Cru Chocolate - " Spicy" Cacao Drink (wheel) - Mar. 22, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate
Spicy - Cacao Drink (wheel)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total package of two
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 serving/wheel

Cost: $8.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, add-on to produce delivery service

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

Happily it's been easier to find fine, bean-to-bar chocolates from Mexico and chocolates with authentic Mexican or Mexican-inspired flavors in the last several years.

Today's Cru Spicy Cacao Drink from Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA) was characterized as "Chicano" style. (Cru also offers a tasty Purple Corn Pinole "Mesoamerican" style drinking chocolate.)  

Cru founder, Carla McNeil Rueda, in her description of this drinking chocolate, paid homage to "The Adelitas" who were "the brave fighter women of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)." She notes: "They probably invented this delicious recipe..." And, yes, "Rueda means "wheel" in English, and this package contained two, foil-wrapped "wheels" of drinking chocolate.

Aroma notes included: rich cocoa and aromatic spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves).

Texture: A small bite from the (unprepared) wheel had a pleasing, slightly grainy (stoneground cacao/crystalline panela*) chocolate texture with finely ground, authentic spices. Much of this hearty, textural quality melted/dissolved when mixed with heated whole milk. The end result was a hearty, smooth and creamy, and flavorful drinking chocolate.

Flavor notes for this 60% cocoa included: rich dark chocolate (cocoa, drinking chocolate), warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves), with a spicy chili kick. 

I always taste a piece of drinking chocolate before making it into a drink; and I enjoyed the "before" (solid chocolate) and the "after" (a satisfyingly rich and creamy beverage) -- that left me, as promised, "relaxed, but alert" and ready to engage with others.

Ingredients: "fermented cacao beans, panela, organic nutmeg, organic cinnamon, organic cloves, organic hot chili pepper blend"

Allergen-related information: Manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts and milk.

*Panela is a caramel-hued, unrefined whole cane sugar, that retains some of the molasses and nutrients missing from refined white (cane and beet) sugars. 

TCHO - Yule Nog Oat Milk 35% Cacao (bar) + Napa Noir - Salted Cabernet 64% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 31, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

TCHO

Yule Nog - Eggnog with Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate (bar)
Good++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package of three small bars
Calories: 360 calories in 3 small bars (1 package of 3 bars)
Cost: $7.19 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

TCHO + Clif Family
Napa Noir - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao 
Good ++
Weight: 1.65 oz. (46.2 g.) /2.5 oz. (70 g.) total package of three bars

Calories: 240 calories in 2 small bars
Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar (package of 3 smaller bars)
Purchased from: TCHO, online order 

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Warm Spices & Maple Theme Week here on Chocolate Banquet.

Today two winter warmer bars were from TCHO Ventures Inc. (Berkeley, CA): 

• 1.) a "Yule Nog" (Eggnog With Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate) 35% Cacao chocolate
• 2.) a "Napa Noir" - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao - a collaboration with the Clif Family Winery (Saint Helena, CA)

Yule Nog (bars)

Aroma and flavor notes for this Organic bar included: aromatic and authentic nutmeg spice; warm spirits (rum); white chocolate cookie dough; faint nut--all culminating in a surprisingly tasty white chocolate with convincing eggnog taste--without egg or dairy.

The texture was quite smooth for a non-dairy, white chocolate bar. I noticed a very faint, fine granularity in my throat from the oat milk and cashew (and maybe ground nutmeg); but it didn't distract me that much. It had a thick, creamy-gummy texture that resolved into a very satisfying melt and mouthfeel.

I appreciated the company's choice to use organic ingredients, their blend of 100% Plant-based ingredients and the high-quality nutmeg and rum flavors that conjured up the true spirit of eggnog.

Ingredients: Cocoa Butter*+, Gluten Free Oat Flour* (Oat Flour*, Natural Vitamin E), Cane Sugar*, Cashew Butter*, Coconut Oil*, Nutmeg Powder*, Sea Salt, Vanilla*, Natural Flavors* 

* = Organic, + = Fair Trade Certified - Over 34% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients

Allergen-related information: Contains Cashews. May Contain Other Tree Nuts.

Napa Noir (bars)

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate; faint red fruit (red grape, red berry, red wine); barely detectable pepper.

Texture: smooth base dark chocolate mixed with crunchy cacao nibs bits

Flavor notes: smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y, hot cocoa/drinking chocolate, dark fudge, cocoa nibs) with faint red fruit (red grape, berry, watermelon, red wine) and a perfect touch of salt.

This was a tasty, well-balanced bar with chocolate, red fruit, salt, and crunchy (Peruvian) cacao nibs -- all blended harmoniously together. 

Both TCHO bars today exceeded my expectations and I'd happily enjoy them again (if they are available in the future). 

(Note: this Napa Noir bar was still available on the TCHO website shop as well as the Clif Family Winery online store when I checked this week. The Clif Family red wine used to make this bar was: "Kit's Killer Cab.")

I appreciated the packaging (3 individually-wrapped bars that can be easily shared with others); the maker's use of Organic, quality and thoughtfully sourced ingredients; and the clever use of using wine infused sugar and salt to flavor this sweet and salty dark chocolate*.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Wine Sugar (Cane Sugar, Wine), Organic Roasted Cacao Nibs, Organic Cocoa Butter, Wine Sea Salt (Salt, Wine), Organic Sunflower Lecithin

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Tree Nuts. Contains Less Than 1% Alcohol."

*Chocolate is hydrophobic (does not play well with water/liquids), so if you're stirring around a large vat of melted chocolate, the last thing you want to do is to add water, milk, beverages or other liquid libations. You run the risk of the chocolate seizing up. (Milk chocolate is made by adding powdered milk.) 

Wine-flavored chocolates can be created by storing/aging cacao nibs in old wine casks. Or, liquids can be reduced/dried and infused into melted cocoa butter--or blended with batches of sugar and salt using drying or evaporation techniques--with the result being wine-flavored sugar and salt. 

The first and third techniques mentioned above were likely used with today's Napa Noir bar. 

Intrigue Chocolate Co. - Nutmeg + Chili 60% Cacao (bar) - May 4, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Nutmeg + Chili 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar

Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Warm Spices Week.

Today's Nutmeg + Chili 60% Cacao (bar) (Batch #000000091324) was from Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).* 

The cacao used to make this bar was from Ecuador (Single Estate: Muisne Canton, Esmeraldas Province; Type: Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids**; Year: 2023)

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, warm spice (nutmeg), and spicy (hot, habanero) chili. There were also some pleasing, very faint and diffuse fruit (berry + stone fruit jam) and nut (almond butter) notes. (Note: there were no jam or almond ingredients in this chocolate.)

Texture: smooth, with a relatively buttery melt. (No spice or chili grit -- thank you!).

I enjoyed the lively flavors as well as the subtle complexities in this relatively sweet (60%) bar; the short list of quality ingredients; and the origin information. The sweetness added a brightness to the spice flavors. The habanero did pack a punch. Those sensitive to hot, spicy flavors may not love the hot pepper heat; but the "burn" receded relatively quickly.

Maker's tasting notes: "Inspired by our chef's first batch of chocolate truffles - the flavor inspiration that started it all back in 2001 - this bar packs a lot of complexity and some sweet heat...Try pairing it with full-bodied wines, beers, coffees, and teas..."

Ingredients:  Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, nutmeg, vanilla bean, habanero chili.

Allergen-related information: (No information on package.)

*Note: the company is planning to relocate to Chisholm, MN.  

**Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids: EET-95, EET-96, EET-103 

Intrigue Chocolate - Jamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle - Nov. 28, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Jamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle 
Good ++ 
Weight: .314 oz. (8.9 g.) / 4.09 oz. (116 g.) (estimate) in total box of 12 (13) truffles
Calories: 49 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $44.00 for 1 box of 12 (13) truffles
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate this holiday. Chocolate turkeys were handed a pardon this year. Instead, today's holiday chocolate treat was a small, square, spiked chocolate truffle.

Today's Jamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle was from Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA). 

Aroma and flavor notes for this dark rum infused truffle included: subtle, sophisticated, warm, dark chocolate with very subtle rum and warm spices (nutmeg, vanilla). An additional bit of heat came from (what was for me just the right amount of) habanero chili, mid-way through.

Texture: creamy ganache, with a generous coating of cocoa powder.

Bittersweet, and not too sugary, this blend of flavors was a perfect chocolate warmer for a cold day. Enjoyed as a small bite of joy on a Thanksgiving dessert plate, it evoked sunny, subtle Caribbean island warmth and spiced rum flavor you might hope for in a dark truffle.

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, soy lecithin), Cream (milk), flavors (as described in the truffle name).

Allergen-related information: Contains Dairy, Soy.

Honey Mama's - Cocoa Truffle Bar Pumpkin Spice (bar) - Oct. 14, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Honey Mama's 
Cocoa Truffle Bar Pumpkin Spice (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 345 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spices Week. Most of the bars and confections featured this week are seasonal or limited edition items; so act fast if you want to find/order these fall and winter special treats.

Today's Honey Mama's Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cocoa Truffle Bar was from Nectar Foods, Inc. (Portland, OR).

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (cocoa), botanical (seed, honey, warm spices, citrus (light orange), vanilla, and very faint (barely there), fleeting earthy vegetable (carrot, pumpkin coconut soup). Note: there were no vegetable ingredients.*

This refrigerated Pumpkin Spice bar had a uniform, satisfying chew with a generous helping of softly crunchy pumpkin seeds. Refrigeration helped guard against possible melting; but if you let the bar warm up to room temperature (not in direct sun), you can taste more of the warm spice and other flavors.

I liked that this was honey-sweetened, and that it was not too sweet. The (alkalized) cocoa used to give this Truffle Bar a rich dark color and cocoa flavor depth was smooth and subtle.

Ingredients: Organic Raw Honey, Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil, Organic Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Himalayan Pink Salt, Organic Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Allspice, Organic Cloves, Organic Nutmeg, Orange Oil. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nuts: Coconut"

Ingredients: Organic Raw Honey, Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil, Organic Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Himalayan Pink Salt, Organic Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Allspice, Organic Cloves, Organic Nutmeg, Orange Oil.

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nuts: Coconut"

*Occasionally, I taste certain ingredients in chocolate (in this case warm spices + coconut) and I experience a brief flicker of recognition, and a leap to a food or flavor memory. Today, for a brief second or two, I "tasted" a sweet and savory vegetable soup -- similar to a sweet Thai-style pumpkin coconut soup (with a touch of carrot, orange and spices). 

 

AshaPops - Dark Chocolate Popped Water Lily Seeds - Mar. 12, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

AshaPops

Dark Chocolate Popped Water Lily Seeds

Good +

Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total package

Calories: 135 calories in 1 package

Cost: $6.99 for 1 package

Purchased from: Sigona's Farmers Market, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's AshaPops - Dark Chocolate Popped Water Lily Seeds were from Asha Foods LLC (Los Angeles, CA). Asha founders are a mother and son team (Asha and Jai), and are behind these "pearls of nature." (They also intend to contribute 5% of net proceeds to their growers.)

This Ayurveda*-inspired snack had an aroma with light chocolate, warm spice (spiced chai tea, nutmeg), faint coconut, and very faint green notes.

These airy puffed seeds were light as popped popcorn, with a pleasantly crunchy texture. 

The underlying seed flavor seemed neutral; and the added flavors formed a harmonious blend of cocoa, coconut sugar and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) that created a very appealing snack. In addition to cocoa, warm spices and faint coconut, there was also a very faint slightly musty green nut/green seed note.

Ingredients: Water lily seeds, organic coconut sugar, water, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), organic coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Allergen-related information: "Contains coconut. Made in a facility that processes dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans. If you have nut and/or seed allergies, please check with a medical professional before eating AshaPops. Some seeds may have part of a shell on them, so chew carefully."

*Popped water lily seeds (Euryale ferox, also known as makhana) have been enjoyed in India for centuries and are a popular snack. They are grain-free and gluten-free and have more protein than popcorn. In Ayurveda (translation:"life science/knowledge")--a system of natural/holistic medicine that originated in India 3,000+ years ago--water lily seeds are considered beneficial for all body types.

Pump Street Chocolate - 60% Grenada Milk and Nutmeg (bar) - Mar. 3, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Pump Street Chocolate
60% Limited Edition Grenada Milk and Nutmeg (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 195 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.50 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Weeks.

Today's 60% Limited Edition Grenada Milk and Nutmeg (bar) was from Pump Street Chocolate (Suffolk, UK). The founders built an award-winning bakery and expanded their (naturally-leavened) bread making skills into chocolate making. They make chocolate from cacao beans they import from single estates and cooperatives.

Aroma notes for this dark milk chocolate bar first evoked memories of savory dishes with spices (nutmeg), such as certain curries, creamed spinach, brown sauces. This note morphed to include spiced, creamy hot chocolate.  

The whole milk powder influenced the aroma, texture and flavor of today's limited edition bar. The texture was creamy and milky; and the overall flavor was less sweet than expected (thank you). The taste also evoked a savory cream bechamel sauce (even though there was no added salt or salty flavor--due to shared spice (nutmeg) ingredients in both foods). 

Pleasant, true chocolate/cacao notes (very faint or diffuse nut and fruit) were relatively muffled (cushioned by milk (milk hugged) and cocoa butter). The cacao was from Crayfish Bay Organic Estate (Saint Mark), Grenada ("2019 Crop").

The authentic (Grenada) nutmeg was complex, subtle and wonderful. It was in the background (peeking out from behind the curtains), but it still managed to steal the show. (Nutmeg, the product of an evergreen tree, like cinnamon, came to the Americas from south/SE Asia (e.g. Indonesia (Spice Islands)--and Sri Lanka/India, Myanmar in the case of cinnamon), often via spice traders/merchants interested in growing these valuable crops elsewhere. Nutmeg grows well in Grenada (a large exporter of nutmeg), and in other humid, tropical nations/islands with sandy soil.

Maker's tasting notes: "A high cocoa (60%) milk chocolate, offering subtle undertones of the fruit flavours characteristic of the Crayfish Bay (cacao) beans and gently scented with the warmth of Grenadian nutmeg."

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, milk powder and nutmeg.

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk.) "We also handle dairy, gluten, nuts and seeds on the premises."

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, milk powder and nutmeg

Jouvay Chocolate - Granada Cocoa Farmers' Coop - Jouvay 60% Cocoa with Nutmeg (bar) - July 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Jouvay Chocolate
Grenada Cocoa Farmers' Coop - Jouvay 60% Cocoa - touch of Nutmeg (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information


Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Island Nations Theme Week.

Today's Jouvay Chocolate 60% Cocoa (with a) Touch of Nutmeg bar was made with cacao from the Grenada Cocoa Farmers' Coop (Grenada, West Indies). Grenada is a lush tropical island in the Caribbean Sea known for its cacao and spices.

Jouvay Chocolate is a partnership between Grenada cacao farmers and LA Burdick Grenada. The company is majority-owned by the cacao growers who are also involved in the manufacturing process, doing "value-added processing" (several steps further than the fermentation of beans) in-country, where the beans are grown—vs. shipping cacao beans to other countries (U.S., Europe, Australia, etc.) for chocolate making, as is often the case.

The base chocolate in this four-ingredient** bar was sweet and pure. However, it was difficult not to be swept away by the presence of nutmeg, which made itself known in the aroma and flavor.

Nutmeg

This bar had a sustained spike of nutmeg* flavor throughout. Like vanilla, saffron, and many other flowers and "baking" spices, there is a happy warmth that comes with tasting nutmeg—an uplifting spice with a faint hint of aromatic peppercorn. (If you've never tried grating fresh nutmeg into a beverage or dish, I highly recommend trying this.)

*Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is a ground or grated spice from a seed of an evergreen tree, that originated in the Moluccas (Banda), or Spice Islands, in Indonesia. The British removed nutmeg trees from Indonesia and spread them to British colonies with similar climates in the early 1800s. Today, nutmeg is widely cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and in the West Indies (especially in Grenada).

**Ingredients: cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, nutmeg.

Cacoco Drinking Chocolate - Original flavor - Jan. 2, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cacoco, Inc.
Drinking Chocolate - The Original (flavor)
Good
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 7.11 oz. (202 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 4 TB (1/8 package)
Cost: $12.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week.

Today's attractively-packaged Original Flavor Drinking Chocolate with Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Lucuma from Cacoco, Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA) was  hand-crafted, organic and Non-GMO Project Verified.

The dry mix had a slightly bitter herb and aroma; however, once stirred with water and simmered for several minutes (until all the larger particles had dissolved), the flavors mellowed and improved significantly.

Do follow directions and heat, whisk and/or blend as indicated for best results. This is one product where preparation really mattered.

Adding a bit of organic milk of your choice may make the resulting hot beverage a bit smoother in flavor and texture; but the mix was really designed to evoke a long lost, "authentic" drinking chocolate tradition from many centuries ago that the Native peoples of Central America might have experienced—without proximity to dairy cows.

The first ingredient listed was cacao butter, then coconut crystal sugar,* making it lower on the glycemic index. Lucuma added some natural sweetness as well. I added a bit of maple syrup, although that was not necessary.

*Ingredients: "Cacao Butter, Coconut Crystal Sugar, Unroasted Cacao, Carob, Lucuma, Himalayan Salt, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cayenne"

Sirene Chocolate - Winter Warmer bar - Dec. 27, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sirene Chocolate

Winter Warmer bar

Very Good 

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week.

Today's Winter Warmer bar from Sirene Chocolate (Victoria, BC, Canada) was a delicious creation of dark milk chocolate—made from cacao beans grown in "balmy Tanzanie" (Tanzania*)—

nutmeg and cloves.

The scent of this bar was full of fresh spice and herb notes, despite there being "just" nutmeg and cloves infused into very fine chocolate.

There was no star anise, black pepper, allspice or bay, yet there were whispers of these—and all kinds of heavenly cacao flavors—in this creamy, smooth, very-well executed bar with wonderful depth.

Many holiday chocolates are considered novelties and are not made with the highest-quality (or percentage) cacao. So to sample this bar was to experience much happiness and gratitude.

Sadly, this bar was seasonal and is likely no longer available.

*Tanzania is a republic in East Africa near the Indian Ocean, and the source of some great small batch single origin bars in recent years.

Chocolats du CalifBressan - Bressan shoe, Sea Shell truffles - July 23, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolats du CaliBressan
Bressan truffle - Good ++ - Very Good
Sea shell truffle - Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) for 2 truffles
Calories: 119 calories (estimate) for 2 truffles
Cost: $3.60 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: Chocolats du CaliBressan, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week, and I celebrated with two different bonbons from Chocolats du CaliBressan (a shop with two locations: Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, CA).

Today's chocolates were part of an assortment box from this chocolatier in Santa Barbara that I purchased while visiting this Spanish-themed coastal city last week.

The first chocolate was a "Bressan" -- a shoe-shaped "milk chocolate and praline spiced with nutmeg, covered with milk chocolate." I loved the little spikes of fresh nutmeg embedded in a sweet creamy and firm filling (leavened by what might have been a few micro-specks of salt).

The second piece was shaped like a Sea Shell, with a silky dark chocolate and boysenberry ganache that sparkled with bright, authentic berry flavor, encased in dark chocolate.

Thank you to the staff for tips on which chocolates to buy. Lots of good ones; and it was hard to decide.

Libby Patterson Organics - Love Tea - May 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Libby Patterson Organics
Love Tea
Very Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7.075 g.) in one large serving
Calories: 5 calories (guesstimate) for 1 serving
Cost: $18.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: SLOWCOAST.org, (Airstream trailer), Davenport, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate Tea and Beverage Theme Weeks.

I fell in love with the look, smell and taste of this "Love Tea" from LPO: Libby Patterson Organics (Davenport, CA). This complex, well-balanced herbal tisane contained many of my favorite ingredients: rose petals (favorite flower), nutmeg (a favorite spice), raw cacao (goes without saying), and possibly a new favorite, damiana*.

No surprise about the intoxicating aroma, given that Libby Patterson is a Master Perfumer.

How did it taste? Like the aroma, the tea possessed complex and interesting layers of flavors. I would add nothing to this tea. Enjoy it just as it is.

I bought this tea from SLOWCOAST.org, or more specifically, at/inside their Airstream trailer that was parked at Swanton Berry Farm in Davenport, CA, off the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), in between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, CA.

*Damiana is a shrub native to Mexico, Central America and parts of the Southwest U.S. that has been used as a medicinal plant and aphrodisiac. 

ChocolateBet: December 7, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Banana Victoria Bar
Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories
Cost: $7.50 total bar
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Walnut Theme Week.

So far, this week's chocolates have veered toward the brownie and fudge end of the chocolate spectrum. While these are great ways to incorporate walnuts into chocolate, there are countless others -- such as adding bananas to the mix. Today's chocolate of the day, a Banana Victoria Bar from Vosges (Chicago, IL) does just that.

This Vosges bar was created using a 62% cacao dark chocolate base, and add-in ingredients included dried, organic bananas; organic California walnuts; and Grenadian nutmeg. I wasn't able to detect the nutmeg (which I like, and was looking forward to tasting); the small pieces of walnut played second fiddle to slightly chewy micro-bits of dried banana. A fun bar.

ChocolateBet: May 23, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Seth Ellis Chocolatier
1.) Coffee Truffle - Very Good +
2.) Nutmeg Caramel Snobinette - Yum
Weight: ~.8 oz. (22.2 g.)/3.53 oz. (100 g.) total 9-pc. box
Calories: ~120 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $14.99 for total box of 9 pieces
Purchased from: Foodzie.com/Seth Ellis Chocolatier, Boulder, Colorado

Seth Ellis makes organic, gluten-free and nut-free chocolates. As a long-time fan of nutmeg, I was delighted to find a very nice caramel that was flavored with this spice.

Chocolate countdown: 15 more days until I eat my 1,000th different chocolate in as many days.