Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - Madagascar 75% bar, Bianco e Cannella bar - March 20, 2012

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
Madagascar 75% bar
Good+
Weight: .696 oz. (20 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
Bianco e Cannella bar
Good +
Weight: .696 oz. (20 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 107 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cinnamon Theme Week. After today's two entries, we bid adieu to bars clad in leather-like skins and labels from Italian-based Antica Pasticceria Muzzi, and move on to cacao mixed with the aromatic powdered tree bark, otherwise known as cinnamon.

The Madagascar 75% dark bar had the most complex and interesting flavor arc of the "a pelle" line of bars that I tried this week, although it did have a very slight bitter after-taste.

And, while technically I don't count white chocolate as one of my daily chocolates, I used today's Bianco e Cannella (white chocolate and cinnamon) bar to add some spice. I thought I was snacking on a smooth batch of cinnamon cookie dough with plenty of (cocoa) butter. Life is strange without cocoa solids.

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - Cubarancia bar - March 19, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
Cubarancia bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.)/ 2.11 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week.  The dark 72% chocolate base in this Cubarancia bar paired very nicely with the "orange aroma" flavor. This bar was yet another member of the Antica Pasticceria Muzzi "a pelle" line from Italy.

And as a tribute to the fine leather goods that hail from Italy, I fashioned a purse out of fruit leather to accompany this bar. I'm sure this bag would be used to carry around chocolates.

Thank you to the Stretch Island Fruit Co. for supplying the fruit "leather" strip for this handbag.

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - 99% Nero Nero (Double Black) bar - March 17, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
99% Nero Nero (Double Black) Cioccolato Extremo bar
Good
Weight: .525 oz. (15 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 76 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week. I traveled to the dark side -- to the Double Dark side in fact. This 99% Nero Nero bar from Antica Pasticceria Muzzi (Italy) was enveloped in a dark leather-like wrapper, and girdled by a brown leather-like belt and label. Nice original packaging.

Ninety-nine percent dark chocolate bars are tough. Many of them that use soya and/or vanilla/vanillin, tend to have a smooth consistency, but relatively flat taste.

I'd like to do a side-by-side tasting with a 99% bar from one of the vibrant new American makers -- just as a point of comparison.


Surprisingly, when I was tasting this bar, I found myself wanting a slightly more acidic bite -- or at least a more varied flavor arc. I was thinking this might be revealed when extra sugar and/or other ingredients were not present. Instead there was a slightly bitter note about 3/4 way through, but otherwise, it was a well-dressed dark, mysterious stranger in a black leather cloak.

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - 70% Nero bar - March 16, 2012

Chocolate of the Day

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
70% Nero Integro Cioccolato Extremo Con Zucchero Di Canna - chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.11 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 300 calories in 1 bar (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week. Today's 70% Total Black (Nero Integro) bar with cane sugar was enveloped in a black leather-like wrapper. The sugar created an ever so slight grittiness to this robust yet smooth bar.

This Extreme Chocolate (Cioccolato Extremo) bar from Antica Pasticceria Muzzi (Foligno (PG) Italy) was part of the company's "A pelle" (soft leather) line, that "comes from a particular research of the finest cocoa in the world and nicely blend together with particular ingredients." The translation from Italian to English may be a bit off, but the sentiment shines through.

Vosges - Leather caramel - March 15, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Vosges
"Leather" caramel
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (16.98 g.)/5.4 oz. (152.8 g.) total 18-piece assortment box (estimate)
Calories: 90 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $29.00 for 18-piece box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week.

This "Leather" caramel pair -- with Brazil nuts, cocoa nibs from South America, and dark chocolate -- came packed in a purple box from Vosges (Chicago, IL), and were part of an 18-piece assortment of exotic caramels.

Pleasingly earthy, these chocolate covered caramels conjured up images of leather -- as in I'm sitting in my favorite slightly old, overstuffed, and amazingly comfortable leather chair, next to a fireplace.

Chocolate Talia bar; Amano Morobe bar: March 14, 2012

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Unknown Russian Company
Imported by Delsy International
Chocolate "Talia"bar
Good
Weight: .176 oz. (5 g.)/ 1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 26 calories in 1 bite
Cost: $0.25 (sale)
Purchased from: Crossroads Market, Palo Alto, CA

Since I can't read Russian, and therefore can't record the manufacturer and other information basics about this bar, I'm including this slinky number just for fun today. Russian chocolates feature some great paintings and illustrations that I don't often see on packages of U.S. chocolates (anymore?). Despite being past its due date and having an ever so slight perfumey aftertaste, this bar wasn't bad.


2.) Amano Chocolate
Morobe bar
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.4 g.)/ 2 oz. (56 g.) total bar
Calories: 116 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.00 total bar
Purchased from: Amano Chocolate table, at Chocolate Salon held in San Francisco, CA

Where else but in the world of chocolate can you go from Russia to New Guinea to Orem, Utah, in just a few bites?

Today's dark chocolate (70% cacao) Morobe bar from Amano Chocolate (Orem, UT) was made from cacao beans grown in Papua New Guinea. Two of the rich, complex flavor notes I picked up in this bar: raisin and roasted coffee. And yet, this bar has only 4 ingredients: cacao beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, and whole vanilla beans.

Amano also includes the following list of possible flavors you might detect under their Tasting Notes heading for this bar: red grapefruit, lime, blackberry, smoke and leather.

How does one combine chocolate with leather? You'll just have to tune in this week to find out.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week, with maybe a little lace thrown in too.