ChocolateBet: October 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

MacFarms of Hawaii, LLC
Kona Coffee Dark Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.5 g.) serving / 12 oz. (340 g.) total bag
Calories: 115 calories in .75 oz./5 piece serving
Cost: $ info not available
Purchased from: info not available

These Kona Coffee chocolate pieces were made be MacFarms of Hawaii (Captain Cook, HI), using 100 percent Hawaii Grown Macadamia Nuts. I could not taste much of the Kona Coffee, but these chocolate covered macadamia nuts were good, regardless -- especially after a hike in the mountains. It may not have been Hawaii, but the mountains and water were beautiful all the same.

More walks = more chocolate.

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

ChocolateBet: October 5, 2012,

Chocolate of the Day: 

Keoki's Big Island
Half Ass Frosted Donkey Balls
Good +
Weight: 1.6 oz. (44.3 g.) 8 oz. (227 g.) total package of 10 balls
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $11.95 for 1 package of 10 balls
Purchased from: (store on Kauai, Hawaii)

Put away the children or cover your ears if you're sensitive -- I'm covering a chocolate with a risque product name today.

Today's chocolate balls were a purchase made on a previous trip to Hawaii. There were many different flavors of Keoki's Big Island "Donkey Balls" on the shelves of a local coffee shop in Kauai, and I believe I bought one each of every flavor. This, sadly, was my last bag and flavor to try. It may be time for another trip to Hawaii.

I'd previously tried Half Ass, and (other flavors of) Frosted Donkey Balls -- but, not Half Ass Frosted Donkey Balls. These looked like jawbreakers dipped in powdered sugar from a distance.

Embedded in the center of each ball (made with both milk chocolate and dark chocolate), was a whole macadamia nut (macnut). Clever and substantial.

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

Note: Due to travels this week, some posts/images may be delayed.

ChocolateBet: October 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Madre Chocolate
Hawaiian Earl Grey (bar)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) piece/1.5 oz. (43 g.) total bar
Calories: 74 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. piece
Cost: $14.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

This limited edition, dark (70% cacao) Hawaiian Earl Grey bar from Madre Chocolate (Hawaii) was made with ingredients from Hawaii, including cacao from the Alae Estate, Hamakua; green tea leaves from Mauna Kea/Onomea (Hamakua blend) on the Big Island; and Hawaiian whole vanilla. The Hawaiian islands have been the only region/state in the U.S. with a suitable climate to grow cacao, making it a great state to live in if one wants to be close to the botanical ingredients that constitute bars like this. Madre Chocolate is a bean-to-bar maker that produces their bars in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Once warmed to room temperature, this thick bar -- adorned with cacao-related glyphs -- is fairly velvety in texture. The addition of bergamot gives the bar its characteristic Earl Grey tea flavor.

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

Note: Due to travel this week, some posts/images may be delayed.

ChocolateBet: October 3, 2012

Chocolates of the Day: 

1.) Manoa Chocolate - Hawaii
Hamakua Hawaiian Crown 72% bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.3 g.) / 1.5 oz. (42.55 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Vosges
Armagnac, Fig truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) part of 9 piece Harvest Moon truffle collection
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $27.00 total box of 9 truffles
Purchased from: Vosges.com

Today's (72%) Hamakua Hawaiian chocolate bar made by Manoa Chocolate was dark and rich but a bit too acidic for me (at least for eating first thing in the morning on an empty stomach). Others I shared this with (after dinner) thought it was just fine.

Later today I bid farewell to fig week(s) with a "Fig" truffle from Vosges Haut Chocolat (Chicago, IL). Part of this year's Vosges Harvest Moon collection, the organic, dried Turkish fig in this 65% truffle added some light taste and texture and complemented the Armagnac (French brandy) in the ganache center. The outside was covered with a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts.

Today was Day #12 of Chocolate, Figs and Coffee Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: October 2, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Manoa Chocolate - Hawaii
Ecuador 60% Dark Bar with coffee
Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) / 1.75 oz. (49.6 g.) total bar
Calories: 112 calories (estimate
Cost: $9.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Yesterday I tasted Manoa Chocolate's "Breakfast Bar" that was made with roasted coffee beans and cacao nibs in Hawaii. Manoa (meaning thick, solid or depth) is a bean-to-bar chocolate company based in Oahu, Hawaii.

Today I snacked on a close cousin of the Breakfast Bar -- another Manoa 60% cacao dark milk chocolate bar with coffee beans and nibs, only this cacao came from Ecuador rather than the Dominican Republic.

Both bars were dark, hearty and crunchy; however, I found this bar to be a bit nuttier and smoother tasting.

I also made a chocolate sundae with caramel and black mission fig sauce and a liberal sprinkling of chopped Manoa Chocolate Ecuador bar.

Today was Day #11 of Chocolate, Figs and Coffee Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: October 1, 2012

Chocolates of the Day: 

1.) Manoa Chocolate Hawaii
(Grass Shack Industries LLC)
Breakfast Bar
Good+
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) piece / 1.75 oz. (49.6 g.) total bar
Calories: 72 calories (estimate) for .5 oz. piece
Cost: $9.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate, Figs and Coffee Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Breakfast consisted of white (green) fresh figs, yogurt, and a bite of a Dominican Republic 60% dark milk chocolate bar from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, HI). The roasted coffee beans and nibs gave this bar a crunchy texture, and a dark rich roast flavor with a slight acidic bite.

2.) Station House Cafe
Chocolate Pot de Creme with sea salt
Good + - Very Good
Weight: N/A - small ramekin
Calories: information not available
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: Station House Cafe, Point Reyes, CA

After a hike at Point Reyes with a group today, we enjoyed dinner in the garden at the Station House Cafe in Point Reyes. After a great meal, I tried the Station House Cafe's Chocolate Pot de Creme with a sprinkling of grey sea salt on top -- with a bottle of pumpkin cider. This pairing is a preview of chocolate and pumpkin theme week to come later this month, closer to Halloween.

ChocolateBet: September 30, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Christopher Elbow
No. 5 - Cafe - bar
Good
Weight: .58 oz. (16.6 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 87 calories (estimate) in 1/6 bar
Cost: $7.00 total bar
Purchased from: Cocoa Bella, San Francisco, CA

I first became aware of Christopher Elbow's individual, filled chocolates and truffles.

More recently, I bought a few of the company's chocolate bars. Today, I tried Elbow's No. 5 - Cafe bar, a 61% dark chocolate bar with fresh roasted, ground coffee.

This bar was relatively thick, with a snap to it, and had a homogenized, faintly waxy texture that I've found characteristic of bars with added soy lecithin -- often added to give chocolate a smoother texture. The coffee flavor was subtle and there was no noticeable coffee ground grit or texture that I could detect. The choice of a sixty-one percent cocoa blend seemed to work well.

I loved eating this bar with fresh black mission figs and strawberries. But, then again, please forgive me, I've kind of gone cuckoo over black mission figs and chocolate, and coffee, this week.

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate, Figs and Coffee Theme Week.