Hummingbird Chocolate Maker - Candied Ginger Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) - Mar. 27, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hummingbird Chocolate Maker
Candied Ginger Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Candied Ginger Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar) was from Hummingbird Chocolate Maker (Almonte, Ontario, Canada).

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (rich cocoa, ganache with light fermentation, light fruit acidity), and spice.

Both ingredients in this blend--the smooth dark chocolate and authentic, and the very slightly chewy, candied ginger--were of high quality. 

This bar was blessed with a generous helping of sugared ginger chunks and chips. The ginger flavor was balanced, not too hot and spicy, and didn't overwhelm the nuances of the dark chocolate (shades of Trinitario cacao variety (fruit) and very faint earth. No small feat with two potential flavor powerhouses.

The flavors were well executed and lingered pleasantly in the finish. This was an enjoyable, flavorful, well-crafted 70% (single origin)* chocolate bar, from a small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker self-described as "Industrious, Not Industrial." 

Maker's tasting notes: "Like a warm hug from a sassy friend, candied ginger adds a sweet and spicy zing to our single origin dark chocolate." 

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, candied ginger (ginger, cane sugar).

Allergen-related information: May contain: milk, nuts, peanuts.

Monsoon Chocolate - Ginger Covered in Dark Chocolate - Mar. 26, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Ginger Covered in Dark Chocolate 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 6.18 oz. (175 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 2 oz. serving
Cost: $10.00 for 1 package (plus shipping)
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Ginger Covered in Dark Chocolate pieces were from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ)--a chocolate maker and confectioner that "sources cacao from around the globe and draws  inspiration for flavor inclusions from local ingredients."

Aroma notes for these round, pebble-shaped pieces included: dark chocolate (rich cocoa, faint diffuse fruit and fermented cacao, dark chocolate ganache/mousse) and spicy ginger.

Monsoon's generously-sized, round confections were like eating high-quality versions of giant spicy, ginger jellybeans--coated with a thin layer of 69% cacao dark chocolate and an outer-most dusting of (Ecuador) cocoa powder. The sweet ginger firm jelly-like centers packed an authentic, ginger root heat. Kapow. My eyes were almost watering; but I still wanted more.

Ginger lovers will rejoice. The only downside: all that ginger made it more difficult to taste flavor nuances in the chocolate. But, these were still fun to eat.

Ingredients: Organic crystallized ginger, dark chocolate (cocoa beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), organic natural cocoa powder

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.