Blanxart - 82% Congo Mountains of the Moon single origin (bar) - Jan. 14, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Blanxart
82% Congo Mountains of the Moon Single Origin, Organic (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1.06 oz. (30 g.) (9 squares) of bar
Cost: $7.49 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Nugget Markets, Tiburon, CA (Thank you Don!)

Buenos dias (good day), and welcome to Day #8 of European Chocolate Holiday Theme Week, where we're experiencing several European countries, via chocolate. 

Today's featured bar enabled virtual travel to Barcelona, Spain. (And, for those in California, scroll down to read about a "real" visit to a local Basque restaurant for additional chocolate fun.)

The 82% Congo (Mountains of the Moon) single origin, organic dark chocolate bar was made from bean to bar in Barcelona by Blanxart (San Joan Despi, BCN, Spain). 

Because of the proximity to African cacao growing countries, many European makers obtain their cacao from Africa. Blanxart chocolate makers crafted this 82% single origin bar using Forastero variety cocoa beans ("selected from small farm cooperatives") from Congo. 

The "Mountains of the Moon" name in the bar's title refers to the Rwenzori Mountains located between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the more temperate foothills surrounding this range, cacao and other crops are grown.

This bar had a dark chocolate aroma with smooth, faint umami (salt caramel, leather and light earth/clay, barely there roasted greens) and clean mineral notes.

The Forastero cacao used yielded bold, deep hearty chocolate flavor (as this variety typically does). However, even at a high cacao percentage (82%),* the flavor profile also had nicely balanced complexity, including true chocolate (toasted brownie) notes and (half-way in) an up-tick of bright fruit, including berry (red raspberry to ripe blackberry/black raspberry, and sweet black currant) and very faint citrus (sour lemon to very sweet pink grapefruit) notes. 

This multi-faceted, sophisticated chocolate was relatively low in bitterness (for an ultra-dark Forastero bar) and had a balanced level of acidity. The bold chocolate flavors tapered down softly (as if to take a bow) into a clean finish.

Blanxart tasting notes for Mountains of the Moon cacao: "...red fruits, citrus..."

Ingredients: "Cocoa 82% minimum. Organic cocoa, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter."

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, nuts and soy." (Organic, certified by CCPAE.)

Basque Cuisine and Marquise au Chocolat 
I imagined a (virtual) walk through Barcelona today to taste the flavors of cacao, passing examples of Gaudi's colorful sculptural architecture along the way, and enjoying great food (and chocolate). One could easily spend a week in this one Catalan city alone.

Within many European countries, regions holds delicious secrets. Both the Catalan region in the south of Spain (Mediterranean coast) and Basque region in the north (on the Cantabrian Sea) share a border with France. Early proximity to ports and prosperous cities enabled access to cacao and a variety of culinary influences; and the results can still be enjoyed today.

In the interest of virtually visiting northern Spain, I made a "real" visit to Le Chalet Basque (San Rafael, CA). The small restaurant offered authentic Basque dishes with a heavy French influence. I enjoyed a piece of their Marquis au Chocolat dessert, to go, after a long walk by the San Francisco Bay. If you're not familiar with this chocolate creation, think: a cross between a cognac flavored, chilled chocolate mousse and the best dark chocolate gelato/ice cream you've tasted. It was heaven in a take-out box. 

*Note: Percentages listed on chocolate packaging do not always correlate with flavor in the way that people expect. Variations in flavor can be due to variety of cocoa beans used, amounts of added cocoa butter or cocoa solids/cocoa powder, and other factors. There may also be minor differences in labeling requirements and terminology in different countries.

Blanxart - Organic Dark Chocolate Nicaragua 85% Bosawas bar - June 19, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Blanxart
Organic Dark Chocolate 85% Bosawas Nature Preserve, Nicaragua bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.25 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 (estimate) calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Spanish Table, Mill Valley, CA

Buenos Dias y Bienvenidos al dia #12 de la semana tematica del Chocolate y Nicaragua. Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Nicaragua Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate (Chocolat Bio Noir) 85% Bosawas Nature Preserve, Nicaragua, bar was from Blanxart* (based in Barcelona, Spain since 1954). As the name implies, the cacao used to make this bar was grown in the Bosawas Nature Preserve in Nicaragua.

This ultra-dark bar had light, complex fruit (grapes, peach jam), malt, peanut butter and jelly, oatmeal cookie, and light caramel aroma, and a smooth melt and texture.

The flavor profile was remarkably mellow for an 85 percent bar. It contained chocolate, very light fruit acidity, nutty and very faint, balanced earth/dirt notes with a very subtle, balanced bitterness and a pleasant finish. Again, an intriguing complexity with a light touch and not too sweet. There was much to like here.

Thank you to Spanish Table for their assistance in selecting some great Spanish chocolates in their store, amidst paella pans, spice jars and packets and other interesting Iberian items.

*BB Chocolate Grup, S.A. This bar was imported by Culinary Collective (Lynnwood, WA).

Blanxart - Organic Dark 76% Brazil bar - Oct. 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Blanxart
Organic Dark Chocolate 76% Brazil bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.25 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 178 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market store, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today's Blanxart (BB Chocolate Grup, S.A) Organic Dark Chocolate Brazil bar was made in Spain.

The cacao used to make this 76% cacao dark bar came from a plantation in the Amazon rainforest in the Brazilian state of Para.

Most will find this bar quite agreeable, with even, smooth true chocolate flavor and a hint of vanilla.

The chocolate was described as having "a flavor of roasted hazelnuts, with hints of licorice, vanilla and lemon." The vanilla and sugar mellowed the citrus note into a light lemon chiffon. The roasted hazelnut* flavor wasn't readily apparent; but, oddly, I did detect a very faint hint of roasted licorice.

*Ingredients: This single origin, organic 76% dark chocolate bar was made with four ingredients: cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. There were no hazelnuts or nut ingredients listed.

Blanxart - Organic Dark Chocolate 42% Congo bar - May 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Organic Dark Chocolate 42% Grand cru single origin Congo (bar)
(Chocolat Noir Bio 42% Grand cru)
Good+
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.25 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 182 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Weeks.

We're sampling cacao (in chocolate bar form) from the Republic of Congo today—and larger Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, aka Eastern Congo) yesterday—as we move through Africa from east to west.

Cacao grows up to 20 degrees north or south of the Equator). Africa contains several countries that are located within this large possible growing area (including Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, the Republic of Congo, Eastern Congo (DRC), Ghana, and Ivory Coast).

Both yesterday's Original Beans 55% cacao bar and today's Blanxart 42% cacao bar were organic, milk chocolate bars made with fair trade/fairly traded cacao from the Congo region. Both Congos border the Congo River Basin area.

The origin for the cacao in today's bar was from the Mountains of the Moon. Blanxart explains: "Between the East African savannahs and the vast rainforests of the Congo Basin lie the ice-covered Lunae Montes" (Mountains of the Moon)." Here approximately 100 farmers grow the organic Mountains of the Moon cacao used to make today's bar.

Today's 42% milk chocolate bar, made in Spain with certified organic cacao, was quite a bit sweeter* than yesterday's 55% "dark" milk chocolate bar. It had hints of fruit and sweet caramel and vanilla.

*The Blanxart Organic 42% Congo bar wrapper listed the following ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa, vanilla

Blanxart - Organic Dark 77% Criollo Peru bar - Nov. 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart Chocolate
(BB Chocolate Group, S.A)
Organic Dark Chocolate 77% Criollo Peru bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 177 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $ 8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, San Francisco (Ferry Building), CA

Bienvenidos a (Welcome to) Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate 77% Criollo de Alto Piura Peru bar was a single origin bar made in Spain by Blanxart (Barcelona). Geography classes would be more fun if they were taught with chocolate; but I digress.

Made with white Criollo cacao from plantations in Piura, Peru, this was a bar you could enjoy every day. Not only was it large enough to share with others, but this high percentage chocolate might also be more approachable and easy to appreciate by those who fear 70+ percent chocolate.

Lacking in bitterness or sharpness, this subtle, well-balanced dark chocolate bar was smooth without being boring, and sweet without being cloying. It had sweet, ripe fruit flavor (sweet white grapes/raisins, honey, peaches), a very slight sweet tobacco note, a very fleeting floral note, and a pleasant finish, with a faint honey glow to it.

The tasting notes on the bar's packaging also mentioned "a slight woodsy, smoky flavor with hints of licorice." I didn't experience the latter flavor note, but it speaks to a subtle complexity.

There was a very slight granular texture to this bar—like you might find in chocolate with less conching time.* I also felt added cocoa butter may have muffled the subtle Criollo fruit notes a bit; but overall it was a very enjoyable bar.

*More conching time for chocolate generally means chocolate is ground in a machine to a finer particle size, resulting in smoother, creamier texture and more neutral flavor. Some more volatile flavor elements—both desired and undesired—may also dissipate with additional processing; so this smoothness may come with trade-offs in terms of flavor complexity. 

Blanxart - Dark Chocolate with Rose Petals - Jan. 2, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Dark Chocolate with Rose Petals bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 172 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.56 (sale)
Purchased from: Chocosphere, online order


Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week. It's winter and I love seeing a few flowers pop up even during the cold, gray days.

Today's indulgent Dark Chocolate with Rose Petals bar from Blanxart (Barcelona, Spain) was a reminder of spring, when rose bushes come into full bloom again.


This Spanish dark chocolate bar, with attractive pink-red, rose (flower) petals pressed into one side, was made with relatively creamy and mild dark 60% cacao chocolate. The rose petals imparted a faint, authentic rose flavor and a very slight chewy texture.

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

Blanxart - Milk Chocolate with Violets bar - Jan. 1, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Milk Chocolate 33% with Violets bar
Good
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 176 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.56 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere, online order

Happy New Year to all!

During winter I look forward to warmer days and flowers. This week will be dedicated to Chocolate and Flowers in winter.

The violet is a small purple-blue flower that grows fairly close to the ground. Candied violets were more popular in the 1800s, and can still be found today in Europe (Southern France), as violet creams, and dessert garnishes. However, in the U.S. these pretty edible* flowers have been relatively scarce in modern times. I'm hoping that edible flowers become more popular again.

Today's Milk Chocolate with Violets bar from Blanxart (Spain) was studded with sugary bits of candied violet flower petals.

A faint violet perfume aroma wafted past my nose when I first opened the package, but soon dissipated as I bit into this sweet, (creamy and crunchy) 33% cacao milk chocolate bar.

The package description: "Creamy milk chocolate is sprinkled with edible violet petals for a sweet, beautifully presented treat. Crafted in Barcelona, Blanxart chocolates have been a decadent Spanish staple since 1954."

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Chocolate is good
With flowers too

Tomorrow I'm planning to sample Blanxart's dark chocolate bar with rose petals.

*Wild violets and members of various members of the viola family are edible. African violets are not. Caution: make sure flowers you plan to eat have not been sprayed with insecticides or pesticides. 

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

Blanxart - Chocolate a la Taza, Criollo (Peru) - Oct. 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Chocolate a la Taza - Criollo de Alto Piura - Peru
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 7 oz. (200 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: $8.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: Chocosphere, online order

Welcome to the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Chocolate a la Taza is a thick, rustic-rich style of Spanish drinking chocolate. Bars can be eaten, grated onto other dishes, or melted into hot chocolate. And as the leaves start to turn scarlet and days get shorter this month, the thought of preparing a cup of rich cinnamon hot chocolate sounds more appealing.

Today's Chocolate a la Taza with Criollo de Alto Piura (from Peru) hailed from Spain—specifically from Blanxart (Barcelona, Spain).

After unwrapping the hefty*, 12-square tablet, I used a sharp knife to very carefully saw through this 15 mm (almost 5/8 of an inch) bar. I'm not saying my method is the best way to obtain a single square or two. You'll end up with tiny piles of shavings as if a large termite had been helping you. However, it got the job done; and you can always use those shavings for something else.

A little goes a long way. I poured a small amount of boiling water over the chocolate square in a tiny espresso cup and stirred with a tiny spoon until the result was a thick, sweet hot chocolate. (Then I poured the warm, velvety viscous chocolate into another tiny cup to get a more polished look for this photo, after all that stirring left chocolate marks on the side of the first cup.)

The square had a lovely chocolate brownie or chocolate cookie aroma and flavor, and the resulting hot chocolate was smooth and rich; I liked it a bit better than other similar a la taza style chocolates I've tried. Because it was hot drinking chocolate and had quite a bit of sugar in it (you can almost feel the crystals melting in your mouth with rustic style chocolate), it was more difficult to tease out the more subtle Criollo flavors of this Peruvian cacao, but the overall pleasing results speaks for itself I think.

*This generous block of chocolate will last me quite awhile as my drinking chocolate cups tend to be quite small. But no worries, I can always grate some and sprinkle atop some gluten-free scones or churros.

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

Blanxart Dark Chocolate + Figgies and Jammies - Nov. 25, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Blanxart
Chocolate Negro (Dark Chocolate)
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 79 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. (14.1 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (unknown, lost information)

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week.

When I think of figs and chocolate, I think about Spain and other Mediterranean countries and the many wonderful ways to enjoy figs (with goat cheese; with sherry, port and various liqueurs; in savory dishes or in salads; etc.).

Today's 62% cocoa Chocolate Negro (Dark Chocolate) bar from Blanxart (Barcelona, Spain) was wrapped in gold foil and a brown paper outer wrapper with a hand block-printed image look from centuries past. This bar would likely have harmonized nicely with figs and sherry, then as now.

If you're in dessert snack mode, and prefer to skip the sherry, try a piece of this chocolate bar with a Mission Fig "Figgies and Jammies" cookie from Pamela's Products (Ukiah, CA). These gluten-free cookies had a cake-like exterior that enveloped a jam-like fig and fruit filling. Or you could melt the chocolate and use it as a fondue to dip your cookie or pieces of cut up fresh figs, peaches, apples, berries or other fruit.

There are days when it's easy to get carried away with pairings -- like today. This smooth, relatively sweet, dark chocolate bar was also perfectly fine all by itself.