ChocolateBet: April 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Lillie Belle Farms
Smokey Blue Truffles (organic chocolate, smoked blue cheese, and toasted almonds)
Good - Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. ea./4 oz. (112 g.)
Calories: 140 calories (guesstimate)
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for a package of 5 truffles
Purchased from: Lillie Belle Farms (online)

Welcome to Chocolate and Cheese Week!

We kicked off this theme week with a Smokey Blue Truffle (pictured to the right - in missing man formation) -- blue cheese with a touch of toasted almonds. This combination might seem bit strange; but these truffles were good, and might pair well with red wine.

ChocolateBet: April 3, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Cadbury
Caramello
Good +
Weight: .4 oz/ 1.6 oz.(45 g.) total
Calories: 52 calories (estimate) for 1/4 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: ? (purchased in 2007?) I had this in my back-up stash bag of chocolate items purchased in advance.

ChocolateBet: April 2, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
5 pieces - tea assortment
Charles Chocolates
1 Charcoal-Roasted Oolong Tea Truffle - Very Good+
1 Baochong Tea Truffle (fire-roasted Oolong) - Very Good
1 Osmanthus Tea Truffle - Very Good
1 Jasmine Tea Truffle - Very Good - Yum
1 Lichee Tea Truffle - Very Good +
Wt: ~.4 oz. x 5 = 2.0 oz. total for 5 pcs.
Calories: 75 x 5 = 375 calories for 5 pcs.
Cost: $1.35 x 5 = $6.75
Purchased from: Charles Chocolates, in Emeryville, CA

Nice design with the characters (which I believe indicate the type of tea) on top of each chocolate

ChocolateBet: April 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small "brownie"
UliMana
hemp berry brownies w/ mulberries
(Organic and Raw)
OK-Good - Hemp brownies
Weight: .5 oz. for brownie I had; 5.5 oz. total container
Calories: ~75 calories?
Cost: $11.99 (pricey for a small container)
Purchased from: Piazza's, in Palo Alto, CA

I thought this organic hemp brownie with mulberries was a good choice for April Fool's Day. While the package assures me that "Hemp is the most complete source of protein of any plant known!" I'm not sure that raw hemp makes for the tastiest brownies if you're used to traditional baked goods; but I'm open minded. 

ChocolateBet: March 31, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Pecan Caramel
Charles Chocolates
Very Good; fleur de sel style caramel, coated with chocolate w/ a toasted pecan half.
Wt: ~.4 oz.
Calories: ~75 cals.
Cost: $1.35
Purchased from: Charles Chocolates, in Emeryville, CA

ChocolateBet: March 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Charles Chocolates
I had one Meyer Lemon Yankee, and one Meyer Lemon Marzipan (2 pcs total)
1) Meyer Lemon Yankee - Very Good - everyone else could taste lemon in the dark chocolate ganache/filling; I could not. This is too bad, because I tend to enjoy lemon and dark chocolate flavors together.
2) Meyer Lemon Marzipan - Very Good+ - I could definitely taste the lemon in this one, and I like their version of marzipan - less sweet, more almonds.
Wt: ~ .8 oz.
Calories: ~145 calories
Cost: ~$2.70 for 2 pcs.
Purchased from: Charles Chocolates (HQ) in Emeryville, CA

I visited the Charles Chocolates factory, and enjoyed looking through the glass at their operation. It's not a full factory tour in the sense that you're within touching distance of any chocolate in different rooms/stages, but you do get to see most all of their operation and machinery from the viewing area/chocolate bar. They also do tea and chocolate pairings once a month; I hope to attend one of these in the future. Below is some information from their web site on where they are located for those interested in paying them a visit. (Tour is free; tour and tasting is $10.)

Charles Chocolates Store & Chocolate Bar
6529 Hollis St.
Emeryville, CA 94608
510.652.4412 x311
Description Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm, we will offer a guided factory tour of our production facility. You'll be able to watch as our chocolatiers are in full production in our kitchen, observe various chocolates being made, and learn how hand-crafted, artisan chocolates and confections are made at Charles Chocolates. The tour will end with an interactive question and answer session.

You may make a reservation online via Brown Paper Tickets until 2 hours prior to the tour.

ChocolateBet: March 29, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 cookie
Nana's
No Gluten Chocolate Crunch (gluten-free) cookie
Very Good - healthy: no gluten, no trans fats or refined sugar
Wt: 3.5 oz. (99 grams)
Calories: 360 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $1.79
Purchased from: Whole Foods market in Los Altos, CA