The Chocolate Conspiracy - Coffee Cream Ale 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar - Aug. 31, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Chocolate Conspiracy
Coffee Cream Ale - 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar 
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Beer and Hops Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & Coffee Theme Week.

Today's Coffee Cream Ale 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar was made by The Chocolate Conspiracy (Salt Lake City, UT). (This bar followed a Black Lager bar from The Chocolate Conspiracy featured yesterday.)

This cacao + ale bar was crafted with "organic, unroasted, single-origin cacao beans from the Ucayali region of Peru." And cacao nibs were infused with Coffee Cream Ale from Kiitos Brewing (Salt Lake City, UT).

Beer makes up a large category of fermented beverages made with water, (malted) grains and hops. Lagers use a bottom-fermenting yeast and a cold fermentation. Yesterday's dark-hued "black" lager had a very roast-y, almost smokey aroma, but a crisp, clean, more friendly, less hop-py flavor than expected.

Ales, on the other hand, are made with a top-fermenting yeast and a warmer fermentation process and can have more complex, hoppy flavors. Today's bar was a blend of Peru cacao, coffee and a light cream ale. Buckle up! I thought.

Aroma notes for today's 75% cacao ale and coffee blend included: rich, dark chocolate (chocolate-y, with diffuse red fruit); an array of what I'd call pleasant, sweet green botanical (green fig jam, green walnuts in syrup); and roasted coffee.

Despite the blend of relatively bold flavors, I could taste much more of the chocolate in today's 75% (Peru) cacao bar (than in yesterday's Black Lager 75% (Peru) cacao bar. 

Texture: smooth, almost silky with a rapid, even (and very slightly waxy) melt--a texture I associated with honey-sweetened chocolate bars. It's a unique and relatively pleasant texture, that may, in some cases, enable a more interesting/longer finish.

Flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate; roasted/robust coffee; and faint hop and ale. It was also a bit lower in bitter and hop flavors than expected.

This bar was full of harmonious, roast-y and bittersweet flavors. The un-roasted (raw) Peruvian cacao delivered a rich, dark chocolate experience (with faint, diffuse red fruit, berry notes) that was accentuated by roasted coffee (that may have also had berry notes).

The ale was harder to detect until the finish. It may have just harmonized very well with the cacao and coffee. Just as the cacao was less detectable in yesterday's Black Lager bar yesterday, the Ale was in the background today. Either way, the result was a tasty chocolate; and the flavors were balanced, authentic and satisfying.

Last but not least, the raw, unfiltered wildflower honey helped balance the bitter and roasted flavors and added a very subtle, layered sweetness.

I appreciated the chance to try this flavorful blend, and the maker's choices to use a short list of high-quality and organic ingredients. 

Ingredients: "Raw Organic Cacao Beans, Raw Organic Cacao Butter, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Kiitos Coffee Cream Ale"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, coconut, and pistachios."

 

The Chocolate Conspiracy - Black Lager 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar - Aug. 30, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Chocolate Conspiracy
Black Lager 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar 
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Beer and Hops Theme Week.

Today's Black Lager 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar was made by The Chocolate Conspiracy (Salt Lake City, UT).

This cacao + lager bar was crafted with "organic, unroasted, single-origin cacao beans from the Ucayali region of Peru." And cacao nibs were infused with Baba Black Lager from Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, UT).

Beer is a general term. What makes a lager a lager? Lagers use a bottom-fermenting yeast and a cold fermentation; whereas ales use a top-fermenting yeast and a warmer fermentation process. Dark-hued "black" lagers are known for their roasted malt flavors and relatively clean, crisp flavors. 

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, dark roasted malt (dark lager) and roasted coffee.

Texture: smooth, almost silky with a rapid, even (and very slightly waxy) melt--a texture I associated with chocolate bars sweetened with honey. It's an interesting and relatively pleasant texture, albeit a bit unique and may, in some cases, enable a longer finish.

The flavor profile for this bar was deep, dark and impressively layered. It was also relatively lower in bitter and hop flavors than what I was expecting. 

This bar was full of mostly harmonious, deep roast-y and slightly bitter flavors--achieved by several steps, most notably soaking cocoa nibs in black lager. It tasted like the cocoa nibs might have been heavily roasted, but this was not the case. The unroasted (raw) Peruvian cacao likely gave it flavor a sweet chocolate roundness, richness and depth.

The raw, unfiltered wildflower honey helped balance the bitter and roasted flavors and added a very subtle, layered sweetness with its own.

Maker's comments: "Infusing cacao nibs with an organic black lager creates flavors of coffee, fruit, and subtle smoke..."

This tasting experience started with a potentially bitter, heavily roasted aroma (that was complex but much more friendly in the taste, and ended with a sweeter, honey-like chocolate/mocha flavor. I appreciated the chance to try this flavorful blend, and the relatively short list of high-quality and organic ingredients. 

Ingredients: "Raw Organic Cacao Beans, Raw Organic Cacao Butter, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Uinta Baba Black Lager"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, coconut, and pistachios."

Qantu - IPA Style 60% Hops Infused Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Qantu
IPA Style 60% Hops Infused Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Beer & Hops Week.

Today's IPA Style 60% Hops Infused Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Qantu Cacao et Chocolat Inc. (Montreal, Canada).

The cacao beans used to make this bar were from Morropon, Piura, Peru. The IPA-style hop taste was supplied by Avant-Garde (artisan brewers in Montreal).

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (smooth, flavorful, with creamy caramel) and authentic, slightly bitter IPA-style, hop-py beer (that mellowed a bit within minutes after the inner wrapper was opened). (Full disclosure: I love chocolate and I love hops, so I was very happy to taste this bar.)

Texture: creamy, smooth dark milk chocolate 

I enjoyed the rich, hop-py taste; the well-executed and complementary cacao and beer flavors; and the satisfying and authentic complexity (sweet cream, caramel, fruit, rich cacao and slightly bitter brew)--all achieved with very a short list of ingredients.

Maker's tasting notes: "Caramel, orange, mangue (mango)"..."...evokes the pleasure of an IPA-style beer infused with the fruity aromas of Sabbro hops."

Ingredients: "cacao beans, cane sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk. May contain traces of nuts."

Cuna de Piedra - 73% Mexican Cacao from Comalcalco, Tabasco with La Lupulosa beer (bar) - Aug. 28, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Cuna de Piedra
73% Mexican Cacao from Comalcalco, Tabasco with La Lupulosa beer* (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Beer & Hops Week.

Today's 73% Mexican Cacao from Comalcalco, Tabasco with La Lupulosa beer* (bar) was from Cuna de Piedra (Monterrey, NL, Mexico).

The cacao beans used to create this chocolate were from Comalcalco, Tabasco, in southeastern Mexico. And the beer in this bar was from Cerveceria Insurgente (founded in Tijuana, Mexico in 2010).

Aroma and flavor notes for this cacao + brew collaboration bar included: chocolate, lightly roasted malt, complex hops/beer (stout)--and barely detectable, fleeting floral notes. All these flavors carried over into a pleasing finish.

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a snap; and had a smooth, even texture.

Balanced, delicious complexity. One of the best beer bar blends I've tasted so far. The chocolate and the beer aromas and flavors harmonized very nicely.

Ingredients: "Cacao beans, Cane sugar, Beer."

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes wheat, milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. Non-alcoholic product."

*La Lupulosa beer is a West Coast IPA-style beer from a pioneering artisanal beer making duo (that began in a back yard) in northern Mexico, not far from the U.S. border. It's known for its complex and tasty hop notes.

 

Fu Wan Chocolate - Beer Yeast #3 "American Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate" 70% dark (bar) - Aug. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fu Wan Chocolate
Beer Yeast #3 "American Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate" 70% dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.236 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 222 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $18.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Beer and Hops Week, featuring chocolates that contain some beer/beer ingredients (hops, malt, yeast other fermented flavors), and chocolates related to beer pairings.

Today's Beer Yeast #3 "American Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate" 70% dark (bar) was made by Fu Wan Chocolate (Ping-Tung County, Taiwan). 

Aroma notes for this bean-to-bar chocolate included: dark chocolate; fizzy/fermented fruit (orange, peach, pineapple, apple, and much more) and fruity beer. 

These remarkable notes are possible if a maker is located near cacao trees, where chocolate can be made "in-country." And today's bar is one of those cases. Once harvested, cacao seeds surrounded by sweet fermenting pulp start to develop flavor almost immediately.*

The rough, stoneground texture and mouth feel--with tiny bits of cacao nibs (with surfaces presumably undergoing layered states of fermentation)--enabled a tasty, more multi-faceted flavor spectrum.

Flavors included the fruity spectrum mentioned in aroma notes (above), only with more depth and flavor fun. There was a fleeting hop-like bitterness, but it was very balanced and overshadowed by the lighter/brighter fruit notes.

This was a well-executed ride through the land of authentic cacao + fruity, fermented beer-like flavors--flavors that continued into a long and satisfying fruity finish. 

Thank you to Fu Wan Chocolate for this chocolate. It was very tasty and educational, especially with recent news about researchers "finally cracking" how flavor development is built with cacao/chocolate using specific microbes that can be applied to cacao fermentation facilities in the field immediately following harvesting cacao pods. (Fermenters and makers were already aware of this, but good to know the rest of the world is catching up; watch for more flavorable and fruity chocolates ahead.)

Maker's Tasting Notes: Orange, Grape, Pineapple, Pear.

Ingredients: Ping-Tung Cacao Liquor, Sugar, Cacao Butter, Yeast

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

*Most makers in the U.S. and Europe may have close ties to cacao farmers and co-ops in more equatorial climates, but nothing beats being in the same location, when it comes to sampling and influencing fermentation flavor development choices. (Think wineries in California and northern Mediterranean Europe; or beer-making regions in northern Europe and the Pacific Northwestern U.S.--where ingredients are grown and fermented in the same region.) The same is true in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

The Chocolate Therapist - Rx Extreme Therapy 72% Natural Dark Chocolate & Organic Cacao Nibs (bar) - Aug. 26, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Chocolate Therapist
Rx Extreme Therapy 72% Natural Dark Chocolate & Organic Cacao Nibs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories in 1 bar
Cost: (part of a 3-bar package for $12 + shipping)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Therapist, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Beer & Hops Week--featuring chocolates with beer, beer yeast, hops as well as chocolates (like today's bar*) that are related to beer and chocolate pairings.

Many chocolate makers will include suggested chocolate + beers/ales and spirits pairings on their packaging. Others go a bit further... 

Today's Rx Extreme Therapy 72% Natural Dark Chocolate & Organic Cacao Nibs (bar) was from Julie Nygard of The Chocolate Therapist (Littleton, CO). Julie has created chocolate collections for beer pairings and made presentations on this subject. For more, see her video: How to Pair Chocolate and Beer. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: Bittersweet dark chocolate, smooth, roasted cocoa; faint and diffuse dark red fruit (dark cherry); very faint malt; and vanilla. The cacao nibs added their own slightly nutty, nibby roasted, mellow and balanced cacao with very faint and balanced savory (olive).

Texture: Smooth, almost velvety, dark chocolate punctuated with crunchy cacao nibs (pieces of cacao bean). 

The cacao nibs felt light and crunchy and freshly roasted. They had complex and mellow flavor; and had a texture that was not too hard. They weren't bitter/funky (no off notes). The nibs on their own, and as part of the overall chocolate + nib blend, were both "just right"--in the Goldilocks zone.

I sampled this bittersweet dark bar with Sierra Nevada Hop Splash, and the two harmonized surprisingly well.

Ingredients: "Bittersweet Dark Chocolate (Unsweetened Chocolate, Sugar, Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Cocoa Nibs."

Allergen-related information: "Produced on Equipment That Also Processes Milk Products, Tree Nuts, Peanuts and Soy and May Contain Traces of These Products."

Intrigue Chocolate - Peru Ucayali Valley 78% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 24, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Peru Ucayali Valley 78% Cacao (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week; Day #1 of Chocolate, Beer & Hops Series.

Today's Peru Ucayali Valley 78% Cacao (bar) (Batch #000000090324) was from Intrigue Chocolate (Chisholm, MN).

Aroma notes for this bar included: cocoa, brown sugar, fruit (sweet fig and green apple) and faint malt.

Texture: relatively smooth stone-ground with a slightly astringent finish. 

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate, and fruity stout/beer/malt. While the flavors were rich, they were, at 78% cacao, not eclipsed by the higher cacao content.

I enjoyed the contradictions. The flavors were hearty, almost bold, but it was a well-rounded and balanced boldness. The fruit flavors (apple and plum with brown sugar compote) were rich and nuanced, almost fermented. Balanced, satisfying, stout-like flavors without an excess of acidity or bitterness, with just a little floral (green' apple + floral).

This would be an interesting chocolate to include in a flight of Peruvian chocolates and/or paired with beers/stouts. 

Maker's tasting notes: "This chocolate has flavors of tart green apple, fresh apple blossoms, and stout beer served on nitrous. It has low bitterness and astringency, but full-bodied chocolatiness."

Ingredients: Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: (None listed on label.)

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade - Beer vs. Cocoa Malt & Hops in Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 8, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade 
Beer vs. Cocoa Malt & Hops in Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 212 calories in approximately 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: DeLaurenti, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Unique Chocolates Week, including this high-end, novelty specialty chocolate made with beer candy, malt and hops. 

Today's Beer vs. Cocoa Malt & Hops in Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Rozsavolgyi Csokolade Kft (Budapest, Hungary).

Aroma notes included: unsweetened, very slightly bitter, malty chocolate biscuit (cookie)

This bar had a fun, crunchy + creamy texture. The chocolate had a crunchy element (from tiny pieces of malty beer candy I'm assuming); but it quickly resolved into smooth, creamy dark chocolate.

Flavor notes for this creative flavor collaboration included relatively rich/bold dark chocolate with a slight bitterness (likely due to the hops); and one or two bites had some bitter and earthiness. 

The individual cacao and beer elements were artfully blended. No small feat, given the flavor forces at work here were tugging playfully at each other. Ultimately, the combination worked; and no one flavor dominated the other too much.

Disclosure: I enjoy slightly bitter flavors, especially when they're well-balanced with just a pinch of sugar and/or salt. That includes some bitter cacao and nibs, but also flavor inclusions like hops or some citrus fruits/rinds in blends.

Maker's description: "Who will win the fight? The hops add all their bitterness and frantic aromas, the malt its caramel flavor. But will this be enough for the beer to win? Who knows? We made candy from the beer, which made the hops-flavored, fruity-fermented dark chocolate even more exciting."

Ingredients: dark chocolate (Cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, cocoa cont. min. 73%), beer candy (beer, organic cane sugar, chestnut honey, organic cocoa butter, malt), hops

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a factory that also handles nuts, sesame seed and milk powder."

 

Intrigue Chocolate - Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) - Jan. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 388 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. 

Today's Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) was created by Intrigue Chocolate, a small batch maker and specialty chocolatier (in Seattle, WA). Their chocolate maker also is a chef, and the 100s of bars and truffles (different flavor-infused chocolates) he's created have been inspiring and enjoyable to taste.

The word "tea" includes many infusions of leaves, herbs and spices--even plants like hops (or hop flowers), that are known for their distinctive bitter flavors they add to modern beers. (Their use in Germany can be traced back almost 1,300 years ago. And the Vikings used hops as well.)

Closer to home in the U.S....Wild hops growing in the Americas were used by indigenous peoples "to flavor drinks, and as a remedy for nausea, indigestion and inflammation"* -- before the arrival of Europeans.

Does that qualify hops as an ingredient in an herbal or medicinal "tea"? Close enough for me. 

(Disclosure: I'm a regular consumer of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Hop Splash (water), Hoplark's HopTea and other hop waters (that use hops and carbonated water--that's it, no alcohol). And I enjoy different varieties of hops; so I was pre-disposed to like this bar already.)

Today's Hops and Clover Honey (bar) from Intrigue Chocolate was also the first chocolate I recall tasting with authentic and prominent hops flavor. Great way to start the New Year with something new.

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cocoa, ganache, very faint vanilla and warm spice); hops (faint citrus (citra hops), faint bitter and menthol (evergreen/pine/Doug fir tips); and faint honey (warm, floral, sweet).

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate (hops and honey flavors were fully incorporated into the chocolate).

Flavor notes included: sweet, dark chocolate with a quick uptick in bitter hops that gradually receded back into honey-ed chocolate. For some who are most sensitive to bitter flavors, one bite may be enough to satisfy one's curiosity. 

Others (like me) who enjoy hops--and well-orchestrated ebbs and flows of nuanced and unabashed bitter and sweet--in a well-executed chocolate like this will appreciate the flavor teeter-totter ride to the end and will happily wait between bites as the hops finish gradually fades away. 

I loved the opportunity to try hops, honey (and a tiny bit of vanilla) + chocolate together in one bar, and the bold, yet balanced and authentic hop flavors. 

As with any well-made chocolate, eat this slowly so you can really appreciate it.

Intrigue Tasting Notes: "The lingering citrus and pine notes of the hops are softened by a familiar dark sweetness." 

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), honey, hops

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*Source: Philadelphia Orchard Project

 

Lir Chocolates - Guinness Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 18, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Lir Chocolates
Guinness Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.18 g. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175.5 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: 3.00 Euros ($3.00 (estim.) USD) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Guinness Storehouse, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland

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

Today's Guinness Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Lir Chocolates (Johnstown, Navan, County Meath, Ireland)--"with chocolate from multiple countries." In addition to producing their own chocolates, Lir partners with famous Irish product brands like Guinness to produce novelty chocolate offerings. (Lir also makes a box of small Guinness chocolate ("glasses"), and a Guinness Chocolate Rugby Ball.)

Aroma notes for today's Irish stout-forward chocolate included sweet dark chocolate and sharp, sweet malted barley--just like the aroma in the Guinness facility where I bought these.

The bar's texture was silky smooth, buttery and slightly oily (butter oil).

Flavor notes included: smooth dark (52%) chocolate and bold brew notes (roasted, malted barley, hops, stout, dark beer).

Tasting notes: "Intense dark chocolate flavoured with the complex notes of Guinness (TM)."

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Butter Oil (Milk), Flavourings, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soya), Guinness (TM) Beer (contains Barley and Gluten). Dark Chocolate contains Cocoa Solids 52% minimum. 

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk, Soya, Barley, Gluten. May contain traces of Nuts and Peanuts. This product contains alcohol (0.2%). Not suitable for children. 

Fu Wan Chocolate - Beer Yeast #1 "Armstrong" Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fu Wan Chocolate
Beer Yeast #1 "Armstrong" Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .62 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.24 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 107 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Surprise Week, including chocolates with unique ingredients, surprising back stories, and some that are just plain fun.

Today's Beer Yeast #1 "Armstrong" Ale Style Rough Ground Chocolate (bar) was made from "tree to bar"  by Fu Wan Chocolate in Donggang Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan (Republic of China).

Aroma notes for this 70% dark chocolate included sweet fermenting fruit (tart-sweet red berry, sweet citrus, cacao fruit/pulp) and chocolate.

The texture and mouthfeel was slightly rough with a rapid (light cocoa butter) melt and mild fruit astringency.

Flavor notes included: chocolate (mild cocoa, cocoa butter); subtle, almost fizzy sweet fruit soda/fruit beer note that tailed off--leaving lightly roasted, slightly woody and nutty cocoa nib, and buckwheat pancake/grain/malt notes in the finish.

This was a surprisingly aromatic and light, almost effervescent, 70% dark chocolate. It was fun and well-executed. The flavorful beer yeast bar was also relatively low in bitterness; and was not too sweet (thank you!).

It was also very interesting to taste the effects of yeast* (perhaps added during in the initial fermentation process, or as part of a second/double ferment). 

Note: Fu Wan Chocolate is crafting tree-to-bar chocolate "in country", allowing the chocolate maker(s) to be more directly involved with the fermentation process that quickly follows cacao harvesting. 

Most chocolate makers are remote from where cacao is grown, harvested, fermented* and dried. They can work/communicate closely with co-ops, fermenteries and those performing these first chocolate-making steps; but the options for tinkering/experimenting might be more limited.

Maker's tasting notes: "Tangerine, Fig, Beer, Almond

Ingredients: Ping Tung Cacao Liquor, Sugar, Cacao Butter, Beer Yeast

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts and peanuts." (Contains yeast)

*Yeast(s) play a valuable and complex role during the days-long process of fermentation of freshly harvested "wet cacao." 

Yeasts (some natural, some lab-based) help convert the freshly harvested cacao beans and residual "wet" fruit pulp from sugar to ethanol (and CO2) in a process where flavor compounds are also developed. 

How cacao is fermented and what yeasts were involved will affect aroma and flavor notes present in the subsequent finished chocolate.

Indulgence Chocolatiers - Porter 58% bar + Jelina Chocolatier - Maple Milk Chocolate bar - Dec. 22, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Indulgence Chocolatiers, LLC
Porter 58% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Espresso, Malt and Roasted Barley bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .14 oz. (4 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.22 g.) in total bar
Calories: 23.5 calories in 1 square of bar
Cost: N/A - gift (thank you Kaitlin!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week. Today, we're blessed with two holiday bars.

The first bar, a Porter 58% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar with Espresso, Malt and Roasted Barley bar from Indulgence Chocolatiers, LLC (Milwaukee, WI), was a surprise gift—acquired on a vacation trip and generously shared with Chocolate Banquet.

What an intriguing, complex dark aroma this bittersweet chocolate bar had. Espresso powder added some rich depth as did roasted barley and malted milk powder.

I spent an indulgently long time just enjoying whiffs of this chocolate, that also had faint hints of umami, tobacco, leather and spice. And the taste I had did not disappoint.

Jelina Chocolatier
(Galerie au Chocolat)
Maple Crunch (Sucre d'erable) Milk Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Today's second bar was a Maple Crunch Milk Chocolate bar from Jelina Chocolatier (Montreal, QC, Canada).

Holiday childhood memories included real stalks of sugar cane* and maple sugar candy. The sugar cane yielded less sugar than you might expect, but kept children busy as gnawing rodents on Christmas morning.

On the other hand, the maple-leaf shaped pieces of maple sugar candy (imported from exotic Canada or Vermont) were dazzlingly sweet in their final, processed form. They yielded such a super-charged maple sweetness that it was almost impossible to eat more than 1 or 2 pieces at one sitting.

However, the sensation of the slightly crystalline maple crunch and velvety maple melt still lingers. It was also present in today's Maple Crunch Milk Chocolate bar.

This bar appears as a second chocolate today because I've already had a similar maple milk chocolate bar from Galerie au Chocolat. (I discovered Galerie au Chocolat operates with the name Jelina Chocolatier in the U.S.) Thank goodness for Google spreadsheets and search.

*It's harder to get a sugar rush if you have to chew and suck the sugary plant liquid in its raw, diluted form from a large, hard stalk of actual sugar cane. 

Socola Jameson Whiskey truffle - April 15, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Socola Chocolatier
Jameson Whiskey truffle
Good - Good +
Weight: .375 oz. (10.6 g.) in 1 truffle / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total 12-piece box
Calories: 112 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $24.95 for 12-piece box
Purchased from: Socola Chocolatier table at SF Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Happy April 15th -- more commonly known as tax filing deadline day in the U.S. Turning to sweeter things, today was also the first day of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

Whether you're celebrating a refund or writing a check to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you might be able to celebrate with a wee taste of Whiskey today, in chocolate form. I recently picked up a "Hat Trick Collection" box of attractive, bite-sized truffles from Socola Chocolatier (San Francisco, CA) that contained three flavors: Jameson Whiskey*, Bacon and Stout Beer.

The Jameson Whiskey truffle was decorated with a light "Socola" green paisley pattern across the top, and had a creamy dark chocolate ganache infused with whiskey notes.

*One caveat: Jameson Whiskey may be a seasonal flavor; and if so, I'm happy to have caught the last train to chocolate and whiskey happyland. 

The Bacon truffles in this box were very good. I believe this truffle was the same as, or a close relative of, Socola's "Notorious HOG" truffles, that burst on the scene a few years ago (featured here in 2011).


I did not taste the third flavor, Stout Beer Truffles (decorated with white strokes); however, much enjoyment ensued when sharing these with others.

If these flavors don't excite you, I suggest checking out Socola's Give it to Me Guava (which I look forward to featuring in the future), and their Jasmine truffle (available as part of a tea collection box) which is wonderful if you like floral flavors.

Thank you Wendy, Susan and Harriett (the inspirational flying llama)! 

ChocolateBet: September 4, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
2 brownies
(homemade, gluten-free beer brownies)
Oppenheimer
"Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips"
Very Good
Weight: 2 brownies = ~ 4.59 oz. (130 g.)
Calories: ~ 480 calories for 2 brownies (estimate)
Cost: ?
Purchased from: ?

I found a recipe for Guinness stout brownies. I swapped the flour and Guinness for gluten-free baking mix and gluten-free beer, and put half the batter in a conventional oven, and half in a solar cooker outside. The batch from the conventional oven came emerged hot and gooey (great with ice cream), but these brownies firmed up as they cooled down. The outside batch went into the Tulsi solar cooker at 2:00 p.m., and took them out of the cooker a little after 5:45 p.m. Both batches turned out well.

After cleaning up from baking brownies, this evening I visited the Mars website to enter to receive a coupon for a free chocolate bar/product, as part of the "Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act" promotion. Clever.