Seattle Chocolate - Hiker's Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar - Jan. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolate Company
Hiker's Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #3 of Hit the Trail with Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Hiker's Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar—with peanuts, California raisins and roasted sunflower seeds in dark chocolate* (no cacao percent listed)—was from Seattle Chocolate Company (Seattle, WA).

The gluten free and vegan bar had a roasted peanut and chocolate aroma and the chocolate had a smooth, creamy dark chocolate truffle melt and mouthfeel. The raisins were moist and chewy, and the nuts and sunflower seeds provided some soft crunchy texture.

This trail mix bar was an enjoyable treat after a beautiful January hike with two lovely chocolate friends by the San Francisco bay.

*Rainforest Alliance Certified, Kosher Dairy, Non GMO Project Verified

Seattle Chocolates - Whidbey Wildberry Dark Truffle Bar - Mar. 11, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolate Company
Whidbey Wildberry
Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar with Cherries and Strawberries
Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Pebble Beach Market,  Pebble Beach, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and STUVWXYZ Theme Week. Over the next several days, we'll finish up the alphabet, beginning with a chocolate related to the letter "s."

Let's start with a day, a destination and a fruit. Happy Saturday to you all! How about we take a virtual trip to Seattle and sample a bar with some Strawberries?

Today's Whidbey Wildberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar was from Seattle Chocolate Company (Seattle, WA).  This bar contained cherries (dried cherries, cane sugar, sunflower oil) and strawberries (strawberry jellies with apple juice and strawberry puree*)—two fruits that shine in late spring and summer.

The gluten-free and vegan Whidbey Wildberry truffle bar was made with smooth and sweet chocolate, punctuated by bits and tiny bursts of strawberry and cherry fruit texture and flavor.

Seattle Chocolate Company makes a variety of thick truffle bars that are almost velvety, and today's bar was no exception.

Other Seattle Chocolates/truffle bars w/ "s" in titles include:
- A Super Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar (powered by coffee and cocoa nibs)
- San Juan Sea Salt Truffle Bar (w/ milk chocolate)
- Dark San Juan Sea Salt Truffle Bar

On a sunny day, Seattle sparkles. However, this Northwestern U.S. city is better known for long gray season, and the company offers bars with titles that play off the weather:

- Overcast Sea Salt Truffle Bar
- Rainy Day Espresso Truffle Bar
- Sunny Salted Almond Truffle Bar

I'll take the Sunny Salted Almond bar.

**Some "W" back-story
Washington state produces large quantities of fruits and berries, including apples, cherries, blueberries, pears and strawberries. Whidbey Island, close to Seattle, is a popular source of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and other seasonal foods, including berries. Today's Whidbey Wildberry truffle bar is, in part, a tribute to the wonderful abundance of this area.

Seattle Chocolates - Salted Almond Truffle Bar - May 2, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Seattle Chocolate Company
Salted Almond - Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
Good
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 95 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Salt and Almonds Theme Week.

Today's Salted Almond bar from Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA) was part of the company's Truffle Bar line—scored bars filled with a softer middle. This one was decorated with a modern, wavy linear pattern (vaguely reminiscent of woodgrain or ripples across a lake) on the outside.

This bar smelled and tasted like salted dark milk chocolate (although it contained no dairy ingredients); and it had chunks of dry roasted almonds embedded in the creamier chocolate middle inside, with a hint of sea salt.

This Gluten-Free, Vegan and Non-GMO bar was made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa and bore the Kosher dairy symbol.

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

Hot Buttered Rum bar; Glow Almonds bar - Nov. 29, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Seattle Chocolates
Hot Buttered Rum Milk Chocolate Truffle bar with Toffee Bits
Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 188 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sur La Table, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

For those huddling around a fire in the Northern Hemisphere, the Hot Buttered Rum Milk Chocolate Truffle bar with Toffee Bits from Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA) may help keep you warm*.

This Non-GMO, gluten free bar was similar in formula to the company's individual Hot Buttered Rum truffles. (There wasn't a detectable alcohol taste in either of these rum chocolates as I recall.) Seattle Chocolates also makes an eggnog chocolate bar, but I couldn't locate one in time for a holiday spirits double feature today.

So, in part because this truffle bar was so close to truffles I've already tried, I'm featuring a second milk chocolate with some "warmth."

Hershey's
Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good
Weight: .291 oz. (8.25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 45 calories in 2 squares
Cost: $N/A
Purchased from: N/A

The Hershey's "Glow" Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar contained bits of chopped almonds.

To increase the warmth and glow factor (for adults only), I paired this bar with a tiny 2 oz. cup of spiced hot chocolate flavored with spiced rum, Amaretto, and Frangelico. That was enough for me. Now I'm going outdoors to warm up the old fashioned way—a walk with a good friend.

*White interior fireplace background was from a California Mantel and Fireplace, Inc., advertisement.

jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar - Nov. 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Seattle Chocolates
jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift (thank you Toni!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

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

Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific where cacao is grown. After being being colonized by various European countries, the Republic of Vanuatu gained its independence in 1980.

Pecans are part of many U.S. Thanksgiving celebrations (pecan pie, pecans in stuffing, chopped pecans crumbled over sweet potatoes and yams, etc.).

The jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar was a blend of international flavors and textures, including smooth and flavorful single origin milk chocolate from Vanuatu, and crunchy bits of raw pecans. Dried coconut shavings and a bit of sea salt rounded out the mix.

I'm thankful for the 1,000s of chocolatiers around the world and their chocolate creations that incorporate ingredients from around the world.

The jcoco brand is part of Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).

Seattle Chocolates - Hot Buttered Rum Truffles - Oct. 30, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolate Company
Hot Buttered Rum Truffles
Good - Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (24.9 g.) / 5 oz. (141 g.) in total package of 17 pieces
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 3 pieces
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: Seattle Chocolate Company, Seattle, WA (online order)

Today was Day #8 of Halloween Cocktails Theme Week, and Day #4 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Are you ready for Halloween? I am planning on doing some reverse trick-or-treating this year. What does that mean? It means I may hand out individually wrapped truffles and filled chocolates to a few adult friends in the neighborhood. (Sorry kids.)

Today's Seattle Chocolates Hot Buttered Rum Truffles, will be included in my bag-o-treats. These two-bite sized, smooth, rectangular milk chocolates contained embedded micro-bits of crunchy toffee, and were wrapped festively in shiny gold wrappers with a neat twist at each end. (They were also gluten-free and made with non-GMO ingredients.)

Halloween Dessert "Cocktail" with Nibs

Today's dessert in a cocktail glass consisted of several ingredients:
tiny scoops of Small Batch Bourbon Vanilla ice cream (flavored with pieces of Kentucky Bourbon barrels and Madagascar vanilla beans no less) from Steve's Ice Cream; homemade coconut palm sugar and maple caramel syrup; and a topping of chopped pecans and walnuts and a small avalanche of cacao nibs.

Cheers and Happy Halloween Eve to you all.

jcoco - Agave Quinoa Sesame bar - July 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolates
jcoco Agave Quinoa Sesame bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend (thank you Toni!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

Grains are malty, neutral-tasting and a bit starchy -- a good foil for flavorful chocolate which has just enough acidic tang and bittersweet zing to liven things up.

Most chocolate and grain items come in the form of baked goods. Before I had to skip all things gluten, some of my favorites included: chocolate croissants, German chocolate cake, eclairs, and other lovelies. Thankfully there are plenty of gluten-free alternatives to these sweets now -- except perhaps flaky pastry items such as croissants.

This week, I'll be focusing on chocolates with grain or grass inclusions or alternatives, such as today's jcoco Agave Quinoa Sesame bar from Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).

Quinoa is from a plant native to South American that's grown primarily for its edible seeds. It has become popular in the last several years in the U.S. However, it is neither grass nor grain, but rather a "pseudocereal." (Chenopodium quinoa is more closely related to the beet family.) However, quinoa can serve, and is serving, as a grain alternative to couscous, bulgar wheat, rice and other starches, and can complement or replace other cereal grains.

Today's non-GMO and gluten-free Agave Quinoa Sesame milk chocolate bar was sweet and a good blend of creamy sweet milk chocolate and crunchy, chewy seeds and quinoa. Agave and sugar glazed quinoa to be precise. A dash of sea salt helped balance the sweetness.

This bar was part of an assortment of 6 small-sized, different flavored jcoco bars from Seattle Chocolates.

ChocolateBet: May 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolate Company
Orange Appeal - Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 total bar
Purchased from:


This Orange Appeal bar from Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA), was made with a mix of 53% cacao dark chocolate and 33% milk chocolate -- and was flavored with bits of candied/glazed orange peel. My only half-hearted complaint: I think I would have liked this bar more if there was about 30% less sugar.

ChocolateBet: January 29, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/4 bar
Seattle Chocolates/Seattle Chocolate Company
Rainier Cherry - Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
Good +
Weight: .625 oz. (7 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 95 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $ N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift (shop near Pike Place Market), Seattle, WA

After eating more than 1,500 chocolates, it's always delightful to be surprised -- by an unexpected package and note in the mail; a creative new interpretation of an old (chocolate) favorite; or chocolate in some form or combination that I never would have imagined. That said, today is Day #1 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

I received this Seattle Chocolates slightly creamy textured, dark truffle bar (with praline pecan and cherry bits) in the mail from friends who were visiting Seattle and spied this bar in a chocolate shop near Pike Place Market. Thank you to John and Colleen.

ChocolateBet: December 28, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece/truffle
Seattle Chocolates
Cafe Mocha
Good -Very Good.
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift)
I received in my Christmas stocking at a family celebration a few days ago.

The coffee taste in some Seattle Chocolates items is a bit too strong (burnt flavor?) for me. This is surprising as I really like strong coffee flavors and I also tend not to mind crispy-singed BBQ veggies, potatoes, and meat items. I salute Seattle Chocolates in that they are not afraid to go for it with the intense coffee roast here. I'd rather see bold statements like this than be frustrated by chocolates where the flavors are lost or too weak/muddled.

Can you take flavors too far? Other than the chocolate-covered bugs I tried, I'd have to say I haven't found too many chocolates that I thought were too strongly flavored - other than those that perhaps use artificial flavors which don't taste quite right. Start with a good base chocolate, and I think almost any great flavor might work. Just my opinion.

ChocolateBet: October 6, 2007

Chocolate of the Day: 
(Somehow I ended up with two different chocolates in same day; I think this is a mistake.)

2 pieces
Seattle Chocolates
Mint Truffles (2 pcs)
Very Good; nice strong authentic mint flavor, which I liked.
Wt.: Total box/package = 8 oz./226 grams
Calories: ?
Cost: $ ?
Purchased from: a pharmacy/drug store in Orcas Island, WA

Also,
1 piece
Teuscher
Dark Chocolate Champagne truffle
Very Good; ate with my daughter and her boyfriend during trip to the city/SF
Weight: ~.4 oz.
Cost ~ $1.00
Purchased from: Teuscher, San Francisco, CA, near Union Square

ChocolateBet: October 2, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
Seattle Chocolates
2 piecesBlackberry Creme Truffles
Good - Very Good
Weight: 8 oz. (227 grams) total box/packageCalories: 2 pieces = ? calories
Cost: $ ?
Purchased these in Washington State, during vacation trip to Orcas Island.

Comments: Theses were good. However, while I know this is a creme, I would have loved to have tasted more of the real berry taste.

ChocolateBet: May 27 and 28, 2007

Chocolate(s) of the Day(s):

Horrors. I've left out an entry for May 28. I'm having to combine these two entries for May 27 and May 28, because I don't have the time to see if I can fix this right now.

May 27, 2007
It's great to be on vacation for the weekend. A change of scene does wonders, as does catching up on sleep. One of the great things about traveling is discovering local food makers and their specialties. Today, I discovered Trinks desserts - and their Rocky Road candy at a local supermarket in the coastal town of Gualala. (Highway 1 runs through the center of town.) This candy is made in Gualala and ingredients include dark chocolate, walnuts, and marshmallows.

Chocolate of the Day (5/27):
1 serving/container
Trinks Desserts
3.2 oz. total
Very Good - Yum - This is very tasty, and could be addictive.
320 calories
$6.99/container/pkg.
Purchased at: Surf Super (Market), in Gualala, CA

May 28, 2007
Chocolate of the Day (5/28):
1 serving (1/4 bar)
Seattle Chocolates
Cappuccino Crunch - Toffee, Almonds, and Espresso (milk chocolate)
2.5 oz. (70 grams) total
Good - Very Good - espresso used is a bit strong for this milk chocolate
Calories: 100 for 1/4 bar
Purchased at: either Surf Super (Market) in Gualala, CA; or Easy Foods Market in Mountain View, CA?

ChocolateBet: November 6, 2006

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolates
Cocoa Nibs in Dark Truffle bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.49 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: ? market in San Francisco, CA

Having really enjoyed a previous selection from Seattle Chocolates, today I tried the company's Cocoa Nibs in Dark Truffle bar, wrapped in gold foil and a bright, shiny raspberry colored wrapper with cocoa pod images. The packaging was cheery on a fall day, and the cocoa nibs truffle bar was very good.

ChocolateBet: November 4, 2006

Chocolate of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolates
Pikes Place Espresso Truffle Bar
Yum
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ? market in San Francisco, CA

Today, I enjoyed a Saturday of painting (on real canvas for a change), cooking and cleaning up the backyard at home. I made lots of dishes only a veggie lover would appreciate, including some with golden beets and herbs, pumpkin butter, broccoli in marinara sauce, and the the much maligned brussel sprout(s). Well, I loved it. Something good for me too. I thank my mother for infusing a love for fruit and vegetables into us at a young age - with tales of their "victory" garden back in the mid-west when she was young.

For my chocolate of the day, I looked to Seattle Chocolates. They make a great Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar. I ate half their 2.5 oz. bar. Yum. This was very nice chocolate.

Note: Photo added later, when camera available.