Charles Chocolates - Ode to Joy (bar) - Sept. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Charles Chocolates 

Ode to Joy (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $4.00 (estimate) in 1 bar

Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Ode to Joy (bar) from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was a high-end homage to American chocolate-covered candy bars with nuts (almonds) and caramel.

The core of this small, chubby bar was milk chocolate ganache, "deep" roasted almonds, and soft fleur de sel (salt) caramel that was coated in 65% bittersweet chocolate. It was small, sweet and successful as a high-end candy bar.

Ingredients: Bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), almonds, cane sugar, butter, milk chocolate (cane sugar, cocoa butter, full cream milk, cacao beans, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), cream, glucose syrup, salt, vanilla beans.

Charles Chocolates - Cocoa Nib Brittle Bar - Ruby Cacao - Nov. 13, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Cocoa Nib Brittle Bar - Ruby Cacao
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar (white dot w/ line through it)
Calories: 137.5 calories in 1/4 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week.

Today's picturesque pink Cocoa Nib Brittle Bar—made with Ruby Cacao—was from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA).

This creamy and sweet ruby chocolate* had a slightly fermented red berry (red raspberry and cherry plum jam) flavor, and had golden veins of faintly smoky-savory** toffee brittle running through it.

*Ruby chocolate (made with special ruby cacao beans) was introduced in 2017 by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian-Swiss chocolate company.

**At least compared to the ruby chocolate, these pieces of sweet toffee brittle seemed less sweet and relatively more savory.

Ingredients: ruby cacao bean (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, citric acid, soy lecithin), cane sugar, cacao nibs. 

Charles Chocolates - Caramelized Cocoa Nib Bar - Nov. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Caramelized Cocoa Nib Bar - 72%
Good - Good +
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 131 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Caramelized Cocoa Nib Bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was made with 72% Bittersweet Chocolate.

I was greeted by a rich chocolate aroma when I opened this package. Taking a bite of this thick bar was tougher than I thought it would be. (It looks amazing, but you may want to cut it up carefully with a knife first.)

A generous helping of caramelized nibs on the bar provided texture and an attractive golden color; and the sweet crunchy bits complemented the smooth, solid bittersweet dark chocolate.

Charles Chocolates - Tres Cojones bar - Jan. 22, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Tres Cojones Bar (Triple Nut Bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 262 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Calafia Cafe and Market A Go-Go, Palo Alto, CA

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

The Tres Cojones Bar (Triple Nut Bar) from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was chock full of nuts (roasted almonds, hazelnuts and pine nuts) in 65% bittersweet chocolate.

The bar's description on the back label acknowledged the slightly risque name: "While not the most serious name, this is one serious chocolate bar..."

I have to agree, it was seriously good. The nuts were perfectly roasted, adding satisfying, crunchy texture. And a hint of sweet, nutty perfume infused this thick and smooth bittersweet bar.

Charles Chocolates - Salty-Sweet Pecan Cherry Bar - Jan. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Salty-Sweet Pecan Cherry Bar
Good
Weight:  1.025 oz. (29.5 g.) / 4.1 oz. (118 g.) in total bar
Calories: 153 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Calafia Cafe and Market A Go-Go, Palo Alto, CA

New Year's greetings and welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Cherry and Nut Theme Week.

This Salty-Sweet Pecan Bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was part of a collection of premium bars that included three salty-sweet bars with rich, layered flavors. (My favorite so far is the Salty-Sweet Hazelnut bar; and I hope to try the Salty-Sweet Cashew bar later this year.)

Today's 65% bittersweet chocolate bar was studded with attractive pecan halves, with an occasional burst of tart sweet flavor from dried Michigan cherries.

Charles Chocolates - Candied Lemon Hazelnut bar - Dec. 27, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Candied Lemon and Hazelnut bar
Good +
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 209 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

This chunky, small Candied Lemon and Hazelnut bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) was made with 41% milk chocolate, hazelnuts, generous strips of candied lemon -- and pistachios, sultanas and pine nuts for extra nut and fruit flavor.

The Candied Lemon bar is part of Charles Chocolates' Mendiant Bar Collection. (There is also a Candied Valencia (orange) and Almond bar.)

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week.

Charles Chocolates - Salty-Sweet Hazelnut bar - Dec. 22, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Salty-Sweet Hazelnut bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .975 oz. (28 g.) / 3.9 oz. (112 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 146 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Calafia Cafe and Market A-Go-Go, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Charles Chocolates founder, Chuck (Charles) Siegel, used to have a location in Emeryville, CA, where I visited about four years ago. I remember the filled chocolate butterflies and a great tea-infused chocolate collection. The newer location is in the Mission district of San Francisco. I look forward to trying new chocolates there soon.

In the meantime, I was was able to purchase today's smartphone-sized, Salty-Sweet Hazelnut Bar - 65% Bittersweet Chocolate bar, that was nice and fresh, from a local Cafe and Market, that carries a small, high-turnover inventory of chocolates.

Freshness is very important for all foods, and because chocolate bars can have a long shelf life, some bars with inclusions lose their freshness if they sit too long; or nuts can taste stale. Not true with this bar. Whole hazelnuts were perfectly roasted and covered with a "meringue of Fleur de Sel and sugar," helping to seal in fresh nut taste and crunchy texture, and giving them an extra burst of salty and sweet flavor.

The 65% chocolate base that covered the nuts had a slightly creamy texture and authentic, smooth bittersweet flavor.

Charles Chocolate, Atelier d' Isabelle - Oct. 31, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Charles Chocolate
Candied Valencia and Almond bar
Good
Weight: 1.34 oz. (38 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 200 calories (estimate) in 1 small bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

Happy Halloween to all! One of the big chocolate holidays of the year in the U.S. Today was also Day #7 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

I'd like to think I would have appreciated finding a small bar like today's Candied Valencia and Almond bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) in my trick-or-treat bag when I was a child. I've always liked nuts, and this bar contained not only almonds, but also pistachios, sultanas (raisins) and pine nuts, giving it a fine crunchy nut and fruit taste and texture. Bits of candied Valencia orange peel gave this 41% milk chocolate bar a subtle citrus flavor.

Atelier d' Isabelle, LLC
Peru 64% Single Origin bar
Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (38 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 3 squares (1.3 oz.) of bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

My second Halloween treat today: part of a Peru 64% single origin dark chocolate bar from Atelier d' Isabelle, LLC (Burlingame, CA). This smooth dark chocolate bar was made in Belgium (by KC Chocolatier) but the design and lovely, vintage Halloween wrapper (featuring a young witch with pumpkins and a whisp of glitter) was provided by Atelier d' Isabelle.

Charles Salty-Sweet Cashew bar - Sept. 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charles Chocolates
Salty-Sweet Cashew Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/3 bar - 1.3 oz. (37.3 g.) / 3.9 oz. (112 g.) total bar
Calories: 195 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the first day of Chocolate and Cashew Theme Week. Frankly, it's about time that the cashew nut is being honored with its own theme week here on ChocolateBanquet.com. Almonds seem to hog the spotlight when it comes to nuts blended with chocolate.

This Salty-Sweet Cashew Bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) highlighted this special nut. First, rather than incorporate shards of nut (shrapnel bits) into their 41% milk chocolate bar base, chocolatier Chuck (Charles) Siegel used freshly roasted, whole cashew nuts that were coated in both salty and sweet flavors.

I found myself wanting more salt after the first few bites of this "salty-sweet" bar. However, when I re-tasted this chocolate later, I could taste more salt, which helped balance the sweetness of the milk chocolate.