TCHO
Yule Nog - Eggnog with Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate (bar)
Good++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package of three small bars
Calories: 360 calories in 3 small bars (1 package of 3 bars)
Cost: $7.19 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA
Good++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package of three small bars
Calories: 360 calories in 3 small bars (1 package of 3 bars)
Cost: $7.19 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA
TCHO + Clif Family
Napa Noir - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao
Good ++
Weight: 1.65 oz. (46.2 g.) /2.5 oz. (70 g.) total package of three bars
Napa Noir - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao
Good ++
Weight: 1.65 oz. (46.2 g.) /2.5 oz. (70 g.) total package of three bars
Calories: 240 calories in 2 small bars
Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar (package of 3 smaller bars)
Purchased from: TCHO, online order
Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar (package of 3 smaller bars)
Purchased from: TCHO, online order
Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Warm Spices & Maple Theme Week here on Chocolate Banquet.
Today two winter warmer bars were from TCHO Ventures Inc. (Berkeley, CA):
- 1.) a "Yule Nog" (Eggnog With Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate) 35% Cacao chocolate
- 2.) a "Napa Noir" - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao - a collaboration with the Clif Family Winery (Saint Helena, CA)
Yule Nog (bars)
Aroma and flavor notes for this Organic bar included: aromatic and authentic nutmeg spice; warm spirits (rum); white chocolate cookie dough; faint nut--all culminating in a surprisingly tasty white chocolate with convincing eggnog taste--without egg or dairy.
The texture was quite smooth for a non-dairy, white chocolate bar. I noticed a very faint, fine granularity in my throat from the oat milk and cashew (and maybe ground nutmeg); but it didn't distract me that much. It had a thick, creamy-gummy texture that resolved into a very satisfying melt and mouthfeel.
I appreciated the company's choice to use organic ingredients, their blend of 100% Plant-based ingredients and the high-quality nutmeg and rum flavors that conjured up the true spirit of eggnog.
Ingredients: Cocoa Butter*+, Gluten Free Oat Flour* (Oat Flour*, Natural Vitamin E), Cane Sugar*, Cashew Butter*, Coconut Oil*, Nutmeg Powder*, Sea Salt, Vanilla*, Natural Flavors*
* = Organic, + = Fair Trade Certified - Over 34% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients
Allergen-related information: Contains Cashews. May Contain Other Tree Nuts.
Napa Noir (bars)
Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate; faint red fruit (red grape, red berry, red wine); barely detectable pepper.
Texture: smooth base dark chocolate mixed with crunchy cacao nibs bits
Flavor notes: smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y, hot cocoa/drinking chocolate, dark fudge, cocoa nibs) with faint red fruit (red grape, berry, watermelon, red wine) and a perfect touch of salt.
This was a tasty, well-balanced bar with chocolate, red fruit, salt, and crunchy (Peruvian) cacao nibs -- all blended harmoniously together.
Both TCHO bars today exceeded my expectations and I'd happily enjoy them again (if they are available in the future).
(Note: this Napa Noir bar was still available on the TCHO website shop as well as the Clif Family Winery online store when I checked this week. The Clif Family red wine used to make this bar was: "Kit's Killer Cab.")
I appreciated the packaging (3 individually-wrapped bars that can be easily shared with others); the maker's use of Organic, quality and thoughtfully sourced ingredients; and the clever use of using wine infused sugar and salt to flavor this sweet and salty dark chocolate*.
Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Wine Sugar (Cane Sugar, Wine), Organic Roasted Cacao Nibs, Organic Cocoa Butter, Wine Sea Salt (Salt, Wine), Organic Sunflower Lecithin
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Tree Nuts. Contains Less Than 1% Alcohol."
*Chocolate is hydrophobic (does not play well with water/liquids), so if you're stirring around a large vat of melted chocolate, the last thing you want to do is to add water, milk, beverages or other liquid libations. You run the risk of the chocolate seizing up. (Milk chocolate is made by adding powdered milk.)
Wine-flavored chocolates can be created by storing/aging cacao nibs in old wine casks. Or, liquids can be reduced/dried and infused into melted cocoa butter--or blended with batches of sugar and salt using drying or evaporation techniques--with the result being wine-flavored sugar and salt.
The first and third techniques mentioned above were likely used with today's Napa Noir bar.
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