Backyard Brew - Nutella Hot Chocolate; Barlovento Bars; Nuts, Nibs, Nice - Feb. 26, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Backyard Brew
Nutella Hot Chocolate
Good++
Weight: 10+ oz. (estimate) for 1 serving
Calories: 168 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: $4.00 for 1 serving
Purchased from: Backyard Brew, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of LMNOPQR Theme Week. As we frolic through the alphabet, we arrive today at the letter "N."

Nuts, Nibs...Hmmm. How about Nutella Hot Chocolate? It just so happened I found such a thing at a new small business called Backyard Brew in Palo Alto, CA.

The duo working there I spoke to were thoughtful, bright, creative young men with a passion for creating community and a relaxing shared public space.

A place to relax and enjoy a coffee or tea, or a Nutella Mocha or Hot Chocolate. And, one could stay and do some creative doodling —on tables, chairs or walls too.

Backyard Brew's Nutella Hot Chocolate was full of pleasing cocoa and hazelnut flavor and had a light, whipped texture.

Accessible via alley from California Avenue—a street known for it's small businesses, restaurants and a thriving Sunday Farmers Market—Backyard Brew should do well.

Barlovento Chocolates
And, speaking of the Farmers Market, today was Sunday. So I bought two bars from the Barlovento Chocolates booth (not far from Backyard Brew) at the Market:

1.) 80 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs bar
2.) 73 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Fruits and Nuts (Pistachios, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries) bar

Wrapped in gold foil, both bars were made from dark, slightly earthy but smooth, Venezuelan chocolate by founder Peter Brydon and team at Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA).

It was a very Nice morning indeed.

Barlovento - 80 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate bar - Oct. 10, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
80 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Barlovento Chocolates, Oakland (Farmers Market), CA

Today's Extra Dark 80 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate bar was from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA).

Barlovento offers chocolates bars and confections "with a farmers market aesthetic" that are made from single source 100 percent cacao, from one region of Venezuela. Inclusions include herbs and fruit that one might find in the (Oakland) farmers market where I bought this bar.

For an ultra-dark bar, this chocolate was very smooth and pleasing, full of fruit aroma and flavor. It also had lower acid, astringency and/or bitterness than you might imagine for an 80 percent bar.

This extra dark bar had a pleasant, sweet, almost spicy, dark chocolate aroma with light dried fruit notes (ranging from cherries and figs to pears and apples). However, again, this subtle 80 percent bar wasn't as rambunctious as it sounds. All these flavors/flavor notes were all very well balanced.

Barlovento - 64 percent Venezuela bar with Kilauea Black salt - Sept. 5, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
64 percent Venezuelan bar with Kilauea Black salt
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.96 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zombie Runner, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's Kilauea Black salt bar from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA) was the last in a series of four different salt bars from this Bay Area-based chocolatier, that specializes in chocolate bars and confections made with cacao grown in Venezuela.

Today's black salt bar was my favorite in this series. The dark crystals of salt from Hawaii (on the back of the bar) were slightly bigger (than those on other bars this week), and had a very subtle smoky flavor.

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Barlovento - 64 percent Venezuelan with Himalaya Pink Salt bar - Sept. 4, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
64 percent Venezuelan with Himalaya Pink Salt bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.96 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zombie Runner, Palo Alto, CA

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

This 64 percent Venezuelan chocolate bar with Himalaya Pink Salt was the third in a series of four bars from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA) featured this week. All of these smaller, credit-card sized sized Barlovento bars have had different types of salts sprinkled on the back side.

Barlovento focuses on chocolate and confections made with Carenero cacao grown in Barlovento, Venezuela (east of Caracas).

*"Carenero" means, if I understand correctly, "the place in a port where they careen, or lean over, the ships" (presumably to clean or maintain them). I'm afraid I know more about chocolate than I do boats. So, feel free to set me straight if I've got this wrong.

Barlovento - 64 percent Venezuelan Sel Gris bar - Sept. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
64 percent Venezuelan Sel Gris (Grey Sea Salt) bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.96 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zombie Runner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

This small, simply packaged 64% Venezuelan cacao bar was almost identical to yesterday's bar. Both were made locally in the San Francisco Bay Area by Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA).

The only difference that I could see: today's bar incorporated Sel Gris (Grey Sea Salt) on the back. (Yesterday's bar was adorned with red sea salt.)

Perfect size for a single serving of fairly smooth dark chocolate. And, like yesterday's bar, the salt crystals were just the right size and distribution, creating a pleasing flavor blend.

Salt sometimes works to balance bitterness or sweetness in a dark chocolate bar; but the base Venezuelan chocolate was fairly smooth and not overly sweet. So no balancing or over-compensating was necessary.

Barlovento Chocolates - 64 percent Venezuela Red Salt bar - Sept. 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
64 percent Venezuelan Chocolate + Haleakala Red Sea Salt bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.96 g.) (estimate) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zombie Runner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Last week I featured seven bars containing salt. The salt theme lingers this week with a series of four bars made from Venezuelan cacao this week, "seasoned" with different types of salt.

The first bar of this series was today's 64 percent cacao bar that had small crystals of Haleakala Red Sea Salt embedded in it. It had a relatively mild cocoa flavor. Even so, the nuances of the Hawaiian red salt flavors were hidden a bit by the chocolate (as is often the case). However, the salt crystal size and distribution was very well balanced for the bar.

This small, simply packaged bar was made locally by San Francisco Bay Area chocolatier, Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA). Barlovento Chocolates makes bars, truffles and confections using chocolate from the Carenero area (East of Caracas) in Barlovento, Venezuela.

Barlovento - 80% bar with dried cherries - Feb. 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Barlovento Chocolates
80% Extra Dark Chocolate Bar with Dried Cherries
Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Barlovento Chocolates, Palo Alto Farmers Market

Today was Day #11 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Weeks.

This extra dark beauty from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA) was crafted from 80% Venezuelan chocolate.

The back side of this bar was covered with neat rows of dried, moist cherries from Hidden Star Orchards (Clements, CA). I could smell the rich, natural aromas from this bar as soon as I lifted up the gold foil wrapping. Each square packed in satisfying chocolate and cherry flavor.

Barlovento - Eggnog truffle - Dec. 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Eggnog Brandy truffle
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 62 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece (if part of 4-piece box, otherwise $2.75 for 1)
Purchased from: Barlovento Chocolates, California Ave. Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the Day after Christmas, and Day #2 of Holiday Spirits Theme Week. It was nice to still be unwrapping presents, like this dark shimmering Eggnog Brandy truffle from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA).

The Barlovento chocolates I bought this past week (at the local farmers market) were all made from Venezuelan dark chocolate, including this Eggnog truffle that was infused with very subtle spice and brandy flavors.

The rich, slightly acidic dark chocolate ganache (and dark couverture) dominated this truffle. Dark, bold and beautiful, with no sugary, white fluff.

Barlovento - Gingerbread Truffle - Dec. 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
Gingerbread Truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 61 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece (if part of 4-piece box/order)
Purchased from: Barlovento table/booth at California Avenue Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to bonus day (Day #8) of Chocolate and Holiday Spice Theme Week. The excitement of the holidays (we'll all need to crash and take a nap soon) has been fueled by sugar and spice and gingerbread this week.

So, infused with the thought of more sweets, I skipped off to the local farmers market and bought vegetables, fruit, nuts, and chocolates. I enjoyed today's Gingerbread Truffle from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA), and had visions of gluten-free gingerbread men cookies (from Mariposa Baking Company, also based in Oakland, CA) dancing in my head. I wondered what gingerbread men ate for breakfast...A bowl of Gingerbread Truffles perhaps?

The Barlovento Gingerbread Truffle, stenciled with a colorful holiday gingerbread motif*, was covered with Venezuelan dark chocolate. The truffle was filled with a white chocolate ganache, flavored with gingerbread spices and perhaps a drop or two of molasses. Sweet, seasonal and delicious.*

Note: this seasonal item may not be available much longer.
* Seen here photographed (upper left) with Barlovento Meyer Lemon truffles and Kirsch truffle

Barlovento - Meyer Lemon Zest - Nov. 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
Meyer Lemon Zest truffle
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) in 1 truffle
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 truffle
Purchased from: Barlovento Chocolates (table at Marin Civic Center Thursday Farmers Market)

I'm often asked: "After 7 years, where do I find new chocolates to try?" My answer is: Everywhere! After 7 years, I'm still finding new chocolatiers where I live, in the San Francisco Bay Area, to say nothing of the rest of the world.

Today I drove up to the Marin Civic Center Farmers Market (north of San Francisco, CA) to buy a few Meyer Lemon Zest truffles from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA). It was worth the drive. I enjoyed meeting the Barlovento rep. and other vendors at the Farmers Market -- and tasting delicious foodstuffs.

The Meyer Lemon dark chocolate truffle, decorated with thin, lemon yellow squiggles, was filled with a very creamy ganache infused with authentic tasting Meyer lemon zest. The Meyer lemon has a sunnier, sweeter flavor than other varieties; and it pairs well with chocolate.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week. And Meyer lemons have been well represented thus far.