Ritter Sport - Caramello Salato (Salted Caramel) (bar) - Feb. 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Caramello Salato (Salted Caramel) (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 480 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Salt Week. 

Today's Ritter Sport Caramello Salato (Salted Caramel) (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany). 

Aroma notes included: salt caramel, milk chocolate, and faint sweet caramel toffee.

Texture: smooth, creamy milk chocolate studded with crunchy caramel (toffee) bits.

Flavor notes included: rich, milky chocolate, with microbursts of salted caramel/sweet toffee.

After the first bite (square), I wanted a squeak more salt, to help balance the sweetness (sugar is the number one ingredient). But subsequent squares turned up a bit more salt; and then the whole bar lit up in the sweet-salt addictive, "Goldilocks" zone. Beware, if you were only planning on having just a few bites.

Ingredients: "Milk chocolate with salter butter-caramel-crisps and caramel pieces. Ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk, lactose (milk), skim milk, glucose syrup, butterfat (milk), butter (milk), soy lecithin, cream, salt.

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk, soy.) "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and egg."

Ritter Sport - Roasted Peanut (bar) - Aug. 24, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Roasted Peanut (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.09 oz. (31 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 5 pieces/squares
Cost: $4.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Ritter Sport Roasted Peanut (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany) was made in Austria.

Aroma notes for this bar included: sweet dark chocolate, roasted nuts and peanuts. 

The texture of the base chocolate (no cacao percentage listed on the U.S. label) was smooth, thick and creamy, and complemented by a generous dose of crunchy roasted peanuts. 

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate and peanuts. Smaller amounts of almond flour and hazelnut paste were hard to detect directly, but made for a pleasant, even nuttier overall flavor. A small amount of sea salt helped balance the sweetness of the chocolate.

If you like chocolate and peanuts (and I do), you'll enjoy this bar. Also, thank you to Ritter for continuing to advance in cocoa sourcing practices. (On the bar's label: "100% Certified Sustainable Cocoa Sourcing".)

"Sweet chocolate with roasted and salted peanut pieces, almond flour, hazelnut paste and ground vanilla beans."

Ingredients: "sugar, peanuts, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, almond flour, hazelnut paste, salt, soy lecithin, ground vanilla beans."

Allergen-related information: (Contains: peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, soy.) "May contain traces of other tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and sesame seeds."

Ritter Sport - Marhaba - Yogurt Honey Hazelnuts bar - Sept. 5, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Marhaba - Yogurt Honey Hazelnuts bar
Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 288 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing store information

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

Today's Ritter Sport Marhaba Yogurt Honey Hazelnuts Bar was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany).

Aroma notes for this fun confection of a bar included sweet hazelnut nougat and milk chocolate. 

Flavor notes included: upticks of milk chocolate, honey sweetened plain yogurt and hazelnut. I really enjoyed the well-orchestrated complexity of this filled bar. Texturally, it was also a multi-layered blend of creamy milk chocolate "shell" with a light, sweet creamy yogurt filling that incorporated small, crunchy, honey-ed and hazelnut bits.

Ritter's product description: "Milk chocolate with a lowfat yogurt filling, hazelnut pieces and honey-crisp."

Ingredients: Sugar, (certified sustainable) palm fat, cocoa butter, hazelnuts, chocolate liquor, milk, lowfat yogurt powder (milk), lactose (milk), honey, skim milk, maltodextrin, butterfat (milk), cream (milk), soy lecithin, sodium alginate. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, other tree nuts, wheat and egg."

 

Ritter Sport - Milk Chocolate with Cashew (bar) - May 10, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Alfred G. Ritter GmbH and Co. KG
Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Cashew (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 274 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Nuts and Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Cashew (bar) was produced in Germany by Alfred G. Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany).

This candy sweet, buttery ("30% cacao minimum") milk chocolate (made with Rainforest Alliance Cocoa) was accented with pieces of roasted and lightly salted (and softly crunchy) cashew nut pieces.

Ingredients: Sugar, cashew nuts (22%), cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, lactose, skimmed milk powder, butterfat (milk) (total milk solids 18%), emulsifier ("soya lecithins"), salt. 

Allergen-related information: Contained nuts (cashews), milk (dairy), soy (lecithin). "May contain contain traces of peanuts, other nuts, cereals containing gluten and egg."

 

Ritter Sport - Raspberry and Rose Limited Edition (bar) - April 18, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport

Raspberry and Rose Limited Edition (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 209.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Ritter Sport Raspberry and Rose (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany).

Ritter's description for this bar: "Milk chocolate with a yogurt and raspberry filling and raspberry granules refined with rose oil."

I like cacao varieties that have naturally-occurring floral aroma and flavor notes. However, cacao floral notes can be very faint and fleeting; and these delicate notes are easily lost during the chocolate-making process (when cacao beans are roasted, ground, conched, refined, etc.). 

I've been looking forward to sampling chocolates with added floral flavors this week. 

Today's 4x4 (16 squares) bar contained enough rose oil to impart a floral scent that extended throughout the tasting experience. (Very appropriate given we're experiencing a spring explosion of beautiful roses this week where I live.)

The milk chocolate had a smooth texture with a relatively slow, thick/stiff melt at room temperature (68 degrees F.). (The bar contained added palm fat and cocoa butter.) This smoothness was punctuated with tiny bursts--slightly crunchy granules--of bright, tart-sweet, red raspberry.

This sweet, milk chocolate confection of a bar was sweet enough that it was difficult to pick out cacao flavor note nuances. All three flavors: (chocolate, rose and raspberry) were represented in a balanced, complementary way, and were authentic-tasting. I could smell and taste light floral (rose) all the way through. As well as red fruit and milk chocolate.

Ingredients: sugar, certified sustainable palm fat, cocoa butter, yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk), chocolate liquor, milk, lactose (milk), skim milk, cream, butterfat (milk), maltodextrin, glucose syrup, concentrated raspberry juice, raspberries, raspberry puree, soy lecithin, lemon juice concentrate, rose oil.

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk, soy.) "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and egg." 

Ritter Sport - Cacao Selection - 81% Cacao Extra Intense Dark Chocolate (Ghana) (bar) - Jan. 27, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Cacao Selection 81% Cacao Extra Intense Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.16 oz. (32 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 8 pieces (32 g.) of bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Ghana Theme Week. 

Today's Ritter Sport Cacao Selection 81% Cacao Extra Intense Dark Chocolate (bar) from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany) was made with cocoa beans from Ghana.

Like other square-shaped Ritter bars, this ultra-dark chocolate (introduced in 2020) was easily divided into tinier squares for eating or sharing with others.

Aroma notes for this chocolate included bold true chocolate (deep dark brownie) with balanced tannic* earth (faint wood bark tannin, peat bog) that I associate more with Forastero cacao.

The 81% dark chocolate had a smooth, uniform melt and texture, and uniform flavor.

This chocolate had a deep dark chocolate flavor--true chocolate (deep, dark brownie), very faint dark caramel, and a sustained tannic forest earth (wood, peat bog) note. 

Tannic acids in green plants and fruits can be acidic and astringent (e.g. red wines, black tea, unripe pomegranate or persimmon); however, this tannin note conjured up visions of deep, ancient woods/earth, with a very subtle aged black walnut note. 

This did not taste acidic. In fact, while related, tannins are not the same as tannic acid.* And while I was expecting (from the aroma) to run into acid or astringency (or bitterness) in the flavor, this didn't really happen. 

The "peat" flavor was more organic and less acidic. And it was also less smokey/carbon-y than, say, peat bog water and/or peat bog fire smoke associated with drying barley used to make Scotch Islay whiskey (ies); but it did invite this comparison, as I was fishing around for how to describe this chocolate.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor (made from cocoa beans from Ghana), sugar, cocoa butter. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy and egg."

*Tannins are plant (polyphenolic) compounds found in roots, barks and leaves of plants and trees. (Cocoa beans contain tannins. More robust, bold Forastero varieties of cacao grown in West African countries like Ghana can contain higher amounts of tannins than some other, more "delicate" fine-flavored cacao varieties.)

Tannic acid is a specific form of tannin, that can be found in soils or compost where plants and trees have decomposed near water (swamps). Peat bogs tend to be acidic and high in tannins. Waters with tannic acid are often dark brown in color. 

Ritter Sport - Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 26, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Cacao Selection Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.16 oz. (32 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 8 pieces (32 g.) of bar
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Missing information

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Ghana Theme Week. Ghana is one of the largest cacao producers. This West African nation exported an estimated 900,000 tonnes of cocoa in the 2020/2021 season.*

Today's Ritter Sport Cacao Selection Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Cacao (bar) from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany) was made with cocoa mass from Ghana.

Like all square-shaped Ritter bars, this chocolate was easily divisible (easy to break) into tinier squares for eating or sharing with others.

Aroma notes for this chocolate included chocolate mousse, faint diffuse fruit (berry, sweet banana, citrus, tropical fruit), and fleeting, faint, balanced tannic earth (that dissipated rapidly after the package had been opened for a minute or two)

The 55% dark milk chocolate had a smooth, uniform melt and texture. A judicious amount of milk yielded some creaminess, soothed any possible unruly earth notes, and added a hint of caramel; but it was not so much milk that it obscured the cacao notes. (Thank you.)

This chocolate had a sweet dark chocolate flavor--true chocolate (faint chocolate mousse cake, faint brownie), subtle dark caramel, a barely there, diffuse fruit note, and a very faint, balanced tannic forest earth note that kicked in about half-way through with another small uptick in the finish.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, milk. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy and egg."

*This according to Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), as reported by Confectionery News.

Ritter - Dark Chocolate with Almond and Orange (bar) - Jan. 22, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter
Dark Chocolate with Almond and Orange (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.09 oz. (31 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (31 g.) of bar
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Santa Venetia Market, San Rafael, CA

Welcome to Day #16 of European Chocolate Vacation Theme Week.

Today's Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate Almond and Orange (bar) was from Afred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany). After an imagined visit to Museum Ritter in Waldenbuch, I took a virtual walk around the area. Despite foggy cool weather today in Germany, I was able to enjoy a refreshing (chocolate-powered) walk--only it was in Northern California. 

Aroma notes for this substantial (thick) Ritter bar included: bold, dark chocolate, nut (almond) and faint citrus.

Bold dark chocolate flavor was intermingled with tiny but flavorful bits of chewy, sweet orange peel(s), and small pieces of crunchy almonds.

Ingredients: Sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, almonds, orange peel, butterfat (milk), glucose, fructose syrup, soy lecithin, lemon juice concentrate, orange oil, dextrose.

Allergen-related information: (Contained tree nuts (almonds), milk, soy.) "May contain traces of peanuts and other tree nuts, wheat and egg."

Ritter - Milk Chocolate with Cocoa Mousse Filling - Jan. 21, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter
Milk Chocolate with Cocoa Mousse Filling (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 3 squares of bar
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Santa Venetia Market, San Rafael, CA

Welcome to Day #15 of European Chocolate Vacation Theme Week. Yesterday we were (virtually) in Austria; and we now head northwest into Germany.

Today's Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Cocoa Mousse Filling bar was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany).

Waldenbuch is a small city in the Stuttgart region of southeastern Germany. I imagined visiting the Museum Ritter--a modern white building with beautiful, colorful stained glass--to look at the exhibits and to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate at the museum cafe.

The aroma notes for today's thick, sweet chocolate bar included: pfeffernusse cookies and chocolate hazelnut butter cookies with chocolate milk. The milk chocolate surrounded a darker chocolate "mousse" filling. 

Ingredients: Sugar, milk, palm fat, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, cocoa, skim milk, butterfat (milk), hazelnut paste, soy lecithin.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, other tree nuts, wheat and egg.

Ritter Sport - Dark Chocolate with Whole Almonds (bar) - July 23, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport 

Dark Chocolate with Whole Almonds (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.09 oz. (31 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar

Calories: 170 calories in 5 pieces (1 serving) of bar

Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate with Whole Almonds (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany). 

It was a member of the company's "Nut Selection" series of chocolate bars, in the classic Ritter square-shaped bar format, with a pre-scored grid ( of smaller squares), making it easy to break off pieces to eat or share.

This "new" dark chocolate bar was made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cacao (chocolate liquor).

The aroma contained roasted, bold but smooth dark chocolate (fudge brownie) and nutty (roasted almonds) notes.

Each chunky dark chocolate square was a mix of smooth texture/melt and crunchy bites of (whole) almonds.

The flavor was true chocolate (fudge brownie) with a slightly earthy note, and well-managed satisfying boldness. 

Ingredients: Sugar, chocolate liquor, almonds, cocoa butter, butterfat (milk), soy lecithin.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, other tree nuts, wheat and egg."

Alfred Ritter - Cacao Selection - Dark Chocolate 61% Cacao Fine with Cacao From Nicaragua (bar)

Chocolate of the Day

Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co.
Cacao Selection - Dark Chocolate 61% Cacao Fine with cacao from Nicaragua (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 296.8 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Sausalito, CA 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and NOPQ Theme Week, featuring chocolates with flavor inclusions and origin locations that start with the letters N, O, P and/or Q. And we're extending this "week" by ending with a series of chocolate bars that contain cacao from Nicaragua.

Today's "Cacao Selection - Dark Chocolate 61% Cacao Fine with Cacao from Nicaragua" (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. (Waldenbuch, Germany). 

In 2019, the company launched a series of Ritter-Sport "Cacao Selection" (selected origin) bars made with just 3-4 ingredients.* (Yesterday, the Ritter Cacao Selection 74% Peru bar was featured.)

Today's bar followed the Ritter-Sports packaging tradition. A generously-sized (3.5 oz./100 g.), square bar was molded into a connected array of thick (smaller) squares. Each individual square bore the Ritter logo. To enjoy, just break off the number of squares desired to create your preferred serving size. 

This chocolate was made with Nicaraguan cacao beans,* and had a smooth dark, roasted cacao flavor. As expected this 61% cacao chocolate was brighter, sweeter and a bit smoother than yesterday's (darker, "intense") Ritter-Sport 74% Peru bar. 

Happily, neither chocolate was blandly uniform. (Many high-volume chocolates can be.) They each had plenty of true chocolate flavor, and both possessed some pleasingly complex cacao aroma and flavor nuances. Today's Nicaragua bar had an aroma with concentrated fruit (dried plums, apricots)--similar to yesterday's Peru bar. 

The flavors, however, had a shyer, sophisticated quality--with hints of cream and subtle fruit (peaches and strawberry) and pure cocoa (hot chocolate) notes. These notes are more often associated with fine cacao or heritage cacao beans. (Although the fruit notes were also brightened/elevated a bit by the greater amount of sugar in this bar.)

*Ingredients: Chocolate liquor (made from cocoa beans from Nicaragua), sugar, cocoa butter.

Allergen information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, soy and egg."

*Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa sourcing. "We purchase a volume of UTZ and/or Rainforest Alliance Certified (tm) cocoa equivalent to the volume used in this product. www.ra.org/mb." 

Alfred Ritter GmbH - Cacao Selection Dark Chocolate 74% Cacao Intense Peru (bar) - March 30, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co.
Cacao Selection - Dark Chocolate 74% Cacao Intense with cacao from Peru (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 296.8 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Sausalito, CA 

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and NOPQ Theme Week, featuring chocolates with flavor inclusions and origin locations that start with the letters N, O, P and/or Q. 

Today's "Cacao Selection - Dark Chocolate 74% Cacao Intense with Cacao from Peru" (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. (Waldenbuch, Germany). 

The company has offered a wide variety of bars with different flavor inclusions for many years. In 2019, they launched a series of Ritter-Sport "Cacao Selection" (selected origin) bars made with just 3-4 ingredients.

Today's thick, dark "intense" bar consisted of squares that could be broken off, to create a preferred serving size. It was made with Peruvian cacao beans,* and had fairly deep dark, roasted cacao flavor. However, this chocolate was not blandly uniform. It also possessed some pleasingly complex cacao aroma and flavor nuances.

The aroma had hints of concentrated fruit (dried plums, apricots), and fleeting aromatic, green-floral-fruit cocoa notes (hibiscus/rose, light cherry, hot chocolate) in the tasting experience.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor (made from cocoa beans from Peru), sugar, cocoa butter.

Allergen information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, soy and egg."

*Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa sourcing. "We purchase a volume of UTZ and/or Rainforest Alliance Certified (tm) cocoa equivalent to the volume used in this product. www.ra.org/mb."

Ritter Sport - Milk Chocolate with Honey Salt Almonds bar - Oct. 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ritter Sport
Milk Chocolate with Honey Salt Almonds bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 315 calories (per label - seems high) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ava's Downtown Market and Deli, Mountain View, CA

Guten Morgen (Good Morning) and Willkommen (Welcome) to Day #5 of Chocolate and Honey Theme Week.

Today's Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Honey Salt Almonds bar was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany).

Honig (honey) is an important part of German cuisine. Going beyond the vastly popular clover honey on grocery shelves in most of the U.S., a variety of honeys from flowers, trees and forests can be found in German markets. Today's milk chocolate bar incorporates honey covered, salted, roasted almonds.

This bar had a rich milk chocolate and nut aroma. The milk chocolate around the generously sized (largely whole) almonds emitted a strong sweetness (from the base chocolate and the slightly crunchy candied honey and salt coating), as it melted and was eaten.

However, the sweetness receded markedly about half way through, and I enjoyed the natural tasting flavor and texture of the almonds—an authentic flavor that lingered, along with a trace of chocolate, in the finish.

Ritter - 35% Milk Chocolate Arriba Cocoa Ecuador bar - Sept. 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Ritter Sport
35% Fine Milk Chocolate with Arriba cocoa from Ecuador bar
Good ++
Weight: .575 oz (16.25 g. ) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 86 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 box of 14 bars
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Ecuador Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 35 percent Fine Milk Chooclate bar from Ritter (Germany). was made with Arriba cacao from Ecuador.

This fairly thick bar could be broken into pieces to share. The milk chocolate had a relatively creamy melt and an aroma of sweet milk chocolate. The bar had a cooked milk cocoa flavor (more caramel than fruit), with a slight nutty flavor note.

Ritter - Dark Chocolate Papua New Guinea bar - Feb. 8, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co.
Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate - 50% Papua New Guinea bar
Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 box of 14 bars
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Some Enchanted Islands Theme Week.

This Papua New Guinea single origin dark bar was from European chocolatier Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany). The familiar square-ish, individually wrapped Ritter bars come in many flavors—the company's dark hazelnut chocolate bar being my favorite flavor I've tried so far. In most of these bars the country of origin (for the cacao) is not listed or specified.

It can be challenging for a high-volume company to create a single origin bar, as their needs might easily exceed the output of a single plantation. They may need to blend and balance cacao from multiple growers in a region or country. And, unlike smaller makers, larger makers often need to have more consistent (and less unique) flavor over a longer period of time.

Today's 50% cacao bar might be perfect if you have a craving for chocolate sweets. This bar smelled like a fresh batch of marshmallow chocolate fudge, and had that intense sweet, cocoa flavor as well.

There was a very subtle earthy and slightly artificial* flavor at the finish; but otherwise it was enjoyable. Ingredients: "sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor*"

Stay tuned, tomorrow we'll continue our virtual island voyage with another Papua New Guinea bar.

*It should be noted that the packaging for this bar stated that it was made with "natural ingredients."
I don't really know what "natural flavor" means in this case. Unfortunately, the broad phrases "all natural" and "natural ingredients" have been so over-used, they don't mean much if they're meant to reassure people looking to either include or exclude certain substances in food items. 

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

Ritter Sport - Coffee and Hazelnuts bar - Dec. 25, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ritter Sport
Coffee and Hazelnuts bar
Good ++
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 131 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads Specialty Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate this festive Winter holiday.

Today was the last of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week, and as I transitioned to Day #2 of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week.

I enjoy a small shot of decaf espresso with lemon peel now and then. Lemon + Chocolate + Coffee can be great together in the right proportions. I tested that theory with today's holiday "Winter Edition" Coffee and Hazelnuts bar from Ritter Sport (Germany), with the picture of the white sugar cube "snowman" on the front.

No snow here in California where I live, but we do have lemon trees and access to gluten free lemon baked goods. So I paired this bar with a tasty, gluten-free Limoncello cupcake (from Ginger and Fox Bake Shop, Valencia, CA), and some hot lemon leaf tea.

One could also try melting part of this smooth, coffee infused chocolate bar with chopped hazelnut bits into cup shapes and fill said cups with lemon different fillings (lemon curd, lemon panna cotta, lemon zest, etc.).

Ritter Sport - Fine Extra Dark Chocolate bar - Aug. 24, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Alfred E. Ritter GmbH
Ritter Sport - Fine Extra Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 138 calories (estimate) in 4 squares
Cost: $2.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (information lost)


Willkommen (Welcome) to Day #3 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

The Ritter Sport line of chocolate bars from Germany, available with hazelnuts, corn flakes, marzipan, praline, yogurt, and other flavors, are sold in many stores in the U.S. I'd had several of these bars before in previous years.

Today, however, I thought I'd shake things up (fitting, as I was woken up by an earthquake this morning), and went back to basics. I enjoyed a Ritter Sport dark chocolate bar, without flavor inclusions, made "with fine cacao from Ecuador." This bar had been squirreled away in my chocolate vault for just this occasion.

This "Noir Extra fin" chocolate was smooth, dark and bittersweet, a good basic dark bar.

Ritter Rum Trauben Nuss bar - April 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Ritter (Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co.)
Rum Trauben Nuss bar
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) in 1/4 bar / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 128 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads World Market, Palo Alto, CA

Rum, brandy, tequila, Scotch, bourbon, exotic liqueurs...most people who enjoy pairing chocolates with spirits have their favorite.

Today's Rum Trauben Nuss (rum raisin with hazelnut) bar from Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany) mixes it up with a touch of Jamaican rum, and California raisins.

This milk chocolate (30% min.) bar looked and tasted fresh; and contained hazelnut pieces that added some crunchy texture.

Note: Because this bar does contain a small amount of alcohol, you may find it more challenging to find this flavor where other Ritter Sport bars are sold in the U.S. I found this one at a smaller, international market that carried specialty items, including chocolates and desserts.

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