummy Gianduja Roasted Hazelnut drinking chocolate was "approved by squirrels everywhere." That's good enough for me.

Mix a little hot water with the rich contents of this SOMA packet and you'll get a highly edible, velvety paste with concentrated chocolate hazelnut flavor that's worth sampling a la carte. And, if you must dilute it further to make a traditional cocoa, you might add some milk or cream.

However, I like the more concentrated version myself, and it's pictured here in a tiny, Italian-themed espresso cup with a Tasmanian Devil—the closest animal I had on hand that might convey a squirrel's crazy passion for almonds and hazelnuts (and chocolate* too if the truth be known).

*Rats, mice and squirrels are known to nibble on cacao pods, and chocolate and nuts if they can find them. They seem to have less trouble digesting/processing the theobromine in cacao/chocolate that upsets dogs, cats and other animals. Theobromine is an alkaloid that's a close cousin to caffeine.

Yves Thuries - Milk Chocolate Almonds, Hazelnuts - Nov. 27, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Yves Thuries
Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Hazelnuts (and more) bar
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Almonds and Hazelnuts Theme Week.

Today's 34% cacao milk chocolate bar, designed by a French chef (Chef Yves Thuries)* and made with Ecuadorian cacao, was sweet enough to be a confection on a dessert tray.

In fact, the bar's clever packaging contained 12 separate compartment spaces, each filled with a separate milk chocolate rectangular segment, or bite. Each bite was an attractive tiny bar that could be lifted out and eaten (or displayed neatly on a plate if desired).

Each bite was garnished with nuts (almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios) and pastel-colored fruit gems (raspberries, blueberries, oranges). The end result was a mix of nut, fruit and almost floral flavors. A most pleasant and high-class chocolate candy.

*This bar was a Product of France, and was distributed by SALPA Inc. (Greenwich, CT).

Kind - Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spice bar - Nov. 26, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kind
Nuts and Spices
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spice bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Redwood City, CA

Welcome to the kick-off day (Day #1) of Chocolate, Almond and Hazelnut Theme Week.

I enjoyed today's Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spice "Limited Batch" Nuts and Spices bar from Kind LLC (New York, NY). Most of Kind's gluten-free snack bars* are guaranteed to be packed with crunchy nuts, and not too much sodium or sugar. A dark chocolate backing and drizzle (and a dash of cocoa nibs in today's case) added chocolatey rich flavor.

This Hazelnut Spice bar contained (no surprise) hazelnuts—as well as almonds, cashews and peanuts. The hint of holiday spice was provided by nutmeg and vanilla.

*Particularly Kind's Fruits and Nuts and Nuts and Spices bars.

Post-Thanksgiving Dark Chocolate Cranberry Feast - Nov. 25, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Fruits in Chocolate
(Manufactured by Chocolate Printing Company, Inc.)
Cranberry in Dark Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) / 6 oz. (169.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 2 packets/pieces
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Ross Stores, Mountain View, CA

Surrounds
(Manufactured by BiscoAmerica Corp.)
Dark Chocolate Cranberries
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 120 calories in 9 pieces
Cost: $3.29 for 1 package
Purchased from: Ross Stores, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to the Post-Thanksgiving Day, when many people enjoying left-over turkey, potatoes, green beans and cranberries. I'm doing the same, only some of the cranberries are covered in dark chocolate.

Fruits in Chocolate
Fruits in Chocolate (made by Chocolate Printing Co.) offer a line of two-bite sized chocolates filled with flavorful dried fruits, that are sealed in convenient, individual serving sized packets. And the company's Cranberry in Dark Chocolate captured the tart-sweet flavor of dried cranberries, just in time for the holiday season.

Surrounds
BiscoAmerica Corp. (Rialto, CA) makes a broad array of cookies and confections, including the Surrounds line. Think small, glossy dark chocolate, round pieces, with sweetened, dried cranberries inside. These were similar in flavor and spirit to the today's first offering, although I thought I caught a hint of cinnamon somewhere. (It was my imagination.)

Tomorrow, we'll be exploring blends of chocolate and nuts—almonds and hazelnuts to be exact.

Thanksgiving Chocolate Banquet - Taza, Lake Champlain - Nov. 24, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Maple Pecan 70% Dark Stone Ground Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.7 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate in the U.S. I'm very thankful for family, friends—and another day with new chocolates to try.

Maple Pecan Bar
Today's gluten-free Maple Pecan 70% dark bar from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) was made from organic, direct trade, stone-ground chocolate and it contained maple (organic maple sugar and natural maple flavor) and roasted pecan nut pieces. (The company is also offering Cranberry Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread and Peppermint Stick bars this holiday season, in addition to its eggnog chocolate disc which is quite good as hot drinking chocolate.)

Chocolate Turkey
I also enjoyed a dark chocolate place-setting turkey and a maple leaf-shaped (gold foil-wrapped) Dark Chocolate 57% Maple Caramel from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, Vermont).

I'll save the chocolate-covered cranberries for the next few days...I couldn't eat another thing right now.

Cocoa Parlor - Popped Quinoa 70 bar - Nov. 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cocoa Parlor
Popped Quinoa 70 bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 317 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift basket from client
Purchased from: N/A - part of gift basket

Welcome to the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Popped Quinoa 70 bar from Cocoa Parlor (Laguna Niguel, CA) was part of a deluxe chocolate gift basket from a client. (Thank you GreenTown!). This was a true Chocolate Banquet, prepared by Present (Los Altos, CA).

Quinoa grows in the high plains of Peru, thus the connection with this week's theme. While Cocoa Parlor is also marketing a version of this bar made from Peruvian cacao beans, today's bar was made with cacao from the Dominican Republic.

Today's Popped Quinoa 70 bar had a slightly earthy, malty, sweet, and rich chocolate aroma. I loved the creamy melt and texture of this bar, that contrasted with the popped quinoa crunchiness.

Blanxart - Organic Dark 77% Criollo Peru bar - Nov. 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart Chocolate
(BB Chocolate Group, S.A)
Organic Dark Chocolate 77% Criollo Peru bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 177 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $ 8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, San Francisco (Ferry Building), CA

Bienvenidos a (Welcome to) Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate 77% Criollo de Alto Piura Peru bar was a single origin bar made in Spain by Blanxart (Barcelona). Geography classes would be more fun if they were taught with chocolate; but I digress.

Made with white Criollo cacao from plantations in Piura, Peru, this was a bar you could enjoy every day. Not only was it large enough to share with others, but this high percentage chocolate might also be more approachable and easy to appreciate by those who fear 70+ percent chocolate.

Lacking in bitterness or sharpness, this subtle, well-balanced dark chocolate bar was smooth without being boring, and sweet without being cloying. It had sweet, ripe fruit flavor (sweet white grapes/raisins, honey, peaches), a very slight sweet tobacco note, a very fleeting floral note, and a pleasant finish, with a faint honey glow to it.

The tasting notes on the bar's packaging also mentioned "a slight woodsy, smoky flavor with hints of licorice." I didn't experience the latter flavor note, but it speaks to a subtle complexity.

There was a very slight granular texture to this bar—like you might find in chocolate with less conching time.* I also felt added cocoa butter may have muffled the subtle Criollo fruit notes a bit; but overall it was a very enjoyable bar.

*More conching time for chocolate generally means chocolate is ground in a machine to a finer particle size, resulting in smoother, creamier texture and more neutral flavor. Some more volatile flavor elements—both desired and undesired—may also dissipate with additional processing; so this smoothness may come with trade-offs in terms of flavor complexity. 

Vanini - Dark Chocolate 86% bar - Nov. 21, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vanini
(ICAM SpA)
Dark Chocolate 86% cocoa bar
Good+ - Good++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 4/10 of bar (4 squares)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenidos (Welcome) to Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's single origin Vanini Dark Chocolate 86% cocoa bar was manufactured by ICAM SpA (Orsenigo (CO), Italy) and made with Peruvian cacao.

This bittersweet bar smelled quite sweet. And it took me a few seconds to remember I was biting into an ultra-dark 86% cocoa chocolate.

The texture was thick and almost creamy with a slow melt. (The house, and therefore the bar, was cold this morning, and the cold makes bars firmer.) However, there also seemed to be a lot of added cocoa butter that seemed to muffle the dark flavor profile a bit—although cold temperatures could have influenced this perception too. (Cocoa butter is relatively solid until it warms up to body temperature.)

The GMO-free, gluten-free bar had very dark and even flavor, with a steady, mild undercurrent of roasted coffee and very mild wood or tobacco. The hint of sweetness was more plant-like, closer to green banana than ripe fruit. Eating the bar felt like gliding in an ebony canoe on a very still, dark river, through thick, dark woods.

The tasting notes (printed on the bar's packaging) also mentioned "persistent tannins.*" I braced myself for a good tooth-coating, but any tannins in this bar seemed relatively mild and friendly.

*Relatively high levels of tannins are naturally found in tea, red wine, berries and cocoa—foods known for mild astringency and the presence of desirable polyphenols. 

Higher levels of tannic acid, found in trees and plants, helps to protect against predation (insects) and harmful bacteria. And in the case of redwood tree bark, tannic acid can even help protect the trees against fire apparently.

Frederic Blondeel - Peru Brutus 75% bar - Nov. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Frederic Blondeel
Peru Brutus 75% bar - VIII Tablette
Good ++
Weight: .79 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 119 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

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

Today's bar made with Peuvian cacao was made by Frederic Blondeel Belgium.* The Peru Brutus 75% bar (VIII Tablette) was one of ten single origin bars from the company—and one of three Peru 75% bars (or tablettes).**

This bar had a faint, pleasant green aroma and flavor that unfolded into a smooth dark chocolate with fruit notes.

However, what was most remarkable was the stone-ground texture. I am used to biting into Belgian and Swiss bars that are super smooth (where the chocolate has been conched/ground for days, creating a tiny particle size and creamy texture).

The sophisticated, more traditional European packaging and bar appearance fooled me (despite the stone-ground seal). I was not expecting rustic, crystal-like texture. This bar was truly crunchy and full of flavor, with an even melt, smooth dark flavor and a clean finish.

Most chocolatiers buy their chocolate in blocks from larger, bean-to-bar chocolate makers, melt them down and mold them into bars and confections. However, Frederic Blondeel Chocolatier is a bean-to-bar chocolatier who starts with the bean—and roasts their own cocoa beans. (Blondeel grew up in a coffee roasting family.) The chocolate maker also controls how they process the bean and so can make stone-ground or finer-ground chocolate as they please.

*Frederic Blondeel also has a Hong Kong office.
** The three Peru single origin bars were: today's Brutus Peru 75% bar (Tablette VIII) with "high acidity, very powerful, distinctive aromas;" the Peru 75% (Tablette VII) with "high acidity, notes of flowers, long finish"; and a new raw Peru 75% bar.

Arete - Peru Phantom 70%; Dark Milk 58% bars - Nov. 19, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Arete Fine Chocolate

Peru Phantom 70% chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.6 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in .8 oz. (22.6 g.) of bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample from Arete Chocolate
Purchased from: Arete Chocolate, Milpitas, CA

Peru Nacional 58% Dark Milk Chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.6 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in .8 oz. (22.6 g.) of bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample from Arete Chocolate
Purchased from: Arete Fine Chocolate, Milpitas, CA

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

Next week we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in the U.S. I'm feeling thankful for sunny and cool weather this week, the good company of human and animal friends, and enough chocolates to last through the winter months.

...And, a few chocolate stories to share, such as the tale of the rediscovered Pure Nacional cacao in the Maranon Valley of Peru.

The Discovery at Maranon River Canyon
The story goes as follows: After 90+ years, Pure Nacional Cacao with a high percentage* of white beans was re-discovered in 2007 by Dan Pearson and Brian Horsley (of Maranon Chocolate), in Northern Peru, in the remote Maranon River Canyon.

Once grown in Ecuador, but wiped out by disease, this strain/variety that was thought to be extinct in Ecuador by 1920.

The find was confirmed by genetic tests. Stimulated by discovery stories like this, no less than Anthony Bourdain, and other experts, have made trips up rivers and into the jungles of Central and South America to find hidden, prized Criollo (light-beaned) cacao.

Meanwhile, the presumed extinct variety, presumably, had been quietly harvested in Peru for generations by local farmers, without much ado, but perhaps without full outside recognition of the higher quality stock.

Since the discovery, Maranon Chocolate has been working directly with farmers to select and develop high-quality beans to bring them to market—to craft and bean-to-bar chocolate makers. And, these beans have produced some fine bars.

Arete Peru Maranon Canyon bars
Peru Nacional beans also caught the attention of David and Leslie Senk in the San Francisco Bay Area, who were starting a bean-to-bar chocolate company—Arete Fine Chocolate.

And, today I'm featuring two Peruvian cacao bars from Arete Fine Chocolate (Milpitas, CA): the Peru Phantom 70% Dark Chocolate bar and the Peru Nacional 58% Dark Milk Chocolate bar.

The Arete 70% Peru Phantom bar had a wonderful dark chocolate aroma with hints of light spice, fruit and cinnamon raisin toast. The bar's even, lovely fruit flavor was reminiscent of a fine wine, and contained some of the best elements of a subtle but flavorful Criollo cacao. The bar had a smooth melt and even texture. This was a finely-crafted bar with uniformly very high-quality chocolate and no off flavors.

The Arete 58% Dark Milk chocolate bar was milk chocolate even dark fans might love. It had a faint milk chocolate aroma, but at the first creamy bite it exploded with full rich milk chocolate, light fruit (ripe sweet berries and peaches) and heavy caramel flavors. This bar was very enjoyable down to the last lingering hint of caramel. Yum.

I first tasted this dark milk chocolate at The Chocolate Garage when Arete owners/founders David and Leslie Senk visited there one evening. I loved it then, and just as much several months later.

*Roughly 40% white beans. Due to the way that cacao is pollinated, a mix of different cacao beans (white and purple) can occur within a field, tree, or even within each cacao pod.

Ranger Chocolate - Peru mini bars - Nov. 18, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Ranger Chocolate Company

73% Tumbes
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) in 1 square
Calories: 37.5 calories (estimate) in 1 square
Cost: $2.00 for 1 mini bar (square)
Purchased from: The Meadow (Mississippi location), Portland, OR

70% San Martin
Very Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) in 1 square
Calories: 37.5 calories (estimate) in 1 square
Cost: $2.00 for 1 mini bar (square)
Purchased from: The Meadow (Mississippi location), Portland, OR

80% Chulucanas
Very Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) in 1 square
Calories: 37.5 calories (estimate) in 1 square
Cost: $2.00 for 1 mini bar (square)
Purchased from: The Meadow (Mississippi location), Portland, OR

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's two individually-wrapped, dark chocolates were crafted by Ranger Chocolate Company (Portland, OR) from Peruvian cacao.

It's always a treat to return to bean-to-bar chocolates with interesting and skillfully developed tasting arcs after theme weeks with less developed flavors.

The chocolate makers at Ranger are currently focusing on three single origin beans (from three different regions/farms) grown in Peru (Tumbes, San Martin and Chulucanas). I sampled three small, dark unadorned squares (of three different Peruvian origins) side-by-side. This is my idea of a three-square meal day.

A Three Square Meal Sampler

73% Tumbes
The first 73% Tumbes mini bar (square) had a dark but upbeat, slightly floral aroma and a surprisingly sweet flavor with light/bright fruit woven throughout, a smooth, slow melt, and a pleasant lingering finish. Tumbes is located in the NW region of the coast of Peru.

Tasting notes from Ranger were as follows: 73% Peru (Tumbes) - tobacco, leather, coffee, honey, cherry, raisin.

70% San Martin
The second 70% San Martin mini bar had a slight five spice aroma, and a more complex, deeper, earthier tasting arc than the first square -- with a hint of apple juice/cider toward the end, and a finish that mellowed over the course of several seconds, with a clear strawberry note that popped up after more than 30 seconds.

Ranger Chocolate Tasting notes for this mini bar: 70% Peru (San Martin) - earthy cacao, strawberry, apricot, wine, chili pepper. San Martin is a region in the upper part of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

80% Chulucanas
The last of this tasting feast, was an 80% Chulucanas mini bar, with a ripe late summer fruit salad (peaches, raspberries, plums) and light spice aroma and almost buttery, creamy melt. It had a (not unexpectedly at 80%) darker flavor profile with very light leather and earth notes. But, in a blind taste test, this could pass for a lower percent bar, in part due to it's fruit (which migrated to tart, ripe peaches toward the end)  and relative lack of bitterness. (I thought I might have caught the tiniest inkling of some salt, but that was likely my imagination.) The rest of the tasting experience was rich and even with occasional sparkles of tart fruit, but enjoyably full and satisfying overall, with a slight sweet-tart finish with a pleasant green, woodsy (light pine?) note about 20 seconds after the last bite.

Chulucanas is a small farming community in the Northern Piura region of Peru.

Ranger tasting notes for this bar: woodsy, tobacco, black walnut, raspberry.

The Magic of Slow Tasting
Moviegoers are sometimes rewarded, if they sit through the credits, with an ending sequence or scene. My advice, pay close attention to today's single origin chocolates—up to a full minute after you think you might have finished tasting them. You may get a tiny flavor bonus that kicks in.

Ranger has recently opened the Cup and Bar, a factory and tasting facility on the East side of Burnside Bridge in Portland. Sorry I just missed that the last time I was in Portland. I look forward to a visit there on my next trip, so I can savor more of their chocolates at the source.

One can purchase an assortment package of these Mini Ranger Bars online. I was able to buy them individually, at The Meadow, a local (Portland) purveyor of salt and chocolate (shown at right).

Honey Mama's - Peruvian Raw Cacao-Nectar Bar - Nov. 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Honey Mama's
Peruvian Raw Cacao-Nectar Bar
Good++
Weight: .833 oz. (23.6 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 117 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $6.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #7) of Raw Chocolate Theme Week and the first day of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peruvian Raw Cacao-Nectar Bar was from Honey Mama's (Portland, OR).

"Made with sprouted (Organic) almonds, raw Peruvian cacao and raw local honey," the raw cacao provided "an extra dose of anti-oxidants," (due to lack of processing).

Rather than added cocoa butter, Honey Mama's bars contained unrefined Organic coconut oil -- which also meant a lower melting temperature than conventional tempered dark chocolate bars. These bars should be kept refrigerated until ready to eat.

This honey-sweetened, Peruvian Cacao-Nectar bar had a coconut cookie aroma, and an even, smooth dark chocolatey melt—a healthy cookie-chocolate bar hybrid. The well-crafted, rustic bar had a satisfying, almost crunchy, coconut (and almond bit) texture—with an occasional sparkle of salt—and a chocolate coconut cookie finish.

The handmade in Portland, paleo bar was labeled as containing "no gluten, soy, dairy or grain."

*Retention of nutritive properties and a desire for less-processed food, are generally reasons behind the preference for raw chocolate.

Honey Mama's - Oregon Peppermint bar - Nov. 16, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Honey Mama's
Oregon Peppermint Cacao-Nectar Bar
Good++
Weight: .833 oz. (23.6 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 117 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $6.95 for 1 package (3 pieces)
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Raw Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Oregon Peppermint Cacao-Nectar Bar from Honey Mama's (Portland, OR) was a great blend of coconut, peppermint, salt and chocolate flavors.* The fact that it was slightly cool (from refrigeration) seemed to highlight the natural mint flavor a bit.

This raw, paleo, gluten-free bar was slightly soft and chewy (from the coconut).

Honey Mama's offers a line of several different raw Cacao-Nectar bars. (I'm featuring four of them this week.) All of them have coconut in them and were labeled as paleo and gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free.

*Ingredients included: coconut meat, dark cocoa, peppermint oil and raw local (Oregon) honey.

Honey Mama's - CocoNoNut Cacao-Nectar raw bar

Chocolate of the Day: 

Honey Mama's
CocoNoNut Cacao-Nectar bar
Good+
Weight: .833 oz. (23.6 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 117 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $6.95 for 1 package (3 pieces)
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Raw Chocolate Theme Week.

CocoNoNut Cacao-Nectar* Bar from Honey Mama's (Portland, OR)

Today's raw, paleo chocolate bar had a subtle, slightly floral coconut aroma, an authentic rich coconut and chocolate (organic cocoa powder and organic coconut oil) flavor, and a slightly chewy texture from small coconut shreds. The bar was seasoned with a light touch Himalayan pink salt.

This raw chocolate bar was sweetened with honey** and made with "No Gluten, Soy, Dairy or Grain"—making it, as advertised, a suitable paleo chocolate offering.

Make sure to keep this 3-piece bar refrigerated, as it starts melting if the temperature exceeds 76 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Cacao-nectar in this case does not mean honey or nectar collected from tiny cacao flowers or plants, but rather a name for a bar that contains both cocoa powder and honey.

**The honey came from Mickelberry Gardens (Troutdale, OR). Honey Mama's list of relationships with local (Oregon and Washington) ingredient suppliers on their website is not only commendably transparent, but also impressive.