ChocolateBet: September 19, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Coconut Truffle
Tahoe City Chocolates
Very Good+
Weight: ~ .5 oz. (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Tahoe City Chocolates (in a small mall on the lake), in Tahoe City, CA

Thank you to Mike at Tahoe City Chocolates who gave me a few tips on which chocolates I might enjoy. Today's Coconut Truffle was like a smaller, slightly creamier version of a Mounds bar.

ChocolateBet: September 18, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 pkg./2 pcs.
Hawaiian Sun
Tapa Toffee - "Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nut Toffee"
Very Good
Weight: .80 oz. (23 g)
Calories: 130 calories for 1 package
Cost: $1.29
Purchased from: Safeway, on the island of Kauai, in Hawaii"

It's hard to go wrong with chocolate-coated nut toffees in my book. And this Tapa Toffee from Hawaiian Sun (Honolulu, HI), made with mac nut toffee and a very subtle hint of coconut oil, was good.

Random thought: I don't know whether all (or any of) the Honolulu-based chocolate companies (Hawaiian Host, Hawaiian King, Hawaiian Sun and a few others) are related. I'll have to look into that later when I have more time.

ChocolateBet: September 17, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Wow Wee Candy (Bar) - Maui's Candy Bar
Maui Kitch'n Cook'd Potato Chip and Milk Chocolate bar
Very Good
Wt.: 1.75 oz. (50 grams)
Calories: 253 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ ?
Purchased from: Lava Java, in Kihei on the island of Maui, in Hawaii

Milk chocolate + Maui style potato chips. Two of my favorite foods, together in a bar.

ChocolateBet: Septemer 16, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package (2 pieces /1 serving)
Hawaiian Host
Kona Caramacs ("Kona coffee caramel and macadamias covered in milk chocolate")
Very Good - I'll bet a dark chocolate version of this wouldn't be bad.
Wt.: .95 ounces (27 grams) in package
Calories: 130 calories in one package/2 piece serving
Cost: $1.99
Purchased from: Travel Traders - shop in main terminal of Kauai airport, in Hawaii

Airports - once again a good source if you're looking to buy some local chocolates.

Kona coffee caramel and dry roasted macadamia nuts, covered in milk chocolate. I think that sums up rather nicely what can happen when chocolate goes on vacation to Hawaii.

These Kona Caramacs (caramel + mac nuts) were made by Hawaiian Host Chocolates (Honolulu, HI). The chocolate may have come over from the U.S. mainland. It wasn't clear, but the other major components looked all Hawaiian to me.

ChocolateBet: September 15, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Sahagun Chocolates
"Oregon Kiss" - ground hazelnuts and a small amount of fleur de sel
Very Good - nice blend of flavors
Weight: ~.5 oz.
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Sahagun Chocolates/Chocolate Shop, in Portland, OR

ChocolateBet: September 14, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sahagun Chocolates
"Miracle Pill" - (prune, orange peel, dark chocolate)
Very Good + - nice rich moist, sweet filling goes well with the dark chocolate
Wt.: ~.5 oz.
Calories: ~ 75 calories
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Sahagun Chocolates/Chocolate Shop, in Portland, OR

Warning: Nostalgia Moment....This chocolate reminded me of chocolate-covered fruit (prunes and apricots mostly) that my mom used to order around the holidays in the 1960s and 1970s, from a company called Bee Ritchie's in the SF South Bay Area. Bee Ritchie's (I hope I'm spelling their name correctly) was in business when Silicon Valley still had some farmland left that hadn't been developed. At this time (back in the dinosaur age as my teenage daughter would say), there were still some apricot and plum trees standing - remnants of old orchards that were apparently thriving back in the 1940s and 1950s. Sahagun uses local Oregon produce for their chocolates, so my guess is that the dried Brooks plum (aka prune) in this chocolate was from an Oregon orchard.

ChocolateBet: September 13, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sahagun Chocolates
Figalicious - "Calmyrna fig, Marcona almond, chestnut honey,...cardomom, Venezuelan choc..."
Good + - Very Good (This was good, however the fig was a little stiff/chewy for me)
Wt.: ~ .5 oz.
Calories: 75 calories
Cost: $ (not sure)
Purchased from: Sahagun Chocolates/Chocolate Shop, in Portland, OR

I forgot I had a small box of a few chocolates from my Portland trip last month. It's nice to find forgotten chocolates - as long as too much time hasn't gone by.