ChocolateBet: August 20, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bite
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Dark Chocolate with Peppermint Crunch
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. / 3 oz. (85 grams) total
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost for bar: $2.79 (could also be $2.29; label is hard to read)
Purchased at: Elephant Pharmacy, in Los Altos, CA

Unfortunately, this Dark Chocolate with Peppermint Crunch bar appears to have gotten melted somewhere (in transit or in store).

Note: In the summer, storage matters with chocolate. I've been told that cocao butter melts at body temperature, so it doesn't take much time in a hot car or in front of a window on a hot day to do some damage. (The lighter colored cocoa butter separates from the darker colored cocoa solids causing a blotchy appearance.)

ChocolateBet: August 14, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1/3 bar
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) for 1/3 bar
Cost: $2.29 for 1 bar
Purchased at: Elephant Pharmacy, Los Altos, CA

This Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar was made with Belgian chocolate and roasted almonds by Lake Champlain Chocolates (Lake Champlain, VT).

Unfortunately, I discovered when I unwrapped this Lake Champlain Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar that it had some bloom (whiteish, slightly blotchy appearance often caused by storing chocolate at the wrong temperature). Bloom can affect the appearance of a bar, but not the taste. At other times, the bar's flavor and/or texture is "off" as well. Bloom like this is more common in the summer; only a few minutes in the hot sun can wreak havoc.

I've liked chocolates I've had from Lake Champlain before; so I may try this one again in the future, just to see if the blah taste was adversely affected by improper storage or something else.