ChocolateBet: December 18, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece/truffle
Sacred Chocolate
Ajaya truffle w/ lime zest
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. So, far this week I've sampled chocolates flavored with banana, orange, tangerine, mango and other flavors. Looking at my own fruit bowl, I always try to have at least one lime on hand, in part because I think lime pairs well with chocolate items.

Ajaya is a goddess of love. She made her appearance today in the form of a Sacred Chocolate dark chocolate truffle with lemon grass, ginger, Balinese long pepper -- and topped with lime zest.

ChocolateBet: December 17, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces/truffles
Sacred Chocolate

1.) Tangerina truffle
(citrus dark chocolate ganache infused with tangerine and orange oils)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of a 9-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

2.) Yellow Tara truffle
(curry infused truffle, topped with mango powder)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ - part of a 9-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. A hearty Sacred Chocolate truffle with tangerine and orange oils topped with a strip of Mineola tangelo zest, and another truffle "covered with a dusting of sun-ripened mango powder" ruled the day. When combined with a small fresh tangerine and some fresh, hot ginger tea, these truffles were a good wake-up snack for a gray, rainy day.

ChocolateBet: December 16, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Coco-Zen
Dark Chocolate Orange Blossom with Almonds
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - part of a benefit
Purchased from: N/A - chocolates/samples were being served at benefit screening, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. December is a good month to pick ripe oranges here in California. I don't have a tree/bush in my yard, but I know several people who do. So, the fruit bowl on my kitchen counter almost always has an orange in it.

Today's Coco-Zen Dark Chocolate Orange Blossom truffle is infused with orange and topped with toasted almond pieces. I picked up this Fair Trade Certified chocolate from Coco-Zen founder, Joyce Kushner, at a recent benefit screening of the movie "The Dark Side of Chocolate," at World Centric in Palo Alto, CA. I asked Joyce for a few samples to go. Fortunately, World Centric specializes in biocompostable serving trays and other items. Thank you to Aseem Das for this small clamshell container -- it was perfect for transporting a few chocolate truffles.

ChocolateBet: December 15, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sacred Chocolate
Cheeky Monkey Truth Truffle
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $32.00 total box (estimate)
Purchased from: Chocolate.com website

What's in Your fruit bowl? Anything that could flavor a truffle or a chocolate bar? Probably. Today is Day #1 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. I'm beginning this theme week with a Sacred Chocolate Cheeky Monkey truffle -- with a dark ganache (filling) flavored with caramelized banana, and topped off with a pecan half.

This raw, vegan chocolate truffle was one of 9 different "Truth Truffles" in a small assortment box I ordered. (I'm not sure what the "truth" part is exactly, but that's OK. I think it refers to ingredients that are authentic, organic, sustainably grown, and unprocessed.)

ChocolateBet: December 14, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 


1.) Michael Mischer Chocolates
Spiced Almonds - Single Origin - Criollo; 65% Dark Chocolate
1/8 bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 108 calories (estimate) in 1/8 bar
Cost: $ (varies by bar)
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

2.) Michael Mischer Chocolates
Mixed Nuts - Single Origin - Criollo; 65% Dark Chocolate
1/8 bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 108 calories in 1/8 bar (estimate)
Cost: $ (varies by bar)
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

It was difficult to pick just one Michael Mischer dark chocolate and nut bar. So, I chose two bars to conclude (Day #7 of) Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. The Spiced Almonds had a kick to them; and the mixed nuts bar included a generous sprinkling of toasted almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios. Both 65% bars were made from single origin Criollo beans.

ChocolateBet: December 13, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 Bar
See's Candies
Walnut Square Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.)
Calories: 240 calories
Cost: $4.00
Purchased from: See's Candies/Benicia Main Street store, in old depot; Benicia, CA

Yesterday I went walking on the other side of San Francisco Bay, to the little town of Benicia -- a city with several historic buildings, built close to the water. Located in a restored railroad depot building (shown at right) by the Bay (along the Bay Trail), was a small See's Candies shop, run by the Benicia Main Street organization. Since this week is Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week, I felt obligated to duck inside and pick up a See's Walnut Square Bar (caramel and walnuts coated in dark chocolate).

I have memories of growing up in California in a house with three walnut trees in the yard; and I attended Almond Elementary School. So I wanted to honor my nutty California heritage and include both walnuts and almonds in this week's theme week. California is still a large nut producer, but those of us who have seen orchards disappear and transform into Silicon Valley, we now have to drive further to see actual nut trees.

ChocolateBet: December 12, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
6 pieces
FreeHeart Farm
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Good +
Weight: .93 oz. (26.4 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) for 6 pieces
Cost: $11.00 total package
Purchased from: Califia Market A Go Go, Town and Country Village, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Dark Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. I live in California, a large nut-producing state (and by nuts, I mean the food crop, not the people). Today's selection: dark chocolate covered almonds from FreeHeart Farm, gives me the opportunity to give some recognition to all the nut producers in the valley(s) east of where I live. FreeHeart Farm is located in the small, agriculturally-focused town of Esparto, California -- and is part of the Capay Valley Region of Central California.