Saturday, March 31, 2018

Chuao Chocolatier - Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% - March 31, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Chuao Chocolatier
Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% 
Enamored Collection
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 143 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week. We're sampling another chocolate with blueberry and lavender today.

Today's Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% bar from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA) contained whole wild, organic blueberries infused with lavender flavor. (The blueberries were more visible when the bar was broken into pieces.)

Like most of the other blueberry + lavender blends this week, this chocolate tasted fairly sweet for a 72% dark chocolate bar.










Friday, March 30, 2018

Dagoba - Organic Lavender Blueberry Cacao Gems - March 30, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Dagoba Organic Chocolate
Organic Lavender Blueberry Cacao Gems - Good
Organic Picante Chocolate Cacao Gems - Good +
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 4.2 oz. (119 g.) in total package of  pieces/3 flavors
Calories: 100 calories in 2-piece serving
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

What chocolate will be in your Easter basket this Sunday? How about today's Organic Lavender Blueberry or Picante Chocolate Cacao Gems, from Dagoba Organic Chocolate* (Ashland, OR)? 

Today's three-flavor variety pack included Picante Chocolate, Lavender Blueberry, and Ginger Lime chocolates. We're featuring the first two of these three individually-wrapped chocolates.

Made with Rainforest Alliance Certified Cacao, these chocolates were linked with "The One for All Cacao Project: Inspired Chocolate Empowering Women." Dagoba established this project in 2016; and the goal of this program is to "strengthen cacao communities by advancing the role of women in cacao production worldwide," a laudable goal.

The Organic Picante Chocolate cacao gem may have been "74% extra dark," but the facet-cut dark chocolate (adorned with an image of a cacao pod) tasted very sweet. The smooth, dark chocolate had a slight, soft crunch from a cacao nib or two, and hot chili kick that you could feel as you swallowed a bite, but it wasn't overwhelming.

As one might expect, the Organic Lavender Blueberry Cacao Gem had more of an aroma—lavender and blueberry. And, though it was only 59% cacao, this gem seemed to have about the same level of sweetness as the Picante Chocolate Cacao Gem. (It also contained milk.)

*Dagoba Organic Chocolate is a division of the Artisans Confection Company—which is owned by The Hershey Company.


Thursday, March 29, 2018

Violet Sky - Star Brightened Day Dark Blueberries and Flowers bar - March 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Violet Sky
Star Brightened Day
77% Dark Chocolate with Blueberries and Flowers bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.236 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 185 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA
 
Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Star Brightened Day 77% Dark Chocolate with Blueberries and Flowers bar was the creation of Violet Sky, an American Craft Chocolate maker based in South Bend, IN.

Most of the chocolates featured in this chocolate and flower-themed week contain some combination of blueberries and lavender. I'm not sure where this trend started, but it's certainly popular this year. I prefer just lavender and chocolate, as the blueberry flavoring varies in different bars, and seems to mute the lavender and the chocolate.

However, today's flavorful bar* at least contained more authentic blueberry flavor than most (with a hint of natural berry tartness/acidity).

Jasmine flowers and powdered honey amped up the floral profile a bit—a fun blend if you like floral flavors.

*Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, blueberries, lavender flowers, powdered honey, jasmine flowers






Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Chocolita - Moontime Rose 78% - March 28, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita 
Moontime Rose 78% raw dark chocolate
Good 
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 80 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA
Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Moontime Rose 78% raw dark chocolate was from Chocolita (Sedona, AZ).

The company offers several dark bars that "utilize chocolate as a medium for delivery of herbs."

The blend of ground pink rose petals, chocolate and herbs* in this bar were designed to help balance hormones. Like other Chocolita bars sampled this week, today's raw, dark chocolate bar had a slightly bitter medicinal aroma and flavor.

The rose flavor appeared as a nice aftertaste, but was largely overshadowed in the beginning by chocolate and herbs.

The base dark chocolate was made with organic, fair trade, stoneground, Arriba Nacional Ecuadorian Fino de Aroma Cacao. The gluten-free, vegan bar was sweetened with coconut sugar and also contained a hint of vanilla.

Ingredients: Stone-ground heirloom cacao, coconut sugar, maca, Vitex, valerian, vanilla, cramp bark, sea salt












Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Chocolita - Lavender Dreamtime 78% - March 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita
Lavender Dreamtime 78% bar
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Lavender Dreamtime 78% raw dark chocolate bar was made by Chocolita (Sedona, AZ). The company specializes in eco-friendly, exotic chocolate products.

This gluten-free, paleo bar was made with heirloom fair trade cacao, and had a slightly bitter medicinal aroma atop a dollop of lavender fragrance. The chocolate had a buttery melt and true lavender and smooth dark chocolate flavor.

Some people find lavender to be both relaxing and invigorating. We're told today that "you'd never know there is also gotu kola and mugwort added to assist is more vivid and memorable dreams. Let lavender carry you towards relaxation and restful slumber."

I did sleep well after eating this bar.

Ingredients: cacao*, coconut palm sugar*, vanilla*, sea salt, lavender*, mugwort*, gotu kola*
*certified organic

Monday, March 26, 2018

Chocolita - Blueberry Lotus 78% bar - March 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita 
Blueberry Lotus 78% bar
Good 
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA  

Welcome to Day #4 Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Blueberry Lotus 78% bar was handcrafted by Chocolita (Sedona, AZ). The company, founded by Sarah Ann Lesslie, offers an interesting line of raw chocolate bars, some with exotic, botanical or floral ingredients.

This attractively packaged, gluten free and vegan dark chocolate bar was made with heirloom Arriba Nacional, fair trade cacao from Ecuador and other organic ingredients* including kava and blue lotus essential oil.

Chocolita bars are made with sweeteners, such as coconut sugar, that score lower on the glycemic index than processed, white (cane/beet) sugar. This chocolate had a slight medicinal aroma. However, the thin bar had a relatively pleasant coconut sugar and chocolate flavor. It had a smooth melt, and an almost soft, crunchy chew. (Note: there was some signs of "bloom" on this bar. This is not unusual when a bar is shipped across the U.S. and occasionally goes through different storage and temperature conditions; it did not seem to affect the flavor.)

The pleasant coconut sugar + chocolate flavor lasted most of the tasting experience. (There was a hint of earthy blueberry and a delayed herb/very slightly bitter plant aftertaste that kicked in several seconds after. That is the trade-off with some novelty inclusions. Fortunately, chocolate blends well with most mix-ins.

If you're interested in chocolate history and about the gods and goddesses who were often associated with cacao in the Americas, visit Chocolita's website. Scroll down on Chocolita's "About" page for a nice summary.

Ingredients: cacao paste*, cacao butter*, coconut sugar*, lucuma*, blueberries*, vanilla*, kava*, passionflower*, Himalayan pink salt, Blue Lotus essential oil. (A "*" denotes an organic ingredient.)


Sunday, March 25, 2018

Violet Sky - Pierce the Veil Dark Chocolate with Rose Lime Leaf and Ginger bar - March 25, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Violet Sky
Pierce The Veil
Dark Chocolate with Rose Lime Leaf and Ginger bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.236 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 185.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Pierce the Veil Dark Chocolate with Rose Lime Leaf and Ginger bar from Violet Sky (South Bend, IN) sounded very complex and ambitious.

Was this another delicate chocolate confection with rose essence? No. This bar had a bold underlying bean-to-bar chocolate base with the energy of a recently exploded constellation of flavors.*

Violet Sky Founder Hans Westerink produces a wide variety of craft chocolate bars (all swaddled in unique paper wrapper and colored foil wrapper combinations) with creative and interesting flavor blends and inclusions.

Today's Pierce the Veil bar's was made with a blend of Guatemalan cacao (Lachua) and Peruvian cacao (Maranon). And despite the distinctive flavor adds, the dark, fruity, acidic chocolate base shone through nicely.

Citrus notes were amplified by Kaffir lime leaf bits; and pieces of ginger dominated. The rose petals added some nice pink-purplish color to this riot of color, texture and flavor that were applied to this side of the bar. (It was all serious dark chocolate on the flip side.)

Tasting tip: If you want to taste the rose, choose a piece with less ginger (light golden-beige bits) and more of the pink (rose petal) bits.

Look forward to trying more Violet Sky bars, including those with barrel-aged components.

*Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, ginger root, rose petals, Kaffir lime leaf








Saturday, March 24, 2018

Elements Truffles - Rose infused with Cardamom - March 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Elements Truffles
Rose infused with Cardamom 70% cacao bar
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Rose infused with Cardamom 70% Cacao bar was made by Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ). Like yesterday's Peppermint infused with Lavender bar (from the same company), this chocolate was well balanced and full of natural flavor. 

This bar had a beautiful aroma and flavor, with authentic, rose floral notes, and a hint of cardamom (think chai tea). The chocolate had a buttery/creamy melt and texture (cacao butter was the first ingredient), and a pleasing rose finish.

The bar was "sweetened just with local honey," which gave it a more delicate quality (less of a sugar buzz) and contributed to a floral experience.

Elements Truffles raw chocolate bars are handmade in micro batches without dairy, refined sugar, soy/emulsifiers or preservatives. Today's bar was made with Fair Trade organic cacao ethically sourced from Peru.

Ingredients: organic raw cacao butter (Peruvian Criollo), raw honey, organic raw cacao powder, rose geranium essential oil, cardamom essential oil, organic rose petals, organic raw pumpkin seeds, Himalayan sea salt.

25% of profits go toward education of underprivileged children 









Friday, March 23, 2018

Elements Truffles - Peppermint Lavender - March 23, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Peppermint Lavender 
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

What do you do as a follow-up act when you're a high-powered trader on Wall Street? Start making chocolate might not be the most obvious answer to this question. But, fortunately for us, this is just what Alak Vasa, founder of Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ) did.*

Vasa created a line of raw, Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate. Her chocolates are handmade in small batches, with no refined sugar, dairy, soy/emulsifiers or preservatives; and they're sweetened with local honey. She used Fair Trade organic cacao sourced from Peru in today's bar.

Today's 70% cacao Peppermint infused with Lavender bar was made with raw cacao butter, raw honey, raw cacao powder, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, organic lavender flowers, and Himalayan sea salt.

This relaxing, but invigorating (is this possible?) chocolate was firm (it broke with a snap); yet, had the buttery melt of a truffle. Lavender buds and oil were well balanced with the mint and provided a natural tasting, balanced floral and herbal experience. The chocolate had a pleasing lavender finish, and was designed to support Vata and Pitta ayurveda doshas.

Loved that it was not ultra-sweet. The amount of honey used was just right, and didn't overpower the other elements/inclusions.

*25% of proceeds go towards education of underprivileged children. 




Thursday, March 22, 2018

Divine - 70% Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisp; Easter Egg - March 22, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Divine 
70% Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisp bar
Good+
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) / 3.2 oz. (22.5 g.) in total bar
Calories: 260 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Divine 
Easter Egg Dark Chocolate 70% cocoa
Good+
Weight: .95 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.99 oz. (55 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $1.99 (guess) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. Today's two featured 70% dark chocolates were both produced in the UK and distributed by Divine Chocolate Inc. (Washington, D.C.). The first was a Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisp bar and the second was a Dark Chocolate Easter Egg.

These relatively new offerings included new packaging and design elements as well. 

Divine Chocolate is unique in that cocoa farmers own 44% of the company and share in the profits. (Fairtrade cocoa is grown by family farmers in Ghana.)

Divine 70% Mint Crisp Bar

The Divine 70% Dark Chocolate with Mint Crisp bar had a relatively strong, but balanced peppermint aroma. The flavorful, slightly earthy, chocolately base dark chocolate shone through.

A similar (but not identical) Divine mint chocolate bar was previously featured on this site. It was segmented into scored, rectangular pieces and the packaging, adorned with green and gold African-inspired symbols, covered the entire bar.
This new bar, decorated by a fine smattering of small mint crisp bits, was designed as uniform chocolate bar (longer segmented into rectangles), and was viewable through a clear window.
The company name "Divine" was printed in a repeating pattern on the back of the bar. 

Divine 70% Easter Egg

Because Easter is upon us, it seemed appropriate to include a 70% Dark Chocolate Easter Egg, also from Divine. The sunny yellow box design incorporated an attractive array of large gold pattern symbols. 

The hollow egg was carefully broken, and shards of egg were sampled and enjoyed.

The 70% cocoa dark chocolate for this second chocolate, however, tasted very different than the more bold 70% cocoa Mint bar above. The Easter Egg had hints of coconut, milk chocolate toffee. (It contained vanilla; but there was no milk, coconut or toffee in this chocolate.) 




Wednesday, March 21, 2018

LetterPress Chocolate - San Juan Mint 70% Dark bar - March 21, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

LetterPress Chocolate LLC
San Juan Estate Mint 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 172 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

Today's small batch San Juan Estate Mint 70% Dark Chocolate bar (Batch 0072) was crafted by bean-to-bar maker LetterPress Chocolate LLC (Los Angeles, CA).

And it was another very aromatically mint dark bar. The menthol notes eclipsed the subtleties of the chocolate flavor, and gave the bar a "clean" tasting, lasting finish and conveyed more sweetness than likely was actually present in this 70% cacao bar.

Tasting Notes printed on the packaging read: mint, marshmallow, vanilla. Ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic unrefined sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic mint oil.

The Trinitario cacao used to make this bar was grown in the Gran Couva area of central Trinidad.* And this Trinitario cacao was "the first to be made into a single estate bar by the Valrhona Chocolate company." Careful cultivation by early chocolate makers like Valrhona has contributed to today's stock used by craft chocolate makers like LetterPress.

Happily, chocolate consumers benefit from cumulative expertise and sharing of knowledge.

*The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a two-island nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea. Three varieties of cacao dominate most of the chocolate world. This bar was made with Trinitario cacao, a hybrid of Forastero and Criollo cacao, and likely first evolved in this part of the Caribbean.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Summerdown Mint - Chocolate Peppermint Cream Dominoes - March 20, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Summerdown Farms Ltd
Summerdown Mint 
Chocolate Peppermint Cream Dominoes
Good +
Weight: 1.174 oz. (33.3 g.) / 7.05 oz. (200 g.) in total package
Calories: 159 calories in 3 pieces 
Cost: $18.00 for 1 box/pkg. of 18 pieces
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Chocolate Peppermint Cream Dominoes were from Summerdown Farms Ltd. (Hampshire, UK).

The company is known for its farm, where pure English single estate Mitcham peppermint is grown in the foothills of the Hampshire Downs. This mint is also used to make chocolates and herbal teas.

The thin, domino-shaped pieces (embossed with a mint sprig design) had a very minty aroma that was detectable before the box was even opened. And each piece contained an ultra-thin, light-colored sweet, creamy peppermint-infused filling.

Ingredients: sugar, cocoa mass, glucose syrup, invert syrup, emulsifier, humectant: glycerol, Black Mitcham Peppermint













Monday, March 19, 2018

Living Raw - Power Mint Patty - Chocolate Chip - March 19, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Living Raw
Power Mint Patty - Chocolate Chip
Good + 
Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1 package 
Cost: $3.29 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's PowerMint Patty (Chocolate Chip flavor) was from Living Raw (Franklin, TN).

This single patty was a variation on the PowerMint Patty (Original Dark flavor) featured two days ago, with slightly less chocolate and slightly more mint-infused "coconut butter" visible in the filling.

It was, like its PowerMint Patty sibling, sweetened with coconut sugar; vegan, paleo friendly, gluten free, dairy free and soy free; and was made using fair trade and Non GMO ingredients.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Chocolate Conspiracy - Mint Chip Chocolate Bar - March 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Conspiracy  
Mint Chip Chocolate Bar 75% cacao
Good ++dark chocolate
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Mint Chip Chocolate Bar from The Chocolate Conspiracy (Salt Lake City, UT)

Utah's state emblem is a beehive. Today's dual-star-shaped dark chocolate 75% cacao bar was scored into hexagonal sections. 

And it was sweetened with honey, that gave the chocolate a subtle sweetness. The honey also interacted with the smooth chocolate and fresh mint flavor in such a way that it gave it a little warm floral/spice zing. 

Cocoa nibs on the back of the bar added some crunchy texture.






Zokoko - Goddess Dark Chocolate Mint bar - March 17, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Zokoko
Goddess Dark Chocolate with Mint bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar (2 1/2 segments)
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate this green-themed holiday. Great timing too. We still have green lawns here in California in winter.

Today's Goddess Dark Chocolate with Mint bar was created by Zokoko (Emu Heights, Australia).

This bar consisted of a creamy, flavorful dark chocolate with "deep cocoa notes" with a hint of "crisp mint" flavor.

Urban Remedy
Raw Cacao Mousse
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total container
Calories: 30 calories (estimate) in 1 bite
Cost: $N/A - gift bite (Thank you Megan!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Whole Foods Market)

This Raw Cacao Mousse from Urban Remedy (Richmond, CA) was a bonus for St. Patrick's Day.  While, it was already featured back in December 2017, it was a gift, and it contained Irish Moss.


Like the company's other desserts, this creamy, organic mousse was free of grain, gluten, dairy and white sugar. It was made with almond milk, date syrup, coconut oil, raw cacao powder, vanilla, Irish Moss, sunflower lecithin and Himalayan salt instead.

After an unsuccessful search for 4-leaf clovers in the yard, we enjoyed bites of this naturally sweet mousse.  (For those desiring more green, Urban Remedy also makes a Grasshopper Pie dessert flavored with cacao and mint, and colored with spinach and actual greens.)


Friday, March 16, 2018

Living Raw - Power Mint Patty Original Dark - March 16, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Living Raw
Organic PowerMint Patty - Original Dark
Good ++
Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1 package 
Cost: $3.29 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's PowerMint Patty - Original Dark flavor - from Living Raw (Franklin, TN) contained just the right blend of chocolate, sweetness (not too much) and authentic peppermint flavor.

The organic, raw patty with a pleasing, light natural mint aroma, was sweetened with coconut sugar,* bringing down the "buzz" one feels when eating similar confections containing processed cane sugar.

When broken in half, this round, "cup"-shaped patty, revealed a fascinating pattern--made of incredibly thin alternating light mint-infused coconut butter and dark chocolate layers. In addition to being visually interesting, the layering offered a more integrated chocolate-mint tasting experience than other mint-filled chocolates.

This six-ingredient patty (organic cacao, organic coconut butter, organic coconut sugar, organic cacao butter, organic peppermint essential oil, organic sunflower lecithin) was vegan, paleo-friendly, gluten free, soy free and dairy free. Yes, it's a bit pricey for a patty, but it did make us think we'd enjoy eating more like this on a regular basis.

*Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index. It's absorbed less rapidly than processed/white cane sugar. If you're not fond of coconut, you might try this anyway. This patty contained both coconut butter and sugar, but did not have a strong coconut flavor.
















Thursday, March 15, 2018

Ticket Chocolate - Grasshopper Pie Bar - March 15, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ticket Chocolate 
Grasshopper Pie Bar
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.25 oz. (63.8 g.) in total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. of bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Peet's Coffee and Tea, Charleston, Palo Alto 

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

What is a Grasshopper Pie? It's a chilled Creme de Menthe-flavored marshmallow pie with a chocolate cookie crust. Today's featured Grasshopper Pie Bar from Ticket Chocolate (Loomis, CA) was a chocolate bar version of this popular pie from last century.*

The bar contained "crunchy dark chocolate cookies in minty creamy milk chocolate...and no grasshopper pieces."

Unfortunately, this bar also contained gluten (cookies), so only a small bite was sampled.
Chocolate cookie pieces added some texture and crunch to a sweet milk and colorful minty green chocolate bar base.

*Other Ticket Chocolate "Beloved Bar" flavors with a hint of tribute nostalgia included the Mom's Apple Pie Bar, Waffle Pecan Chocolate Bar, Roasted Chesnut Beloved Chocolate Bar and a Hazelnut Cherry Stuffing Bar.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Chocolate and Love - Mint 67% Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch bar - March 14, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate and Love Ltd. 
Mint 67% Dark Chocolate and Mint Crunch bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 263 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week

Today's Organic Mint 67% Dark Chocolate and Mint Crunch bar was from Chocolate and Love Ltd. (Crescent Perth, UK), and was imported by Belgium's Chocolate Source (Milton, MA).

The "crunch" in this smooth, almost creamy, dark chocolate mint crunch bar came from a swarm of uniformly tiny, barely visible peppermint candy bits. Audible, but not visible. Research was surely done to achieve this feat.









Vosges - Mint Matcha bar - March 13, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges IP, LLC
Dark Milk 45% Cacao Mint Matcha bar
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Milk 45% Cacao Mint Matcha bar was from Vosges IP, LLC (Chicago, IL).

This "Grade A Matcha and Mint in 45% cacao Dark Milk Chocolate" bar was creamy in taste and texture, and the mint was well balanced with the added green tea/matcha flavor in this bar.

Tasting notes for this gluten-free bar: "caramel notes (in) dark milk chocolate...Aromas of bamboo and grass linger on the palette from the addition of...green tea."

The chocolate bar was made with 82% fair trade ingredients.




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