Bar Au Chocolat - DR bar - May 4, 2014

From: Wikipedia.org

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bar Au Chocolat
Duarte Province, Dominican Republic bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .92 oz. (26 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 138 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $13.00 in 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Dominican Republic Theme Week.

This dark chocolate 70% cacao bar from Bar Au Chocolat (Manhattan Beach, CA) was crafted from two ingredients: cacao and cane sugar. The single origin dark bar was carefully esconced in a gold-stenciled manila outer wrapper, and a beautiful, copper-gold inner foil wrap.

The cacao beans used to make this tasty bar came from the Duarte Province in the northern part of the Dominican Republic (DR). The chocolate had a balanced red/acidic fruit note combined with a smoother, darker, earthier flavor that I didn't pick up in other DR bars this week.

Bar au Chocolate - Chiapas, Mexico bar - April 26, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bar au Chocolat
Chiapas, Mexico bar
Good +
Weight: .46 oz. (13 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 69 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Mexican Chocolate Theme Week.

This two-ingredient dark chocolate bar (cacao beans + cane sugar) from Bar au Chocolat (Manhattan Beach, CA) was made with cacao beans grown in Chiapas, Mexico.

The chocolate had an interesting, complex and distinctive flavor profile, consistent with many of the best hand-crafted bars made from scratch.

The custom-folded packaging and lovely internal copper-colored foil inner wrapper showed careful attention to craft and detail as well.