Amano Artisan Chocolate - Citrus Melange A Trois 63% dark chocolate (bar) - July 5, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Amano Artisan Chocolate
Citrus Melange A Trois 63% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 205 calories in 1 serving (approximately 1/2 bar)
Cost: $10.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Japan Theme Week. Common flavor inclusions this week include Yuzu citrus, sesame seeds, green tea and other umami flavors.

Today's Citrus Melange A Trois 63% cocoa dark chocolate (bar) was made by Amano Chocolate Company (Orem, UT).

Aroma notes for this bar included: chocolate torte with citrus (orange, tangerine, other tart-sweet orange and citrus fruit); and very faint, fleeting botanicals/spices (green pepper/peppery greens, oxalis, citrus-pine, vanilla).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with citrus flavors and an occasional, tiny trophy bit of citrus.

I really enjoyed the blend of dark chocolate and complex (and complementary) micro-bursts of authentic, tart-sweet citrus--including Yuzu fruit from Japan.*

Note: Amano also offers a Japanese Sea Salt and Cocoa Nibs bar.

Maker's tasting notes: "Haunting flavor notes of Yuzu, tangerine, and grapefruit enrich the deep chocolate flavor. Orange pieces provide a layer of juiciness."

Ingredients: Chocolate: Cocoa Beans, Pure Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Whole Vanilla Beans, Yuzu, Tangerine, and Grapefruit, Orange Pieces: Apple Puree, Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Fiber, Pectin, Paprika.

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Soy, Wheat and Milk Products"

*Citrus fruits originated in Asia; but there are a few hybrid citrus varieties, like Yuzu (aka Japanese citron), that are associated with Japan.

Dandelion Chocolate - Tokyo Gateau chocolate cake - July 4, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Dandelion Chocolate
Tokyo Gateau chocolate cake
Good ++ - Good +++  
Weight: 4.85 oz. (113.3 g.) / 9.7 oz. (275 g.) in total cake
Calories: (Unknown)
Cost: $55.00 for 1 cake

Purchased from: Dandelion Chocolate, online order

Kon'nichiwa, yokoso (hello and welcome) to Day #3 of Chocolate and Japan Theme Week.

Today's Tokyo Gateau (chocolate cake)--ensconced in a reusable, wooden box was made by the Tokyo Pastry team in the Japan kitchen of Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes for this French-style chocolate cake included: rich, buttery smooth dark chocolate (ganache, buttery torte). 

I think of a French gateau as a buttery, velvety, cake (often with an incorporated filling or frosting layer). 

The texture for this one was indeed thick, buttery soft, velvety, and chocolate-y; and, yes, it was similar to a French Gateau au Chocolat. And it was very rich. 

It was described as having a texture of thick, creamy cheese. A chocolate version of creamy brie--but with dairy butter and silken eggs rather than cheese flavors. One slice of this chocolate cake with the texture of chocolate butter was enough to satisfy me. 

Flavor notes included: rich chocolate, caramel and very faint, diffuse buttery fruit (Anamalai cacao is somewhat fruity).

I loved that this rich chocolate cake was gluten-free, full of chocolate flavor, and made with four, "carefully sourced" ingredients. 

Reflecting the large jump in chocolate prices in the past year*, this cake was quite pricey; however, it was cheaper than hopping on a plane to Tokyo. (I also am enjoying reusing the wooden box for art supplies.) It was a deceptively simple cake, but probably one I wouldn't have had the patience to make. (Getting the eggs to behave can be harder than some think.)

Ingredients: Dandelion 70% chocolate (cocoa beans from Anamalai, India, organic cane sugar), butter, organic cane sugar, eggs. 

Allergen-related information: Contains milk (butter) and eggs. Made in a facility that also processes milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, soy, sesame, tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts).

Maker's description: "Developed to highlight the distinctive tasting notes of two complementary origins--(one being) Dandelion Japan 70% Anamalai, India, 2019 Harvest chocolate...These fudgy, almost cheesecake-like confections are crafted from single-origin chocolate, organic cane sugar, orange-yolked eggs, and unsalted butter. They contain no flour, and their silky texture is achieved by precise mixing and careful monitoring of ingredient temperature.

*The jump in cacao prices are due to many global factors, ranging from bad weather/storms hitting several key cacao growing nations (ruining crops) to inflation all through the supply chain. In today's case international shipping of a perishable pastry/cake from Japan to San Francisco (and then to my house during the summer) added to the price as well.