ChocolateBet: February 14, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Gateau et Ganache
Raspberry - Framboise
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .33 oz. (9.24 g.) (estimate) /1.32 oz. (36.9 g.) box of 4 bonbons
Calories: 50 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 for box of 4
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Cereal/Grains Theme Week. It was also Valentines Day, a day traditionally celebrated in the U.S. with candy hearts, flowers, and c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e-s.

I was going to enjoy a little bowl of Enjoy Life gluten free, very berry granola (with fresh strawberries, raspberries) with some kind of chocolate milk. But, I decided replace the chocolate milk with a little red box of dark chocolate raspberry bonbons instead from Gateau et Ganache (Palo Alto, CA).  Decorated across the top with little pink hearts, these oval-shaped chocolates were at first bite sweeter than I expected, followed by a very authentic, slightly tart, right-out-of-the-garden-raspberry + maybe the slightest hint of Framboise liqueur taste. I could have been imagining this last part. Happy V'day all.

ChocolateBet: February 13, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sunny Select
Cocoa Crispy Rice
Good +
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 15 oz. (425 g.) total box
Calories: 120 calories
Cost: $2.49 (sale) total box
Purchased from: Lucky, Foster City, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Cereal/Grains Theme Week.
Sometimes chocolate cereal is good, by itself, as a snack. My handful of Cocoa Crispy Rice cereal was crisp and sweet, as advertised. 

ChocolateBet: February 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tumbador Chocolate
Fatty Bar
Good +
Weight: .71 oz. (20 g.) / 2.17 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 107 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.99 (sale)
Purchased from: Williams-Sonoma, Stanford Shopping Center; Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Cereal/Grains Theme Week. Eating gluten free, rice plays a big role this week's chocolates.

This milk chocolate Fatty Bar from Tumbador Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY) contained both puffed and toasted rice, and a sly surprise in the form of candied ginger. I felt I was tasting  a high-end Nestle's Crunch - type bar, with a bit more interesting texture (due to the two kinds of rice) when the ginger turned up toward the end.  (Note: this bar did contain some gluten -- I'm guessing from the malt flavoring.)

The Tumbador website showed an interesting array of bars and other chocolates. Specialties: Certified Kosher, a dairy free line, and chocolates made with exotic combinations/ingredients. Look forward to trying their dark mole bar.

ChocolateBet: February 11, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Glenny's
Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats - Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 4.25 oz. (120 g.) total box of 5
Calories: 100 calories
Cost: $2.74 for 1 box of 5

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Cereal/Grains Theme Week. For those who need to stay gluten/wheat-free, these individually-wrapped Brown Rice Marshmallow Treat bars from Glenny's are a good, healthy option. The whole grain brown rice, marshmallow, cocoa powder, brown rice syrup and other organic ingredients earned this product a USDA Organic seal. These were a little sweet for my taste, but then I tend to prefer less sweetener in my treats.

ChocolateBet: February 10, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Madre Chocolate
Popped Amaranth Dark Chocolate bar
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) total bar
Calories: 72 calories (estimate)
Cost: $12.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Ah, the smell of good chocolate in the morning. I could detect rich, earthy notes even as I unwrapped this Popped Amaranth 70% dark bar from Madre Chocolate (Honolulu, HI). Made with organic and fair trade Costa Rican cacao (from a farmer's cooperative in Upala), the popped amaranth added a pleasant background texture, without interfering with the chocolate flavor arc. This is good cacao you want to be able to taste. The fact that amaranth is also a nutritionally rich grain that was also enjoyed by the Aztecs, just adds to the good story.

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Hawaii/Islands Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cereal/Grains Theme Week. Yes, after almost 2,000 different chocolates, there are still plenty of theme weeks and chocolates to try. Thank you to ethno-botanist Nat at Madre Chocolate, for the company's attention to quality, and making excellent handcrafted, bean-to-bar offerings like this (and their famous Triple Cacao bar, which is tough to beat anywhere). Being a lover of plants and flowers, and good chocolate, I'm looking forward to continuing to work my way through their product line.

ChocolateBet: February 9, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Maui Specialty Chocolates
1.) Milk Chocolate, mac nuts, marshmallows, rice crispys
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) total package (estimate)
Calories: 105 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.10 for 1 piece
Purchased from Maui Specialty Chocolates, Kahului, HI

2.) Dark Chocolate, mac nuts, marshmallows, rice crispys
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) total package (estimate)
Calories: 101 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.10 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Maui Specialty Chocolates, Kahului, HI

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Hawaii/Islands Theme Week. Today's chocolates from Maui Specialty Chocolates (Kahului, HI) were milk and dark versions of what I'd call Hawaiian rocky road candy -- made with macadamia nuts, marshmallows, and rice crispys.

These two pieces also represented the end of my chocolate stash from my last trip to Maui. Perhaps it's time for another trip to Hawaii.

Today was also the first day of Chocolate and Cereal Grains (in this case rice) Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: February 8, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Maui Specialty Chocolates
Maui Island - Dark Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) total package (estimate)
Calories: 224 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.35 for 1 piece/island
Purchased from: Maui Specialty Chocolates, Kahului, HI

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Hawaii/Islands Theme Week. The island of Maui was featured yesterday, in milk chocolate form; and today's chocolate is the same island (mold), but in dark chocolate.

Molded chocolates are generally formulated for looks (smooth firm surfaces) and staying power, vs. being optimized for maximum taste (which I sometimes associate with softer, more rustic or textured variations on dark bars). That said, this wasn't bad. With this aerial view of Maui, it was easy to imagine coming in for a landing at Kahului airport in Hawaii. Aloha.