Lucid Chocolatier - Port 68% Dark Chocolate with Tawny Port - Aug. 11, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Lucid Chocolatier
Port 68% Dark Chocolate with Tawny Port (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 273 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $29.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate & Spirits Theme Week.

Today's "Port 68% Dark Chocolate infused with 10 year Tawny Port" (bar) was from Lucid Chocolatier (Aotearoa, New Zealand), and was part of the company's "infusion collection."

Aroma and flavor notes included: very smooth-tasting and satisfying dark chocolate (with hints of chocolate-y dark ganache); rich, mellow red and purple fruits (plump, well-rounded and ripe sweet plums and red grapes) soaked in port wine; and a slight very light but attractive and balanced bitterness--enough to give it some lovely personality and keep it from being too sweet and shallow.

What a tasty bar. It's been my experience that you only arrive at lovely flavors like this via thoughtful sourcing of a short list of single origin ingredients. Three ingredients in this case. Cacao origin: Maranon, Cajamarca, Peru.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Plum, Nuts, Sultana" 

Ingredients: Cacao Mass*, Cane Sugar*, Port. (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Contains Sulfites. May Contain: Milk, Wheat, Gluten, Tree Nuts (Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pecan, Macadamia, Pistachio)"

ChocolateBet: October 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Cocoa Diva's Chocolate Bar
"Pairs with Port" tasting chocolates
Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) (estimates) for 1 rectangular tin
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) for 1 serving
Cost: $7.00 donation (bought at an event)
Purchased from: Cocoa Diva's booth, at the Waterfront Festival - Art, Wine, and Chocolate, in Suisan Bay, CA

Cocoa Diva's specialty is pairing wines and chocolates. Their rectangular tins were chock full of small, round pieces of chocolate specially formulated to pair well with specific red wines. In this case, the 54% cocoa chocolate discs were paired to go with port.

To test this claim, I did a port pairing. Conclusion: these small chocolate rounds did, in fact, go well with the port; and they were also quite good by themselves. Cocoa Diva's founder, La Wanda Smith, and associate, pictured above, at their booth at last weekend's Waterfront Art, Wine and Chocolate festival in Suisan Bay.

ChocolateBet: July 13, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Sweet Candy Co/Sweet's
Good - Good +
Weight: .59 oz. (16.8 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total package
Calories: 64 calories
Cost: $5.00
Purchased from: ?

Today (Day #5 of Chocolate and Wine Theme Week) I tried a new variation on the combination of chocolate and port. Sweet's (gluten-free) dark chocolate covered Wine Gels contained a port wine reduction -- and both natural and artificial flavors. I ate these a bit past the expiration date, and there was an alcohol-like flavor I didn't care for that much. I look forward to trying Sweet's Cabernet flavored Wine Gels tomorrow.

ChocolateBet: July 11, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 truffles
Wine Country Chocolates
Port Truffles
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .9 oz. (25.4 g.) (estimate) for 2 truffles
Calories: 134 calories (estimate) for 2 truffles
Cost: $
Purchased from: Wine Country Chocolates, tasting room in Sonoma, CA

Today, Day #3 of Chocolate and Wine Theme Week, I selected a Port truffle from the assortment of chocolate truffles I purchased recently from Wine Country Chocolates in Sonoma. My only quibble with these chocolates is that the differences between the zinfandel, cabernet and port truffle flavors were difficult to detect when I tried them.

ChocolateBet: April 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Week:
1/2 bar
Chocolove
Raspberries in Dark Chocolate - 55% cacoa content
Very Good
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.)/ 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.25 for total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in San Rafael, CA

To celebrate Day #5 of Chocolate and Red Wine and Raspberries Theme Week, I paired this Raspberries in Dark Chocolate bar with some Sheffield Tawny Port. For a few minutes I did feel rich. As nothing says I-don't-care-about-my-waistline-or-my-wallet like nibbling on several squares of chocolate while sipping a tiny glass of Port. As an added bonus, I read the Sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, printed on the inside of the wrapper. Chocolove includes love poems with their bars. To all: enjoy your prosperous moments in life.

ChocolateBet: April 3, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving of dessert + 1 small glass port
(Le) Chalet Basque Restaurant
Chocolate dessert with raspberry sauce, topped with whipped cream
Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. (113.2 g.) (estimate) dessert; plus ~ 2.5 oz. glass of port
Calories: 500 calories (estimate) for dessert and port
Cost: $9 (estimate)
Purchased from: (Le) Chalet Basque, in the Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael, CA

The Chalet Basque Restaurant is a great, old style neighborhood restaurant that got its start in the 1960s. The food is good, and service was excellent. Thank you to Linda, for making some gluten-free suggestions, and to Patrick (pictured), in the bar section of the restaurant where I ate very comfortably. Conveniently, the Chalet Basque is located on North San Pedro Road, off Highway 101. This road is part of the Bay Trail. And since I was walking the Bay Trail for a few hours this evening, it was remarkably easy to justify eating a full meal, plus dessert.

ChocolateBet: August 16, 2009

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces
Jacques Torres Chocolate
1.) Wicked Fun - Very Good +
2.) Bin 27 Port - Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: ~.7 oz. (20 grams) for 2 pieces
Calories: ~ 105 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: ~$3.26 ($3.00 + 8.8% NYC Sales Tax)
Purchased from: Jacques Torres Chocolate, in New York City, New York

Wicked Fun provided a spicy kick at the end, courtesy of ancho and chipotle chilies mixed into the ganache filling. The second chocolate of the day had a more plain exterior, but its dark chocolate ganache was infused with Taylor Fonseca Bin 27 Port. These would make nice after dinner chocolates; but, if you're like me, any time of day is right for chocolate.