ChocolateBet: September 28, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
SOMA Chocolatemaker
Mayan Hot Chocolate Mix
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) mix (estimate)
Calories: 300 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.75 (estimate)
Purchased from: SOMA, in Toronto, ON, Canada

Drinking this Mayan Hot Chocolate brought back good memories of a trip to SOMA in Toronto a few years ago. SOMA Chocolatemaker produces a line of their own bean-to-bar chocolate and other products, and they also carry chocolates from other makers. I remember enjoying a few very unique individual chocolates flavored with Olive Oil, and Douglas Fir there as well. All very good.

This Mayan Hot Chocolate mix, meant to be stirred on the stove, created a thick, rich drinking chocolate, imbued with chilis, ginger, orange peel and other spices.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 27, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bite
Kim's Chocolates
Cachet - Blackberry and Ginger (bar)
OK+ - Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g) bite / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.29 total bar
Purchased from: Draeger's in San Mateo, CA

Ginger mixed with blackberries and dark chocolate. It sounded good. But, somehow the blackberry granules and ginger granules used to flavor this dark Cachet bar from Kim's Chocolates didn't quite mesh for me. The chocolate bar base was smooth and even. I might have preferred this dark chocolate melted over fresh berries and fresh ginger gelato. So many ways to enjoy chocolate.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 26, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
fleurir
Ginger Rogers
OK + - Good
Weight: .39 oz. (11 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 59 calories (estimate)
Cost: $34 for a box of 18 different pieces
Purchased from: fleurir - via foodzie.com

Ginger Rogers was a lively and engaging dancer, heavily linked with famous dance partner Fred Astaire in the mid-1900s. Today's Ginger Rogers chocolate was infused with a lively assortment of flavors -- spearmint, peppermint, crystallized ginger, almond amaretto and almond extract. Unfortunately, these flavors all wanted to dance off in different directions in my mouth; and they never really completely synched up with each other. Fun combination to try, but it didn't quite work for me.

 Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 25, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Wei of Chocolate
Wei Love - chili-infused
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.98 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: Ferry Building, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week. This little Organic, flower-shaped dark chocolate (74% cacao) from Wei of Chocolate (Phoenix, AZ) was infused with a subtle blend of cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, and flower essences. It was a great choice for a contemplative Sunday at home, spent recovering from a cold. Hot soup and ginger honey tea soon followed.

Oh, did I mention this Wei Love was gluten-free, Fair Trade and Vegan as well? The question I really want to ask though is how does Wei make chocolate in a city as hot as Phoenix? Hats off to them.

ChocolateBet: September 24, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
fleurir
1.) Pink Peppercorns - Very Good
2.) Brandy Alexander - Good +
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.)
Calories: 117 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: both were part of a larger 18-piece assortment box
Purchased from: fleurir hand grown chocolates, via foodzie.com

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week. Sadly the Pineapple Habanero chocolate from a few months ago had expired. However, I found this pair of truffles from fleurier.

Fleurir's Pink Peppercorn contained tiny chunks of Brazilian pink peppercorn and white peppercorn pieces; this coarse grind contributed some crunch, textural variety and a bit of a spicy kick.

The Brandy Alexander piece covered all the chocolate bases. It contained white, milk and dark chocolate; and it was flavored with creme de cacao, brandy and nutmeg -- making it a pleasant nightcap.

ChocolateBet: September 23, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/3 bar
Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co.
Cinnamon Chili Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .9 oz. (26 g.) / 2.75 oz. (77.8 g.) total bar
Calories: 137 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.00
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Olive and Sinclair's Mexican Style Cinnamon Chili chocolate bar can be enjoyed by itself, or can be melted down and made into a satisfying cup of hot chocolate. The company's artisan, slow-roasted, stone-ground bar included cacao beans (from Ghana), sugar, cocoa butter, Organic Ceylon cinnamon, Kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. The texture is a little bit more granular, but not unpleasant; and the flavors tasted very fresh. The cayenne pepper yielded a very mild kick.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 22, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2/5 bar
Artisan du Chocolat
Mole Chili bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) total bar
Calories: 95 calories (estimate)
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week. This Mole Chili dark chocolate (70% Cocoa) bar from Artisan du Chocolat (London) contained a mix of ingredients found in mole sauce: chile mulato, chile ancho, chile pasilla, chile chipotle, ground almonds, tortilla, thyme, and other spices. Despite all the different peppers, this bar was not too spicy.

I suspect if you melted this bar in with some red or enchilada sauce and baked it with poultry, you'd have an interesting chicken/turkey dish with mole sauce -- a delicious way to incorporate chocolate into sweet and savory dishes.