Original Beans - Piura Porcelana 75% bar - June 30, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Original Beans
Piura Porcelana 75% bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) /2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories:  calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Peruvian Superfoods Theme Week.

Today's Piura Porcelana 75% bar from Original Beans (Amsterdam) was made in Switzerland. It was made using with treasured "white" Porcelana (Piura Valley, Peru) cacao beans from the Piura Valley or Peru.

The inside of the Porcelana cacao seed (bean) is creamy white (instead of the more common purple and white) and these beans are prized for their delicate, complex flavor.

The bar had light, balanced fruit (berries, black currant), faint forest floor earthiness and fermentation notes. It had a smooth dark chocolate melt and taste, with balanced blackberry, black raspberry, black currant and red grape flavor notes. The fruit was subtle, full and round, complex and lower in acidity than most "bright" berry/fruit chocolate.

The flavor finish had a very subtle but long tail. It tapered off but then had a small fruit blip late in the curve, and a very slight earthiness even later.

The makers tasting notes described the flavor as having: lime, raspberry and pecan notes.

Also important to Original Beans founder, Philipp Kauffman, that the origin be honored for its treasured resources, like the Peruvian butterflies part of today's packaging design. Kauffman has pledged to plant one tree for every bar sold "...preserving some of the Earth's rarest places."

More superfoods...
Peruvian cacao could certainly be described as a superfood. A lot of people are using that term to market exotic foods with high nutritional value. But, of course, flavor and texture of the food in question are important too. And high-quality, bean-to-bar chocolate, like today's three ingredient bar (cacao mass, raw cane sugar and cocoa butter) gets high marks in all these areas.

Also consumed today was an Antioxidant Sweet Berry powdered mix from Amazing Grass (Newport Beach, CA), stirred into a glass of water.

The mix contained a variety of fruit and vegetable ingredients, green tea, as well as maca (discussed earlier this week) and camu camu* powders.

It may not have been as yummy as today's chocolate, but the company does produce offer offerings with cacao, as well as a convenient way to hydrate with a beverage full of vitamins and minerals, particularly if you have a tough time eating your greens before they wilt in your fridge.

*Camu Camu is an Amazonian, tart fruit high in Vitamin C. It looks like a bit like a large cherry plum or a miniature red apple in photos.

Amazing Grass - Sweet and Savory Almond Bar - Jan. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amazing Grass
Sweet and Savory Almond
Whole Food Energy Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week, the chocolate of the day was this Sweet and Savory Almond energy bar from Amazing Grass (Newport Beach, CA).

Gluten and Soy Free, Organic and Vegan, this Green Superfood Almond Whole Food Energy Bar was also "cold processed." I'm assuming keeping temperatures down helps preserve nutritional value.

Rather than a chocolate coating, organic chocolate chips were incorporated into the bar, along with a long list of other ingredients. Normally, a long list means additives, preservatives, emulsifiers and such, but not here.

The bar contained a blend of greens, fruits and vegetables, and an Amazing Grass Green Superfood blend found in the company's other bars as well. The green blend included grasses, alfalfa, spirulina, spinach, and broccoli.

As indicated by the term "whole food," generous layers of whole almonds, peanuts, and cashew pieces were visible in this energy bar.

Amazing Grass - Chocolate Cherry Almond bar - Jan. 4, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amazing Grass
Chocolate Cherry Almond bar
Good
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Cherry and Nut Theme Week.

This Green SuperFood Chocolate Cherry Almond bar from Amazing Grass (Newport Beach, CA) recently joined the company's line-up of whole food nutrition bars.

This energy + protein bar -- also Non GMO, Vegan and Gluten Free -- had a chocolate coating and a pleasant soft-chew texture. The slightly greenish center might scare some people away, but it reminded me of the greens and vegetables that went into the bar. I also liked the fact that it wasn't super sweet.

This bar was the perfect size to take on a hike (as we did today), or for a snack on the go.

Amazing Grass - Cafe Mocha bar - August 31, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Amazing Grass
Green Superfood - Cafe Mocha bar
Good
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

The Green Superfood - Cafe Mocha nutrition bar from Amazing Grass (Newport Beach, CA) was relatively high in protein (12 grams) and had more vitamins and minerals than most chocolate bars. The slightly chewy, chocolate covered "green" bar had a sweet, fruity flavor, with substantial texture (from rice protein, almonds, pumpkin seed butter, greens, organic flax, etc.). The chocolate and coffee flavors were relatively mild.


This bar helped revive me after a day of walking up and down stairs in San Francisco. Lovely, sunny day up for a decorative stairway and park-to-park hike, with a clear view across the Golden Gate to Marin County and Mount Tamalpais.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amazing Grass
Organic Green SuperFood
Chocolate Whole Food Energy Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

This Organic, raw, vegan Green SuperFood bar (distributed by Amazing Grass, San Francisco, CA) was so jam-packed with gluten and dairy free ingredients, such as greens (spinach, alfalfa, spirulina, broccoli), nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cacao nibs, and peppermint, that it could have been a meal by itself. Dates and agave nectar provided a moist, slightly chewy texture and sweetness. This green, "alkalinizing" bar was coated in chocolate.

I'd seen two different versions of this bar this month in local stores (both versions shown at right), likely the result of a recent packaging change. The two bars were the same weight and the ingredients and calorie count appeared to be the same. I tried both to be sure. Sure enough, they tasted the same too.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week. And, even though the peppermint flavor was difficult to pick out in this tasty green salad bar, today was also Day #1 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: January 18, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amazing Grass
Green SuperFood Chocolate Peanut Butter protein bar
Good
Weight: 2.2 oz. (63 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.49 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Eating chocolate covered wheat grass, barley grass and alfalfa for breakfast didn't sound that exciting, as I don't eat wheat. However, this bar, distributed by Amazing Grass (San Francisco), was marked gluten free, so I gave it a try. Oh, and did I mention it had peanut butter and nuts in it? That helped. This Fair Trade bar was also made with whey protein, and contained higher levels of vitamins and minerals than most chocolate items. It gave me a little bit of a sniffly nose, but then grasses sometimes do that to me. Otherwise, it was a good, healthy way to start the day.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.