Next by Nature - Dark Chocolate Blueberries - May 31, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Next by Nature 

Dark Chocolate Blueberries 

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package

Calories: 380 calories in 1 package

Cost: $5.10 for 1 package ($6.00 less member discount)

Purchased from: Land's End Gift Shop, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week, featuring a variety of chocolate and fruit flavor blends.

Today's Next by Nature Dark Chocolate Blueberries were produced by Tropical Valley Foods (Plattsburgh, NY).

These ebony-colored pearls had a dark milk chocolate, hot cocoa, and faint/diffuse fruit aroma. I enjoyed the darker 58% dark chocolate and slightly "darker" berry (blueberry) flavor choices with this offering. The pieces may still have been sweet--by single origin dark bar standards--but had richer, deeper flavors than many chocolate covered items.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (unsweetened cocoa liquor processed with alkali; sugar; cocoa butter; cocoa powder; milk fat; non-GMO soy lecithin (an emulsifier); vanilla extract), dried blueberries (cultivated blueberries, cane sugar, sunflower oil), dextrin (non-GMO), confectioners glaze (regular lac resin)

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy."

Crunchies Natural Foods - Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate - May 30, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Distributed by Crunchies Natural Food Company, LLC

Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate

Good +

Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 5 oz. (142 g.) in total package

Calories: 280 calories in 2 servings

Cost: $3.99 for 1 package

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

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

Today's Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate were distributed by Crunchies Natural Food Company, LLC (Calabasas, CA).

These glossy, milk chocolate covered pieces had an aroma with mild milk chocolate and faint fruit (banana milkshake) notes.

The authentic, light (almost airy) and crunchy banana slices that lay at the center of these chocolate confections were a cause for celebration. The company offers a line of crunchy freeze-dried fruits, including some that are chocolate-coated (strawberry, banana and blueberry).

The smooth creamy and fairly sweet milk chocolate (coating) was the metaphorical "icing on the cake." These pieces also had an addictive snack quality (real milk chocolate with whole milk powder will do that to me sometimes). So if you're overly hungry or craving something sweet, you may eat more than you planned.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural vanilla extract), freeze-dried banana, confectioners glaze, gum arabic.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy" "May contain eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat"