Perugina - Dark Chocolate 51% Cacao Premium Chocolate (bar) - June 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Perugina
Dark Chocolate 51% Cacao Premium Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) / 3 oz. (86 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Italy Theme Week.

Today's Perugina Dark Chocolate 51% Cacao Premium Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by Nestle Italiana S.p.A., Milano, IT).*

Aroma notes for this chocolate included: smooth, sweet dark chocolate (sweet green floral, vanilla, marshmallow, roasted cocoa, and very faint aromatic smoke/tobacco and malted crisped rice).

The bar had a creamy melt and thick, almost velvety texture.

Flavor notes included: sweet cocoa; chocolate-y (dark chocolate mousse, torte, ganache); sweet vanilla; creamy, sweet hot cocoa/drinking chocolate; and an almost undetectable (very faint, balanced) earth/dense forest (Forastero-like cacao variety) note in the finish.

This chocolate was described on the label as "...a surprisingly gentle and aromatic dark chocolate." 

A gentler flavor and/or smoother texture can be created from a more intense cacao variety in several ways: 1.) alkalize the cacao (neutralizing/reducing natural acidity and bitterness); 2.) conch/grind cacao mass for a longer period of time (reducing particle size and yielding a smoother flavor and texture); 3.) add cocoa butter for natural creaminess and vanilla to mellow/sweeten flavor.

Most small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers who source high-quality (and typically more expensive) single origin cacao beans may add cocoa butter (the fat portion of the cacao bean); but they rarely alkalize cacao or add vanilla to their single origin chocolate bars. As with wine, these makers aim to showcase unique and special varietal flavors, not to produce a uniform flavor year over year.

However, if you've ever done a side-by-side tasting of hot chocolates (made with processed (dry) cocoa powders with and without alkalizing) you'll understand why higher-volume manufacturers choose to "smooth out the rough edges" across different cacao batches/harvests/origins. There are more customers who prefer sweet and smooth cocoa (made with "tamed" cacao that was rougher (or occasionally lower quality) to start with) and at a more affordable price point. 

Today's skillfully executed 51% chocolate falls at the high-end of high-volume chocolate.

Ingredients: Sugar, chocolate** (processed with alkali), cocoa butter**, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla flavor. (** Rainforest Alliance Certified)

Allergen-related information: "May contain milk and tree nuts."

*Perugina chocolates date back to 1907. Baci-Perugina was created by Luisa Spagnoli in the early 1900s; and the company was acquired by Nestle S.A. (Vevey, Switzerland) in 1988.

Perugina - Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts bar - Dec. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perugina
Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 2 squares/ 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: IKEA, East Palo Alto, CA

Benvenuto a (Welcome to) Day #1 of Italian Holiday Chocolate Series; and happy holidays to all.

When I think of Italian chocolates, I think about creamy milk chocolates with hazelnuts.

Today's Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts from Perugina* (Italy) honors that tradition. The bar's packaging displayed a gold (Perugina Product of Italy) seal over a green, white and red ribbon—colors from the Italian flag that also seem holiday appropriate.

The relatively thin, smooth milk chocolate bar (no cacao percent listed) contained a tiny sea of roasted and sugared hazelnut bits. While the chocolate was fairly sweet, a faint taste of hazelnut came through.

This gluten free bar was also made without artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

*Perugina, established in 1907, is now part of Nestle (Switzerland). Perugina bars are made in Italy by Nestle Italiana S.P.A.

Perugina - Dark Chocolate with Caramelized Almonds bar - May 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perugina
Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (39.6 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 2/5 bar (4 squares)
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Greedy Ant, Belmont, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Caramel and Toffee Theme Week.

Rather than flowing caramel, today's bar had flecks of caramelized nuts. This Dark Chocolate with Caramelized Almonds bar was from Perugina* (Perugia, Italy). The bar had a slightly nutty, malty candy aroma and flavor.

Previously, I'd tried Perugina's milk chocolate version of this bar. In both bars, bits of toasted, caramelized almond added mild flavor and a hint of crunchy texture.

*Perugina has been making Baci chocolates for more than 100 years in Italy. The company also produces a line of chocolate bars, and is now owned by Nestle.

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

Perugina - Dark Chocolate Orangello bar - Jan. 11, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nestle
Perugina
Dark Chocolate Orangello bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 500 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $1.99 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: World Market, Mountain View, CA

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

Orange candy pieces integrated into today's Dark Chocolate Orangello bar from Perugina conveyed the "orange" in this bar. These fruit flavored bits contained orange, sugar, apple and pineapple fiber; and they delivered a pleasant orange flavor, with a slight sparkle, throughout the tasting experience.

Had this been a milk chocolate bar, I think it would have been too sweet. The smooth dark chocolate blend was just right.

Perugina was founded in Perugia, Italy, in 1907. The company is now part of Nestle S.A. (Vevey, Switzerland).

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

Perugina - Milk Chocolate Almonds bar - June 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perugina
Milk Chocolate Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (39.68 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 4 squares, or 2/5 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Greedy Ant, Belmont, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Almonds Theme Week.

This Perugina Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar was good for the sweet tooth. It was very sweet, making it difficult to pick out any particular chocolate or almond flavor notes. The smoothness of the chocolate was difficult to isolate as well, due to the riot of tiny caramelized almond bits so profusely present in every bite of this bar. The bar had a smooth finish. There were certainly no harsh flavors, and there was very little aftertaste.

Perugina was founded in 1907 in Perugia in central Italy. The Perugina brand now belongs to Nestle (Vevey, Switzerland). However, to this day there is a sense of pride about the company's Italian roots and base. (This bar was made in Italy by Nestle Italiana S.P.A., and distributed in the U.S. by Colavita USA.)

The Greedy Ant, the wonderful, small deli-style store where I bought this bar, was brimming with Italian-American origin stories, with most of the chocolates in stock having an Italian connection.

Fig Cake + Milk Chocolate

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perugina
Milk Chocolate bar
Good+
Weight: .7 oz. (?? g. ) .36 lb. total wedge
Calories: 105 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: small store in San Francisco, CA

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

I bought a wedge of pressed, dried fig cake with almonds (from Spain). This dense cake became a bit softer and more lovely when heated in the microwave -- and even better with small squares of Perugina milk chocolate (owned by Nestle - Vevey, Switzerland) melting beside it.

If you like figs and you like chocolate, it's hard to go wrong with almost any combination of the two. But I did like this simple pairing. The almonds in the fig cake also added some additional crunchy texture and balanced out the slightly acidic flavors of both fig and chocolate.

ChocolateBet: January 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Perugina
Bittersweet Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) total bar
Calories: 73 calories
Cost: $ lost info
Purchased from: lost info (store/deli), San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Licorice Theme Week.

I took a nibble of this Perugina (Nestle) Bittersweet Chocolate bar; and I melted the rest to make Perugina chocolate fondue -- flavored with Metaxa Ouzo, a bit of tangerine rind, and a tiny pinch of salt caramel. The hint of salt helped cut/balance this 60% cocoa bittersweet bar that seemed to be more sweet than bitter.

The warm, velvety smooth fondue was an easy to make (microwave and stir) dip for fresh fruit, and a good cold weather treat. I believe this Metaxa Ouzo (a licorice-flavored Greek apertif) was made from anise, licorice and fennel -- in addition to grapes, herbs, berries, mint, wintergreen and hazelnut.

ChocolateBet: June 14, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2/5 bar
Perugina
Premium Dark Chocolate with Caramel Filling (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (11.32 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) total bar
Calories: 210 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.79 total bar
Purchased from: Molinari Delicatessen, North Beach, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. With apologies in advance to Perugina, I also was scouting for a chocolate that would be suitable for eating, and also could be incorporated in an Applegate Farms Turkey Bacon version of "Piggy Candy" (think bacon roasted/baked in an oven with brown sugar, and drizzled with chocolate), from the Southern United States.

This Dark Chocolate Caramel bar fit the bill, in that it contained some brown sugar in the caramel filling, surrounded by a rich, sweet bittersweet chocolate, and could also stand on its own as a good bar to sample. Large companies often choose to use ingredients like corn syrup in caramels, so I was disappointed to see this on the list of ingredients. However, the use of brown sugar made a different, and the caramel had a slight honey taste and nice texture.

Now, for those that don't care for bacon of any kind, or deplore mixing good chocolate with anything else, you can stop reading now.

For the rest of you, I can say that the Applewood Farms turkey bacon (gluten and casein free, no nitrates) was better than other turkey bacons I have tried. So, that was a good start. Drizzling and "frosting" a few, crisp, cooked strips of this bacon with melted Perugina chocolate and caramel was not bad. I wouldn't say the flavor together was a vast improvement over the Perugina bar and the turkey bacon separately, but it would be a good brunch item after a good workout, along with gluten free toast or a pancake w/ maple syrup and fresh oranges.