Bonus entry: Matcha white chocolate bars from 3 chocolate makers - July 9, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade
Green herbs and Matcha tea in White Chocolate with Lemon oil (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Deux Cranes
Sakura + Matcha Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 177.5 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. of  bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA 

Fjak Chocolate
Limited Edition - Sea Buckthorn & Matcha White Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 161 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. of bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Japan Theme Week. My Chocolate of the Day was a Hojicha Hot Chocolate from Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA). 

This bonus post includes three white chocolates (made with cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids*) that all contain Matcha green tea. These Japan-inspired flavor fusions of east and west were fun to try.

Green Herbs, Matcha, Lemon (bar)

This pretty bar was created in Budapest (Hungary), using Matcha green tea from Japan. But, that was just the starting point.

This creamy, jade-hued bar was a blend of bright lemon citrus, mint, green tea and green herb (tarragon). This beautifully patterned green bar was a refreshingly sweet summer white chocolate; and it offered perhaps the freshest spring-summer botanical bouquet of the three.

Sakura + Matcha (bar)

Deux Cranes (Los Gatos, CA) uses flavors from Japan and French (Valrhona) chocolate to make their bars and creations. 

Aroma and flavor notes for this jade green and pink bar included: sweet green tea and very faint floral cheesecake, vanilla and cherry. (It contained both Sakura (cherry blossom) leaf powder and flower petals.) (Extra points for authentic Japanese ingredients.)

The slightly astringent, authentic green tea lingered into the finish. And the faint cherry blossom note gave this bar some extra floral polish.

Sea Buckthorn & Matcha (bar)

Fjak Chocolate is based in Eidfjord, Norway; and many of their most memorable bean-to-bar offerings include local Norwegian flavors (like apple cider; berries; reindeer moss; brown cheese). 

This Limited Edition bar was part of Fjak's "World Flavours" collection. Matcha was paired with a local orange "sea berry" (that grows on tall bushes in Northern Europe, Mongoloia, Russia--and Canada).

This elegant bar was beautifully constructed using two (fused) layers: a sea green matcha green tea layer on the bottom was topped with a golden colored (sea buckthorn) layer. The tea and fruit additions were wholly incorporated into the smooth two-toned chocolate.

The green layer was initially fairly green tea forward. Then the top layer kicked in. It was infused with tart-sweet fruit flavor (sea buckthorn, cape gooseberry, very faint tamarind). The two layers harmonized nicely and gave me a chance to better enjoy each of these two complementary flavors even as they melted into one.

The tart-sweet Sea Buckthorn fruit livened the tea up a bit -- like squeezing sweet, fresh lemon to a cup of black tea.

Summary

I loved that all three gently complex and balanced bars were not overly sweet (thank you!); and all were visually appealing, thoughtfully designed and well-executed white chocolates--blended with authentic-tasting green (Matcha) tea and fresh fruit/floral/herbal flavor inclusions.

*I don't "count" white chocolates as a formal Chocolate of the Day; but they can be fun extra entries in theme weeks.

Dandelion Chocolate - Hojicha Hot Chocolate Mix - July 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Dandelion Chocolate
Hojicha Hot Chocolate Mix 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 5.6 oz. (160 g.) in total glass container
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) in 1 serving (1/4 container)  

Cost: $18.00 for 1 container
Purchased from: Dandelion Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Japan Theme Week, with a few chocolates featuring Japanese green teas. Hojicha is a roasted green tea from Japan.

Today's Hojicha Hot Chocolate Mix* was from San Francisco-based Dandelion Chocolate. (The company also has a location in Tokyo, Japan).

Dandelion is most well-known for their bean-to-bar chocolate (bars). This Japanese-inspired, hot beverage blend was made with single origin 70% Camino Verde, Ecuador cacao/chocolate and was attractively packaged in a smoke-colored glass container with a cork stopper. Was this 4-serving container expensive? At $4.50 per serving, yes. But, I felt I was paying for the whole experience (being in Japan without the plane flight--or having to find parking in the Mission District of San Francisco). And I'll definitely use the glass container for other things.**

Aroma notes (after removing the stopper) included: dark chocolate (oxalis, tannic botanicals, very faint diffuse fruit (persimmon and brown sugar)), roasted and slightly acidic tea. After taking out a few spoonfuls, there were more fragrant, almost floral green tea notes below the surface.

As I prepared this into hot chocolate, the tiny granules of chocolate-y, single origin dark chocolate dissolved into a fragrant, crisp green tea background. (Tip: Try to heat this blend and whisk just enough to melt the chocolate, but not so much that you lose the more delicate (volatile) green tea notes.)

The green tea flavor was very refreshing, especially when I drank this beverage cold. (We're having a heat wave in California.) I enjoyed the opportunity to try this blend of bold and delicate, nuanced flavors; and the fact that it was very lightly sweetened (thank you!). Other tasting notes included: faint roasted, balanced earth and very slight astringency (likely from the tea).

Maker's notes: "Japanese green tea + 70% fudge-y Ecuador chocolate...that whisks up rich and creamy, drinks with subtle smoky notes and a smooth finish..." 

Ingredients: 70% Camino Verde, Ecuador chocolate (cocoa beans, organic cane sugar), light brown sugar, roasted green tea

Allergen-related information: "Packed in a facility that also processes peanuts, milk, tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and coconuts), sesame, wheat, and soy."

*Other hot chocolate mixes currently offered by the company: a classic House Hot Chocolate, a spicy Mission Hot Chocolate, and a House Mocha blend.

**2023-2024 will go down as a period when chocolate prices rose significantly. And, due to inflation and climate changes (e.g. hotter weather, stronger storms, failed crops), prices will likely stay high.