Creo Chocolate - Whiskey Milk 65% Milk Chocolate (bar) - Dec. 4, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Creo Chocolate
Whiskey Milk 65% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Creo Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Whiskey Milk - 65% Milk Chocolate Infused with Westward Whiskey (bar) was from Creo Chocolate (Portland, OR).

The single origin cacao used to make this bar was from Ecuador, which contributed to the smooth rich chocolate-y flavor.

Aroma notes included: dark milk chocolate; very faint, sweet spirits (whiskey); and subtle rich caramel.

Texture: creamy, smooth chocolate.

Flavor notes included: smooth, dark milk chocolate; subtle sweet spirits (whiskey) and rich caramel and light cream; and an unexpected (but wonderful) sparkling of salt. But, not just any salt -- mesquite sea salt. 

Disclaimer: I like savory/smokey chocolates. Chocolates with a judicious dose of sea salt that also was smoked. Yes, that is just fine. I find that salt and/or a savory element balances out higher levels of sugars, even natural and authentic-tasting sweetness. I can't be sure; but the 65% cacao might have been too sweet for me. But the maker's choices of salt, milk and whiskey all blended very nicely in this case.

Maker's tasting notes: "Flavor notes: barrel-aged whiskey, malt, smoked sea salt -- creamy and sophisticated"

Ingredients: cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic whole milk powder, mesquite smoked salt, malt whiskey. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Milk" "Manufactured on shared equipment with products containing eggs, wheat, sesame seeds, soy, peanuts & tree nuts"

 

Earth Echo - Cacao Bliss Superfood Elixir Blend - Feb. 26, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Earth Echo LLC
Cacao Bliss Superfood Elixir Blend
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 level scoop (7.88 g.) / 8.34 oz. (236.4 g.) in total package
Calories: 35 calories in 1 level scoop 
Cost: $59.95* for 1 package (less $8.99 discount) + $9.95 shipping = $60.91
Purchased from: (Earth Echo ad - online order)

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Weeks.

Today's Cacao Bliss Superfood Elixir Blend was manufactured for Earth Echo LLC (Evergreen, CO).

Marketed online, this organic, dietary supplement powder was designed to be mixed in with cold or hot liquids, including water, alternative milks, and/or hot chocolate or coffee. 

The dry, powdered blend contained "superfoods"** and spices that included cinnamon, black pepper fruit, sea salt and turmeric. (Lucuma and mesquite added mild, mellow sweetness.***)

Aroma notes for this powdered blend (mixed with water) included: chocolate, coconut and faint root/herb.

The texture was smooth and satisfying once thoroughly stirred and incorporated. There were no vegetable gums or other common additives (emulsifiers, stabilizers) often added to similar beverages (thank you!). (Note: If you prepare a cold beverage with this mix, and let it sit for a long period, it's a good idea to re-stir, unless you enjoy more layered flavors.)

Flavor notes included cocoa and salt with faint coconut and subtle root/herb and warm spice. There was a relatively subtle, balanced and fleeting cacao bitterness in the after-taste, but it mellowed quickly. (When I re-tasted this later I also enjoyed a bit more of a mildly spicy, authentic cinnamon flavor.)

This mix was sweetened with coconut sugar and monk fruit extract and it was not too sweet (thank you). This would make a potentially tasty addition to a hot or cold beverage or possible ingredient in homemade cacao treats/confections.****

This blend was made using (raw) "ceremonial grade cacao." This description refers to a "less processed" forms of cacao (e.g. unroasted or lightly roasted cacao, but not heated/fully ground (made into) chocolate). The cacao country of origin was not specified on the package/labeling.

Ingredients: Organic cacao bean powder, organic MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil powder, organic coconut (flower blossom) nectar powder, organic cocoa (bean) powder, organic turmeric root powder, Himalayan sea salt, organic cinnamon bark powder, organic monk fruit extract, organic lucuma fruit powder, organic mesquite pods powder, organic black pepper fruit powder.

Allergen-related information: (Couldn't find on packaging.) "Gluten Free, Non Dairy, USDA Organic, Soy Free, Non GMO"

*The price per ounce/gram for this all-organic product was much higher than most comparable product on the market that I could find; however, it was also made with relatively expensive ingredients.

**Note: I was not able to (nor did I seek to) confirm claims of "superfoods," or claims related to weight loss that accompanied some of the product's testimonials by users.

***Lucuma is a South American tree fruit often used in powdered form in food supplements. Its flavor is often described as sweet, with butterscotch, sweet potato, maple, or tropical fruit/mango notes. 

Mesquite powder is made from ground seed pods of the mesquite plant/tree and is used as a mild sweetener and/or flour.

**** Product disclaimer printed on the back of this package: "Do not use if you are pregnant, nursing, or are under the age of 18. 

Fine and Raw Chocolate - Mesquite No Sugar Added (bar); Ginger 67% (bar) - July 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Mesquite No Sugar Added 58% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 63 calories (per label) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Ginger 67% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 164 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $25.00 for 5-bar collection set
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Mesquite No Sugar Added 58% cacao and Ginger 67% cacao bars were both made by Fine and Raw Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).


Rounding up cows out on the range conjures up thoughts of hard work, dusty rides through high chaparral and mesquite tree country, and music around a fire. And speaking of mesquite...

Mesquite
...Mesquite wood smoke is used for barbeques. But lesser known is the fact that the beans these trees produce are edible and can be ground into a flour and eaten.

Roasted mesquite beans are said to have notes of slightly sweet vanilla, cream, caramel, coconut and/or chocolate. They were a food source for native peoples in Mexico and the Southwest U.S., who referred to mesquite as the tree of life, because of its many uses.

People continue to use mesquite flour ground from seeds (pods shown at right), bean pod pulp, in items including gluten free pine nut cookies, roasted mesquite bean "coffee," protein drinks/bars, mesquite bean jelly, and, of course, chocolates.

Today's raw Mesquite bar contained cacao and mesquite powder and none of the usual sugar sweeteners: i.e., coconut, cane, maple or birch sugar. Instead this chocolate was lightly sweetened with organic ground lucuma (a South American fruit with a mild sweet flavor and thick creamy, slightly starchy texture).

This Mesquite bar had a surprisingly sweet and warmly spicy chocolate aroma, and a faint trace of light fruit (apple custard), sweet potato and honey notes in the flavor and finish. The three American native plants: cacao, lucuma and mesquite worked well together. This chocolate had a thick, creamy texture and a very slight granularity.

Ginger
If you like ginger, you might like Fine and Raw Chocolate's 67% dark ginger bar, made with organic ginger powder.


The ginger was thoroughly incorporated and not visible to the naked eye. However, it was evident in the aroma and flavor of this bar and lingered into the finish. The melt was even, and the texture was slightly granular.

The added ginger gave the "50% raw and 50% roast(ed)" cacao bar a warm, satisfying zing. Ginger is from Asia originally, but we've adopted it as one of our own.* (Many of us have fond childhood memories of homemade ginger molasses cookies.)

We paired this Ginger bar with a sweet, spicy kick of music from Ginger Cowgirl, (aka Stacy Antonel, originally from the Bay Area, who moved to Nashville in 2017. We wish her well. She's got a great sound. (Photo source: Ginger Cowgirl website.)

*True, ginger is from Asia and not the wild west. However, there are very capable horsewomen—cowgirls in spirit—in Asia too. Just ask someone who has visited Mongolia or ridden in the Mongolian Derby. (Photo Source for image of Mongolian girl riding horse: Daily Travel Photos)

The spice closest to ginger that's native to the Americas and has co-evolved with chocolate historically would likely be allspice. Allspice is not uncommon in Caribbean-adjacent cuisines, local chocolates and drinking chocolate.

The Good Chocolate - 65% Dark Ginger bar - Apr. 1, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Good Chocolate
65% Dark Ginger bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 109 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, San Mateo, CA

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

Today's 65% Dark Ginger bar was made with the company's "Signature Dark" chocolate mixed with granulated ginger (crystallized without sugar). Instead, erythritol, mesquite and stevia were used to sweeten this bar.

The ginger (bits of ginger root and ginger oil) in this dark chocolate tasted authentic. And the bar didn't taste too sweet (thank you).

At less than 100 calories per ounce (88 calories for 1 oz. according to the packaging), this might be a great bar for those either watching their sugar or their weight.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Erythritol, Cacao Butter, Ginger Root, Mesquite Powder, Ginger Oil, Stevia, and Vanilla.