The Granada Chocolate Company - Salty-Licious bar - April 8, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Grenada Chocolate Company
Salty-Licious bar - Himalayan salt in 71% chocolate
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.)/ total bar
Calories: 72 calories
Cost: $6.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today's organic dark chocolate "Salty-Licious" bar from The Grenada Chocolate Company (Hermitage, St. Patrick, Grenada) was rich, and almost sparkled with complex flavors -- with notes including what I can only describe as "jungle" and light, fragrant tobacco.

Made with Himalayan salt -- a version of this bar made with Caribbean sea salt may be available in the future.

The Salty-Licious bar was made from Grenadian Trinitario cocoa beans -- tree to bar -- in country, by a cooperative of farmers. Solar energy helps power the factory.

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week. 

ChocolateBet: April 7, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Petits Carres au Chocolat/P'tit Carre au Chocolat
(Imported by Desirs de Provence)
Chocolat au Lait - Fleur de Sel de Guerande
Good - Good +
Weight: .31 oz. (8.8 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 46.5 calories (estimate)
Cost: $9.95 total bar
Purchased from: TWG Tea, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Salt Week. This Petits Carres au Chocolat, milk chocolate (33%) with Guerande sea salt* bar from France, was attractively packaged and designed -- with a wrapped in burlap look. Salt was sprinkled on the back of the bar. The chocolate itself was smooth, but the cacao flavor(s) were diluted a bit from the powdered milk, soy lecithin, vanilla and aroma ingredients.

*Guerande sea salt comes from a salt marsh region in Western France (peninsula area on Atlantic coast), in a protected area, where salt has been collected centuries.

ChocolateBet: April 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Xocolatl de David
Salted Caramel bar
Good+
Weight: 1/3 oz.
Calories: 50 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.95 total bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

This slim, dark chocolate (72% cacao from Ecuador) Salted Caramel bar from Xocolatl de David (Portland, OR) had a thin layer of caramel artfully applied in the middle. The different sweet-salt and cacao flavors were balanced.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: April 5, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kika's Treats
Dark Chocolate Covered Crunchy Corn Cake Bites
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56.5 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.)
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) for 1/2 container
Cost: N/A - sample
Purchased from: Kika's Treats, San Francisco, CA

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

These light, fresh and crispy, gluten-free, chocolate-covered corn cakes from Kika's Treats (San Francisco, CA) were one offering in a fun line-up of treats from Cristina Arantes, a very talented baker, maker and chef who is from Brazil. The light sprinkling of sea salt on these semisweet cakes was just about perfect -- not too much, but just the right amount to satisfy.

Kika's Treats (open by appointment, for pick-ups) is located in the "Dogpatch" area of San Francisco -- a fun neighborhood for foodies.

ChocolateBet: April 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate Bar - Caramel with Black Sea Salt
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/3 bar (estimate)
Cost: $1.99 total bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's in Mountain View, CA

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate (70% cacao) bar was attractively packaged and very reasonably priced.

The caramel encased in the dark chocolate was golden colored and had a nice even flow to it; but the use of corn syrup resulted in a certain taste that I didn't love. The Hawaiiian Black Sea Salt was a nice touch, as was the "g" in the bottom left corner of the package, indicating: "No Gluten Ingredients Used."

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

ChocolateBet: April 3, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Patric Chocolate
Salty Signature Seventy bar
Very Good
Weight: .759 oz. (21.45 g.)/ 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 112 calories in 1/3 bar (estimate)
Cost: $9.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week. This new 70% bar from Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO) was stamped with the painterly "Patric" signature on the front, and was sprinkled with two different types of salt on the back -- giving this side the look of a dark chocolate galaxy swirled with salt stars.

Quoting from owner/maker Alan 'Patric' McClure's website:

"...we have sprinkled Prussian Blue salt, for sparkle, and Bali Sea Salt, for crunch. We sourced both of these salts with the advice and the help of The Meadow in NYC, home of the world's best Selmelier: Mark Bitterman, author of Salted: A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral.

Note regarding availability: This bar is a limited edition release, and when all 950 bars are gone, Patric won't be making more.

Note regarding quality: This bar is a testament to the school of thought that foods with less than five ingredients are generally better, and healthier. Ingredients in this Salty Signature Seventy bar were: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and the salt mentioned above.

ChocolateBet: April 2, 2012 - Chocolate #2,000

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kika's Treats
Sea Salt Caramels with San Francisco Bay Salt
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in approximately 3 pieces
Cost: $2.90 for approximately 3 pieces
Calories: 149 calories (estimate)
Purchased from: Kika's Treats, in San Francisco, CA

Wahoo!  Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week.

But, today wasn't just any day -- and the salt wasn't just any ordinary salt. This week was a big chocolate milestone week.

Today's custom-crafted Sea Salt Caramels from Kika's Treats (San Francisco) were topped with (hometown) San Francisco Bay salt. And, drum roll please, Kika's chocolate caramel treat, made with coconut palm sugar and puffed brown rice, went down in the (b)logbooks as the 2,000th unique, daily chocolate to appear here on Chocolate Banquet -- a tasty adventure that began more than 5 1/2 years ago.

Cacao-induced milestones: 
This week, I will have eaten:
1.) 2,000 different chocolates, from more than 725 different companies/makers
2.) 125 pounds (my weight) in chocolate later this week -- over 5 1/2 + years
3.)  300,000 calories in chocolate

OK, enough with the numbers. It really is more fun to focus on the great chocolates being created.
Thank you to Cristina B. (the wonderful force behind Kika's Treats) for whipping up this special batch for this occasion. These will also be served at my "Walking the Bay" exhibit in San Francisco this week.