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.