Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - 99% Nero Nero (Double Black) bar - March 17, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
99% Nero Nero (Double Black) Cioccolato Extremo bar
Good
Weight: .525 oz. (15 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 76 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week. I traveled to the dark side -- to the Double Dark side in fact. This 99% Nero Nero bar from Antica Pasticceria Muzzi (Italy) was enveloped in a dark leather-like wrapper, and girdled by a brown leather-like belt and label. Nice original packaging.

Ninety-nine percent dark chocolate bars are tough. Many of them that use soya and/or vanilla/vanillin, tend to have a smooth consistency, but relatively flat taste.

I'd like to do a side-by-side tasting with a 99% bar from one of the vibrant new American makers -- just as a point of comparison.


Surprisingly, when I was tasting this bar, I found myself wanting a slightly more acidic bite -- or at least a more varied flavor arc. I was thinking this might be revealed when extra sugar and/or other ingredients were not present. Instead there was a slightly bitter note about 3/4 way through, but otherwise, it was a well-dressed dark, mysterious stranger in a black leather cloak.

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi - 70% Nero bar - March 16, 2012

Chocolate of the Day

Antica Pasticceria Muzzi
70% Nero Integro Cioccolato Extremo Con Zucchero Di Canna - chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.11 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 300 calories in 1 bar (estimate)
Cost: $8.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week. Today's 70% Total Black (Nero Integro) bar with cane sugar was enveloped in a black leather-like wrapper. The sugar created an ever so slight grittiness to this robust yet smooth bar.

This Extreme Chocolate (Cioccolato Extremo) bar from Antica Pasticceria Muzzi (Foligno (PG) Italy) was part of the company's "A pelle" (soft leather) line, that "comes from a particular research of the finest cocoa in the world and nicely blend together with particular ingredients." The translation from Italian to English may be a bit off, but the sentiment shines through.

Vosges - Leather caramel - March 15, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Vosges
"Leather" caramel
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (16.98 g.)/5.4 oz. (152.8 g.) total 18-piece assortment box (estimate)
Calories: 90 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $29.00 for 18-piece box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

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

This "Leather" caramel pair -- with Brazil nuts, cocoa nibs from South America, and dark chocolate -- came packed in a purple box from Vosges (Chicago, IL), and were part of an 18-piece assortment of exotic caramels.

Pleasingly earthy, these chocolate covered caramels conjured up images of leather -- as in I'm sitting in my favorite slightly old, overstuffed, and amazingly comfortable leather chair, next to a fireplace.

Chocolate Talia bar; Amano Morobe bar: March 14, 2012

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Unknown Russian Company
Imported by Delsy International
Chocolate "Talia"bar
Good
Weight: .176 oz. (5 g.)/ 1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 26 calories in 1 bite
Cost: $0.25 (sale)
Purchased from: Crossroads Market, Palo Alto, CA

Since I can't read Russian, and therefore can't record the manufacturer and other information basics about this bar, I'm including this slinky number just for fun today. Russian chocolates feature some great paintings and illustrations that I don't often see on packages of U.S. chocolates (anymore?). Despite being past its due date and having an ever so slight perfumey aftertaste, this bar wasn't bad.


2.) Amano Chocolate
Morobe bar
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.4 g.)/ 2 oz. (56 g.) total bar
Calories: 116 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.00 total bar
Purchased from: Amano Chocolate table, at Chocolate Salon held in San Francisco, CA

Where else but in the world of chocolate can you go from Russia to New Guinea to Orem, Utah, in just a few bites?

Today's dark chocolate (70% cacao) Morobe bar from Amano Chocolate (Orem, UT) was made from cacao beans grown in Papua New Guinea. Two of the rich, complex flavor notes I picked up in this bar: raisin and roasted coffee. And yet, this bar has only 4 ingredients: cacao beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, and whole vanilla beans.

Amano also includes the following list of possible flavors you might detect under their Tasting Notes heading for this bar: red grapefruit, lime, blackberry, smoke and leather.

How does one combine chocolate with leather? You'll just have to tune in this week to find out.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Leather Theme Week, with maybe a little lace thrown in too.

ChocolateBet: March 13, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 


Starbucks
Peppermint Hot Cocoa
Good++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) of 1 oz. (28 g.) packet / 8 oz. (224 g.) total box of 8 packets
Calories: 60 calories (1/2 packet)
Cost: $4.99 (sale) box of 8 packets
Purchased from: Safeway, in Rivermark Plaza, Santa Clara, CA

Come on down for Day #7 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. I was hoping to diversify into other forms of mint this week, but all the chocolates I could find for this theme week contained peppermint -- admittedly a good match with dark chocolate.

Today's chocolate: a half serving of dark "velvety cocoa with the pleasing tingle" of tiny peppermint candy shards, from Starbucks (Seattle, WA). This cocoa was indeed darker, and better, than many instant  mixes.

Patric Chocolate - Mint OMG bar - March 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Patric Chocolate
Mint OMG bar
Very Good
Weight: .76 oz. (21.6 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories (estimate)
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

In truth, all the mint this week has been peppermint, so I probably should have called this Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week.

No matter, with nice bars like today's chocolate from bean-to-bar maker Alan "Patric" McClure, with natural peppermint flavor. Today's dark chocolate Mint OMG bar from Patric Chocolate (Columbia, Missouri) was smooth as a milk chocolate bar, but there was no milk, and only four lovely ingredients in this one: cacao, sugar, cocoa butter and peppermint. 

Williams-Sonoma - Peppermint Bark Bite - March 11, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Peppermint Bark Bite
Good ++
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 1.2 oz. (34 g.) total piece/package
Calories: 85 calories
Cost: $2.36 (sale)
Purchased from: Williams-Sonoma store in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

This Peppermint Bark Bit (rectangular bar) from Williams-Sonoma (San Francisco) was made up of two layers fused together: a dark chocolate layer and a white chocolate layer (both from Guittard) -- with bits of peppermint candy sprinkled on top.