MilkBoy - Lemon and Ginger bar - Aug. 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Menrose GmbH
MilkBoy Lemon and Ginger chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $5.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #23 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

Today's sunny Lemon and Ginger bar was from MilkBoy (Zurich, Switzerland). Sweet, creamy 33% cacao milk chocolate was stuffed full of lemony crunchy bits. I'm assuming the bits were tiny granules of candied ginger, with some twinkles of vanilla pod. The ginger flavor was very subtle.

This blend with essential lemon oil resulted a pleasant lemon cookie aroma and flavor, reminiscent of Lemon Snap cookies from my childhood. Dark chocolate aficionados may consider this more baked good than bar, but if you like the authentic flavor of lemon blended with milk chocolate it's worth a try.

Menrose - MilkBoy Milk Chocolate bar - June 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Menrose GmbH
MilkBoy Milk Chocolate bar
Good
Weight:  .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calores in 1/5 bar
Cost: $6.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Swiss Chocolate Week. Yo-de-le-hee-hoo (as my mom used to say).

Today's MilkBoy "Finest Alpine" Milk Chocolate bar from Menrose GmbH (Zurich, Switzerland) was made in Switzerland and imported to the U.S.

The bar's packaging was adorned with the same charming black and white mountain scenes that were on yesterday's MilkBoy dark chocolate with essential pine oil bar.

This 33% cocoa bar was quite sweet with a thick and creamy mouthfeel. (The bar also contained sunflower lecithin.)

The 24% milk solids portion of this bar was achieved using whole milk powder. Because chocolate is somewhat hydrophobic (fear of water is not correct but will do here), and will seize up if water is added at the wrong time, (dairy) milk chocolate bars are created with milk powder.

It's the first week of summer. Perhaps the cows in Switzerland are already being guided up to higher alpine pastures. As part of a seasonal traditional to celebrate the ascent (and descent of the cows in September), villagers may dress up. Thus the picture of the milk boy (in traditional garb carrying a milk bucket over his shoulder) on the MilkBoy label.

Menrose - MilkBoy Switzerland bar with Pine - June 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Menrose GmbH
MilkBoy - 60% with Pine bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Swiss Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 60% Cocoa* MilkBoy bar from Menrose GmbH (made in Zurich, Switzerland) felt a little more authentically Swiss. After all, the packaging was adorned with a black and white illustration** of villagers frolicking through a Tyrolian village somewhere in the Alps.

I'm sure of it. I can almost see the white Edelweiss flowers and smell the clean, pine-scented mountain air. The "MilkBoy"—dressed in traditional gear and carrying a milk pail on his back—is about to lead his cows up to higher pastures for the summer.

So, what was the very subtle hint of mint + mild floral citrus note I tasted in this bar?

I should have guessed. The dark Swiss chocolate bar was flavored with just the right amount of essential pine tree oil: enough to have some fun without being overpowering. So, a few extra points for the creative flavor infusion.

And speaking of fun, look at those goats up in those trees. And what are those two monkeys doing inside the Swiss chalet? Oh, wait, those are two cats with long curling tails. Never mind.

*This bar was made from Utz certified cocoa.

**The image on the packaging was the work of an artist skilled in the traditional art of papercut silhouettes (decoupaging incredibly carefully trimmed black paper shapes on white paper).