Goodio Craft Chocolate - Winter Glow - Dec. 31, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Winter Glow 49% Chocolate Topped with Mulled Wine Crystals (bar)
Good
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in 1/2 bar
Calories: 117 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #10 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Winter Glow Chocolate Topped with Mulled Wine Crystals 49% Cacao (bar) was manufactured by Helsinki Heaven Ltd for Goodio Craft Chocolate, from bean-to-bar, in Helsinki, Finland.

The Finns know more about winter than most of us around the globe do. And gathering in the dark months to enjoy some hot, sweet, mulled wine is a Scandinavian tradition. Goodio shares that tradition with us with this vegan, sweet chocolate bar that was lightly spiced* and had opaque magenta-colored mulled wine crystals on one side—giving it a faint but pleasant sweet red fruit (red grape, berry) flavor.

*Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic coconut palm sugar, organic cacao butter, organic coconut flakes, birch sugar, organic cinnamon, organic cardamom, bitter orange peel, organic cranberry powder, organic ginger, organic carnation.

Integrity Cacao - Match Green Tea Truffe, Chai Turmeric Truffle - Dec. 30, 2019

Chocolates of the Day: 

Integrity Cacao
1.) Matcha Green Tea truffle - Good +
2.) Chai Turmeric truffle - Good +
Weight: .89 oz. (25.2 g.) (estimate) in 2 truffles
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 2 truffles
Cost: $N/A - gift box (Thank you Katy!)
Purchased from: N/A - Gift

Welcome to Day #9 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week. Today's tea truffles were a delight to eye and palette.

Thank you to Katy for this delicious holiday gift. And thank you to Merissa at Integrity Cacao in Southern California for making beautiful, healthy and delicious chocolates.

All the Integrity Cacao truffles sampled today were relatively smooth and moist with uniform rich chocolate flavor, and were not too sweet (thank you!).

The Matcha tea truffles had a balanced green tea flavor note and topping them with a dose of powdered bright green matcha gave them a lovely spring green in color feast for the eyes in this gray winter month.

The Chai tea spice truffles were dusted with a bright yellow dose of turmeric, which added beautiful golden color, and a slight turmeric (an agreeably strong spicy root with a faint but balanced bitter) note.

Note: the Rose truffles in the middle (with the attractive fuschia pink color and rose buds on top) were sampled but not "counted" in today's entry.

Health Lab - Cacao Matcha Probiotic Ball - Dec. 29, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Health Lab
Cacao Matcha Probiotic Ball
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 ball
Calories: 181 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.69 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Matcha Probiotic Ball was made in Australia for Health Lab (Melbourne, Australia).

This satisfying (gluten free, vegan, low sodium and low carb)* snack ball had light matcha green tea flavor, substantial chewy texture and cacao flavor. And, it was not too sweet (thank you!).

It deserved a spot on the dessert table rather just stuffed in the hiking backpack.

Ingredients: dates, cashews, organic coconut, cacao nibs, "1 billion vegan probiotics," organic matcha green tea. 

Sodium in 1 ball was 4 mg; and total carbs were 7.6 grams (3.3 grams of which were fiber).