Thursday, December 29, 2022

Auro Chocolate - Don Papa Rum 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Dec. 29, 2022

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Auro Chocolate
Don Papa Rum 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 163.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week--a series featuring both holiday spirits and distilled/fermented spirit-infused chocolates. This was the first of two chocolates enjoyed today. (See next post for The Apres Chocolate Sparkling White Wine-infused 70% bar with raspberries from Ritual Chocolate.)

And, you may have noticed it's Day #9 of this week...Fueled by the spirit of abundance (and a little theobromine*), theme weeks on Chocolate Banquet often extend beyond the conventional 7-day week. 

Don Papa Rum 70% Dark Chocolate

Today's Don Papa Rum-infused 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was created ("from tree to bar") by Auro Chocolate (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines) in collaboration with Bleeding Heart Rum Company. 

This small batch (limited edition) dark chocolate with spirits was well-crafted (well-tempered (broke with a nice hard snap) and nicely balanced). It offered sophisticated subtle flavor--from just four high-quality ingredients including cacao beans from Saloy Estate, Davao (Philippines), and a (Filipino) premium aged, single-island rum. 

Aroma and flavor notes included a simple, elegant combination of sweet, dark chocolate with traces of a warm, golden** aura (the rum). Very faint background aroma notes also included: tart green lemon herb (oxalis), implied warm spice.

The rum added subtle warmth and flavor depth. It had a very pleasant lingering middle and finish. This professionally-executed chocolate (with no off-notes) was sweet and smooth, but certainly not boring. 

Ingredients: Cacao mass, cane sugar, cacao butter, rum

Allergen-related information: "This product is manufactured in a facility that processes other products which may contain milk, soy, tree nuts, and peanuts."

*Theobromine is a naturally-occurring, plant-produced alkaloid that acts like a stimulant in humans and other animals. 

Like caffeine (also a plant alkaloid and stimulant)--that is also present in smaller amounts in cacao/chocolate--theobromine is processed and tolerated differently, depending on the individual. 

Personally I am more sensitive to caffeine than most, but am not affected as much by theobromine. (Others may experience the opposite effect.) 

So I can eat all the chocolate I want (wheeee!). Not true. There is still sugar in chocolates to consider. After eating more than 2-3 ounces of dark chocolate at one sitting...it's just not as much fun. I start to experience diminishing returns after about 2 oz. of 70% dark chocolate. 

Caution: if you dabble in truly great chocolate(s), especially more than 1 kind/bar a day (like today)...the recommended theobromine levels may be exceeded. And you run the risk of becoming a chocolate-fueled chatterbox. (Proven fact: Good chocolate + higher amount of chocolate = longer posts and digressions/footnotes here on Chocolate Banquet.)

** Auro Chocolate's name in the Philippines: doing business as (dba) Filipinas Oro de Cacao, Inc....Loosely translated, golden cacao of the Philippines.




SOMA Chocolatemaker - Starry Night - Dark (bar) - Dec. 28, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

SOMA Chocolatemaker
Starry Night - Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.165 oz. (33 g.) /2.33 oz. (66 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Starry Night chocolate bar was from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada). 

The company is located in the Distillery Historic District in Toronto--in a complex of brick (old distillery) buildings now used for retail shops (and this chocolate factory and tasting area). 

In honor of SOMA's factory history (and this week's spirits theme), I enjoyed this bar with a very small sip of whiskey. The chocolate was quite good by itself; and it might also pair well with a whiskey, for those adults so inclined. 

Pretty little salt crystals (visible through a clear window in the packaging) doubled as stars--tiny twinklers strewn across a night sky.

The image of a rabbit--gazing skyward, to view the Aurora Borealis dancing overhead in the night sky--completed this "Starry Night" vision. 

Aroma notes included: flavorful dark chocolate (dark ganache), faint/diffuse fruit (berry); sweet, very faintly fermented cacao; faint cream/butter; and barely there warm spice.

The chocolate texture was smooth, accented with a few tiny crunchy sparkles of sea salt (from the Newfoundland Salt Company, in Bonavista, Newfoundland, Canada).

The flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes mentioned above: sweet, relatively creamy dark chocolate (dark ganache, diffuse berry); This chocolate was made using a blend of cacao origins; and it was friendly and well balanced (sweet and salt), with no "off" notes. 

Ingredients: Cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, salt

Allergen-related information: "May contain trace amounts of peanuts, tree nuts, soy and dairy."

*Earlier this month, I flew by/over Canada to Iceland: to see the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis. The illustration on this bar of a colorful aurora fluxing across the night sky brought back fond memories of this trip. The illustration of the hare (rabbit) looking skyward captured the spirit of that trip, including the wonder I felt looking at the stars and the dancing lights above the mountains.

And, yes, there were great chocolates in Iceland too.

Ghirardelli - Hot Cocoa "Double Chocolate" + eggnog - Dec. 27, 2022

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Ghirardelli
Hot Cocoa Mix "Double Chocolate" (dry mix, mug set for 2 people)
Good ++
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) in one single-serving packet (dry mix only)
Calories: 90 calories in 1 serving (plus added milk)
Cost: $13.99 for 1 set (included 2 packets + 2 holiday mugs)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

It may be after Christmas, but holiday spirits are still going strong this week. After viewing holiday lights, a winter warmer sounded good. Today's red and white holiday mugs full of Hot Cocoa were made using a dry mix (plus 2 mug set) from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (San Leandro, CA).

My additions to the Ghirardelli mix included: whole milk, very small amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a small amount of Bourbon Vanilla flavored whipping cream.

I used 8 fl. oz. of hot whole milk (vs. the 6 fl. oz. of milk called for), per mug. The result: very satisfying, creamy cups of hot cocoa. (Thank you to Megan for tasting help.)

This hot chocolate was enjoyed with a square of dark chocolate peppermint bark (topped with white chocolate and crushed bits of candy canes), and a small glass of eggnog (with a small dash of brandy).

Ingredients (dry mix): Sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin, vanilla extract.

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk as prepared.) "May contain milk, egg, tree nuts, and wheat." 


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