Emerald City Foods - Hot Salted Sriracha 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Emerald City Foods
Hot Salted Sriracha Chocolate 55% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 186 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ Missing information

Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Hot Salted Sriracha 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Emerald City Foods, Seattle, WA.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and faint, slightly savory/salty (seaweed soup).

The texture was relatively creamy and was accented by tiny crunchy grains of salt and seasoning.

Flavor notes included: smooth, sweet, dark chocolate; and just the right amount of salt and Sriracha style spices (not too much, not too little) -- at least for my taste.

I loved the savory, umami-like flavors in this bar, and that it wasn't too sweet or flaming hot (thank you!).

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin), Himalayan Sea Salt, Sriracha Seasoning: Maltrin, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Tocopherols, Paprika Oil (for color), Sriracha Powder (Sriracha Sauce, Sodium Alginate, Carrageenan, Cellulose Gum, Silicon Dioxide, Sunflower Lecithin), Capsicum Oleoresin, Yeast Extract), Vinegar, Citric Acid.

Allergens: Contains Soy, Sulfites. "This product is manufactured at a plant that processes milk, soy, tree nuts and peanuts."

Jeremiah's Pick - Chocatal BBQ Spice Rub with Coffee & Cacao - April 18, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

Jeremiah's Pick 
Chocatal BBQ Spice Rub with Coffee & Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 0.2 oz. (5.6 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total container
Calories: 11 calories in 1 serving (0.2 oz.)
Cost: $8.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Chocatal BBQ Spice Rub with Coffee and Cacao (nibs) was from Jeremiah's Pick Coffee Co. (San Francisco, CA). 

This Bay Area based specialty coffee roaster offers a variety of coffees, and a line of spice rubs.

Their Chocatal spice blend included Arabica coffee and cocoa nibs. It would make a nice spice rub for grilled meats; but I incorporated this warm, reddish-hued spiced rub (powder) into a chicken tamale and vegetables and it worked very nicely. I see no reason why you couldn't infuse a little of this into savory brownies or drinking chocolate. (But, then again, I like savory and umami chocolates.)

Aroma and flavor notes included: a rich savory blend of many spices, including: paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt and other spices. The coffee and cacao ingredients were very subtle, and added a bit of pleasing flavor depth/complexity.

I liked the short list of high-quality ingredients, the well-executed and balanced punch of flavor (without being too hot/spicy), and the lack of preservatives. 

Ingredients: "salt, chili powder, chocatal(tm) (coffee and cocoa nibs), spices, hydolyzed soy protein, maltodextrin, dehydrated onion and garlic, oleoresin or paprika, no more than 2% silicon dioxide added as an anticaking agent." 

Allergen-related information: None listed.

Jasper + Myrtle - Himalayan Rock Salt and Wakame Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) - Dec. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Jasper + Myrtle 
Himalayan Rock Salt and Wakame Dark Chocolate 70% (bar)

Good ++ 

Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 163 calories (per label, looks too low) in 1 bar (679.7 kj in 70 g. bar)

Cost: $9.75 + shipping for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and South Pacific Islands Theme Week.

Today's Himalayan Rock Salt and Wakame Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) was from Jasper + Myrtle Premium Handmade Chocolate (based in Fyshwick, in Australian Capital Territory (ACT)--Australia's smallest territory and home to Australia's capital city Canberra and surrounding townships). 

ACT may be a small territory, but it's culturally rich and, if today's bar is any indication, it has some great chocolate.

Jasper and Myrtle was created by Li Peng Monroe. Li Peng and partner Peter make bean-to-bar chocolate using cacao beans from Peru, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Vietnam. It's no accident that several of the craft chocolate bars featured in this Chocolate and South Pacific Theme Week are being produced by Australian makers, who are geographically closer to these growing regions.

Today's well-rounded, flavorful and very slightly savory 70% Himalayan salt and wakame (seaweed) chocolate bar was crafted using stoneground cacao. Beans were sourced by the owners from Bouganville, Papua New Guinea.

This bar had faint, balanced fermented cacao and savory, nutty, earthy (woodsy) and clean green aroma and flavor notes. The texture was smooth yet robust with soft crunchy flecks. A judicious amount of Himalayan rock salt, and a smattering of wakame bits (that were faintly visible on the back side of the bar), added a delicious, delicate infusion of well-rounded, hearty savory flavor. 

I like savory chocolates, and this one was quite good. I'd also be curious to see what a 75% cacao version of this 70% bar (with a bit less sugar) might taste like. It may or may not taste better (I trust the maker's judgment here); but I'm often interested in seeing how much one can reduce sugar and still have something that works as sugar can obfuscate some flavors.

Ingredients: cocoa beans, cocoa butter, wakame, Himalayan rock salt, sugar.

Safeway - Signature Reserve Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel - July 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Safeway
Signature Reserve Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
Good 
Weight: .81 oz. (23 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 100 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $0.60 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Safeway, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Savory Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Signature Reserve Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel was from Safeway (Pleasanton, CA).

The square-shaped, chocolate covered confection had a pleasant chocolate aroma; and each bite yielded a soft swoon into a caramel center punctuated by a few crunchy sea salt crystals. A classic high-end candy combination for a very reasonable price; and just the right size--hearty enough for a tidy, 3 bite serving of sweet, yet small enough to avoid a sugar avalanche.

Sea salt + caramel + chocolate. Adding two addictive substances to a third, and one of the most common example of a savory chocolate. I also sampled this Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel with a small fruit and cheese plate, and the two items paired together very nicely.

Ingredients: Caramel (corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), sugar, heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, invert sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, soy lecithin; dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla); sea salt

Vosges - Manchego and Cherry Chocolate Bar - July 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges IP, LLC
Manchego and Cherry Chocolate Bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 420 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Vosges, online order

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

Today's Manchego and Cherry Chocolate Bar was from Vosges IP, LLC (Chicago, IL). Vosges founder, Katrina Markoff, has been an innovator when it comes to savory and exotic flavor inclusions. Her world travels and relationships with suppliers have continued to inspire new flavors.

Katrina founded Vosges in the late 1990s. (Vosges was one of the first premium brands to elevate sweet chocolate and savory bacon from county fair food into an art form.) Being a savory chocolate fan myself and having organized informal chocolate and cheese tastings many years ago, I was interested to read that Vosges might be launching a cheese-inspired series of chocolate bars this year (2020).

This 67% cacao bar had an aroma informed by authentic D.O.P.* 12-month aged Manchego cheese, tart Montmorency cherry fruit and chocolate--exactly what one might expect from the bar's title. 

Cheese and a bit of emulsifier gave this bar smooth, slightly oily melt with rich, smooth texture and a very slightly gummy mouthfeel with some tiny bits of slightly crunchy flavor inclusions (Was it cheese? Himalaya salt? cherries? It was hard to tell; but a few un-homogenized bits can help to layer flavors.)

The slightly buttery, nutty, salty Italian sheep's milk-based hard (Manchego) cheese, which shone in the aroma, was slightly less pronounced when chewed with a bite of chocolate. Although the cheese did mute the sweetness of the chocolate (thank you).

The combined flavor inclusions in this "proprietary bittersweet chocolate" resulted in a lingering almost honey-nutty finish with an occasional, faint squeak of cherry, and a slow receding parade of flavors. If I waited long enough I could detect a savory sparkle of cheese. (Does cheese sparkle? Well, yes, a good cheese does coat and please the palette in an exciting way.) And, as today's bar shows, the right chocolate and cheese can pair very well.

*Each country in the European Union (EU) has local food product designation guidelines. In Italy, D.O.P.  refers to a certification process that helps designate, protect and authenticate a food's origin and packaging in Italy. The literal translation in English is "Protected Designation of Origin." Manchego cheese, produced in La Mancha region of Spain (yes, home to Don Quixote), falls under these D.O.P. guidelines. 

Chugach Chocolates - Dark Chocolate Alaskan Kelp & Cayenne (bar) - July 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chugach Chocolates and Confections
Rich Dark Chocolate with Alaskan Kelp and Cayenne (bar)
(Made with Barnacle Foods Bull Kelp)
Good 
Weight: 1.75 oz. (49.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 263 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift (thank you Megan!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Savory Theme Week.

Today's Rich Dark Chocolate with Alaskan Kelp and Cayenne bar was from Chugach Chocolates and Confections (Girdwood, Alaska).

When I opened the packaging, I was greeted by the sweet childhood smells of chocolate: Swiss Miss* hot cocoa, Cocoa Puffs* and other chocolate breakfast cereals, i.e. the aroma of alkalized cocoa** -- cocoa that has been treated to make it less acid and/or bitter. 

There was no cacao/cocoa percentage listed on this bar. I'm guessing, by the sweetness level, it was made with less than 50% cacao dark chocolate. (In the U.S. dark chocolate needs to contain at least 15% chocolate liquor or cocoa mass from ground cocoa bean pieces or nibs. The mildest dark chocolate might only contain 15-34% cacao.)

The sweet chocolate had a smooth melt and creamy mouthfeel (butterfat) that was accented by crunchy bits of dried kelp (from Barnacle Foods in Juneau, AK) that had a very mild, salty flavor (that helped balance out the sweetness). And a friendly, soft tingle of cayenne pepper rounded things out. Overall, this was a fun bar to try; and, surprisingly, it stimulated many childhood memories.

Kelp (seaweed) is quite edible and nutritious. It's a good natural source of iodine and other minerals and vitamins. I first tried it during a Girl Scout outing on the beach (it was boiled in a large pot for us children to try) in the late 1960s after a long hike to the sea. 

Kelp is still found washed up on West Coast/Pacific Ocean beaches in the U.S.; but, sadly, kelp forests (home to fish and undersea wildlife) have declined by almost 90% since I first sampled it on a Northern California beach many years ago--primarily due to rising ocean temperatures. 

Thank you to Chugach for featuring kelp (and cayenne) in today's chocolate bar--that was made with a special blend of ingredients that originated in the Americas.

--o--o--o--

*General Mills introduced Cocoa Puffs breakfast cereal back in 1956, the year I was born. Americans elevated sweet, crunchy cereals to a commercial art form in the 1900s.

Around that same time, Charles Sanna invented Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix where consumers could just add hot water to a packet of cocoa (instead of fixing it on the stove with milk). Hot chocolate on the go was made much easier for families, soldiers, field workers, campers and explorers. I remember drinking Swiss Miss on backpacking trips. (Incidentally, engineer and inventor Charles Sanna passed away in 2019 at age 101. He continued to drink hot cocoa even after the formula changed when the brand was purchased by Beatrice Foods and then Conagra over the years.)

Like it or not, these chocolate-for-breakfast items had a big influence on me. After all, I've been sampling unique chocolates in the mornings for almost 14 years now. And while I've lost my taste for overly sweet, sugary items, my love for chocolate lingered.

**Ingredients: Dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor processed with alkali, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, butterfat (milk), soy lecithin and vanilla); (Barnacle Foods) Kelp; Cayenne Pepper; Salt. 

Mindo Chocolate Makers - Special Edition Sea Salt Sesame Garlic 77% Chocolate Bar - July 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mindo Chocolate Makers
Special Edition Chocolate Bar
Sea Salt and Sesame Garlic bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.45 oz. (40 g.) / 2.9 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mindo Chocolate Makers, online order

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

Today's Special/Limited Edition Sea Salt and Sesame Garlic 77% Chocolate Bar from Mindo Chocolate Makers (Dexter, MI and Mindo, Ecuador) was one of the most savory flavored bars to date.

The aroma was complex with hints of garlic,* and savory soup-like notes--along with wisps of chocolate and sesame. There are times when it's fun to be confused.

The base 77% heirloom cacao (Ecuador) chocolate had some floral aroma and flavor notes (characteristic of Ecuador cacao). You would think that these more almost light, sweet and delicate floral notes might have been crushed under such strong savory flavor inclusions and a relatively dark (higher % cacao) chocolate. But no. This co-existence was a testament to the makers, who created a nicely balanced, and very unique bar.

I enjoyed the tiny spikes of crunchy sea salt, garlic, sesame seeds, and some unique synergistic flavors created by this blend. About 3/4 way through the tasting process I tasted a fleeting, faint waxy flavor note. It was not necessarily unpleasant; and it may have been a reaction from the garlic and chocolate together.

This special bar may not be for everyone, but I had fun trying it. It should be noted: I'm fond of savory chocolate snacks and chocolate that isn't too sweet.

Ingredients: cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, garlic,* celtic sea salt, toasted sesame seeds

*The garlic used in this bar was from Dyer Family Organic Farm (Ann Arbor, MI).

Nuance Chocolate - Rosemary, Sea Salt and Olive Oil Truffle - July 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nuance Chocolate 

Rosemary, Sea Salt and Olive Oil Truffle

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .69 oz. (19.5 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle

Calories: 103 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle

Cost: $3.80 for 1 truffle

Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, Fort Collins, CO

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Savory Theme Week.

Today's Rosemary, Sea Salt and Olive Oil Truffle was made (hand-rolled) by Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

This truffle had a rich chocolate aroma and taste with a smooth melt and texture. This flavorful dark chocolate and taste paired very nicely with authentic, aromatic rosemary flavoring, and a balanced whisper of sea salt. 

Botanical herbs, sea salt and olive oil combined with great chocolate--a recipe for sweet and savory chocolate success.

Chocolate Tree - Haggis Spice Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Tree
Haggis Spice Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.)  / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 135.5 calories in 1/4  bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Greetings and welcome to the first day of Salt and Savory Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Haggis Spice Dark Chocolate bar hails from Chocolate Tree (Haddington, Scotland).

This bar smelled like a savory stew or porridge, with rosemary, pepper, sea salt and pepper doing their best to convince me this was true. These and other traditional haggis spices* were blended with (gluten free pinhead) oats and organic dark chocolate to create this unique bar.**

The chocolate was a relatively bold, but smooth dark chocolate, which had a relatively smooth melt. However, you'll experience tiny chewy bits of other ingredients embedded in this chocolate, yielding flavor spikes of rosemary and spice, tiny sparkles of sea salt and oats. This blend of salt, savory and sweet was well balanced and fun to try.

*Ingredients: Organic sugar, organic cocoa mass, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla, gluten free pinhead oats (8%). Haggis spice (2%): organic black pepper, organic rosemary, sea salt, organic coriander seed, organic mace and organic thyme.

**You may have heard that haggis also contains sheep's innards. Fear not. There were no animal parts in today's vegetarian chocolate bar. It contained only the spices and salt used to make this traditional Scottish savory dish.

Copyright 2019. Unauthorized use of the text and/or images from this site, www.ChocolateBanquet.com, is a copyright violation.

Morro Bay House of Jerky - Chocolate Covered Bacon - Sept. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Morro Bay House of Jerky
Chocolate Covered Bacon
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in one piece
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $3.99 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Morro Bay House of Jerky, Morro Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week.

The bulk of this week's chocolates were acquired on the Central Coast of California, where there are ranches, farms and frequent glimpses of wide open spaces between cities. A landscape where one might even find a cowboy.

Chocolate Banquet is based in the San Francisco Bay Area (peninsula)—an area with a rich agricultural and ranch history that was still visible even one generation ago. Empty lots now are few and far between, and parks (some former ranches and farms) form most of the open spaces now.

Today's chocolate was a strip of Chocolate Covered Bacon made for Morro Bay House of Jerky (Morro Bay, CA) by Mama Ganache (San Luis Obispo, CA), known for their confections and bars made with ethically-sourced cacao.

The dark chocolate was silky smooth and not ultra-sweet (thank you); and it provided a great pairing with the chewy-crunchy savory bacon. (The bacon was hardwood smoked and honey cured.)

The House of Jerky offers an impressive variety of beef and other domestic and exotic (and vegetarian) packaged jerky flavors. See if you can find the hidden cowboy while you're there.*

A special thank you to Mike J. (pictured behind the counter) who provided valuable and friendly assistance in chocolate item selection when we visited there recently.

*The company's logo incorporates a cowboy (or perhaps a ranch cook) ringing a triangle.**

** A triangle is a rod or bar of metal bent into an open triangular-shape that is "played" by striking another metal rod against/inside the triangle, often in a a circular motion. This instrument (in various forms) dates back to 14th century Europe, and perhaps further. And while you may find this percussive instrument in an orchestra playing Mozart or Beethoven pieces, a metal/iron triangle was also used on farms/ranches in the Western U.S. to summon ranch/farm hands to a meal.

Xocolatl de David - Foie Gras 68% Bolivia bar - Oct. 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Xocolatl de David
Foie Gras Chocolate 68 percent cacao Bolivia bar
Good ++
Weight: .55 oz. (15.5 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 82.5 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $ for 1/4 bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of And Now for Something Completely Different Theme Week.

Today I tried a Foie Gras 68 percent Bolivia chocolate bar from Xocolatl de David (Portland, OR).

This bar had a very slight foie gras aroma, and a creamy melt. The texture was smooth. The bar had a slightly salty, savory flavor; but the actual flavor inclusion (foie gras) may be difficult to guess for tasters.

Xocolatl de David, known for its creative stable of savory bars, also offers a "Foietella" spread with chocolate.

Thank you to Adam and the team at Fog City News (San Francisco, CA) for their curated selection of chocolates and for their help in finding unique bars for this week.

*Foie gras is a savory spread made from goose or duck liver and sometimes includes chopped pistachio nuts. Foie gras made by traditional methods (that involve "force-feeding" birds to fatten up their liver) is outlawed in California.