Yomms - Pecans, Roasted & thinly covered in dark chocolate & sea salt - Sept. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Manufactured for Sunuts LLC

Yomms - Pecans, Roasted and thinly covered in dark chocolate and sea salt

Good - Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package

Calories: 180 calories in 1 serving

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Yomms Pecans, roasted and thinly covered in dark chocolate and sea salt were manufactured for Sunuts LLC (Addison, TX) in Mexico.

The thin coating of chocolate around these pecan halves enabled the flavors of the nuts to shine through and added a dark, sweet richness. The pecans lent a lightly roasted, nutty flavor and had a faint brown sugar/caramelized nut note with a hint of mild tannic nut astringency.

A touch of sea salt helped balance the sweetness and complemented both chocolate and nut flavors. 

Ingredients: Pecans, chocolate (cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter), sea salt and contains less than 1% of the following: soy lecithin, vanilla extract.

A.L. Schutzman - GK Select Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds - Sept. 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A.L. Shutzman Company

GK Select Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.448 oz. (41 g.) / 11.5 oz. (326 g.) in total container

Calories: 220 calories in 1 serving (11 pieces)

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's GK Select Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds were from A.L. Schutzman Company (Waukesha, WI).

Whole, roasted almonds were cocooned within a thick, semi-sweet coating of 60% cocoa smooth dark chocolate. These glossy pieces (confectioner's glaze) gave off a pleasing cocoa aroma and had a satisfying melt and texture. Despite the thick chocolate coating, the crunchy texture and nutty flavor of the almonds were still accessible.

Dark chocolate and roasted almonds are almost always a great match, with or without popular additions like sea salt and vanilla. There is rarely a need to embellish this pairing, although many do. Today's chocolate almonds did contain a subtle hint of vanilla, but no salt. 

At 0 mg of sodium (unusual for any snack food), this treat might even be a fit for a low salt regimen. Dark chocolate contains several minerals, including iron, magnesium, copper and manganese, but is naturally low in sodium.

The something "more" today was that I used this (and another) dark chocolate to temporarily improve my lung function* for a few hours, a subtle thing to be sure. But, this week we're experiencing hot weather, high pollen counts and unhealthful air (smoke from wildfires) in northern California, and that was reason enough.

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (an emulsifier, vanilla, milk), almonds, corn oil, confectioner's glaze (Lac-Resin), gum arabic, corn syrup.

*Coffee and dark chocolate (and the caffeine and theobromine they contain) cause bronchial passages to dilate (open up), improving lung function for a few (up to four) hours.

Cacao Crudo - Raw Organic Chocolate Unroasted Criollo Cacao, Hazelnuts 65% (bar) - Sept. 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo 

Raw Organic Chocolate Unroasted Criollo Cacao, Granella Nocciole (Hazelnuts) 65% (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 280 calories (estimated) in 1 bar

Cost: $6.49 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Nuts and Something More Theme Week.

Today's Raw Organic 65% Cacao Granella Nocciole (Hazelnut) bar from Cacao Crudo (Italy) was made from fine, non tostado (unroasted) criollo cacao from the Peruvian* Amazon and Italian hazelnuts.

My first impression: unroasted, delicate Criollo cacao with clean, green aroma and flavor, and low bitterness and acidity and a very slight, dry (green tea) astringency. Cacao Crudo bars offer a different way to enjoy chocolate, in the same way that a fine oolong tea is different than a fine black tea. I felt transported to eating chocolate by a pool, surrounded by green bamboo forest.

The texture was chocolatey with slight courseness due to a generous helping of chopped Italian hazelnuts (Tonda Gentile Romana, an Italian hazelnut cultivar, with trees usually found in Central Italy).

I could taste the slightly fibrous, flavorful essence of each unroasted hazelnut, because the entire bar was unencumbered by extra roasting and sugar. Much as I love the smell and flavor of toasted nuts and cacao, conventional chocolate bars often suffer from over-roasted ingredients (with an accompanying loss in subtle flavors and natural textures) and are drowning in sweetness. (This chocolate was sweetened with touch of coconut flower sap.)

The finish had light, lingering green and very faint, clean floral notes and a subtle (tea/tannic) astringency.

Today's chocolate was a welcome change of pace, offering a high-quality, raw chocolate tasting experience. I've described this 65% cacao chocolate bar as "light," but it also felt very satisfying--possibly because unroasted elements retain a higher percentage of their antioxidants or because the coconut sugar (lower on the glycemic index than processed cane sugar) did not spike my blood sugar. 

If you prefer a strong espresso and like to get a buzz from plant alkaloids like caffeine and theobromine, go for a conventional 70% cacao (roasted) bar with plenty of sugar. If you feel like a high-quality alternative, try Cacao Crudo's line of bars.

Ingredients: Organic unroasted Criollo cacao (beans) paste, organic "Tondo Gentile Romana" chopped hazelnuts (18%) criollo cacao, and organic concentrated coconut flower sap.

*Cacao Crudo is a project by Daniele Dell'Orco, a food "anthropologist and researcher" in Italy who wanted to improve on other raw/unroasted cacao offerings. In so doing, he created one of the first raw cacao manufacturing companies in Italy. The cacao used to craft this bar (and others) comes from the Junin Region (mountainous Central Highlands, westernmost area of the Peruvian Amazon), in Satipo Province, in Peru. This cacao is cultivated at high altitudes (600-1,200 meters) by small producers (native Ashanika people). The coconut palm sugar came from a co-op of Indonesian women. The hazelnuts came from the Latium plain area (of west-central Italy). 

Endangered Species Chocolate - Oat Milk Sea Salt and Almond + Dark Chocolate 55% (bar) - Sept. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC
Oat Milk Sea Salt and Almond + Dark Chocolate 55% Cocoa (bar)
Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 480 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Oat Milk Sea Salt & Almonds + Dark Chocolate 55% Cocoa (bar) was from Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC (Indianapolis, IN).

This bar captured the essence of dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt, a winning combination. And oats and oat milk added the something "more" in this bar yielding an oat-y goodness in the aroma and flavor.

This bar reflected the trend of using alternatives to traditional cow's milk. In the past decade, I have sampled chocolate blended with plant "milks" such as rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk and hazelnut milk--as well as goat milk, donkey milk, water buffalo and camel milk. (Next week I'll feature some variations on traditional dairy cow's milk chocolate, such as A2 milk.)

The dark chocolate was hearty, but smooth and satisfying and it was textured with oat and nut pieces. Just the right amount of sea salt helped temper the sweetness, making this bar taste more like a 65% cocoa bar rather than the 55% cocoa chocolate that it was. A win in my book. And the faint hint of vanilla added a baked cookie floral warmth.

Ingredients: Chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter), whole grain oats, soy lecithin, vanilla, almonds, pink Himalayan sea salt.

Seattle Chocolate Company - Tukwila Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle Bar - Sept. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Seattle Chocolate Company LLC
Tukwila Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar with hazelnut butter, rice crisps 
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Tukwila Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle Bar was from Seattle Chocolate Company LLC (Seattle, WA)--a woman-owned and run chocolatier with roots in the Pacific Northwest that manufactures and markets a variety of chocolate products (truffles, chocolate dessert shells, truffle bars, etc.). 

The company has a presence in Tukwila, south of downtown Seattle. The word Tukwila comes from a native tribe's word for nut or hazelnut, and refers to hazelnut trees that have grown in the region historically.

This aroma of this milk chocolate bar evoked visions of chocolate hazelnut spreads (like Nutella). 

The texture was a blend of creamy milk and hazelnut chocolate and crunchy, crispy rice bits, and the flavors reflected a sweet blend of these same ingredients with a light touch of vanilla.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (cane sugar, milk, cocoa powder, chocolate liquor, soya lecithin, natural vanilla, hazelnut butter (hazelnuts), organic crisp rice (brown rice flour, cane sugar, sea salt, molasses), sea salt. 

Charles Chocolates - Ode to Joy (bar) - Sept. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Charles Chocolates 

Ode to Joy (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $4.00 (estimate) in 1 bar

Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Ode to Joy (bar) from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was a high-end homage to American chocolate-covered candy bars with nuts (almonds) and caramel.

The core of this small, chubby bar was milk chocolate ganache, "deep" roasted almonds, and soft fleur de sel (salt) caramel that was coated in 65% bittersweet chocolate. It was small, sweet and successful as a high-end candy bar.

Ingredients: Bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), almonds, cane sugar, butter, milk chocolate (cane sugar, cocoa butter, full cream milk, cacao beans, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), cream, glucose syrup, salt, vanilla beans.

Re-Think Ice Cream - Chocolate Orange with Almond Butter - Sept. 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Re-Think Ice Cream
Chocolate Orange with Almond Butter Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (92 g.) / 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) in total container
Calories: 190 calories in 1 serving (1/2 cup)
Cost: $1.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Orange with Almond Butter ice cream was from Re-think Ice Cream  (San Francisco, CA).

The company described this ice cream as "the first and only collagen-infused, lactose free, A2/A2* dairy ice cream"..."Indulgence with benefits." Today's flavor included 9 grams of protein, 9 grams of sugar and 11 grams net carbs in one (1/2 cup) serving.

Aroma tends to be muted with frozen items like ice cream. There was a nutty, and faint chocolate, aroma. 

The base chocolate-orange ice cream had a very light chocolate flavor with very low chocolate/cocoa acidity. (The company may use Ghirardelli Majestic Cocoa which is apparently not dutched or alkalized, but it has an unusual, slightly alkaline pH. (It wasn't acidic like most natural cocoa tends to be.) Bakers and ice cream makers may milder flavor if they're highlighting other flavors. The natural orange flavor paired nicely with the chocolate and was allowed to shine.

Two additional flavors were added: chocolate flakes, and ribbons of almond butter. 

The initial frozen texture was hard, but it quickly softened, creating a pleasing smooth and creamy texture with a relatively rapid melt. Finely ground almonds (almond butter) added nutty texture and authentic nutty almond flavor.

This was a nicely balanced flavor combination of chocolate, nuts and something more. The orange added flavorful, sweet citrus to the mix. This ice cream also contained fiber (organic inulin) and whey protein. The latter helped to boost the protein content.

Ingredients: Milk, cream, whey protein concentrate, organic agave syrup, almond butter (almonds, canola oil and invert sugar), chocolate flavored flake (sugar, coconut oil, cocoa processed with alkali, butter oil, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural flavor), cocoa processed with alkali, almonds, organic inulin (agave fiber), natural flavor, green tea extract, locust bean gum, guar gum, citric acid.  

 

Fazer Confectionery Ltd. - Nordi Dark Chocolate Lingonberry, Oat Crumble Almond Sea Salt Snacking Thins - Sept. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fazer Confectionery Ltd.

Nordi Dark Chocolate Lingonberry, Oat Crumble Almond and Sea Salt Snacking Thins

Good +

Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 4.02 oz. (114 g.) in total package

Calories: 320 calories in 2 servings

Cost: $1.99 (estimate) in 1 package

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Nordi Dark Chocolate Lingonberry, Oat Crumble Almond and Sea Salt Snacking Thins were from Fazer Confectionery Ltd. (Vantaa, Finland).

These dark chocolate, roundish snack thins were the wonderfully slim, making them very easy to consume. Smooth dark chocolate encased crunchy bits (almonds, oat crumble) and tart-sweet, ruby-colored bits of lingonberry.* 

The classic snack attractiveness formula calls for just the right blend of salt and sugar smoothness and crunchiness, and a bit of fat. And, these dark chocolate thins with nuts and other inclusions* from this large confectionery company--that produces baked goods, cookies and snacks in Finland--hits the addictive snack formula on the nose, and it manages to do so without artificial or extra additives, preservatives or colors.

*Lingonberries added something special, perhaps exotic, for U.S. snack fans who may not be familiar with this berry that grows wild in the Northern Hemisphere. It is probably the most popular wild berry in Finland where today's snack originated. (The average Finn harvests several pounds of wild berries each year, perhaps as much as 22 pounds (10 kg.) per year by one estimate.) Lingonberries are likely being picked in northern Boreal forests right now (fall) as I write this.

The round, red lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) looks and tastes like a smaller version of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) with occasional notes of red currant and raspberry.

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, reduced fat cocoa powder, natural vanilla flavor), oat crisp (oat flour, rice seminola, sugar, apple fiber, corn flour, salt), roasted almonds, dried lingonberry, sea salt.

Fossa Chocolate - Macadamia and Shitake (bar) - Sept. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Macadamia and Shitake (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 294 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Macadamia and Shitake (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore) and was made using Bolivia Wild Beniano cacao. 

I loved the aroma of this intriguing chocolate, handmade in small batches, with its mix of floral, nutty, umame (baked mushroom) and roasted coffee notes. 

The chocolate had a smooth, relatively creamy texture, accompanied by a circus of tiny, crunchy caramelized nut bits. Macadamia nuts are quite mild and it was difficult to tell what type of nut was there, but they were present. The chocolate notes were complementary and pleasant, but muted somewhat by all the other fun going on.

This was a great, well-balanced implementation of a unique blend of flavors. Extra points for making this sweet and umami melange shine.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, macadamia, cocoa butter, shitake mushrooms, sea salt.

St. Benoit Creamery - TCHO Chocolate Pot de Creme organic dessert - Sept. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

St. Benoit Creamery 

Organic Desserts Pot de Creme - TCHO Chocolate

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 small jar

Calories: 200 calories in 1 small jar

Cost: $3.99 for 1 small jar

Purchased from: Farm Fresh (CSA box item)

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's TCHO Chocolate organic pot de creme dessert was from St. Benoit Creamery (Sonoma, CA).

This little glass jar was full of smooth and creamy chocolate goodness. Its rich

chocolate aroma and flavor was the product of plenty of chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. The cocoa powder also contributed an authentic, medium cacao acidity that nicely accented the more bland but altogether yummy milk and cream.

Ingredients: Organic whole milk, organic cream, organic egg yolk, organic 66% chocolate (organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, soy lecithin, organic vanilla beans), organic cacao beans, organic cocoa powder, organic cane sugar, pectin, sea salt, organic vanilla extract.

The Cookie Department - Mint Condition Double Chocolate Chip + Mint - Sept. 19, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

The Cookie Department
Mint Condition Double Chocolate Chip + Mint
Good 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total package/cookie
Calories: 210 calories in 1 package/cookie
Cost: $3.49 for 1 package/cookie
Purchased from: missing information 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

The surprise in this case was finding this in my chocolate vault.

Today's soft chocolate chocolate chip cookie was from The Cookie Department (Portland, OR) and had an aroma with chocolate cake, light sweet (sugar alcohol) and menthol notes. 

An almond flour base created a slightly stiffer version of what looked and tasted like chocolate cake. Cocoa powder and chocolate chips as well as a hint of grass-fed butter and egg contributed a nice rich chocolate flavor and binding/cohesive texture.

The faint menthol or mint note (achieved via "natural flavoring") in combination with the sweeteners had a strange alcohol sweetness and coolness to it; but it was not too overwhelming. 

Rather than sugar, this keto-friendly and gluten free cookie was sweetened with monk fruit sweetener (erythritol and monk fruit extract) and stevia. (My only quibble: I'm open to, and grateful for, processed sugar (and gluten free) alternatives; however, I might have dialed the alternative sweeteners back a bit. The cookie was almost too "sweet." 

Total Carbohydrates: 21 grams (dietary fiber 6 grams, total sugars 1 gram and sugar alcohol 11 grams), with 4 net carbs. The cookie contained 5 grams of protein and 18 grams of total fats. 

Ingredients: "Almond Flour, Monk Fruit Sweetener (Erythritol, Monk Fruit Extract), Grass-Fed Salted Butter, Whole Eggs, Prebiotic Fiber (Tapioca Syrup), Dark Chocolate Chips (Unsweetened Chocolate, Erythritol, Cocoa Butter, Stevia Extract, Sunflower Lecithin), Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Contains Less Than 2% of Rosemary Extract, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavoring, Salt."

Fossa Chocolate - 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar) - Sept. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar)
Good 
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 66 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar 
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito and (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Billed as offering an "umami of the sea" experience, this bar delivered. When you opened this bar, you could see authentic marine life--tiny little dried shrimps nestled amongst the sesame seeds. 

But, the sight of these tiny crustaceans were not the surprise. (I have enjoyed chocolates with smoked salmon as well as dried anchovies and many other umami (savory) flavor inclusions before.) Nor was it the slightly fishy aroma that emanated from the bar--that became much fainter after taking a bite of the chocolate.

Surprise! This bar contained 6 of the 8 major food allergens,* including gluten (wheat flour), although it was not present in visible amount(s). I've been dodging wheat/gluten all my adult life. I like it; it doesn't like me. So, I limited my tasting to a smaller piece of this 70% dark bar, and shared it with others.

The dark chocolate was bold enough that it covered up what might have been a "fishy" flavor. The dried shrimps and bonito fish flecks contributed a bit of chewy texture and a hint of saltiness and no scary fishiness. If blindfolded, it's unlikely I would have been able to identify the specific type of seafood (shrimp, bonito) flavor inclusions.

The bar was not too sweet or too salty (thank you). It was a skillful, balanced, implementation of these unusual flavors. Definitely worth trying if you can get over the fear factor. (Tiny dried shrimps are almost adorable when you become accustomed to them.)

*Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, dried shrimp, seaweed, sesame, soy sauce, lactose, salt, egg, spices, yeast extract, wheat flour.

*Note: "Contains seafood, sesame, egg, dairy, gluten and soy."

The Wine Rayzyn Co. - Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn - Sept. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

The Wine Rayzyn Company, LLC
Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn  
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) in one package
Calories: 60 calories in 1 package
Cost: $missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn were made by The Wine Rayzyn Company, LLC (Napa, CA). Located in the heart of wine country in Northern California, the company specializes in food items made with wine grapes (rather than conventional eating grapes you'd see at a market).

Surprise! Wine grapes are great for high-end raisins (and grape juice) too. Normally these grapes are likely pricey enough that it's more profitable to use these for wine, but finding these grapes in their less processed, non-alcoholic phase is wonderful, rare treat.

The Wine Rayzyn Co. points out that the combination of today's dark chocolate and crunchy wine grapes offers a "double dose of antioxidants." It's true, both dark chocolate and grapes are relatively high in antioxidants--polyphenols, specifically, that are found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine.

Today's crunchy (due to thick skins, small seeds, and perhaps a few stems*), dried Cabernet wine grapes were covered in a light layer of dark chocolate. 

These "CabernayZyns" were slightly lighter (in weight and flavor) than expected and slightly more rounded in shape than traditional raisins. 

And, even though the smooth, almost creamy* dark chocolate covering was nice and light, it was hard to taste nuances of grape flavor(s) associated with the grape used to make a bold, red Cabernet wine. (But, then again, the sugars in these raisins hadn't been converted to alcohol and aged either.)

Overall, this was a tasty, fun new snack to try, and these were not too sweet (thank you!).

*Ingredients: Dried Cabernet grapes with seeds and stems, dark chocolate (chocolate mass,  sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, milk fat (butter), pure vanilla). 

Siamaya Chocolate - Durian Milk Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Siamaya Chocolate
Durian Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Durian Milk Chocolate (bar) was crafted by Siamaya Chocolate / Siamaya Craft Co., Ltd. (Chang Mai, Thailand).

The chocolate bar, made in Thailand, was redolent with authentic durian fruit,* and had a fainter chocolate, aroma. This milk chocolate was sweet, but not enough to overwhelm the unique fruit flavor. Although it was sweet enough to make it hard to detect cacao nuances. 

*Properly ripe durian fruit is very tasty, sweet, fruity and slightly pungent. It's also difficult to describe. It's a combination of smooth, creamy white mango, a custardy melon with a hint of musk or something similar. When overripe or not properly ripened, the adjectives spew from people's mouths with some disgust--and none of their word choices are good. (Excrement, garbage, sweat, you name it, it's on the why-I-don't-like-durian-fruit list. This poor, maligned fruit is even on the "no fly" list (not allowed on certain forms of public transportation) due to its potential odor. Thankfully, today's Siamaya Chocolate bar seemed to have captured this unique, and occasionally controversial, fruit in perfect form, perhaps the chocolate even captured or stabilized the best of the flavor. 

Ingredients: cacao nibs (38.8%), organic cane sugar (33.95%), powdered milk (14.55%), cacao butter (9.7%), durian fruit (2.7%), organic sunflower lecithin (0.3%).

Siamaya Chocolate - Thai Peanut Curry (bar) - Sept. 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Siamaya Chocolate

Thai Peanut Curry (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar

Calories: 334 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Thai Peanut Curry (bar) was from Siamaya Chocolate / Siamaya Craft Co., Ltd. (Chang Mai, Thailand).

Siamaya makes bean-to-bar chocolate. They blend locally grown, pesticide free Thai cacao beans with locally inspired, and for us perhaps surprising and unique, Thai flavor inclusions. 

Today's gluten free and vegan Thai peanut curry bar was inspired by Thai massaman peanut curry. The maker(s) have layered sweet dark chocolate with chilies, cinnamon, lemon-grass and candied ginger.

This bar had an aroma with sweet and spicy peanuts fresh out of the roaster, and subtle chocolate notes.

After the first taste, the peanut bits were soon relegated to textural elements with faint nutty notes. Why? When I bit into the bar, pieces of candied ginger stole the show. And just when I thought the ginger might becoming too bossy, sassy upticks of chili sizzle and spice heat rose to the forefront. The finish was calmer, with hints of lemongrass and ginger. 

This hearty chocolate highlighted authentic Thai flavors, and offered an exciting, fun, full flavor ride. The chocolate was sweet, but not too sweet.

Peanut history

Peanuts are a culinary staple in many countries in Asia, and around the globe. This humble legume originated in South America (Peru, Brazil), and likely overlapped with the original cacao-growing regions. Indigenous people may have even ground nuts, cacao seeds (aka cacao beans), chilies and spices (allspice, vanilla) together for inclusion in beverages and foods (think early mole sauces).

Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, English) brought peanuts back to Europe and elsewhere. The Portuguese likely brought peanuts to Africa from Brazil as early as the 1600s. Peanuts were also introduced to Asia. (The earliest written records of planting peanuts in Thailand date back to the mid-1800s.)

By the 1700s, Africans (slaves) had brought peanuts back to the Americas, specifically to North America; and peanuts were planted and cultivated, especially in the southern U.S. They were, at first, thought of as a food for the poor and for livestock.

Sometimes foods, things and people come full circle, or are discovered and popularized in another culture before they're appreciated in their home town or country.

Ingredients: cacao nibs (44%), organic cane sugar (24%), peanuts (17%), candied ginger (9%), cacao butter (4%), spices (1%), chilies (0.7%), sunflower lecithin (0.3%).

Atlantic Candy Company - Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise - Sept. 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Atlantic Candy Company 

Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise

Good 

Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) in total chocolate item

Calories: 128 calories in 1 piece

Cost: $1.00 (estimate) for 1 chocolate toy item

Purchased from: Target, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise was manufactured by Atlantic Candy Company (Saint Augustine, FL).

This novelty item was part of a series containing re-imagined creatures and animals (with clothing, accessories) inside bi-colored plastic spheres, covered in milk chocolate. 

The hollow, outer chocolate-sphere was easy to open, without being too fragile. The texture was smooth and uniform. And, as expected, the chocolate was quite sweet, making it difficult to taste much beyond the sugar.

Thankfully, the only artificial ingredient was related to the vanillin (vanilla flavoring).* Everything else looked pretty wholesome. The bulk of this chocolate surprise item was the toy inside, so there wasn't much chance of someone overdosing on the sugar.

I must confess, it was fun getting a surprise toy inside this chocolate--even as an adult. It brought back fond novelty-chocolate-chomping childhood memories. (Heaven forbid that we chomp our chocolate now, said the adult who enjoyed the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character in their youth.) It's much more, elegant, slow-motion zen tasting at this stage of life. But, there's nothing like a good dose of humor and fun to lighten things up now and then.

*Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), vanillin (artificial flavor)

Agapey - Ginger Rum - 70% Dark Chocolate with Ginger Rum caramel filling - Sept. 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Agapey Chocolate Factory (Barbados)

Ginger Rum 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Good ++

Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 185 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend (thank you Toni!) 

Purchased from: Gift from a friend (who visited Bridgetown/Agapey)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Ginger Rum 70% Dark Chocolate filled with ginger rum caramel was from Agapey Chocolate Factory (Bridgetown, Barbados). It was a gift from a friend who traveled to several Caribbean islands and brought this back to the U.S.--a bit of a challenge, transporting chocolate in warm weather. (Thank you Toni!)

This is the first chocolate I've featured on Chocolate Banquet made in Barbados; and this filled bar (four chocolate cubes melded together) incorporated several ingredients grown/made locally, including the sugar and rum.

My tasting notes are below: 

Aroma: rich deep dark chocolate (cocoa, brownie) and buttery rum aroma notes

Melt/texture: smooth, substantial dark chocolate contrasted with soft, flavor infused caramel filling/center(s).

Flavor: Undulating bold, true dark chocolate (balanced earth, fudge brownie) mingled with sweet, velvety golden caramel infused with Mount Gay Rum (Barbados) and ginger spice-- both warming flavors. The ginger was very subtle, and not too strong.

Finish: light lingering rum and dark chocolate finish

I enjoyed the fact that the 70% cacao dark chocolate was bold and interesting and was not too sweet (thank you!). This dark chocolate was the perfect counterpoint to the softer, sweeter rum and ginger caramel, and helped balance the sweetness.

Ingredients: "all natural roasted cocoa beans, caramel (corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk (pasteurized milk, sugar), sugar, palm oil, water, butter (cream, salt), salt, vanilla extract, soy lecithin (an emulsifier)), cane sugar, ginger, rum, cocoa butter...May contain traces of peanuts/nuts."

Fossa Chocolate - Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar - Sept. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 272 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week. 

Today's Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar was a collaboration between Fossa Chocolate (Singapore) and tea lifestyle company, Pekoe and Imp (Singapore). 

Yes, you did read that correctly. Duck Shit tea. Surprise. 

But, sometimes you have to take a few risks in life, and get beyond first impressions. Was there really duck "content" in this bar? Was this a milk chocolate? (It was not identified as such, but it did contain milk powder). There was no mention of the cacao percentage...But, why quibble with all these questions, when it's more about the taste, right?

Behind the surprising name

What's the story behind the surprising "Duck Shit" name? The following is the explanation on the bar's packaging: "Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit) is an oolong tea cultivated in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province. The story goes that the farmer, in an attempt to hide the secret to his delicious tea, gave it an unpleasant name and it stuck."

How did it taste?

This chocolate tasting experience started with a fragrant, slightly floral, faintly fruity oolong tea with faint green (tea) note and subtle chocolate aroma.

The melt was smooth; tannic acid from the tea added a light astringency about mid-way and into the finish. 

It may have been my imagination (we have very bad air quality in California this week from fires which is affecting the senses), but I experienced a very fleeting, faint note of water (lake/lagoon) flavor (mineral + water plant/moss funk) at the tail end of the finish. It was not bad, just different. 

Regrettably, I was so focused on the interesting tea flavors that I missed any subtleties of the cacao. (The addition of milk powder may have also mellowed some tea and cacao flavors in this bar.) The tea was quite balanced, but dominated the nuance zone when it came to flavor notes. The two complemented each other and made for a rich and complex flavor ride--my favorite mode of culinary transportation.

Maker's notes: "...flavours of longan (aka dragon eye fruit, related to lychee and rambutan fruits) and malt along with floral and mineral finish enhanced by the Malaysia origin wine-barrel fermented cacao used in this chocolate."

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa powder, milk powder, tea leaves

Obolo Chocolate SpA - Masala Chai Spicd 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Obolo Chocolate SpA

Masala Chai Spiced 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar

Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Masala Chai Spiced (tea) 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Chilean chocolate maker, Obolo Chocolate SpA (Santiago, Chile). 

This Certified B Corporation makes bean-to-bar chocolate in Santiago, a large city with a climate similar to Los Angeles, making it a bit easier to make chocolate (vs. in the more remote regions where cacao grows in the Amazon), while at the same time affording relationships with nearby cacao producers in South America. 

Masala Chai is a blend of spices and tea (and often milk). There was masala tea infused into this sweet chocolate--that was made with organic cacao from Pangoa, Peru--but no milk (powder). Similar to yesterday's Earl Grey bar from Obolo, the aroma was very subtle, but the flavors became stronger over the course of the tasting experience, ending with a clearer taste of the spices (and the chocolate) in the finish. 

The relatively high level of sugar made it difficult to pick out the cacao flavors in the base chocolate but there seemed to be hints of balanced fruit acidity/brightness and true chocolate/cocoa notes. (There might have been a wee bit of a floral note, but there was too much going on with the tea spices to be able to be sure of that.)

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, masala chai tea. 

Obolo Chocolate SpA - Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 10, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Obolo Chocolate SpA

Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar

Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week. We're also celebrating Chocolate Banquet's 14th Anniversary this week. Our 14th year of sampling a different chocolate every day, visiting great chocolate makers and exploring cacao-related destinations. 

Today's Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Chilean chocolate maker, Obolo Chocolate SpA (Santiago, Chile).

Earl Grey tea, a black tea blend flavored with oil of Bergamot (extracted from the rind of the aromatic Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia)), was first mentioned in the early 1800s. The yellow-orange Bergamot fruit (aka sour orange) shares the tart brightness of other citrus fruits but also possesses pronounced floral and spice notes.

This Chilean-made, tea-infused chocolate (crafted with cacao from Pangoa, Peru) had a very subtle aroma with a whisper of Earl Grey tea (bergamot, aromatic light woodsy citrus and tea notes). Stronger Earl Grey and chocolate flavors unfolded during the tasting experience. The bar had balanced tea and chocolate acidity levels, and a citrus/bergamot tea flavored finish. It was difficult to pick out the flavor the cacao may have contributed (e.g. perhaps its own floral and citrus fruit notes), but the relatively sweet chocolate did add chocolate depth and richness.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Earl Grey tea.

Rebbl - Reishi Chocolate Immunity Elixir and Antidote Earl Grey & Orange 70% bar - Sept. 9, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Rebbl 
Rebbl Reishi Chocolate Immunity Elixir
Good ++
Weight: 12 fl. oz. in 1 bottle
Calories: 160 calories (verify) in 1 bottle
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Antidote
Earl Grey and Orange 70% Cacao (bar) (re-tasting)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's new chocolate was a Reishi Chocolate Immunity Elixir from Rebbl (Emeryville, CA). 

This smooth beverage was made with coconut milk and the chocolate added additional rich flavor depth. The reishi (mushroom) extract was smoothly incorporated into this blend, and there were no "off" fungi-related flavors. This well-balanced elixir was sweetened with coconut sugar and stevia.

Technically an elixir may not have been a tea, but it was a liquid botanical brew. 

The "tea" portion of today's entry came from re-tasting an Earl Grey and Orange 70% dark chocolate bar from Antidote Chocolate (Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY)--made with Arriba Nacional cacao (Ecuador) and aromatic, chewy bits of orange peel on the back which nicely complemented the subtle infused floral tea flavor.

Siamaya Chocolate - Thai Tea Milk Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 8, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Siamaya Chocolate (aka Siamaya Craft Co., Ltd)
Thai Tea Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good 
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 375 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Thai Tea Milk Chocolate (bar) from Siamaya Chocolate (Chang Mai, Thailand) had subtle and uniform, milky, sweet tea aroma and flavor notes throughout the tasting experience--with a fleeting hint of star anise and a light sweet, authentic Thai tea finish.

Ingredients: Cacao nibs, organic cane sugar, powdered milk, cocoa butter.

Fu Wan Chocolate - Taiwan Charcoal Oolong Tea Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 7, 2020

 Chocolate of the Day

Fu Wan Chocolate
62% dark Taiwan Charcoal Oolong Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 283 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 62% dark Taiwan Charcoal Oolong Tea Chocolate (bar) was from Fu Wan Chocolate (Formosa (Taiwan)). This chocolate was flavorful, middle ground blend of cacao and tea.

Oolong teas have a flavor in between a spring green sencha and a heavier, malt-ier black Assam tea--just like a Trinitario cacao usually falls between a mild heritage Criollo cacao and a deep, dark Forastero cacao variety. In tea and chocolate, a tea master/maker or chocolate maker coaxes different notes (e.g. fruit, floral or nut) out of a batch of leaves, or cacao beans--employing different roast profiles and other steps in the process.

Fu Wan does use cacao grown in Taiwan, and cacao from other locations. (I was unable to determine the exact cacao origin(s) for this bar.) It tasted like it may have been made with Trinitario cacao.

My tasting notes are below: 

Aroma: honey, raisin toast 

Flavor: honey, raisin toast, fleeting sweet "Dragon Eye*" oolong tea notes, and a faint hint of dried fruit (date, peach, dried longan fruit) and nut. The cacao added a richness to the tea experience. 

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Almond, cashew, black sesame, fennel, licorice, mint"

Ingredients: Cacao bean(s), cane sugar, cacao butter, Charcoal Oolong tea.

*The tea flavors in today's Fu Wan Taiwan Charcoal Oolong bar reminded me of the "Dragon Eyes" oolong tea I've enjoyed in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dragon Eye tea is sometimes described as somewhere between a green and black tea, with light smokey and dried fruit notes. This is the closest to today's charcoal oolong tea that I've experienced here in the U.S. And, after this week's Fu Wan flavorful oolong bars, I'll be exploring more of the wonderful "middle ground" world of oolong teas soon.

Fu Wan Chocolate - 62% Taiwan Tieguanyin Tea Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fu Wan Chocolate
62% Taiwan Tieguanyin Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 284 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 62% Taiwan Tieguanyin Chocolate (bar) was from Fu Wan Chocolate (Formosa (Taiwan)). The tea used in this bar is a rolled oolong made with a Tieguanyin cultivar from Fujian, China. (Many Taiwan residents came from this area in southeast China across the Taiwan Strait, which helps explain the tea's popularity in Taiwan.)

This bar was made from a blend of (Trinitario) cacao sources. (Fu Wan does use cacao grown in Taiwan, and some from other locations. The exact cacao origin(s) were not found on labeling (or at least that I could read/translate). 

The cacao added a richness in flavor and fat (cocoa butter) to the tea experience, and yet was mild enough that the cacao and sugar helped highlight the fruit notes and complemented the tea notes.

My tasting notes are below: 

Aroma: dried fruit (goji berry), guava

Flavor: dried goji berry, black oolong tea, guava and very subtle warm herbal (naturally sweet fennel, allspice, clove) and refreshing green (faint green tea, mint) notes. This bar was well balanced, with an appealing tea flavor and a mild tannic tea astringency.

Today's offering was another elegant medium-dark chocolate bar with fruit and oolong tea notes from Fu Wan Chocolate. The company's choice of a 62% cacao chocolate base (dark, but not too dark) allowed the subtle tea flavors to shine through. 

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Bayleaf, fennel seed, clove, mint, guava, orchid"

Ingredients: Cacao bean(s), cane sugar, cacao butter, Tieguanyin tea.

Fu Wan Chocolate - 62% Taiwan Red Jade Tea Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fu Wan Chocolate
62% Taiwan Red Jade Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 283 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 62% Taiwan Red Tea Chocolate (bar) was from Fu Wan Chocolate (Formosa (Taiwan)). The tea used in this bar is a hybrid black tea developed in Taiwan that has red branches (and color), thus the name.

This bar was made from a blend of (Trinitario) cacao sources. (Fu Wan does use cacao grown in Taiwan, and some from other locations.)

My tasting notes are below: 

Aroma: dried fruit (goji berry)

Flavor: dried goji berry, delicate black oolong tea with rose petal and very subtle herbal/warm spice (star anise) notes. Well balanced, lightly layered flavor complexity. There was a faint, nicely balanced, tannic tea astringency in the finish, and perhaps a ghost of red raspberry leaf.

Please do to sit down with this chocolate and savor slowly, as one would a cup of of high quality tea. Elegant floral fruit tea notes from this blend of dark chocolate and Taiwan Red Jade Tea. The choice of a 62% cacao chocolate base (dark, but not too dark) allowed the subtle tea flavors to shine through, and yet it was not too sweet (thank you).

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Bayleaf, bergamot, cinnamon, star anise"

Ingredients: Cacao bean(s), cane sugar, cacao butter, Red Jade tea.

Siamaya Chocolate - Masala Chai Milk Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Siamaya Chocolate 
Masala Chai Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.)/ 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Masala Chai Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Siamaya Chocolate (Chiang Mai, Thailand). The company produces handmade chocolates using Thai cocoa beans and sugar, blended with Thai flavor inclusions (Thai tea, coconut, chilies, durian fruit, etc.), in Thailand.

This sweet milk chocolate bar was suffused with an Indian-inspired (star anise-forward) masala spice mix aroma and flavor, and had a thick, creamy melt and smooth texture accented with micro-particles of ground spices.

Tasting this (gluten-free and vegetarian) bar was an immersion in warm, rich masala* chai-tea spices mixed with smooth, sweet and creamy drinking chocolate. It offered balanced, flavorful blend chocolate and spice, without being too spicy.

Ingredients: Cacao (50%), organic cane sugar (34.7%), powdered milk (14.5%), spices (0.5%), organic sunflower lecithin (0.3%). 

*What many Americans call/know as "chai" tea would be known as masala chai (tea) in other countries. Chai often refers to just black tea and milk, whereas masala chai would have (what we (Americans) call) "chai spices" added. We've managed to conflate the two here in the U.S.

Fruition Chocolate - Harney & Sons Tea Bar - Hot Cinnamon Spice (bar) - Sept. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate
Harney and Sons Tea Bar - Hot Cinnamon Spice 46% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 325 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Hot Cinnamon Spice 46% Milk Chocolate bar was a collaboration between Harney and Sons Master Tea Blenders (Millerton, NY) and Fruition Chocolate (Shokan, NY). 

This chocolate possessed a warm cinnamon tea aroma and flavor. (The spiciness implied in the "hot" cinnamon name may have been mellowed a bit by milk powder, cocoa butter and sugar.)

The bar had a satisfying, very creamy milk chocolate melt and texture, and a light lingering sweet cinnamon spice finish. 

The cacao (beans) used to make this bean-to-bar milk chocolate were from Chuno, Nicaragua.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice (tm) tea (black tea, orange peel, natural cinnamon flavor, cinnamon, clove), orange oil, cinnamon.

Rococo Chocolates - "Big Smoke" with Lapsang Souchong Tea - 65% Cocoa Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Rococo Chocolates
Big Smoke with Lapsang Souchong Tea - 65% Cocoa Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 187 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week. Most teas are light and refreshing and impart subtle flavors to chocolate. We've had several wild fires in Northern California this past month and the hazy air lingers. So, the "Big Smoke" seemed like a perfect bar to kick off this tea theme week.

Today's Big Smoke - with Lapsang Souchong Tea - 65% Cocoa Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Rococo Chocolates (London, UK). 

This bar had smooth, creamy texture with occasional crunchy (powdered tea leaf) bits and a pleasing, subtle smoked tea and salt aroma, with a dark chocolate flavor with faint hints of dark fermented fruit (plum) and smokey Lapsang Souchong and sweet licorice teas. Who said smokey flavor was a flaw? Not I. For those who enjoy a subtly crafted flavor ride, and who like a deft touch of umami with their chocolate, try this bar.

Tasting notes from Rococo founder Chantal Cody read as follows: "Something for the more sophisticated palate, this is made with a fine Lapsang tea and has hints of resin, paprika and peaty Islay whiskies accompanying the wood smoke."

Ingredients: Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, cocoa powder, Lapsang Souchong smoked tea, emulsifier (soya lecithin). 

Zotter - Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar) - Sept. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175 calories (estimate) in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information (San Francisco, CA)

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

Today's Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar) was made by Zotter in Riegersburg, Austria, using Nacional cacao (bean variety) from "Bolivian Cooperative El Ceibo." 

Zotter's Labooko line of bars is "pure chocolate," and includes single origin bars. (They also offer hand-scooped/carefully layered and filled bars with different flavor inclusions, and drinking chocolate.)

Today's ultra-dark 90% dark bar came with instructions. Do (as the small card insert instructs) savor this chocolate slowly. Tiptoe through this deep, dark forest of a bar at a pace where you can detect flavors that shift with each bite.

This package contained two gold-foil wrapped, ebony-colored bars that were just the right thickness for tasting. That is, they was relatively thin--making it easier to access and appreciate the complex and evolving flavors of the Bolivian cacao beans (from the El Ceibo Cooperative) used to make this bar.

The aroma was much subtler than I expected very faint dark chocolate, nut and forest notes. And the melt and texture were creamy, smooth (conching time was 22 hours**) with a flicker of very creamy nut butter-like consistency. So far, no scary beasts in the forest that would scare fainter hearts and palettes.

The flavors shifted over the course of eating this bar. Faint nut (pine nut) and faint dark fruit (prune, forest berry), balanced bitterness, then a bit earthy in one or two small bites. Also detected: fleeting fresh baked bread/sweet yeast/buckwheat pancake notes, nut butter, light woodsy notes. The finish was satisfying deep, dark chocolate notes.

This was a balanced, enjoyable "pure chocolate" experience, relatively low in acidity with balanced bitterness with only a light shake of sugar. (See tasting notes below for references to fine black licorice and black coffee. These also make sense to me. Whisps of the dark notes without the heartburn.)

Ingredients: Fair trade, organic cocoa mass and fair trade organic cane sugar

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Fragrance notes: sublte notes of wood and fruit (hints of grape); Taste notes: nuts, (caramelized wood, lots of cream, a hint of liquorice, mild touch of coffee, lingonberries, woody finish, mildly astringent with a little bit of fructose."

*Conching time (where cacao beans/nibs are ground into a paste) varies with the cacao variety/origin, the qualities of the cacao beans, flavor profile preferences and other considerations. Longer conche times (up to a few days) might allow for smoother, creamier texture and flavor, but some flavor elements might also be lost. That may be OK if one is trying to eliminate unruly or undesirable flavors; however, with fine cacao, you don't want to lose some of what makes the bean's origins truly unique and desirable.) The conche time selected with today's bar seems to have been quite successful.