Rogue Chocolatier - Balao 75% bar - February 6, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier
Balao 75% bar
Very Good - Very Good+
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 305 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $ N/A - part of a Kickstarter campaign
Purchased from: Rogue Chocolatier via The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA -- part of a Kickstarter project

I'm delighted to kick off Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week today with this dark chocolate Balao 75% bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA).

This past week, I savored the earthy, nutty flavors of cacao nibs. This week, with a focus on single origin bars from Ecuador, will be a study in subtle flavors from a country that straddles the equator -- right in the heart of cacao growing territory. (Cacao is generally grown within 20 degrees north and/or south of the equator.)

Rogue founder, Colin Gasko, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to raise money for improved equipment -- to up the ante on what already were well executed single origin dark chocolate bars, that have routinely sold out quickly.

Colin is a bean-to-bar maker, an art that requires attention to detail, patience and technical skill -- from start (sorting dry, fermented beans upon arrival) to finish (ensuring bars are properly tempered, molded and packaged before shipping), with all important production steps in between. More work, but these new American makers, like Colin at Rogue, are producing some of the best small-batch dark chocolate in the U.S.

Judging from this simple, two-ingredient bar (made with cocoa beans from Camino Verde, Ecuador and cane sugar), the new equipment/process was a success. I received this bar from Batch #1 as part of the Kickstarter initiative (I was one of many funders). The bar maintained a smooth, subtle fruit acid flavor throughout the tasting experience, with a slight floral note at the very end. A very nicely balanced, and well-crafted bar. Uniform and still very interesting.

Recchiuti Confections - Feve bar - February 5, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Recchiuti Confections
Feve bar
Good+
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Paradise Foods, Corte Madera, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week, and the first chocolate of the day was a Feve bar from Recchiuti (San Francisco, CA). Feve is a French word for bean or, in this case, many small pebble-sized pieces of unsweetened, roughly ground cocoa bean, or nibs, that hadn't yet been made into chocolate.

Cacao nibs gave this dark bar a crunchy, somewhat nutty texture. It was so richly textured with nibs, it was difficult to make out the stamped "R" and the name Recchiuti on the top side of this bar.

Nib hunt at Little Nib, Chocolate Lab

In search of more nib-related items from this chocolatier, I drove to San Francisco to investigate two new Recchiuti establishments.

The Little Nib and the Chocolate Lab (a few doors down from each other in the Dogpatch neighborhood of the City) opened last September and November (2012), respectively.

The former, Little Nib, was a small retail space that sold Recchiuti chocolates and bars. I knew I was in the right place, when the shop clerk pointed to a glass jar on the counter, with a metal scoop. The jar was filled with almond-sized, dark brown, dried cocoa beans -- where nibs originate. However, except for today's Feve bar, there were no other chocolates in the shop that featured cacao nibs.

So, I moved on to the Chocolate Lab, a cafe with both savory and sweet dishes, to have an early dinner. I've included pictures of part of a light, wedge-shaped piece of goat cheese souffle served with a pretty side salad and house-made pickled vegetables, and also a shrimp salad, just to prove that I occasionally eat something other than chocolate.

I also enjoyed an affogato with Recchiuti burnt caramel ice cream and espresso. But, let's face it, as tasty as these items were, I was here for the chocolate devil's food cake with the cacao nib infused foam on top.

The Chocolate Lab Cake was sitting in a mahogony-colored pool of coffee creme anglais, topped with a fluffy, subtly flavored nib infused foam, and sprinkled with caramelized nibs. A collar of bittersweet chocolate (printed with the words Chocolate Lab) encircled the cake and foam. I bypassed the cake part (couldn't have gluten), but throughly enjoyed the richly appointed adornments: foam, nibs, chocolate and sauce.

Thank you to the helpful staff who provided assistance with gluten-free options.

Torn Ranch - Dark Chocolate with nibs bar - February 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Torn Ranch
Organic Signature Dark Chocolate with cacao nibs bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 260 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - from Torn Ranch booth at Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

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

This dark chocolate bar with cacao nibs was part of the Organic Signature line of bars from Torn Ranch (Petaluma, CA).

I enjoyed hearing about this line of bars during the recent Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, CA.

The first bite of this bar yielded a bright, nutty crunch from the nibs that I really liked. Subsequent bites resulted in a complex flavor arc, ranging from rich chocolate with a slight earthiness, to a very faint sour milk note. An interesting bar overall. 

Butterfly Brittle - Wow Cacao brittle - February 3, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Butterfly Brittle
Wow Cacao brittle
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in 1 bag (part of a 4-bag box)
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28 g.) serving
Cost: $35.00 for a holiday variety pack with 4 flavors
Purchased from: sneakpeeq.com

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week. The versatile cacao nib is an excellent addition for many dishes and desserts.

Today's gluten-free and preservative-free Wow Cacao brittle from Butterfly Brittle (Santa Monica, CA) was made with buttery sweet crunchy brittle, coconut, and Valrhona cacao nibs.

The Wow Cacao brittle was part of a holiday box of four different brittle flavors that also included Tropical Macadamia (infused with coconut, lime and lavender); Gingered Cashew (flavored with ginger and lemon zest); and Holiday Mint (flecked with bits of peppermint candy).

The company also offered a more conventional peanut brittle, and at least three other flavors. Some flavors were seasonal.

While these brittle flavors were worth enjoying on their own, dipping pieces partway in melted chocolate was also fun.

Christopher Elbow - No. 15 Dark Nib bar - February 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Christopher Elbow
No. 15 - Dark Nib bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 198 calories (estimate, per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: CocoaBella, San Francisco, CA

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

This No. 15 - Dark Nib bar from Christopher Elbow (Kansas City, MO), made with relatively smooth 61% dark chocolate, broke with a hard snap. The bar contained some fleeting, mostly pleasant, earthy flavor notes -- likely from the smattering of roasted cacao nibs.

Christopher Elbow, trained as a pastry chef, became interested in chocolates while in the restaurant business and, according to a video interview, has never looked back since then. His desire to create a professional line of chocolates and bars, with artistry and authentic flavors, is evident.

This bar did not exhibit the distinct flavor arc present in some small artisan makers' bars. But short of becoming a small batch chocolate maker who makes all their own bean-to-bar or liquor-to-bar chocolate from scratch -- that requires extra time, equipment and expertise -- it's difficult to create and maintain unique flavor profiles over time. Consistency and/or smoother flavors often win out over seasonal variations in chocolate, wine and other favorite foods.

For those in the San Francisco area who are interested in exploring this chocolatier's confections, at the time of this writing there was a relatively new Christopher Elbow retail location on Hayes Street in San Francisco; and the Cocoa Bella Chocolates shop (in the Westfield San Francisco Centre shopping mall) also carried their chocolates.

Three Twins - ice cream sundaes - February 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Three Twins (Organic Ice Cream)
1.) California Cliche Sundae - Very Good
2.) The Crunchy Sundae - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: 1,600 calories (estimate) for 2 sundaes
Cost: $14.00 for 2 sundaes
Purchased from: Three Twins shop, Marin Country Mart, Larkspur, CA

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

The Three Twins (sign and logo) may have influenced me to return to the company's scoop (ice cream) shops (in Larskpur, CA) for a second, or "twin," sundae with cacao nibs today.

Located in the good food-friendly Marin Country Mart (a shopping center across the road from the Larkspur Ferry terminal), this Three Twins shop offered four sundaes, made with the customer's choice of ice creams. Two caught my eye:

First, was the California Cliche - 2 scoops of ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel); caramel sauce; pistachio nuts; sea salt; olive oil; whipped cream; plus I requested some nibs

Later, after a walk, I returned to the scene of the crime and ordered: The Crunchy sundae - 2 scoops of ice cream (chocolate peanut butter, dad's cardamom); chocolate sauce; nibs + cashew pieces; and whipped cream (no granola for me)

Both lovely, luscious sundaes were laden with very authentic flavors -- fresh, real whipped cream, fresh nuts, organic ice creams with natural flavors such as cardamom. The nibs added crunch. I bit down a little hard on one or two nibs that were a bit too firm, but this wonderful combination of fresh flavors and textures was well worth it. I really liked not being taken out of the experience by tasting too much sugar or something a bit artificial.

Her Coconess - Bittersweet Nibby Rocky Road - January 31, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Her Coconess Confections
Bittersweet Nibby Rocky Road
Good +
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48.1 g.) in 1 package, piece
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) for 1 package
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Serendipity, San Carlos, CA

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

Cacao nibs added pleasant crunchy texture to an old favorite (rocky road) in this simply packaged Bittersweet Nibby Rocky Road from Her Coconess Confections (Belmont, CA).

With a great company name like Her Coconess I felt I should perform a small curtsy before trying a bite of this dark chocolate confection -- made with marshmallows, almonds and the aforementioned nibs. But, the last bite of this square seemed to have disappeared into my mouth before I got the chance.