Picky Bars - Ah, Fudge Nuts! Cacao-Abunga Brownie bar - Aug. 12, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Picky Bars
Ah, Fudge Nuts! Cacao-Abunga Brownie
Good
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Today's Ah, Fudge Nuts! Cacao-Abunga Brownie bar was from Picky Bars (Bend, OR).

This energy bar with the long name was thoughtfully constructed with a short list of ingredients by three professional athletes Lauren Fleshman, Jesse Thomas and Steph Bruce.

The gluten-free bar had a brownie and nut aroma, and a pleasant slightly fudgey chocolate chew. It contained 7 grams of protein, and had a clean finish—with no artificial after-taste that occasionally accompany some protein and energy bars.

Nature Delivered - Graze Deconstructed Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cookie - Feb. 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Nature Distributed Inc.

Graze - Deconstructed Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cookie 

Good

Weight: 1.3 oz. (38 g.) (per label) in total package

Calories: 210 calories in 1 package

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

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

Today's Graze Deconstructed Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cookie offering from Nature Delivered Inc. (Jersey City, NJ) was an interesting snack mix. 

It contained a fair amount of salt and sugar (present in most snacks). For this reason, I hesitate calling this a healthy snack mix. 

The mix included baked salted peanuts, Belgian milk chocolate buttons; salted caramel pieces, chocolate cookie pieces and pumpkin seeds; and it was free of gluten-containing ingredients.

Backyard Brew - Nutella Hot Chocolate; Barlovento Bars; Nuts, Nibs, Nice - Feb. 26, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Backyard Brew
Nutella Hot Chocolate
Good++
Weight: 10+ oz. (estimate) for 1 serving
Calories: 168 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: $4.00 for 1 serving
Purchased from: Backyard Brew, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of LMNOPQR Theme Week. As we frolic through the alphabet, we arrive today at the letter "N."

Nuts, Nibs...Hmmm. How about Nutella Hot Chocolate? It just so happened I found such a thing at a new small business called Backyard Brew in Palo Alto, CA.

The duo working there I spoke to were thoughtful, bright, creative young men with a passion for creating community and a relaxing shared public space.

A place to relax and enjoy a coffee or tea, or a Nutella Mocha or Hot Chocolate. And, one could stay and do some creative doodling —on tables, chairs or walls too.

Backyard Brew's Nutella Hot Chocolate was full of pleasing cocoa and hazelnut flavor and had a light, whipped texture.

Accessible via alley from California Avenue—a street known for it's small businesses, restaurants and a thriving Sunday Farmers Market—Backyard Brew should do well.

Barlovento Chocolates
And, speaking of the Farmers Market, today was Sunday. So I bought two bars from the Barlovento Chocolates booth (not far from Backyard Brew) at the Market:

1.) 80 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs bar
2.) 73 percent Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Fruits and Nuts (Pistachios, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries) bar

Wrapped in gold foil, both bars were made from dark, slightly earthy but smooth, Venezuelan chocolate by founder Peter Brydon and team at Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA).

It was a very Nice morning indeed.

ChocolateBet: July 6, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Unilever
Good Humor with Reeses Ice Cream bar
~ 4 fl oz.
Good - Very Good
310 calories/bar
Good except for the added lactose; again...why?
Purchased at: AMD Cafe

Nuts, chocolate, ice cream - together: what is not to like?

Dagoba - ChocolateBet: June 2, 2007

Chocolate of the Day: 

1/4 bar
Dagoba
Brasilia - chocolate, coconut and exotic nuts bar
Good - Very Good
Weight: ~.5 oz. serving (1/4 bar)
Calories: ~82 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased in: (Gualala, CA?)

It's Saturday, and I made it to the gym today. That always makes me feel a bit better, and makes it easier to justify sampling chocolate. But, work has really heated up again, and I have some additional responsibilities now that make it difficult to leave early enough in the evenings to work out - before the gym closes at 8 p.m.

This Dagoba Brasilia bar was made with 37% cacao chocolate, coconut and nuts.

Notes: In my mind it's hard to go too far wrong when you combine chocolate, coconut and nuts. It's interesting to note though that this combination can range from ok to incredible. This was somewhere in between. I'll have to pay more attention to ingredients, and other reasons why such variations occur.