The Good Crisp Company - Limited Edition Creepy Crisps - Oct. 31, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

The Good Crisp Company 
Limited Edition - Creepy Crisps
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/ 5.6 oz. (160 g.) in total container
Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving (14 crisps)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: FarmFresh, produce box add-on 

Happy Halloween to all who celebrate this day filled with orange pumpkins, ghosts and other spooky apparitions. And yes, there are chocolates for that. This entry and the next two, feature some Halloween entries.

We're interrupting Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week for 24 hours to share some spooky treats--two of these items will include cocoa and potato. (Potatoes originated in Peru and Bolivia; more on that later.)

The Limited Edition cocoa-colored Creepy Crisps were manufactured in Malaysia for The Good Crisp Company, Inc. (Boulder, CO). These crisps contained certified sustainable palm oil in their crisps, and were gluten free and halal. 

Aroma notes were potato-forward and included: potato chips/crisps, salted fried potatoes, shoestring potato snacks.

The texture for these curved oval-shaped snacks was: light, almost airy, crispy and crunchy.

Flavor notes: Salted potato crisps/chips.

The alkalized cocoa (and vegetable and flower juices) used to color these chips added an inky Halloween night color and the tiniest ghost of cocoa flavor.

Ingredients: Dried Potato Flakes, Palm Oil (Vitamin E), Tapioca Starch, Alkalized Cocoa, Salt, Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color (Maltodextrin, Carrot Concentrate, Hibiscus Concentrate, Citric Acid), Sugar, White Pepper Powder. 

Mission Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) was from Mission Chocolate (San Paolo, Brazil).

Aroma: subtle dark chocolate with faint forest and natural sweetness; faint molasses (spice cookie); almost invisible fig; and very faint bright green/fruit (kiwi + sweet lime).

Flavor notes: rich dark chocolate with faint molasses/brown sugar and spice (star anise); a brief hint of cream*; followed by more true cacao, nut and very diffuse nut. The finish included a very faint, bright citrus note (sweet lime). Tasting this bar felt like a gentle walk through a lush rainforest that ended with dappled sunshine.

This chocolate was made with wild cacao from the Bolivian Amazon Rainforest. Wild and Heirloom cacaos can be full of subtle, nuanced flavors. This chocolate was no exception. 

Thank you to the chocolate makers like Arcelia Gallardo at Mission Chocolate who source these very special cacao (bean) varieties and produce chocolate with them for us to enjoy.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, lactose, coconut, tree nuts, and wheat due to shared equipment.

*There was no milk, cream or dairy ingredients in this chocolate.

Monsoon Chocolate - 73% Tranquilidad (bar) - Oct. 29, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Origin Series Tranquilidad Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Origin Series Tranquilidad* Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bars) was from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; floral, light oolong tea; other lightly sweet, green botanicals; and faint brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this smooth dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate, faint fermented cacao); very faint spice (black pepper); and faint cream. (Note: there was no actual cream/dairy in this bar. Some heritage cacaos can have this lovely cream note.)

This 73% chocolate had a very pleasing aroma; rich chocolate flavor that was relatively low in bitterness; and a gentle, lingering, almost honeyed finish.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*Hacienda Tranquilidad is a farm located in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. Wild ("Sylvestre") cacao trees grow in a large, natural forest. The estate's owner, Volker Lehmann, has been the key supplier of native Beniano (Heirloom) cacao beans to small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers. The results: some wonderful, very special chocolate bars.

LetterPress Chocolate - Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 28, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

LetterPress Chocolate
Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar (current price)
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Tranquilidad 70% Dark Chocolate (Batch #0006) (bar) was from LetterPress Chocolate LLC (Los Angeles, CA).

The cacao beans used to make this chocolate were from northern Bolivia. "Designated Heirloom Cacao (HCP #2) by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund in 2014, Tranquilidad is an ancient and rare varietal known as Beniano."*

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (fleeting freshly baked bread and butter, sweet green botanicals (green jasmine tea, sweet grass/hay); and fruit (light apricot)). 

This bar broke with a snap, and had a buttery melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: much more subtle versions of the light green botanical and stone fruit notes  mentioned above and rich dark chocolate (with a faint latte note) with balanced fruit acidity and relatively low bitterness. The buttery texture also gave this chocolate a luxe dark chocolate buttercream frosting feel.

The fragrance at the beginning was lovely. Hats off to the maker for preserving these more delicate notes-- that contributed pleasing complexity to the richer, buttery, chocolate-y taste and finish. 

Unfortunately, this Tranquilidad, Bolivia 70% chocolate bar is currently showing as sold out on the site where I purchased this.

LetterPress tasting notes: "buttercream, espresso"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes nuts and dairy"

*LetterPress Chocolate sources fine cacao beans from several countries to make their bean-to-bar chocolate bars. Chocolate makers often work with or consult cacao experts in cacao growing countries--such as Volker Lehmann in Bolivia. The maker's description of this cacao field expert is below.

Lehmann, "originally from Germany, relocated to Bolivia in 2000 as a trained agriculturist. Throughout the Beni Department, Volker works with wild cacao in the area and personally oversees the fermentation process to ensure the highest possible quality. We became enamored by these beans several years ago and were able to secure a very limited amount of these special cacao beans..."

Original Beans - Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) - Oct. 27, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Original Beans
Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 198 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 (estimate) + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Original Beans Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) was made in Switzerland. (Original Beans is based in Amsterdam, NL.)

This chocolate had a wonderful and complex aroma. Notes included: cacao with floral (honey), faint molasses/brown sugar; very faint fleeting freshly baked breads (yeast bread and steamed Boston brown bread with cornmeal, molasses and raisins); fruit (dried peach); very faint, fleeting jungle (loam/peat); and other trace sweet green botanicals.

The texture was smooth, uniform and creamy. (It likely would have been even creamier; but I was enjoying this chocolate after the expiration date.)

Flavor notes for this 66% Bolivia bar included: vibrant and complex, naturally sweet flavors. Many of these flavors were similar to the complex and varied aroma notes above. Honeyed floral notes and peach (fruit) were joined by a lovely fleeting ripe, sweet blackberry flavor note. 

It's been a long time since chocolate made me feel so transported (to a rain forest where I could imagine scents, movements and sounds among the stillness). The "fleeting" notes I mentioned seemed almost alive. One appeared and disappeared up in a forest canopy; another shimmered briefly between some lush plants between trees. I could almost hear muted bird calls and the rustling of wildlife. 

This special chocolate was made from the "rarest of the rare" Beniano wild cacao beans from the Beni* Amazon area of Bolivia. It was low in bitterness and acidity, well balanced, and wonderfully blessed with natural wild cacao flavors.

Thank you to Original Beans for making this tasting experience possible.

Original Beans Tasting Notes: "Hints of floral honey, apricot and jasmine tea..."

Ingredients: Cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*. Cacao solids: 66% minimum. (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: (No allergens listed on label.) "Certified Organic, Vegan, Dark"

*The Beni River is a major tributary of the Amazon River that originates in the Bolivian Andes. It is home to ancient forests, rare species of cacao and other plants, and indigenous peoples.

Chocolove - Maple Glazed Salted Pecans in Strong Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 26, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolove
Maple Glazed Salted Pecans in Strong Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.44 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Fall Spices Theme Week.

Today's Maple Glazed Salted Pecans in Strong Dark Chocolate was from Chocolove (Boulder, CO). 

The company has been producing a variety of chocolate bars and confections. And true to their name/tradition, there was a "hidden" love poem/poem excerpt printed on the inside of bar wrapper. (Today's poem was from "The Wreath and the Chain" by Thomas Moore.)

Aroma notes for this bar included: smooth dark chocolate and sweet spice (cinnamon) and very faint maple syrup. 

Texture: This relatively thick dark chocolate had a smooth, creamy texture and contained a generous serving of crispy crunchy pecan pieces. 

Flavor notes included: sweet, smooth, fudge-y, dark chocolate (with a faint, fleeting earth and nut); pecans; sparkles of maple sugar (syrup), cinnamon and faint sea salt.

This bar was a lovely and skillful blend of sweetly spiced holiday nuts and dark chocolate. (And a reminder of some wonderful chocolate pecan pie possibilities.) The maple syrup added warmth and flavor depth; and the small amount of added sea salt seemed just right.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor**, Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Pecans, Maple Syrup, Cane Sugar, Organic Butter Oil, Sea Salt, Cinnamon. (** Rainforest Alliance Certified.)

Allergen-related information: "Contains Pecans, Milk, Soy." No Gluten or Eggs (ingredients); No Artificial Preservatives. "Made in a Facility that also processes eggs, peanuts, and other tree nuts."

Eva's Delights - Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Truffles - Oct. 25, 2023

Chocolate of the Day 

Eva's Delights
Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Truffles
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in a box of 4 pieces
Calories: 232.5 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $13.99 for 1 box of 4 pieces 
Purchased from: Santa Venetia Market, San Rafael, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Fall Spices Week.*

Today's Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Truffles were from Eva's Delights (San Rafael, CA). "Made with love in our home kitchen."

Aroma notes for these seasonal chocolate truffles included: subtle dark chocolate, and very faint pumpkin pie.

The outer, smooth dark chocolate shell gave way to a softer, substantial, pale pumpkin colored white chocolate center. 

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (couverture) and white chocolate ganache (filling)--flavored with very faint pumpkin spice syrup, pumpkin butter, and a very subtle splash of warming brandy. A sprinkle of salt across the top of each truffle helped to balance the overall sweetness.

Ingredients: French chocolate; Pumpkin Spice syrup; Pumpkin butter; cinnamon, cloves, and other warm spices; splash of Brandy; white chocolate and salt sprinkles.

Allergen-related information: (None listed on 4-piece box label.) Contact Eva's Delights if you have questions.

*We believe in over-stuffed chocolate weeks on Chocolate Banquet. One week can easily stretch into two, or more.

SOMA - Chocolate Pecan Pie Pralines - Oct. 24, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

SOMA chocolatemaker
Chocolate Pecan Pie Pralines
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $15.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Fall Spices Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Pecan Pie Pralines were created by SOMA chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada).

Hope everyone in Canada enjoyed their Thanksgiving (Oct. 9th) this year. Thanksgiving in the U.S. is yet to come; but it's not too early for pumpkin spiced-items, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. 

SOMA's decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie Pralines were enjoyed with a slice of pumpkin pie from Raised Gluten Free (Arcata, CA). 

Aroma notes for these coated oval- and pearl-shaped confections included: caramel, faint rich cocoa, and very faint vanilla. 

A buttery, outer caramel chocolate coating surrounded slightly sweet and crunchy pecan pieces.

Flavor notes for each piece included: caramel, subtle chocolate (rich cocoa), hints of butter, brown sugar and milk, and naturally sweet pecans--all magically rolled into one bite. 

The flavors were authentic and well balanced, and these pralines tumbled in caramel chocolate were sweet, but not overly so.

Ingredients: Pecans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Powder, Cacao Nibs, Egg Whites, Salt, Natural Vanilla.

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk, egg, pecans.) "May contain traces of peanuts."

 

Maya Chocolates - Pumpkin Spice - Dark Chocolate With Pumpkin Spice 60% (bar) - Oct. 23, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Maya Chocolates
Pumpkin Spice - Dark Chocolate With Pumpkin Spice 60% (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.2 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62.4 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Santa Venetia Market, San Rafael, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Pumpkins, and Warm Fall Spices.

Today's Dark Chocolate With Pumpkin Spice 60% (bar) was from Maya Chocolates (Pinole, CA). This Bay Area based company creates small-batch, flavored, gluten-free dark chocolate bars. (The Rose and Pistachio 65% bar was featured previously on Chocolate Banquet.)

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cocoa with a shake of cinnamon) and warm spices (a light, uniform sprinkle was visible, and it was more aromatic, on one side).

This chocolate bar had a pleasing, uniformly buttery, creamy texture and melt. (It contained real butter.)

Flavor notes included: chocolate (gentle, rich cocoa; sweet dark chocolate ganache), warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice blend), and very faint butter. 

This pleasant seasonal bar was a balanced, relatively sweet and creamy chocolate, flavored with a subtle, warm, cinnamon-forward, pumpkin spice blend. 

Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa, Butter, Soy Lecithin, Spice (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Sulfiting Agents)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk and other tree nuts."

Bob's Red Mill Grain Free Brownie Mix with Almond Flour + Pumpkin, Spices - Oct. 22, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Bob's Red Mill
Grain Free Brownie Mix, Made with Almond Flour  
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 brownies / 12 oz. (340 g.) in total package of dry mix
Calories: 400 calories (estimate) in 2 brownies
Cost: $6.89 total package of dry mix
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Warm Fall Spices Theme Week.

Today's Grain Free Brownie mix with Almond Flour was from Bob's Red Mill (Milwaukie, OR). (I added pumpkin and spices* to this mix.)

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cake, ganache), pumpkin pie spices, very faint nut and molasses.*

The texture was smooth, and made slightly moister and more coherent from added (canned) pureed pumpkin. 

Flavor notes included: sweet chocolate (cake, brownie), and pumpkin spice(s).

These cake-like brownies were sweet. The inclusion of pumpkin and spices* added warm flavor depth and complexity, and helped balance the sweetness.

Ingredients (dry mix): Organic Coconut Sugar, Blanched Almond Flour, Cassava Flour, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Cocoa, Salt. 

*Added to the mix: 7 oz. canned pumpkin, eggs, olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and 1 tablespoon of molasses

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Tree nuts (Almond)." (Added ingredients: eggs)

Stone Grindz - Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Caramels - Oct. 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Stone Grindz
Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Caramels
Good ++
Weight: .95 oz. (26.8 g.) / 1.9 oz. (53.7 g.) (estimate) in total box of 4 pieces
Calories: 147 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $12.00 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Stone Grindz Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Fall Spices.

Today's Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Caramels were from Stone Grindz Small-Batch Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, warm spices (pumpkin spice), faint caramel and vanilla latte.

Texture: The perfectly thin dark chocolate shell was smooth. The caramel was soft, silken and flowing.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla and faint, slightly acidic, pumpkin spice coffee/latte.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla bean), spring water, glucose syrup, heavy cream, grass-fed butter, cold brew coffee, pumpkin spice, vanilla bean, sea salt, lemon juice

Allergen-related information: (Contains dairy.)

 

Love + Chew - The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip - Oct. 20, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

CompletEats, LLC
Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 cookie 
Calories: 270 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $3.25 (estim.) for 1 cookie 
Purchased from: Love + Chew, online order (box of 12)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spices Theme Week.

Today's Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip was created by CompletEats, LLC (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes included: dried fruit (date), warm spices, nuts and seeds, vanilla, cocoa, and faint vegetable (pumpkin). 

This plant-based cookie had a chewy, very slightly crunchy (tiny chia seeds), and relatively moist texture. 

Flavor notes for this satisfying and tasty cookie included: dates, fudgey chocolate chips, warm pumpkin spices, vanilla, and an underlying nuttiness (almond). 

The company's mission is to "bake clean-label and indulgent treats made entirely from plant-based ingredients." (I'd say mission accomplished.) An extra bonus for me: no gluten-containing ingredients; and the cookie wasn't dry or crumbly. 

Ingredients: Blanched Almonds, Date Paste, Almond Butter, Water, Dark Chocolate Chips (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Chia Seeds, Vegetable Glycerin, Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves), Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Pure Vanilla Extract, Water), Pumpkin Powder, Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds. May Contain Date Pit Fragments.

Good King - "Love" Fragrant and Warm Spices Snacking Cacao - Oct. 19, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Good King
"Love" - Fragrant and Warm Spices Snacking Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total package
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $0.00 (free with purchase of other items (Thank you Zak's) 
Purchased from: Zak's Chocolate (online order) 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Pumpkins and Warm Fall Spices.

Today's Good King "Love" Fragrant and Warm Spices Snacking Cacao was manufactured by Cocoa Future SPC (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes for this 80% cacao bean-based snack included: freshly baked (warm) spiced molasses cookie; vanilla; and faint cacao.

Texture: crunchy, gently fibrous, whole cacao beans were coated with sugar, cacao butter and warming spices. This coating added a gently sweet, buttery, gently textured, coating that complemented the bean's cocoa essence.

At the center of this snack were 100% cacao beans from Honduras. These beans were caramelized and coated with warm spices (sugar, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom and cacao butter)--bringing the overall cacao percentage for this snack down to 80%.

Flavor notes alternated between these aromatic and engaging warm spices and authentic crunchy cacao beans.

This "Love" Snacking Cacao offered authentic and warm spice flavors, gentle complexity, and an opportunity to taste whole cacao beans--the true source of all chocolate. And, best of all, this snack was not overly sweet. (Thank you!). 

Sadly, this mix is sold out at the moment.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans,* Cane Sugar,* Vanilla Extract* (Vanilla Bean Extractives* In Water, Alcohol*), Cinnamon,* Salt, Nutmeg,* Cloves,* Cardamom,* Cacao Butter.* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that processes gluten." 

 

Chuao Chocolatier - Golden Goodness Caramelized sugar, cacao nibs (bar) - Oct. 18, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Chuao Chocolatier 
Golden Goodness Caramelized sugar, cacao nibs (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Pumpkins, and Warm Fall Spices.

Today's Golden Goodness Caramelized sugar and 100% cacao nibs in sweet white chocolate (bar) was from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA). 

Aroma notes for this white chocolate and nibs bar included: faint cacao, cookie dough, and faint caramel and vanilla.

Texture: Sweet white chocolate blended with caramelized sugar held an abundant field of crunchy cacao nibs.

Flavor notes included: cocoa nibs, caramel, white chocolate and vanilla. Caramelized sugar added warm flavor depth. And this caramelization, and vanilla, added a feeling of warmth to me. 

Yes, 31% cacao white chocolate is sweet. But the other elements added textural and flavor contrast created appealing complexity. The nibs and a perfect amount of salt helped balance flavors and sweetness level.

I paired this white chocolate bar with a cup of warm spiced tea with cinnamon and vanilla.

Ingredients: "Premium 31% white chocolate (cacao butter, sugar, whole milk powder, lactose, whey powder, nonfat dry milk, caramelized sugar, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor, salt), cocoa nibs, pink himalayan salt."

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk, Soy. No Gluten Ingredients Used.

Fruition Chocolate Works - Coquito Spiced White with Candied Nibs 39% (bar) - Oct. 17, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate Works
Coquito Spiced White with Candied Nibs 39% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Pumpkins, and Warm Fall Spices Theme Week.

Today's Coquito Spiced White with Candied Nibs 39% (bar) was made by Fruition Chocolate Works (Shokan, New York). 

"Coquito" means little coconut in Spanish. It's also the name of a Puerto Rican cocktail made with coconut milk/cream.

Inspired by this cocktail, the makers at Fruition set about to create this "...Spiced white chocolate featuring candied cocoa nibs for fun contrast and texture." This chocolate was designed to be "warm and cozy to make you feel at home for the holidays."

Aroma notes included: sweet rum spiced cookie and/or cake; faint cocoa; vanilla.

Texture: One side of this creamy white chocolate bar was almost completely paved with crunchy cacao nibs. The end result was, as the maker intended, an enjoyable textural and flavor contrast between the creamy, spiced white chocolate and the smooth, barely sweetened crunchy cocoa nibs.

Flavor notes included: cocoa nibs, white chocolate, warm spices. Not only were the cocoa nibs candied, they were rum soaked nibs. And there was a nice warm echo of rum and vanilla in the finish.

Loved the complexity and contrast, and that the sweetness was very nicely balanced; i.e. despite its almost cookie dough-sweet white chocolate base, the cacao nibs ensured it wasn't too sweet. (Thank you!)

Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Non-Fat Milk Powder, Coconut, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Flour, Cocoa Nibs, Black Rum, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Spiced Rum, Vanilla Bean, Salt. (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk and Tree Nuts (Coconut). May Contain Traces of Peanuts, Wheat, Eggs, Soy, Sesame.

Chocolove - Pumpkin Spice in 33% Milk Chocolate Bites - Oct. 16, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolove 
Pumpkin Spice in 33% Milk Chocolate Bites
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 7.05 oz. (200 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spice Week.

Today's Pumpkin Spice in 33% Milk Chocolate Bites were from Chocolove (Boulder, CO).

Each, individually-wrapped, milk chocolate-covered pumpkin confection was emblazoned with a heart-shaped outline (two "Cs" facing each other), consistent with the Chocolove's love themed chocolates.*

Aroma notes included: chocolate, pumpkin pie/warm spices, and a faint sweet and savory vegetable blend note (pumpkin, sweet potato-tomato sauce).

These individually-wrapped treats had a smooth creamy, easy melt.

Flavor notes included: rich, sweet milk chocolate and authentic pumpkin (with pie spices included). The 33% cacao outer milk chocolate shell was made a bit sweeter by the white chocolate filling. And that bit of extra cocoa (more than you'd find in most holiday/novelty chocolates) helped balance out the sweetness, while still allowing the pumpkin and spices to shine.

This bite was the closest I've ever tasted to real pumpkin pie blended with chocolate. Hats off to Chocolove for using real pumpkin and real spices, and going the extra mile to achieve this.

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Milk, Cocoa Liquor**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Organic White Chocolate (Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter**, Organic Milk, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla), Organic Cream (Milk, Gellan Gum), Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Concentrate (Pumpkin, Citric Acid), Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Organic Glycerin, Tapioca Syrup, Organic Butter Oil, Spices (Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves), Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin.

(** Rainforest Alliance Certified. Find out more at ra.org.)

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy. Made in a facility that also processes eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts."

*E.g., Chocolove chocolate bars I've purchased have come with a love poem inside the wrapper. 

And printed on the outside of the package of bites was this tagline: "Share it with someone you love."

 

 

Chocolove - Peanut Butter in 55% Dark Chocolate Bites - Oct. 15, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolove 
Bites - Peanut Butter in 55% Dark Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 7.05 oz. (200 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (3 pieces)
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spice Week.

Today's Peanut Butter in 55% Dark Chocolate Bites were from Chocolove (Boulder, CO). The company uses Belgian chocolate in their bars and confections. 

Each, individually-wrapped, dark pumpkin (filled) confection was emblazoned with a heart-shaped outline (two "Cs" facing each other), consistent with the Chocolove's love theme.*

Aroma notes for these bites included: rich dark chocolate and faint nut.

Texture varied slightly with temperature throughout today. The outer dark chocolate shell will be a bit firmer if it's cold. Either way the chocolate had a uniform, smooth texture and slightly creamy melt. And the center was a bit softer with smooth, ground peanut butter mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: bold but smooth 55% cacao dark chocolate (that tasted darker--more like 65% - 70% dark chocolate), and authentic nut (peanut) butter.

This treat will please dark chocolate lovers. Also, it was not too sweet (thank you!).

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor**, Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Peanut Butter (Dark Roasted Blanched Peanuts), Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Milk, Cocoa Liquor**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Butter Oil, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin.

(** Rainforest Alliance Certified. Find out more at ra.org.)

Allergen-related information: "Contains peanuts, milk, soy. Made in a facility that also processes eggs and tree nuts."

*E.g., Chocolove chocolate bars I've purchased have come with a love poem inside the wrapper. Printed on the outside package containing today's bites was this tagline: "Share it with someone you love."

 

Honey Mama's - Cocoa Truffle Bar Pumpkin Spice (bar) - Oct. 14, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Honey Mama's 
Cocoa Truffle Bar Pumpkin Spice (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 345 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spices Week. Most of the bars and confections featured this week are seasonal or limited edition items; so act fast if you want to find/order these fall and winter special treats.

Today's Honey Mama's Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cocoa Truffle Bar was from Nectar Foods, Inc. (Portland, OR).

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (cocoa), botanical (seed, honey, warm spices, citrus (light orange), vanilla, and very faint (barely there), fleeting earthy vegetable (carrot, pumpkin coconut soup). Note: there were no vegetable ingredients.*

This refrigerated Pumpkin Spice bar had a uniform, satisfying chew with a generous helping of softly crunchy pumpkin seeds. Refrigeration helped guard against possible melting; but if you let the bar warm up to room temperature (not in direct sun), you can taste more of the warm spice and other flavors.

I liked that this was honey-sweetened, and that it was not too sweet. The (alkalized) cocoa used to give this Truffle Bar a rich dark color and cocoa flavor depth was smooth and subtle.

Ingredients: Organic Raw Honey, Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil, Organic Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Himalayan Pink Salt, Organic Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Allspice, Organic Cloves, Organic Nutmeg, Orange Oil. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nuts: Coconut"

Ingredients: Organic Raw Honey, Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil, Organic Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Himalayan Pink Salt, Organic Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Allspice, Organic Cloves, Organic Nutmeg, Orange Oil.

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nuts: Coconut"

*Occasionally, I taste certain ingredients in chocolate (in this case warm spices + coconut) and I experience a brief flicker of recognition, and a leap to a food or flavor memory. Today, for a brief second or two, I "tasted" a sweet and savory vegetable soup -- similar to a sweet Thai-style pumpkin coconut soup (with a touch of carrot, orange and spices). 

 

Stone Grindz - Spiced Hot Cocoa 55% Cacao (bar) - Oct. 13, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Stone Grindz Chocolate
Spiced Hot Cocoa 55% Cacao (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Stone Grindz, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Vietnam and Day #1 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spices Theme Week.

It's October; and as the weather cools warm spices and treats seem more attractive.

Today's Spiced Hot Cocoa 55% (bar) was made by Stone Grindz (Scottsdale, AZ). The cacao used to make this chocolate came from Ecuador and Peru. 

It was judiciously seasoned with Vietnamese cinnamon* and vanilla from Madagascar. And adorned with small, roasted marshmallows. A truly international bar.

The aroma notes for this 55% chocolate included: chocolate (appealing cocoa, hot chocolate), fragrant cinnamon and warm, authentic and aromatic vanilla. 

This chocolate had a smooth texture with a creamy melt. (No dairy ingredients, but there was some coconut (and added cocoa butter) that felt like creamy hot chocolate.) The marshmallows added a light, puffy chew to the texture--as well as vanilla and lightly-toasted marshmallow flavors.

This was a beautifully layered and faithful rendition of an excellent spiced hot chocolate. The smooth, warm and complex blend of flavors flowed and bloomed, just as they might in a hot beverage. Rich cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla with a small spicy kick (cayenne) in the last half. Very nicely done.

Warning: mildly addictive.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic coconut, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, Dandies vegan marshmallows (tapioca syrup, tapioca starch, soy protein), Madagascar vanilla bean, maldon sea salt

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut, soy.

*Vietnamese cinnamon (also known as Saigon cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia in English) is high in the oils that give cinnamon its characteristic taste. I enjoy its bold, warm, spicy-sweet flavor and aroma. Because of these characteristics, Saigon (and Ceylon) cinnamon(s) are often found in fall and winter warm beverages (hot chocolate, hot spiced cider) and baked goods (apple pie, spice cakes and cookies).

Cinnamon sticks hint at this spice's origin. They're made from the inner bark of cinnamon trees. Further grinding transforms this "bark" into the powdered, reddish-brown spice that we sprinkle on hot chocolate, oatmeal...or maybe on a chocolate bar or dessert.

Marou - So Co La Den 100% Single Origin Vietnam Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 12, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat
100% Single Origin (Vietnam) Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's 100% Single Origin Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Marou Chocolate (Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat), based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

It's worth noting up front, this ultra-dark single origin bar was crafted using one single ingredient (cocoa nibs).

Aroma notes included: subtle cocoa, dark chocolate, and very faint botanical (barely detectable floral (orchid); very faint, diffuse fruit; nut)

Flavor notes included: dark, unsweetened chocolate; subtle, unfolding fruit (pomegranate, tangerine, green fig) and fruit (pomegranate-date) molasses; and very faint nut (Brazil). 

When I take a bite of a 100% cacao bar, I brace myself for the probable disconnect between the friendly cocoa aroma--that my brain associates with something sweet--and the bitterness that may follow. There wasn't that kind of jolt this time. 

Yes, this chocolate was bitter (unsweetened), but not too bitter (or sour). It had some natural sweetness to it; and the feel of a high-quality, well-managed chocolate. This was a pleasant dragon, with gently complex cacao flavors.

Ingredients: Cocoa nibs

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes: Coconut"

SOMA Chocolate maker - Tien Giang, Vietnam dark chocolate 70% (bar) - Oct. 11, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

SOMA chocolatemaker 
Tien Giang, Vietnam dark chocolate 70% (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: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week--a week with some excellent single origin bars made from cacao grown in southern Vietnam.

Today's Tien Giang*, Vietnam dark chocolate 70% (bar) was from SOMA chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada). The cacao beans used for this bar came from Marou Faisseurs de Chocolat in Vietnam.**

Aroma notes for this deliciously dark bar included: rich, deep dark chocolate; faint, earthy molasses and botanicals (maple, warm spices).

The texture was smooth and uniform.

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate with bold cocoa shimmering with subtle dark complexity (faint, balanced earth; faint, fleeting dark, sweet berries; and faint molasses and warm spice). 

Bold and dark, yet also subtle and complex. These adjectives rarely converge in one chocolate. And oh what a beautiful, well orchestrated, convergence it was. The cacao was excellent, and so was the implementation.

This three-ingredient bar embraced the best traits cacao has to offer (across different varieties). The deep almost earthy boldness of a Forastero variety, the flavor and tart-sweet fruit of a Trinitario variety, and the beautiful complexity of a heritage/heirloom (South American) cacao (Criollo, Chuao and perhaps Nacional). 

Even the choice of organic cane sugar seemed just right. The cacao was already, inherently deep and dark. I'm always curious about what darker versions of bars would have tasted like. Not here. Going with a higher cacao percentage in this case--where flavors "darken" with proportionately less sugar--made less sense. And the sugar helped showcase the bright-dark-sweet dark berry/dark cherry fruit flavor notes.

Maker's tasting notes: "cinnamon, wild ginger, cherry jam, Brazil nut."

Ingredients: Cacao Nibs, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter

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

*Tien Giang is one of several cacao-growing provinces in southern Vietnam. The southern part of the country is warmer, and well-suited for cacao trees. Some of the best cacao grows in areas that are close to the coast and the Mekong River delta.

** Marou was founded by Vincent Mourou and Samuel Maruta in Vietnam over a dozen years ago. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Marou team was largely responsible for the Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Weeks on Chocolate Banquet for the past several years. Marou works directly with farmers in at least five provinces in southern Vietnam and makes bean-to-bar chocolates in Vietnam.

The company also has enabled other high-end chocolate makers around the globe to obtain fine Vietnamese cacao for their own single origin Vietnam chocolate offerings--such as today's SOMA chocolatemaker's Tien Giang bar.

Stone Grindz - Ba Ria, Vietnam 70% Cacao (bar) - Oct. 10, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Stone Grindz Chocolate
Ba Ria, Vietnam (The Origin Project) 70% Cacao (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Stone Grindz, online order

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

Today's Ba Ria*, Vietnam (The Origin Project) 70% Cacao (bar) was from Stone Grindz Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ).

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (attractive cocoa with very faint, fleeting and well-balanced fermentation notes; chocolate ganache/frosting).

Both the overall texture and melt were smooth and creamy. 

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y--in the best way possible: smooth, creamy, flavorful with gentle complexity. Very light and smooth bittersweet quality; like excellent drinking chocolate with a long, satisfying creamy finish.

This 70% dark chocolate had a fairly high degree of natural sweetness. The well-executed, authentic and rich flavor(s) balanced the sweetness. Mildly addictive and/or more-ish**. 

I also would have loved to have tried a slightly darker (73%-75%) version of this 70% bar. (One can fantasize; but makers have to make tough choices when they're working with a limited batch of cacao beans.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information included: (None listed on packaging.)

*Ba Ria is one of several cacao-growing provinces in southern Vietnam. Cacao likely first arrived and was cultivated in Vietnam in the 1800s. High-quality, fine cacao from these provinces in recent decades (and the hard work of dedicated people) has enabled a growing number of excellent, small-batch, craft chocolates. (Sadly, I think this Ba Ria bar (and its Dak Lak Vietnam 79% sibling) are already gone/sold out.)

**More-ish is a slang reference to certain sweets, snacks and other foods that tempt a person to over-consume. After one bite/serving, one still feels compelled to eat more...and more. 

I've never experienced this compulsion after eating a big salad--or other higher fiber/protein foods. I'm also fully satisfied after just a few bites of eating darker (80%+ cacao) chocolates. 

But occasionally I find chocolate flavors so divine that I just want to savor and appreciate them just a little longer. Today's chocolate fell more into that category.

Stone Grindz - Dak Lak, (Origin Project) Vietnam 70% Cacao (bar) - Oct. 9, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Stone Grindz Chocolate
Dak Lak, Vietnam (The Origin Project) 70% Cacao (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2. oz. (57 g.) (estim.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Stone Grindz Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Dak Lak*, Vietnam (The Origin Project) 70% Cacao (bar) was from Stone Grindz Chocolate (Tucson, AZ). 

Aroma notes for this subtle yet flavorful dark chocolate included: chocolate (very attractive cocoa; very faint and balanced cacao fermentation; "barely there" sour milk/yogurt; and very gentle bitterness).

The texture and melt were creamy and almost silky smooth.

Flavor notes in this well-executed Vietnam chocolate included: very pleasing rich cocoa, and very faint diffuse fruit, spice and botanical that all unfolded beautifully as the chocolate melted in my mouth. 

Loved the subtle complexity and balance; and it wasn't too sweet.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cacao butter, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information included: (No information listed.)

 

Monsoon Chocolate - Ben Tre Vietnam 70% Dark Chocolate - Oct. 8, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Ben Tre Vietnam 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136 (estim.) calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's Ben Tre Vietnam 70% Dark Chocolate (Batch #1) was from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ).

This chocolate, hand-crafted in the Sonoran desert in the U.S. Southwest, was part of Monsoon's "Origin Series" and was a "...collaboration with the farm workers who grow the (cacao) harvest" in Vietnam. 

The cacao source: Ben Tre Province, in the Mekong River delta--roughly 10.11 degrees Latitude (North of the Equator)--within the geographic Goldilocks zone for cacao trees.*

Aroma notes included: Dark chocolate, light brown/maple sugar, and light, faint sweet green floral.

Texture: Smooth with a very light and balanced, tart-sweet fruit astringency toward the finish.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, very light brown sugar, and a tart-sweet, diffuse blend of ripe fruits (orange, plum, nectarine, pineapple).

The flavors were balanced, and the sweetness had a natural, fruity quality.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*Goldilocks zone refers to an area that is "just right" for certain things to occur. Many factors influence where plants grow (e.g. temperature, weather, soils, altitude, etc.). Cacao trees thrive in temperate rain forests (twenty degrees (latitude) above and twenty degrees below the Equator) around the globe. 

In the U.S., you'll find cacao trees in Hawaii (at the very northern edge of this zone); but, overwhelmingly the bulk of the world's cacao is grown in countries closer to the Equator (e.g. West Africa, Indonesia/SE Asia, and in South and Central America--where cacao trees evolved around 10 million years ago).

 

Little Green Cyclo - Specialty Vietnamese Coffee Plant-Based Mocha beverage - Oct. 7, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Little Green Cyclo
Specialty Premium Vietnamese Coffee - Plant-based Mocha (beverage)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 3.75 fl. oz. (111 mL) / 7.5 fl. oz. (222 mL) in total container/can
Calories: 45 calories in 1/2 can
Cost: $3.99 for 1 can
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week. 

Today's Mocha plant-based beverage was from Little Green Cyclo (Brisbane, CA). The company, founded in 2010, has built a following around their Vietnamese food in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2019, the company started gearing up to add new coffee flavors. Happily for us, they weathered the economic changes the Covid-19 pandemic presented and now offer delicious Vietnamese (plant-based) coffees to enjoy.  

Speaking of weather, today was another in a series of 90+ degrees F. (32.2+ C.) days. So this refrigerated coffee/mocha was extra refreshing.

This Mocha coffee beverage was designed to "serve chilled or over ice." Being colder, the aroma notes were a bit more subtle, but still conveyed an attractive rich coffee, cream, and very faint coconut mocha cream scent.

Flavor notes for this mocha beverage included: Rich aromatic coffee (made with robusta and arabica coffee grown in Vietnam), and mocha-light coconut cream.

One can contained a hefty 200 mg of caffeine. Being sensitive to caffeine, I enjoyed a (smaller) 1/2 can portion, even though I would've been delighted to have more.*

Texture: light and creamy (almost fluffy)**. The coconut milk seemed lighter than dairy cream/condensed milk one might usually find. Vegetable gums also contributed to the texture. Shaking the can before opening is recommended. ("Refrigerate after opening. Some coconut milk separation is natural."). I didn't find this to be an issue.

Flavor notes included: rich and satisfying iced coffee + coconut (milk + cream) + chocolate powder (Guittard) with a smidge of vanilla. This drink was made with high-quality ingredients. I enjoyed the highly complementary and subtly complex flavors--and the fact that this mocha wasn't too sweet. 

Ingredients: Filtered Water, Coconut Milk (Coconut Cream, Water), Coffee (Filtered Water, Robusta & Arabica Coffee), Coconut Condensed Milk (Coconut Cream, Filtered Water, Cane Sugar, Guar Gum, Sea Salt), Guittard Chocolate Powder (Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Unsweetened Chocolate, Vanilla), Gum Acacia, Gellan Gum, Himalyan Pink Salt, Nitrogen

Allergen-related information: Contains Coconut. Manufactured in a facility that uses dairy and tree nuts. Vegan, Gluten Free

*Vietnamese coffee is typically made with robusta (or mostly with robusta) coffee, which has more caffeine than arabica coffee. As the name suggests, robusta coffee beans also provide robust and intense flavor. I liked the choice to include a blend of robust and aromatic (arabica) coffee beans from Vietnam.

** This can of coffee contained a small amount of Nitrogen (released with a tiny whisp of aerosol when the can was opened) that can create a smoother (textural) tasting experience. Nitrogen can also help preserve flavors (slow down/prevent oxidation process).

Good King - Arise Mocha Crunch Snacking Cacao - Oct. 6, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Good King
Arise Mocha Crunch Snacking Cacao
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving (1/2 package)
Cost: $6.00 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Zak's Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ), online order

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

Today's Good King "Arise" Mocha Crunch Snacking Cacao was manufactured by Cocoa Future, SPC (Seattle, WA). 

Aroma notes included: fruit, chocolate (cocoa), coffee, caramelized date/coconut sugar, and very faint, fleeting (almost there) whisp of sweet mushrooms sauteed in coconut milk and butter. 

Texture: There was a lot of fiber with each gently crunchy cacao bean and coffee based morsel. Happily, while while the cacao beans are fairly intact (in the original cacao bean form), these flavorful snack pieces weren't too dry or fibrous. 

Flavor notes for this 65% snacking cacao included: authentic, flavorful and well-balanced cacao (bean), with tasty coffee, caramel (and/or caramelized ingredients), coconut milk, cocoa butter and a tiny bit of salt. One of the best "coatings" for cacao beans I've tasted.

This was a perfect snack (and possibly breakfast); and I'd happily eat this again. Unfortunately, Good King offerings may be unavailable at the moment. I hope they return soon.

The ingredients used were thoughtfully sourced. The single origin, USDA Organic, Fair Trade  International (direct trade) cacao beans were from Coagricsal Co-op, Honduras. And the single origin, USDA Organic and Fair Trade for Life coffee was from Cafe Feminino, Peru.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Milk Powder*, Cacao Butter*, Coffee Beans*, Salt (* = Organic).

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Coconut" ("Vegan, Non-GMO, Dairy Free, Gluten Free")

 

Love + Chew - The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip - Oct. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

CompletEats, LLC
Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip 
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 cookie 
Calories: 270 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $2.99 for 1 cookie
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip was created by CompletEats, LLC (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, date caramel, and vanilla mocha.

This plant-based cookie had a chewy, very slightly crunchy (chia seeds), and relatively moist (thanks to date paste) texture. 

Flavor notes for this satisfying and tasty cookie included: dates, fudgey chocolate, mocha, vanilla and an underlying nuttiness (almond). 

The company's mission is to "bake clean-label and indulgent treats made entirely from plant-based ingredients." (I'd say mission accomplished.) An extra bonus for me: no gluten-containing ingredients.

Ingredients: Blanched Almonds, Date Paste, Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate Chips (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Natural Coffee Concentrate, Java Creme Flavor (Coffee Extractives, Vanilla Extract, Water), Chia Seeds, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds. May Contain Date Pit Fragments

Lolli & Pops - Chocolate Tiles, Caramel Cappuccino - Oct. 4, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Lolli and Pops
Chocolate Tiles - Caramel Cappuccino Dark Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 8.4 oz. (240 g.) in total package of 16 Tiles
Calories: 160 calories in 2 tiles 
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend 

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

Today's Caramel Cappuccino Dark Chocolate Tiles were manufactured for Lolli and Pops (San Francisco, CA).

The two individually wrapped tiles (squares) represented one of 8 flavors contained in a larger package of 16 Tiles (2 of each flavor).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, caramel, mocha and very faint vanilla.

Texture: A thin dark chocolate shell surrounded an even thinner caramel filling layer. There was just enough separation between the two elements to create pleasingly layered flavors--that were also very compatible with each other.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, caramel, mocha latte, and faint vanilla.

Ingredients: Note: because these two squares were part of an 8 flavor assortment pack, and the very long list of ingredients was a summary of all the flavors, I was unable to separate ingredients that applied just to this flavor. (Dark chocolate used contained chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla flavor).

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk and Soy, and may contain Wheat, Peanuts and Tree Nuts. Please visit www.lolliandpops.com. 

Theo Chocolate - Organic Coffee and Cream Cups 45% Milk Chocolate - Oct. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Organic Coffee and Cream Cups 45% Milk Chocolate (Cups)
Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) in 1 package of 2 pieces/cups
Calories: 230 calories in 1 package of 2 pieces/cups
Cost: $1.19 for 1 package (sale)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Organic Coffee and Cream Cups 45% Milk Chocolate were distributed by Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

These heart-shaped milk chocolate cups were similar to, but different than, yesterday's Organic Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate bar. Both were from Theo Chocolate. The ingredients were slightly different, and yesterday's bar was more coffee-forward in taste and texture. 

Aroma notes for today's cups included: milk chocolate and very faint (barely detectable) coffee.

Both the outer milk chocolate covering and the filling had a uniformly soft, buttery melt and mouthfeel. The (cup's) outer shell was slightly firmer; and the filling was slightly silkier.

Flavor notes included: creamy milk chocolate shell and milk chocolate ganache (filling)--with gently infused coffee flavor.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans*+, Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Coffee-Infused Coconut Oil* (Coconut Oil*, Coffee*+), Whole Milk Powder*, Ground Vanilla Bean*. (* Organic, + Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and wheat.  

Theo Chocolate - Organic Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Organic Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (Missing information)

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

Today's Organic, Fair Trade Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). The outer wrapper contained cartoon icons (bear, fish jumping out of water, coffee pot, mountains, tent, etc.) of outdoor living and coffee loving in the Northwest U.S.

The company was one of the first chocolate makers to offer organic and fair trade-certified chocolates in the U.S.; and is "Fair For Life" Fair Trade Certified.

Aroma notes included: fresh coffee, coffee toffee, and dark milk chocolate.

This 45% milk chocolate had a pleasant, thick and creamy texture and melt, and barely detectable, finely ground coffee particles.

Flavor notes included: rich and creamy mocha latte--with identifiable dark milk chocolate and roasted coffee constituents, that were also well balanced, blended and complementary.

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate* (Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Cocoa Beans*+, Whole Milk Powder*), Ground Coffee Beans*+. (*Organic, +Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. Made on equipment that also processes wheat and tree nuts and in a facility that handles peanuts, eggs, and sesame. *Organic +Fair Trade (Contains 80% Fair Trade Ingredients)

Theo Chocolate sources their cacao from several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Auro Chocolate - Mocha Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate with Arabica Coffee (bar) - Oct. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Auro Chocolate
Mocha Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate with Arabica Coffee (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 163 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and the Philippines Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week. 

Today's Mocha Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate with Arabica Coffee (bar) was produced by Auro Chocolate (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines).

Aroma and flavor notes for this Mocha (bar) included: Rich dark chocolate; fragrant, freshly ground coffee; very faint sweet green botanical and red berry; and a slightly creamy nut butter finish.

The texture was a blend of smooth dark chocolate and crunchy bits of coffee bean.

This sweet chocolate (sugar was the number one ingredient), was balanced by the rich, nuanced dark flavors of high-quality cacao and coffee.

Ingredients: Cane sugar, cacao mass, cacao butter, Arabica coffee, soy lecithin (emulsifier)

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