ChocolateBet: November 19, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
3 pieces
Laica S.p.A.
Milk Chocolate $$$
Good
Weight: ~ 1 oz. (28.3 g.)/2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total pkg.
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (thank you to Elise)

Yesterday I scarfed down a 100 Grand. Today, I ate $110 of chocolate...in milk chocolate bills, that is. In a nod to our global ecosystem, this chocolate currency in U.S. denominations was made in Arona, Novara, in Italy. I'd like to think I'm just doing my part to keep the economy going.

ChocolateBet: November 18, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 fun size (mini) bar
Nestle
100 Grand bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .79 oz. (22.3 g.) in 1 fun size/mini bar
Calories: ~ 118 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ (part of a Halloween candy assortment bag)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Well, who wouldn't want 100 Grand? The name has a ring of prosperity to it. This small bar is the last of the miniature Nestle chocolate bars in my Halloween candy bowl. (It contains "Chewy Caramel $ Milk Chocolate $ Crispy Crunchies"...I like the dollar signs instead of ampersands.) Now, I'm down to a few non-chocolate gummy skeleton items, which will evaporate slowly and mysteriously over time.

ChocolateBet: November 17, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small bar
Nestle
Oh Henry! candy bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 125 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ (part of Halloween assortment bag)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

This small Oh Henry! candy bar came from my Halloween candy bowl. I've been working on the leftovers for the last few days.

Nestle owns a flock of popular chocolate bars that have become Halloween staples. Nestle acquired the name and/or rights to distribute this candy bar in the U.S. more than 20 years ago. (The Oh Henry! name is almost 90 years old, and the bar was developed in the U.S.)

Taste is important; but for a brand name to live this many decades, it needs the backing of a large marketing budget, a rabid local following, or a clever tie-in to something attractive. Or, sometimes a company gets lucky. There are dozens of different Kit Kat bar flavors (ramune soda, caramelized potato to name a few) sold in Japan. Apparently Kit Kat (a 73+-year old brand, licensed and made by Nestle in Japan) is similar to a Japanese phrase for you will surely be a winner (kitto katsu), and has become a pre-exam talisman for students, potential lottery winners and others hoping for some good fortune. Unfortunately the wheat (wafer) in these bars will prevent me from eating a lot of these, but good luck to all of you out there.

ChocolateBet: November 16, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2 (mini) bags
Nestle
Goobers
Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) in 2 small bags (estimate)
Calories: 174 calories (estimate)
Cost: $(lost info for large Halloween candy assortment bag)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

It was time to finish the bowl of Halloween fun-sized bars and bits the goblins didn't get a few weeks ago. First on my list, a few miniature packages of Nestle Goobers*, made from roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. (I found a few tiny Goobers that I'm assuming don't have microscopic peanuts in them. See scanned image of Goobers with angelic back lighting.)


As I've written before, I like small serving sizes. I cringe when I have to throw away chocolate leftovers. Cleaning up after Halloween is always a pleasure. Sure, I'll pay for this, with a chocolate candy hangover tomorrow, but it's just once a year. I'll go back to organic chocolate with agave syrup soon. Years from now kids that grew up with these organic chocolates may have nostalgia cravings for them, like I occasionally have for the cleverly-marketed candies, cereals and chocolate lovelies from the 1960s.

*Goobers = a Southern slang term for peanuts

ChocolateBet: November 15, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Cerreta Candy Company/Cerreta's Fine Chocolates
Cerreta's Extra Dark bar - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 grams)
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.25
Purchased from: Cerreta Candy Company, in Glendale, Arizona

In addition to this Cerreta's dark chocolate (55% cacao) bar, I enjoyed a Naked Camelback -- a racy name for a small, individually-wrapped caramel and pecan patty. (Note: there was no chocolate in the Camelback.)

One of my favorite sights at Cerreta's was an homage to a Lucy & Ethel's chocolate factory fiasco (from an old episode of the "I Love Lucy" TV show).
(For those old enough to remember the show, and young enough to be able to see the details of tiny, grainy photographs, see image at right from the Cerreta's factory floor.)

ChocolateBet: November 14, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
half of 3 pieces
Cerreta Candy Company/Cerreta's Fine Chocolates

1.) French Mint - Good +
2.) Dark Chocolate Orange - Very Good
3.) Roman Rum - Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) for half of 3 pieces
Calories: 112 calories (estimate) for half of 3 pieces
Cost: $2.73 for 3 pieces
Purchased from: Cerreta Candy Company, in Glendale, Arizona

Stretching out my haul from last week's visit to the Cerreta Candy Company in Arizona, I enjoyed three more chocolates today. Splitting the chocolates with Alec meant I could justify tasting more than one. Thank you Alec for driving, so I could unwrap and pull apart chocolates on the drive up to San Francisco. My favorite was the dark chocolate orange; although it looked like the French Mint was a big seller at Cerreta's. Thank you also to Jerry "the Chocolate Man" at Cerreta's. (Jerry is part of the Cerreta family business -- one of four sons involved in running Cerreta Candy Co.; and from what I gather the one most closely tied to chocolate operations.)

FYI, for those in the Phoenix, AZ, area, Cerreta's also offers tours.

ChocolateBet: November 13, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Cerreta Candy Co./Cerreta's Fine Chocolates
Milk Chocolate Peanut Cluster
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0.91
Purchased from: Cerrata Candy Co., in Glendale, AZ

It's always a treat to buy chocolate from the source. I visited Cerreta's Candy Co. in downtown Glendale, AZ, with a friend this week, and picked up some chocolates. We missed the tour, but the manufacturing area was visible from the retail store area. (See image above.) Also pictured: a large chocolate Santa talking to an oversized chocolate bunny mold.