Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Chuao Chocolatier - Totally Tangy Mango bar - Jan. 30, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chuao Chocolatier
Totally Tangy Mango bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.69 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

Today's Totally Tangy Mango dark chocolate bar with mango, lime, sea salt and chili, from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA), was packed with well balanced flavor.

The tasting experience was full of excitement—in a good way. The aroma and initial flavor of smooth, dark chocolate was quickly eclipsed by a short bright burst of mango fruit and lime, followed by a light sparkle of sea salt, and then back to chocolate and fruit. 

The pasilla chili provided some warmth and flavor depth to the chocolate without being too spicy. And a trace of vanilla helped to sweeten and mellow the blend.

The 60% dark chocolate base was made with Fair Trade Certified cacao, sugar and cocoa butter.*

The Totally Tangy Mango bar flavor combination was created by Chuao's Master Chocolatier, Chef Michael Antonarsi, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela with a host of fond food memories—including the dusting of fresh, sweet mango fruit with their own special blend of chamoy (lime, salt, pasilla chili).

*The use of sunflower lecithin instead of soy will please those who can't have soy.


Torn Ranch - Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas - Jan. 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Torn Ranch
Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories in 1 package
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week. 

This week we've featured chocolates containing a variety of fruit additions, including: apple cider, cherries, wild blueberries, mango and banana.

Yesterday's chocolate was a sweet milk chocolate confection of a bar, banana filled and topped, from France.

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas from Torn Ranch (Petaluma, CA) offered a robust, less sweet counterpoint to yesterday's confection. 

Bold, smooth dark (72% cacao) chocolate with light earthy and very subtle nutty flavor notes, surrounded thick, perfectly light and crunchy organic banana chips. 

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Yves Thuries - Milk Chocolate with Banana Topping, Filling - Jan. 28, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Yves Thuries
Milk Chocolate with Banana Topping and Filling
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

Today's Yves Thuries Milk Chocolate with Banana Topping and Filling made in France and distributed by SALPA Inc. (Greenwich, CT).

Yves Thuries chocolates are made with cacao grown on the company's plantation in Ecuador. 
Sweet, smooth milk chocolate enveloped a sweetened banana puree filling; and the bar was topped with a tiny riot of banana pieces. This bar was more higher-end confection than chocolate bar, but will appeal to those who enjoy fruit and milk chocolate.

Banana can be a tricky flavor to reproduce; the company did a reasonably good job of delivering subtle, authentic banana flavor (via a blend of freeze dried banana, banana puree, banana flavor) with a hint of sweet vanilla. 







Saturday, January 27, 2018

Yves Thuries - Milk Chocolate with Mango bar - Jan. 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Yves Thuries
Milk Chocolate with Mango Filling and Topping bar
Good 
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

In the middle of January, lighter, tropical fruits taste refreshing and evoke memories of warmer places. 

Today's Yves Thuries Milk Chocolate with Mango Filling and Topping bar, made in France and distributed by SALPA Inc. (Greenwich, CT) offered an opportunity to imagine a tropical vacation, or a trip to Paris in the spring.

The sweetened mango pieces and filling gave the bar a mango fruit aroma and flavor with a slight floral note. While the milk chocolate gave this bar a sweet, confection feel, the more delicate fruit and floral notes would have been overpowered in a darker chocolate base.

We're fortunate in California. Spring is just a few months away, and green shoots start poking up in mid-winter; but in the San Francisco area we have to import mangoes (and cacao) from farms closer to the Equator.

The milk chocolate for this Yves Thuries bar, and other bars the company produces, was made from cacao grown on their own plantation in Ecuador. 


NibMor - Dark Chocolate bites with real wild Maine blueberries - Jan. 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

NibMor Inc.
Dark Chocolate bites with real wild Maine blueberries
Good +
Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 g.) / 5.4 oz. (153 g.) in total package
Calories: 240 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $5.69 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate bites with real wild Maine blueberries were from NibMor Inc. (Kennebunk, ME).

These two-bite sized rectangles were dark (52% cocoa) and sweet, and full of natural blueberry flavor.

Tiny, whole, dried wild blueberries were visible on the underside, and were well balanced with a medium % dark chocolate.

These NibMor chocolate bites were gluten free, vegan, non-GMO project verified, and made with
Rainforest Alliance Certified Cacao.










Thursday, January 25, 2018

free2b - Cherries, Sunflower Seeds Sea Salt Dark Chocolate - Jan. 25, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

free2b Foods
Cherries Sunflower Seeds and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

There is something decadent about eating cherries in winter. In early January, I found some (from the Southern hemisphere) in a Whole Foods Market. They were very pricey, and very delicious.

Today, I was able to enjoy some of the same tart sweet cherry flavor with this Cherries, Sunflower Seeds and Sea Salt bar from free2b Foods (Boulder, CO). The company is perhaps best known for its allergen-free Sun Cups (chocolate cups filled with sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter).

The dark chocolate that made up this bar was smooth and naturally cherry flavored. A generous sprinkling of roasted, whole sunflower seeds provided soft crunch to the texture. As with most flavored chocolate, eat while fresh for best flavor.

Made in a dedicated facility, this free2b bar was free from the top 12 allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, gluten, soy, egg, corn, coconut, sesame, mustard, fish and shellfish. Great for those with food sensitivities.

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, roasted sunflower seeds (sunflower oil), dried cherries (cherries, non-GMO cane sugar, sunflower oil, sea salt

Postscript: A second chocolate item today: a cup of soy cherry chocolate chip ice cream from an ice creamery and bakery at Facebook campus headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. 

Dagoba Chocolate - Orange 59% Dark Bar - Jan. 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Dagoba Chocolate
Orange 59% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 148? calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA


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

Today's Orange 59% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar was from Dagoba Chocolate  (Ashland, OR).*

As the name implied it was full of natural tasting orange flavor (supplied by a blend of orange essence, orange zest, orange oil) that harmonized well with the smooth dark chocolate flavor and texture.

*Dagoba Chocolate was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, and has been owned by The Hershey Company since 2006.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Vosges - Wild Ophelia Apple Cider Caramel Dark Chocolate Bar - Jan. 23, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges IP LLC
Wild Ophelia - Apple Cider Caramel Dark Chocolate Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

Today's Wild Ophelia Apple Cider Caramel Dark Chocolate Bar was from Vosges IP LLC (Chicago, IL).

This 70% dark bar had a sweet, slightly tangy, aroma with a buttery spice cake note.

It may be difficult to share this slim bar. If you break off a piece, the gooey, sweet, slightly tangy, apple cider caramel will get on your hands.

Caramel can be too sweet. But, this thin layer of flavorful, flowing amber—accented with a touch of cinnamon—was well balanced by the surrounding dark chocolate.

And, speaking of chocolate, it seemed this bar was made with a slightly higher quality chocolate than usual Wild Ophelia bars. It could have been my imagination; or it could have been the higher percentage of cacao talking.

The bar's balanced, spiced apple cider concentrate used to flavor the caramel filling and the dark chocolate contributed harmonized well and creative a pleasant finish.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate - Focus - Jan. 22, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate
Focus chocolate
Good
Weight: .325 oz. (9.5 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 60 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $(missing information) for 1 package of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

How about a chocolate with a golden unicorn mascot? That's a little surprising.

We've featured chocolates with names that span the entire alphabet; however, we've never run a series of chocolates that corresponded to an animal alphabet.

If we did, the letters M (chocolate monkeys and mice), S (chocolate squirrels) and C (chocolate cows and cats) would likely be over-represented, as would T (chocolate turtles).

Whereas today's Focus chocolate from Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate (Beverly Hills, CA) might be the only U (unicorn).

The package of four round, peanut butter cup-shaped dark chocolates were made with "beyond fair trade" Arriba Nacional Heirloom Cacao. There was no soft center in these cup-shaped pieces. They were solid chocolates that contained Cordyceps, Siberian Ginseng, Lion's Mane Mushroom, Mesquite, Lucuma and Ashwagandha, and were sweetened with Birch Xylitol and Stevia. They were also sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan.

The texture was fairly smooth. However, not surprisingly, these "superfoods and superherbs" imparted some taste—a slight bitter, medicinal herb flavor; although it was better balanced than it sounds.



Stone Grindz - Kale Yeah! Raw Energy Bar - Jan. 21, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stone Grindz Chocolate
Kale Yeah! Raw Energy Bar(s)
Good
Weight: 1.7 oz. (47.2 g.) / 4.99 oz. (141.5 g.) (estimate) in total container
Calories: 157 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: $5.95 for 1 container of 3 bars
Purchased from: Stone Grindz (online order)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

You might be surprised to read that chocolate and vegetable combinations are quite edible.

Today's Kale Yeah! Raw Energy Bar was made by Stone Grindz Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ). Their raw energy bars are quite different than most chocolate-coated candy or energy bars.

First, Stone Grindz raw energy bars (available via a Secret Store pull down option on the company's website) taste fresher and less processed than most bars. Second they have no added sugar and salt (none, thank you!).  

These organic bars are blended so that they taste and feel well balanced. The ingredients harmonize nicely; no one flavor dominates. 

While dates are the first ingredient listed, they're not overwhelming. The kale (which I venture to wager you could not identify in a blind taste test) and pumpkin seeds help balance out the date sweetness.

Cacao nibs add flavor depth, but are not the primary attraction. 

The bars have a soft chew and uniform flavor and tasting experience. You might find a stray chia seed in your mouth following the tasting experience, but the seeds were not too intrusive. 

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Mars dark chocolate M and Ms; A. Mathez French chocolate truffles - Jan. 20, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Mars dark chocolate M and Ms
(Blue and White, customized for Junior Museum and Zoo)
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 6 oz. (169.8 g.) (estimate) in total container
Calories: 70 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. serving
Cost: $N/A gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Chocolat Mathez SAS
Alaus Mathez Chocolatier
Truffes Fantaisie - Cacao Powdered Truffles
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 17.6 oz. (500 g.) in total container
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (3 truffles)
Cost: $ missing information for 1 container
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

Custom Colored Thank You Gift
Sometimes surprise gifts just happen to be chocolate, like today's first chocolate item. This glass jar of specially customized M and M chocolate candies had blue and white candy shells, with images of a raccoon and the organization name printed on them. They were gifts to volunteers at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

The un-customized/traditional version of Mars dark chocolate M and M chocolate candies appeared years ago on Chocolate Banquet. So the hunt was on for a second chocolate item.

Fortunately, a large canister of truffles that had been hiding in the chocolate vault was discovered, making today a surprise chocolate double header.

Alaus Mathez truffles

These Cacao Powdered Truffles (made in France) were closer to traditional truffles than most filled chocolate confections marketed as truffles.

Summer sun is great for beach weather, but it can ruin chocolate. And these truffles had survived some record heat before being purchased and stored in the vault. The light dusting of cocoa powder had darkened a bit. But, the flavor and texture were surprisingly rich, smooth, satisfying and authentic, i.e. relatively unaffected by the heat.



Friday, January 19, 2018

Good Day Chocolate - Vitamin D3 Candy Coated Pieces - Jan. 19, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Good Day Chocolate  
Vitamin D3 Supplement - Chocolate Candy Coated Pieces
Good
Weight: .99 oz. (28 g.) in 1 package of 8 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 1 package of 8
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Pharmaca, Menlo Park, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.
Vitamin D is nicknamed the sunshine vitamin because sun enables human bodies to produce this vitamin.* During cloudy winter days, one can also get Vitamin D from food or vitamins.

What about a Vitamin D supplement made of chocolate? Surprise! One exists.

Today's Vitamin D3 Supplement from Good Day Chocolate (Boulder, CO) materialized in the form of chocolate candy coated pieces (think super-sized M and M candies from Mars).

Each crunchy, naturally-colored red candy shell contained a dark chocolate center made with fair trade cacao. These almost had a slight dairy butter, yellow floral flavor to them; but this could have been my imagination. Yellow sunshine and fields of yellow flowers are a few months away.

*These chocolate candy dietary supplements contained 1,000 IUs per serving (1/2 package). It might take 15-20 minutes of California (winter) sunshine for a person to be able to make this much on their own.




Thursday, January 18, 2018

Theo Chocolate - Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar - Jan. 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.
Organic and Fair Trade Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 166 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information 
Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

Some people may be surprised by chocolates with licorice, fennel or anise flavoring. But, in fact, great chocolate + licorice blends exist in candies, cakes, cookies and, of course, bars.*

Today's Organic and Fair Trade Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Warning: if you like licorice, you may find this bar—flavored with star anise essential oil and licorice root extract—mildly addicting. 

Once again, the origin story for this chocolate is multi-faceted. The dark chocolate 70% cacao base was made with cacao sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Peru. The touch of vanilla was sourced in Indonesia; and the licorice root was sourced in the USA**.

Tasting note on the packaging read: "sweet, salty and complex."

This was a well balanced bar with an aroma and initial flavor of licorice. After the first bite, the dark chocolate flavors gently blossomed into prominence; and the touch of salt was just right.

This bar was Organic, Fair for Life, Soy Free, Kosher, Vegan and Gluten Free.

*Askinosie Chocolate and Patric Chocolate (bean-to-bar makers located in Missouri) have both produced bars with licorice in the past.
**Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt, Star Anise Essential Oil, Ground Vanilla Bean, Licorice Root Extract

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Ultimate Superfoods - Ojio Shape Shifter Cayenne bar - Jan. 17, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Made for: Ultimate Superfoods, Inc.
Ojio Shape Shifter Cayenne Metabolism 66 percent bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 193 calories in 2/3 bar
Cost: $5.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Ojio Shape Shifter Cayenne Metabolism bar from Ultimate Superfoods, Inc. (Moorpark, CA) looked exciting and a little scary. Do I really want to be a shape shifter?

In addition to spices like turmeric and cinnamon, this 66% cacao chocolate was powered by some cayenne pepper heat and many other flavor and functional inclusions (ginseng, green coffee, garcinia cambogia, pine bark extract, etc.).

Surprise! There was no need to fear. This was a well-tempered bar that broke with a hard snap. And it had well-balanced, rich chocolate and spice flavors. There was no strange medicinal flavor, and this offering did not take the "fun" out of functional chocolate.






Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Domori - 100% Criollo Cacao bar - Jan. 16, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori
100% Criollo Cacao bar
Good ++
Weight: .66 oz. (21 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 117 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Apple store, Cupertino, CA)

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

Just when it crossed my mind that maybe 11 years of chocolate might be enough, surprise! This generous gift from a friend arrived. 

Today's single-ingredient,* 100% Criollo Cacao bar from Domori (None, Italy) was purchased by said friend at an Apple Computer store adjacent to the company's Cupertino headquarters. Disk drives and Domori. Interesting combination.

This bar had a slightly bitter, earthy tobacco aroma. The relatively thin bar allowed access to a flavor profile (similar to the aroma) right away; and the chocolate broke with a had snap (a sign of a well-tempered bar). The melt was rapid and even; and the texture was smooth, almost creamy. 

For such a powerful dark aroma and flavor profile, it was surprisingly mild in terms of bitterness and lacked the astringent pucker one might expect. It was like a ship in heavy seas that you expect might founder but it kept miraculously righting itself.

The flavor was very even and persisted with a similar aftertaste for several seconds, then tailed off gradually. 

Tasting notes printed on the packaging read: "...dried fruit with low bitterness and astringency, and an almost immediate balance." It was all of these, but without some of the more delicate dried, fruit acidity at the beginning that is ofter present with bars made with pure Criollo** cacao. 

*One ingredient: cocoa mass, gluten free

**Criollo, a variety of cacao, is known for its subtle, exquisite, usually balanced flavors. Fruits for this tree tend to be slightly smaller, and it is often more delicate, and less disease resistant than Forestaro and Trinitario varieties.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Lindt and Sprungli - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles - Jan. 15, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lindt and Sprungli 
Lindor Limited Edition - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles
Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 5.1 oz. (144 g.) in total package of 12
Calories: 147 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Michaels, Mountain View, CA

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

It's always a surprise to discover holiday-related chocolates in mid-January. Normally they evaporate by New Year's Day. However, chocolate and gingerbread are favorites here, all year long.

Today's Limited Edition Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles were created by Lindt and Sprungli (Switzerland), and distributed by Lindt and Sprungli U.S. (Stratham, NH). 

These individually-wrapped, round milk chocolate gingerbread truffles were tasty and satisfying. The fillings inside the milk chocolate outer shells were creamy and smooth, and flecked with tiny crunchy bits. The gingerbread flavor was subtle and authentic.

Note to those who avoid gluten: These truffles did contain barley malt powder.


Sunday, January 14, 2018

Bonaris Cacao de Peru - Chocolate Negro con aceite de oliva y sal - Jan. 14, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bonaris - Cacao de Peru
Dark Chocolate with Olive Oil and Salt 80% Cacao bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 176 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

Surprises come in many forms. Sometimes wonderful chocolate surprises arrive by mail or via an acquaintance who has come back from a trip.

Today's Bonaris Dark Chocolate bar with Olive Oil and Salt was was purchased by a colleague who was visiting Barcelona, Spain.* (Thank you Eileen!)

The bar looked like a conventional dark bar, and had pleasing dark chocolate flavor. However, don't expect this to break with a hard snap, the sign of a fully tempered bar.

It was surprisingly soft and a wee bit granular; however the olive oil, and added cocoa butter, helped give this gluten and dairy free bar an almost velvety stoneground melt. This was labeled as an 80 percent cacao bar, but it was quite sweet and approachable for an ultra-high percentage bar.

A generous sprinkle of salt on the back yielded surprise bursts of salt sparkle, more on some bites than others.

This was a fun bar to try, with a great journey story to tell. And the repurposed envelope and inner wrapper packaging was clever, resourceful and functional.

*As far as I can tell, Bonaris bars (available in Spain in several flavors) are made in the Lleida Province of Catalonia in northeast Spain, using at least some cacao grown in Peru. These bars (or tabletas) are sold through Chocolates IVIS SL at outdoor markets in the region, including in Barcelona. Picture at right is from the company's Facebook page and shows the variety of bars they offer.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

DeMet's - holiday turtle egg; Storck - Toffifay - Jan. 13, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

DeMet's Candy Company
Turtles - holiday eggs
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.96 g.) in 1 egg
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 egg
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

August Storck AG
Toffifay
Good
Weight: .3 oz. (8.25 g.) / 1.2 oz. (33 g.) in total package
Calories: 45 calories in 1 piece (1/4 package) 
Cost: $0.79 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

Today we're featuring two milk chocolate and caramel items—both acquired during the December holiday season.

DeMet's Turtles
The first item was a DeMet's egg-shaped chocolate and caramel "turtle," complete with milk chocolate, caramel and nuts (pecans and possibly hazelnuts).

DeMet's (Stamford, CT) has been making turtles* for decades. (These holiday turtles were a product of Turkey.)

These holiday eggs were wrapped with red and white festive holiday foil wrappings with images of polar bears and penguins. However, if you looked carefully before biting into the egg, it was possible to spot the likeness of the iconic DeMet's turtle character imprinted on the chocolate.

August Storck Toffifay
The second item: Toffifay, a chocolate, caramel and hazelnut cream, semi-spherical, sweet confection from August Storck AG (Germany).

The sweet caramel outer cup had a soft chew texture, and the chocolate center was slightly more firm. 

*The original chocolate, caramel and nut turtles resembled turtles; often pecans or nut pieces protruded (from the chocolate oblong body or "shell"), resembling a turtle's head and legs.




Chocolate and Love - Dark Chocolate Organic 55% Cocoa Sea Salt and Caramel bar - Jan. 12, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolate and Love
Dark Chocolate Organic 55% Cocoa Sea Salt and Caramel bar
Good ++
Weight: 9 pieces (37 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 serving (9 pieces) bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Caramel bar was a good example of the international supply chain that exists with many chocolate bars.

This 55% Cacao, Organic Sea Salt and Caramel bar was made in Switzerland for Chocolate and Love Ltd. (Perth, UK) and imported by Belgium's Chocolate Source (Milton, MA). And it was purchased and eaten in California.

The bar was riddled with tiny caramel pieces (10%) (cane sugar, whole milk powder, butter, glucose* syrup) and sea salt crystals, making it rich and slightly crunchy.

It was a hit with those who provided tasting help. ((Thank you Trudi and Holly!)

*Not sure if this was gluten free.





Thursday, January 11, 2018

Lulu's Artisan Chocolate - Salted Caramels with Vanilla, Sea Salt - Jan. 11, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lulu's Artisan Chocolate
Salted Caramels with Vanilla and Sea Salt
Good ++
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) in 1 package of two pieces
Calories: 212 calories in 1 package
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

Today's vegan Salted Caramels with Vanilla and Sea Salt, from Lulu's Artisan Chocolate (Sedona, AZ) were covered in dark chocolate that was made with "Wild Harvested, Heirloom, Arriba Unroasted Ecuadorian Cacao."

The package contained two chocolate rounds filled with silky caramel. These seemed to lack the sugar rush that often accompanies similar products. And in fact these were labeled as being low glycemic.*

Dark 78% cacao chocolate surrounding the caramel filling had smooth, rich flavor. And the hint of citrus flavor (essential oil of lemon) added a unique, pleasing finish.

*The Salted Caramels were sweetened with coconut nectar and coconut palm sugar.

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