Kasama Chocolate - The Endless Summer (Philippines cacao) (bar) - Jan. 14, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Kasama Chocolate

"The Endless Summer" - Seasonal Release 55% Chocolate with Coconut Milk and Saba Banana (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 329 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $13.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's "The Endless Summer" - Seasonal Release 55% Dark Chocolate with Coconut Milk and Saba Banana (bar) was from Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, BC, Canada).

Tropical flavor inclusions and island origins are great for cold winter days. It was chilly outside today where I live; but this "Endless Summer" bar offered a welcome, virtual trip to the Philippines.

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (dark ganache); sweet green (banana); and subtle, authentic coconut milk. 

There was also a faint and balanced fruit tanginess to this bar also; but it was hard to pin down whether it was coming from the cacao, the coconut milk, the banana or a combination of all the ingredients. In any case, it added a tiny bit of oomph to the overall taste. Not too tart or sour, but enough to add some interest--like a squirt of lime or lemon on a fruit salad.

Texture: The base chocolate had a creamy, almost silken, texture -- thanks to the combination of coconut milk and cocoa butter. 

The Saba* banana chips (pieces on the back of the bar) added subtle banana/plantain chip texture and flavor. The chips (a generous sprinkle of small, thin, crunchy pieces) were just right for my taste; and it was great to see a variety of banana that originated in the Philippines.

As with other Kasama Chocolate offerings, I appreciated the short list of quality ingredients. And I liked that the 55% cacao dark coconut milk bar had a richer, darker flavor (more like a 65%+ cacao dark chocolate) than some other dark milk chocolates.

Ingredients: "Cacao Beans*, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Coconut Milk Powder*, Saba Banana Chips, Sea Salt" (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

*The Saba banana is a triploid hybrid cultivar, that originated in the Philippines. It's used in cooking and eating fresh.

Theo & Philo Chocolate Factory - 60% Dark Chocolate with Green Banana Chips + Pink Salt (bar) - Apr. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory
60% Dark Chocolate with Green Banana Chips + Pink Salt (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .795 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 111 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week.

Today's 60% Dark Chocolate with Green Banana Chips + Pink Salt (bar) was from Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory, Inc. (Manila, Philippines).

Aroma notes for this bar included: soft fruit (tropical, banana), subtle chocolate, and mild, sweet floral (vanilla, coconut).

Layered bits of green banana chips in lush 60% dark chocolate created a satisfying, softly crunchy (starchy, crispy) texture. The sweet-salt balance was in the delicious and addictive range.

This chocolate bar made with cacao from the Philippines reminded me of a very enjoyable, rich chocolate cookie (lacy, buttery dark chocolate and almond florentines) or a tropical island chocolate profiterole. Delicate but also rich, crunchy and delicious.

Understated aroma and flavor notes were elegantly complex and authentic and not boring.

Ingredients: Cacao beans, sugar, banana, cocoa butter, coconut oil, Himalayan salt.

Allergen-related information: (Cotained coconut.) Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts and other tree nuts.

Crunchies Natural Foods - Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate - May 30, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Distributed by Crunchies Natural Food Company, LLC

Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate

Good +

Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 5 oz. (142 g.) in total package

Calories: 280 calories in 2 servings

Cost: $3.99 for 1 package

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

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Freeze-Dried Bananas in Milk Chocolate were distributed by Crunchies Natural Food Company, LLC (Calabasas, CA).

These glossy, milk chocolate covered pieces had an aroma with mild milk chocolate and faint fruit (banana milkshake) notes.

The authentic, light (almost airy) and crunchy banana slices that lay at the center of these chocolate confections were a cause for celebration. The company offers a line of crunchy freeze-dried fruits, including some that are chocolate-coated (strawberry, banana and blueberry).

The smooth creamy and fairly sweet milk chocolate (coating) was the metaphorical "icing on the cake." These pieces also had an addictive snack quality (real milk chocolate with whole milk powder will do that to me sometimes). So if you're overly hungry or craving something sweet, you may eat more than you planned.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural vanilla extract), freeze-dried banana, confectioners glaze, gum arabic.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy" "May contain eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat"

Exquisito Chocolates - Apeeling Chocolate (Plantain Clusters) - May 29, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Exquisito Chocolates
"Apeeling Chocolate" - Chocolate Covered Plantain Clusters
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 6.88 oz. (195 g.) in total package
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) serving/piece
Cost: $12.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Exquisito Chocolates, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week, featuring a variety of chocolate and fruit items. 

Today's "Apeeling Chocolate" Chocolate Covered Plantain Clusters were from Exquisito Chocolates (Little Havana, Miami, FL).

The package of generously-sized, bark-like pieces had an aroma of rich milk chocolate and faint plantain/banana chips. The smooth and flavorful dark milk chocolate paired well with the embedded crunchy pieces of authentic plantain (chips).

Maker's description: "...crispy milk chocolate-covered plantain chips which bring the perfect balance of Miami sweet and salty."

Ingredients: "Cacao, cocoa butter, unrefined cane sugar, milk, plantain. Contains cow's milk. Processed in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat."

Kind - Pressed by Kind Dark Chocolate Banana bar - Aug. 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kind

Pressed by Kind Dark Chocolate Banana bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.34 oz. (38 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $1.67 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Safeway, Danville, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Costa Rica Theme Week.

The biggest agricultural exports in Costa Rica have been bananas and pineapples. So, today, we're honoring one of these fruits, the banana, two different ways. 

The first item was a Pressed by Kind Dark Chocolate Banana bar. It was rich and chewy, with concentrated dried banana moistness and sweetness, drizzled and backed with dark chocolate.

The second item was a blend of several left-over, single origin Costa Rican chocolate bars, melted into a fondue and eaten with banana chips (from Bare Snacks). Yum.

Torn Ranch - Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas - Jan. 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Torn Ranch

Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas

Good +

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in total package

Calories: 220 calories in 1 package

Cost: $3.99 for 1 package

Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

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

This week we've featured chocolates containing a variety of fruit additions, including: apple cider, cherries, wild blueberries, mango and banana.

Yesterday's chocolate was a sweet milk chocolate confection of a bar, banana filled and topped, from France.

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas from Torn Ranch (Petaluma, CA) offered a robust, less sweet counterpoint to yesterday's confection. 

Bold, smooth dark (72% cacao) chocolate with light earthy and very subtle nutty flavor notes, surrounded thick, perfectly light and crunchy organic banana chips. 

Bare Foods - Cocoa Banana Chips - April 26, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bare Foods Co.
Baked Crunchy Cocoa Banana Chips
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.35 oz. (38.5 g.) / 2.7 oz. (77 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (per label) in 1/2 package
Cost: $3.00 (sale price) for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Fruits blend so successfully with chocolate that most fruits merit their own chocolate theme week.* And bananas certainly deserve to be near the top of the list as they are, by many estimates, the most popular fruit in the world.

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Naturally Bare Co. (San Francisco, CA) offers a large lineup of healthy, simple snacks, including three flavors of banana chips. Today's two-ingredient Cocoa Banana Chips (bananas, organic unsweetened cocoa) had no added sugar and were, light, baked, crunchy, fat free and gluten free.

When I lightly shook the unopened bag, these cocoa-colored chips made a sound like impossibly weightless, other-worldly glass shards in the package. However, they were very edible and tasty.

The chips were refreshingly natural and light, with light cocoa flavor. The primary taste and texture, once gently reconstituted in your mouth, was one of natural banana.

*Over the last 10+ years Chocolate Banquet has featured many chocolate theme weeks dedicated to chocolate and...cherries, oranges, berries, pomegranates, limes, strawberries, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, figs, bananas, mangos, grapes/raisins, goji berries, and a few fruit salad and fruit cocktail theme weeks.

ChocolateBet: October 22, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Chocolate Visions
Peanut Butter Banana Bonanza
Very Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 262 calories (estimate)
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Peanut Theme Week. Peanut butter and chocolate pair well together, and today's Peanut Butter (and 61% dark chocolate) bar with banana chips from Chocolate Visions was a winning combination.

I purchased this Peanut Butter Banana Bonanza bar as part of a chocolate walk in San Francisco today - which included a tour at TCHO, and stops at Recchiuti, Scharffen Berger, and Fog City News -- where I found today's bar, a perfect match for peanut theme week.

And, today's gratuitous monkey tie-in: a monkey finger puppet from a Latin American street vendor on Market Street in San Francisco. It's become a tradition; any Chocolate Banquet blog posts incorporating chocolate and peanuts, peanut butter, and/or bananas also seem to attract monkeys. 

Coco-luxe Confections - Monkeyin' around bar - June 12, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Coco-luxe Confections
Monkeyin' around (bar)
Very Good
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: $5.50 for total bar
Purchased from: Coco-luxe Confections store, in San Francisco, CA

Day #2 of Chocolate and Monkey Theme Week found me munching on a few squares of a Coco-luxe Confections "Monkeyin' around" bar: milk chocolate with banana chips, cocoa nibs and alaea sea salt.

These bars were part of Coco-luxe's line of "classic americana in fine chocolate" line, and were, according to the packaging, handcrafted in small batches. The chocolate, banana and cocoa nibs flavors and textures were well-balanced with small hints of salt.

Leaving the land of chocolate monkeys for a moment, thank you to Sunita at Chocolate Dividends today, for allowing me to taste many wonderful chocolates at the new Chocolate Garage, in downtown Palo Alto, CA. I'm looking forward to visiting the Garage again in the near future. Today's tasting menu included bars from Madecasse and The Grenada Chocolate Company.