The Madelaine Chocolate Company - duets double-filled chocolate truffles Chocolate Cherry - Apr. 30, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Madelaine Chocolate Company
duets - double filled chocolate truffles - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Truffle
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 5 oz. (142 g.) in total package of 11 pieces
Calories: 140 calories in 2 servings (pieces)
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package of 11 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Menlo Park, CA

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

Today's duets - double-filled chocolate truffles - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Truffle hailed from The Madelaine Chocolate Company, a family-owned company in (Rockaway Beach, NY).

These individually-wrapped chocolate orbs contained two flavors (fillings) in one chocolate: a chocolate truffle filling in one half and a more liquid, cherry filling in the other half.

You might want to have a napkin handy if it's a warm day for the cherry filling. Yes, these were sweet, and also quite tasty.

Tru Fru - Whole Cherries freeze-dried in Dark Chocolate - Apr. 29, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tru Fru, LLC
Whole Cherries freeze-dried fresh and immersed in Dark Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (30 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Whole Cherries freeze-dried fresh and immersed in Dark Chocolate* were distributed by Tru Fru, LLC (South Jordan, UT).

These glossy dark chocolate rounds were filled with airy, freeze-dried concentrated authentic cherry flavor.

More chocolatiers are adding freeze-dried, real fruit and/or freeze-dried fruit powders to their chocolates to add a bit of natural fruit zing. Let this trend continue! The results are much better than processed fruit pieces or manufactured flavors.

*Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor); Tart Cherries; Tapioca Dextrin; Confectioners Glaze

Tony's Chocolonely - Meringue Cherry Dark Chocolate bar - Apr. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Tony's Chocolonely
Dark Chocolate Meringue Cherry bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 6.35 oz. (180 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving (1/6 bar)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

This Dark Chocolate Meringue Cherry bar was made in Belgium and distributed by Tony's Chocolonely Inc. (Portland, OR/Netherlands). The company's vision is 100% slave free chocolate (starting with their own company).

This thick, dark chocolate (51% cacao dark chocolate) bar was studded with pieces of light, sweet meringue and freeze-dried cherry. It was a bit on the sweet side but the chocolate was of better quality than many commercial dark chocolates.

Note: This was a special bar made for Valentines Day earlier this year; so it's unlikely you can find this bar on store shelves near you.

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, meringue (sugar, egg white, corn starch), cherry, soy lecithin.

barkThins - Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch - Apr. 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

barkTHINS
Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch
Good+
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 4.7 oz. (133 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Greetings and welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's barkTHINS Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch was manufactured for Ripple Brand Collective, LLC (New York, NY).

These pieces of bark were a great textural blend of smooth dark chocolate bark, chewy dried cherry pieces, and sweet, crunchy oat granola bits.

Cherry Love
As summer approaches, thoughts turn to cherry orchards that used to grow here in Silicon Valley in Northern California, and childhood memories of fresh cherries in the late spring and summer.

Fresh cherries may not be as locally grown anymore, but we can't wait until they're in stores and farmers markets starting next month (May).

In the meantime, let's enjoy chocolate offerings with cherries (be they Bing, Michigan or other varieties, and whether they're incorporated dried, fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried).

Map Chocolate - Starry Night Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup - Apr. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Map Chocolate Co., LLC
Starry Night - Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estim.) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week. Like yesterday's chocolate, pine trees figure into today's offering. We love Douglas Fir tip tea and related foodstuffs, so we were excited to taste this bar. And it delivered.

Today's "Starry Night" Belize 60% Dark Milk (with) Mugolio Pinebud Syrup* (bar) was from Map Chocolate Co., LLC (Eugene, OR).

The bar had a pleasing chocolate and slight herbal, pine bud (light pine with lemon floral notes) aroma; a creamy melt and smooth texture.

At first the rich tasting milk chocolate seemed a bit too sweet (after eating darker bars this past week). However, after two bites of this 60% cacao bar—like all good dark single origin milks—the sugar ceased to matter quite so much as we fell under its flavor spell.

The light pine taste from powdered Douglas Fir tips (the edible, new growth portion, which can be seen on the back side of the bar) combined with the pine bud syrup, and the occasional crystal of sea salt, tasted great to us.

*According to Google, Mugolio Pinebud Syrup was created by a woman, Eleonora Cunaccia of Primitivizia, in the Alps in Trento, Italy. 

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Meri - Chocolate Topped with Tar Nibs and Sea Salt 71% Cacao (bar) - Apr. 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Meri - Chocolate Topped with Tar Nibs and Sea Salt 71% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 1.69 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 131.7 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ (part of a 4-pack of Nordic flavours bar collection)
Purchased from: Goodio Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Meri bar - Chocolate topped with Tar Nibs and Sea Salt 71% Cacao bar was from Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

The dark chocolate in this bar was sweetened with organic coconut palm sugar and was nicely balanced by small crystals of Icelandic sea salt and a sprinkle of marinated cacao nibs.

The organic Arriba cacao nibs were first soaked in tar liqueur* (sourced from and popular near the Arctic Circle). Make sure when you enjoy a bite of this chocolate that it contains enough cocoa nibs to get a taste of the slightly smokey/umami flavor results. Very nice. (We like umami flavors.)

* The "tar" in Finnish tar liqueur and tar candy usually comes from pine-based tree sap extracted from smoked/burning wood. Since we'd never tried tar liqueur before we didn't know what we were really tasting, or not tasting at first, until we bit into one of the flavored cacao nibs on the back of the bar. 

Googling "tar liqueur in Finland" turned up Terva Snapsi—roughly translated it means tar schnapps in English. This liqueur is said to have a smokey flavor which is consistent with the flavor we detected.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Ginger and Lemongrass 59% bar - Apr. 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Ginger and Lemongrass 59% Cacao (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 124.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Ginger and Lemongrass 59% Cacao (bar) was made by Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

The authentic aroma of lemongrass in this raw, organic and vegan bar was heady and wonderful without being overwhelming. It smelled like a favorite Thai soup.

Although the brain started thinking savory, the flavor  of this bar (lightly sweetened with coconut palm sugar) brought our awareness back to chocolate. Ginger and lemongrass gave this chocolate a bright flavor lift, without the harsher processed sugar buzz.

This bar was labeled raw, organic and vegan.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Metsa Chocolate topped with birch leaves, forest crystals 70% (bar) - Apr. 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Metsa - "Forrest" - Chocolate topped with birch leaves, forest crystals...70% (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 1.69 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 125 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ (part of a 4-pack of Nordic Flavours bar collection)
Purchased from: GoodioChocolate.com, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Metsa (bar) from Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland) was chocolate topped with birch leaves and forest crystals.

The aroma and flavor had slight bitter dark chocolate and faint herbal flavor notes, respectively. The dark chocolate (made with Arriba cacao) tasted slightly darker than 70 percent.

Seeing the term "forest crystals" was delightfully intriguing. What might this peaceful field of green bits adorning this bar be? The forest crystals/inclusions included tiny pieces of green birch leaves, birch sugar crystals and powdered organic spruce sprouts "collected near the Arctic circle."

Among the faintly herbal forest flavors, were periodic delicate citrus/floral pine notes.
A light sprinkling of birch sugar crystals added some botanical sugar sparkle and slight crunchy texture.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Marja - Chocolate with Wild Berries and blackcurrant leaves 71% bar - Apr. 22, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Marja - Berry - Chocolate Topped with Wild Berries, blackcurrant leaves 71% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 1.69 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130.8 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ (part of a 4-pack of Nordic flavours bar collection)
Purchased from: Goodio Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Marja (Berry) bar - Chocolate Topped with Wild Berries 71% Cacao bar was from Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

The blackcurrant leaves* in this plant-based blend seemed like an interesting new ingredient add to the ("Chocolate and What?") list on ChocolateBanquet.com. And the splay of green leaf bits and colorful orange and scarlet red berry pieces created a beautiful back-of-bar still life.

The chocolate had a dark chocolate and coconut sugar** aroma, and dark, very slightly bitter (but not unpleasant) and herbal flavors—balanced by small bursts of tart-sweet wild berry notes. It was a satisfying bar and not too sweet (thank you!).

*Ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic coconut palm sugar, organic cacao butter, dried blackcurrant leaves, dried wild berries (wild strawberries, sea buckthorne, lingonberries), and organic crushed sea buckthorne. 

**Goodio does not use white sugar in their bars.

Knipschildt Chocolatier - Chocolate Robin's Eggs - Apr. 21, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Knipschildt Chocolatier
Chocolate Robin's Eggs
Good - Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17.01 g.) / 5.4 oz. (153.09 g.) in total container of 18 eggs
Calories: 132 calories in 2 eggs
Cost: $28.00 for 1 container of 18 eggs
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome. We interrupt the Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week to celebrate Easter. Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

Birds and hatchlings are everywhere this week, so it seemed appropriate to celebrate Easter with some chocolate eggs.

Today's Chocolate Robin's Eggs were from Knipschildt Chocolatier (Norwalk, CT).

These speckled and spattered, multi-colored blue and greenish-yellow mini eggs were a blend of white chocolate, filled with dark chocolate ganache (filling).

They had a pleasant cocoa/chocolate aroma and a very smooth, almost creamy melt and mouthfeel.

These chocolates were a bit sweet, but they were fun and better quality than many Easter chocolates sold in stores.

Veggimins - CBD Chocolate Bar - Organic 70% Raw Cacao - Apr. 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Windy City Organics, LLC
Veggimins - CBD Chocolate Bar - Organic 70% Raw Cacao
Good
Weight: 1.1 oz. (30 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Veggimins CBD Chocolate Bar was produced by Windy City Organics, LLC (Northbrook, IL). This family-owned company is committed to making sustainable, healthy foods, included several different items with cacao.

The raw,* organic, chocolate was made with stoneground cacao and was sweetened with coconut sugar. This bar may have contained CBD (the component in hemp without the psychoactive properties of THC), but all we could taste was a pleasant, stoneground, raw 70% cacao bars with coconut sugar.

That is, CBD did not impart flavor or any obvious effect. Why include it? It's thought that CBD may have the ability to relax the consumer. One wonders, might this counteract the stimulants (theobromine, caffeine) in chocolate? The idea of balancing or package a stimulant with a relaxant is not a new concept, but it's an interesting one when you think about it.

*Raw chocolate has a slightly different taste profile than chocolate made with roasted cacao beans. Roasting cacao can impart strong, roasted and bitter notes. Some like the stronger flavors of espresso roast coffee beans, and roasted cacao; taste preferences may vary in cacao just like coffee or wine. 

Unroasted cacao can be slightly milder (although raw cacao may have earthy or other flavor notes). Although flavors differ, most raw cacao illustrates a preference for preservation of certain compounds and flavor notes.

Veggimins - Dark Chocoalte Hearts with CBD - Apr. 19, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Windy City Organics, LLC
Veggimins
Dark Chocolate Hearts with CBD
Good
Weight: .07 oz. (2 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total jar
Calories: 8 calories in 1 heart (piece)
Cost: $24.00 for 1 jar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Veggimin Dark Chocolate Hearts with CBD were from Windy City Organics, LLC (Glenview, IL).

This coconut-sugar sweetened, tiny, dark chocolate heart Veggimin sounded like it might be a vitamin, but contained no significant amounts of vitamins or minerals (at least in the tiny heart-shaped piece (serving) we tried).

This chocolate did contain a small amount of CBD* from hemp oil. This is part of a trend of infusing chocolates with CBD, now that parts of the hemp plant are more available to chocolatiers and consumers.

To be clear, this heart did not contain any substance that will make you high. (We noticed no effects.)

It had the aroma and taste of a dark chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar.

*CBD (cannabidiol) and is not the same as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)—the compound in marijuana that has psycho-active properties.

Antidote Chocolate - Almond + Fennel 73% (bar) - Apr. 18, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote Chocolate
Artemis: Almond + Fennel 73% slow roasted cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Artemis: Almond + Fennel 73% slow roasted cacao bar was from Antidote Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The chocolate (made with slow roasted Arriba Nacional cacao) had a deeper, darker flavor than most 70ish-percent bars.

Almond pieces gave this dark chocolate a slightly nutty aroma and flavor. And the sprinkle of fennel seeds gave this dark chocolate a faint savory herb aroma and crunchy, seedy texture.

By comparison, in yesterday's bar fennel was incorporated into a date filling, and had a sweeter, more prominent licorice flavor. For those that don't care as much for licorice, the more subtle fennel flavor in these seeds might be more to your liking.

Shown at left is a fennel plant with green fronds sprouting in the spring. Fennel is an edible plant (bulb, shoots and seeds) that looks like dill and the new green fronds taste quite sweet with a strong licorice flavor.

Mirzam Chocolate Makers - 62% Dark Chocolate with Dates and Fennel (bar) - Apr. 17, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
62% Dark Chocolate with Dates and Fennel (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 185 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 (if turquoise dot) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Dates and Fennel (bar) was from Mirzam Chocolate Makers and Kakaw Manufacturing (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

The structure of this bar—an impossibly thin layer of fennel infused date paste, sandwiched between ultra-thin layers of dark chocolate—allowed for beautiful bursts of rich, sweet, bright, fresh flavors. (A fresh salad tastes brighter and tastier than a fresh salad homogenized in a blender.)

Using this thin layering technique, flavors were made very accessible in this slim bar. And careful crafting of said flavors resulted in maximum taste without any one flavor overwhelming the other.

What was the inspiration for this chocolate? Mirzam* Chocolate, the brand, was created a few years ago with next year's Expo 2020 in mind. (This large, global exposition is planned to be hosted by Dubai, UAE, next year.) Dates would certainly have been discussed from the beginning.

Flavors and inclusions in several Mirzam high-end craft chocolate offerings were informed by spices and foodstuffs found on ancient maritime Arab spice trade routes.

Fennel, full of mild, sweet, licorice flavor, would have been available in nearby Mediterranean regions. It grows well on other continents now too. It's bright green fronds are popping up in backyards and baylands in the San Francisco Bay Area this spring. Every part of this plant (frond/green, bulb, seed, stalks, etc.) is edible.

*Mirzam is a pulsating giant star located in the Canis Major constellation.

Elements Truffles - Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa - April 16, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 serving (per label)
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Plant and Herb Theme Week.

Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ)

The aroma was mild and pleasant, as was the tasting experience. The unwrapped bar displayed an intriguing constellation of inclusion bits on the back side.

This 70% cacao bar was made from cacao sourced from Ecuador and had a creamy melt. (In very cold weather, you might notice the melt is slightly waxy, as the number one ingredient is cocoa butter—not a bad thing.) The flavors were mild (muted somewhat by the cocoa butter).

As with other bars from this same company, it felt very balanced and relaxing. Their bars are slightly lower in cocoa solids (that contain the stimulant portion of cacao) than some other bars and lack refined sugar. (Bars are, instead, lightly sweetened with honey and, in today's case, also with a bit of organic maple syrup.) The organic powdered moringa* was very subtle, and would have been hard to pick out in a blind taste test.

This Ayurveda-inspired chocolate made me feel more serene than hyped up. I feel I could meditate or enjoy a peaceful conversation or walk after this company's chocolate. Again, a good thing, in a world that can often feel too hectic or busy.

*Moringa (Moringa oleifera) comes from the Moringa tree native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is cultivated in Asia and Africa. Moringa has been used for medicinal purposes. (It has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and other properties.) The pods, seeds, leaves and roots are all edible.

Only Child Chocolate - Ginger and Rosemary Walk into a Bar - Apr. 15, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Only Child Chocolate Co.
Rosemary and Ginger Walk into a Bar (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 127.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Rosemary and Ginger Walk into a Bar (bar) was from Only Child Chocolate Co. (Portland, OR). Company founder, Yana, grew up as an only child in Moscow. And, via Chicago, eventually made her way to Portland. After pastry-making and bakery experience, she started her own chocolate company.

The title of today's bar was a clever pun. (It's tax day in the U.S., and a bit of humor and a spring hike in the green hills brightened this day.) And how did this milk chocolate bar with rosemary and candied ginger taste?

This thick, sweet milk chocolate bar had a minty, spicy aroma, and smooth, creamy melt.

The two inclusions played nicely together. The balanced, subtle and natural rosemary flavor was fun. And the ginger added warmth and a light spiciness without being overwhelming.

Casper's - Fat Boy Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bear Sundae - April 14, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Casper's Ice Cream
Fat Boy - Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bear Sundae (on a stick)
Good
Weight: 4 fl. oz. (118 mL) (69 g.) / 20 fl. oz. (591 mL) in total package/box of 5 bars
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Fat Boy Cinnamon Bear Sundae—a chocolate covered cinnamon ice cream (with cinnamon bear swirl) bar on a stick—was from Casper's Ice Cream (Richmond, UT), a large family-owned business that makes ice cream and frozen treats.

We are nothing if not creative. Americans have found many ways to shove edible items onto a stick. This includes a wide range of tasty frozen dessert items.

Including cinnamon swirls named after gummy bears (think Red Hots* cinnamon candy, only softer) into a "fat" ice cream sundae on a stick bar was clever. (We may not have many bears left in the U.S., but we have herds of gummy bears and other animal-shaped treats.)

*Red Hots are cinnamon-flavored red candies (sometimes called cinnamon imperials) produced by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company (Oakbrood Terrace, IL). Many similar candies are flavored with a substance found in cinnamon bark that gives the candy a slightly hot (spicy) flavor.

Mirzam Chocolate - 62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar - April 13, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate
62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 186 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Note: Due to the seemingly abundant supply new chocolates available in the universe, we're once again altering time and space a bit to accommodate an 18-day chocolate theme "week." Yes, we know there are only 7 days in a regular, boring week. We hope you'll forgive us.

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar was crafted in Dubai by www.mirzam.com (Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)), part of Kakaw Manufacturing Co. LLC (a food and beverages importer in UAE).

Kathy Johnston, Mirzam's chief chocolate officer, helped launch the Mirzam Craft Chocolate factory (in 2016) in Dubai's Al Serkal Avenue artisan district, while she was also working on her own operation in Switzerland.

The company has sourced cacao from plantations that are "ideally" on ancient Arab trading and spice routes (which were quite widespread globally, including locations such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Madagascar, India and Papua New Guinea). And inclusions in the company's line of bars include local items such as dates/date syrup.

The Mirzam story tagline is a romantic one: "Following the celestial map of the maritime spice route to gather stories of spices and sea monsters."

*Mirzam is the name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major.

Chocolat Moderne - Pumpkin Pie Spice bar - April 12, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolat Moderne
Holiday Avant-Garde Bar - Milk Chocolate Caramel with Organic Pumpkin Puree and Pie Spices
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 187 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.00 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Holiday Avant-Garde Bar - Milk Chocolate Caramel with Organic Pumpkin Puree and Pie Spices was created by Chocolat Moderne (New York, NY).

The thickness of this bar might be off-putting if it were solid chocolate. However, the milk chocolate was easy to break and bite into, while not being too fragile at the same time. (Nothing messier than caramel filling oozing out.)

This Avant-Garde holiday-inspired filled bar had a light spice and nutty chocolate aroma. The dark chocolate was smooth and even in flavor.

Hats off to the chocolatier for the caramel filling with authentic pumpkin flavor with light pie spice, and for the this bar not being too sweet (thank you).

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade - Cardamom 73% bar - April 11, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade
Kardamom (Cardamom) 73% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 176 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Cardamom 73% bar was from Rozsavolgyi Csokolade (Budapest, Hungary). The company's name in English is: Rosevalley Chocolates.

The bean-to-bar chocolate makers consider themselves artists as well. (They are.) Artists know how to create a great experience from basic elements. In this case, just four ingredients (cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter and cardamom.)

Architecturally* beautiful, this rather sweet, smooth 73% dark bar was redolent with cardamom spice. The chocolate had a rich, creamy melt and the cardamom flavor was evenly and robustly present throughout the tasting experience.

Cardamom
Cardamom is a spice made from seeds of plants (related to ginger) that originated in the forests of India and Indonesia. Now cultivated and used in other parts of the world, this spice can evoke a spectrum of sub-flavors, ranging from a savory stew spice to chai tea to tropical fruit flavored bubble gum—in part due to associations with the many different foods and beverages containing cardamom.

*The company uses chocolate molds with Hungarian patterns and shapes that look like they might be inspired by images found carved in wood, etched in stone, forged into metalwork or woven into textiles.