Midnight Mocha bar - July 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

The Tea Room
Midnight Mocha bar
Good
Weight: .36 oz. (10.2 g.) in 1/5 bar / 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 56 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $4.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Tea Room table at Chocolate Salon (show) in San Francisco, CA

I didn't wait until midnight to try the Midnight Mocha dark chocolate bar from The Tea Room (San Leandro, CA). Instead I enjoyed this bar after dinner, while watching a particularly colorful summer sunset outside. The sunset hues seemed to match colors on the bar's packaging.

Speaking of harmonizing, I liked the fact that Tea Room chief chocolatier, Heinz Rimann, created a bar where the coffee flavor was pleasingly present, without being overwhelming. I also liked that this dark 72% cacao bar was made with organic* ingredients: chocolate, "cacao fat", cane sugar, and coffee ("Premium Arabica Espresso").

There was soy lecithin added to this bar as an emulsifier. Soy lecithin and cocoa butter (fat) can help make dark chocolate taste smoother, but soy lecithin also can alter the texture and taste - a potential trade-off in chocolate making. Overall, I think most people will appreciate the smoothness of this bar.

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

*The Tea Room has worked to source quality organic chocolate, that is also Non-GMO and gluten free. Check labeling on individual chocolate bars for the latest specifics.

Salazon - Organic dark coffee bar - July 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Salazon Chocolate Co.
Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Crushed Organic Coffee (bar)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) in 1/4 bar / 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $4.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

I recommend this well balanced and skillfully crafted, organic dark chocolate coffee bar from Salazon Chocolate Co. (Eldersburg, MD).

The 57% dark chocolate bar (made from cacao beans from a single co-op in the Dominican Republic) had a wonderful, more complex flavor and tasting arc than I've been used to tasting recently. (That is one advantage of a buying a bar from a company that makes their own chocolate from scratch.)

Happily, the organic, fair trade ground coffee, sprinkled on the back of the bar (from Larry's Beans in North Carolina) was flavorful but didn't overwhelm the rich dark chocolate flavors.

Just the right touch of salt (evaporated sea salt from Brazil) added interest and helped to round out the other flavors.

Conversation with Salazon founder, Pete Truby

I enjoyed speaking with Salazon founder, Pete Truby, this afternoon about his chocolate + salt. ("Salazon" means salt-covered in Spanish.) When Truby founded the company, he decided to focus on making a high-quality (bean-to-bar, small batch) single-origin line of chocolate bars with sea salt.

Salazon bars are made with organic, fair trade ingredients, and come with Rainforest Alliance and Kosher certifications as well.

Truby took an active role in selecting the cocoa and coffee beans in today's bar. The company aims to help improve living conditions for the community of cacao farmers (co-op) in the Dominican Republic where the cocoa beans are grown, fermented for a week and air dried. He also flew down to Chiapas, Mexico, where the coffee was being grown.

"Cacao is grown in the developing world. If you want good beans, you need to be aware and involved in the community. We can't fix everything, but maybe we can help with a well...We try to have the best relationship possible with our co-op," Truby explained.

I would like to add: And the results speak for themselves. Better beans + better care along all the steps in the process = better chocolate.

Cappuccino Swirl - July 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
Almond Dream
Cappuccino Swirl non-dairy frozen dessert
Good
Weight: 1/4 cup (39 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 70 calories in 1/4 cup
Cost: $4.19 for 1 Pint
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

For those looking for a lighter, non-dairy alternative to ice cream, today's Almond Dream, Cappuccino Swirl non-dairy frozen dessert, from The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Melville, NY) might be something to try. At only 140 calories in 1/2 cup serving, compared to 250 calories for a fuller fat ice cream, I could enjoy this along with some fruit for lunch.

The coffee + cocoa swirls, running through a a fairly creamy base (made from almonds), boosted the flavor a bit more than plainer flavors. 

Vanilla Bean Espresso bar - July 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Haagen-Dazs
Vanilla Bean Espresso (ice cream bar)
Good
Weight: 1 bar / box of 3 bars
Calories: 280 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 3 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

I don't normally eat ice cream for breakfast; however, my morning meal this summer morning was a Vanilla Bean Espresso ice cream bar from Haagen-Dazs (Oakland, CA (Dreyer's)). This bar helped to fuel a 7-mile+ hike today in the redwoods, in the nearby coastal mountains. (It worked.)

At this ice cream bar's core were strips of espresso (and cocoa) running through vanilla bean ice cream. This center was dipped in (covered by) a milk chocolate coating.

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

Coffee Toffee Dark bar - July 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Bissinger's
Coffee Toffee Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: .583 oz. (16.4 g.) in 1/6 bar / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 90 calories (estimate) in 1/6 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Miki's Farm Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the third day of Chocolate and and Coffee Theme Week. I love the taste of coffee, but caffeine makes me hyperactive. So, much as I've loved tasting chocolate + coffee items the past few days, I've already needed to take a few deep breaths and slow down.

Despite the challenges of being in a state of perpetual caffeination this week, my chocolate research continues...with today's Coffee Toffee Dark Chocolate bar from Bissinger's (St. Louis, MO).

Bissinger's used "100% African (cocoa) Beans" to make this (gluten free) dark chocolate bar, that was decorated with a festive shower of toffee pieces pressed into the bar's backside. The coffee in this bar came from Rainforest Alliance* Certified farms.

The dark chocolate base as deep, almost impenetrable thicket of darkness. Brighter fruit notes (often found in chocolate made with Madagascar beans) might have added some interesting notes. But, interesting isn't always better if you have a lot of different flavors interacting already. In this case, the rather homogenous dark chocolate in this bar did blend seamlessly with the dark coffee flavor.

*The Rainforest Alliance is an organization that focuses on teaching sustainable practices -- that are "good for farm families, the community, the environment and wildlife."

Madecasse Arabica Coffee Bar - July 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Madecasse LLC
Arabica Coffee (bar)
Good - Good+
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) in 1/2 bar / .88 oz. (25 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 65 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: part of a larger package of 5 mini bars
Purchased from: (online order)

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

Madecasse (with locations in Brooklyn, San Francisco, Ambanja and Antananarivo) is a bean-to-bar company that sources cacao from Madagascar. More important, the company also makes their chocolate in Madagascar. Most chocolate companies buy cacao beans from farmers or co-ops that have been grown in developing countries and ship them to manufacturing plants in developed countries (such as the U.S. or Europe). The coffee in today's bar also was also grown in Madagascar.

This rich and pleasant Arabica Coffee bar was made with 44% cacao milk chocolate and was studded with Arabica coffee nibs (bits of bean) on the back of the bar. The coffee beans imparted a strong flavor, making the bar taste darker than 44% cacao. The chocolate was smooth, although milk powder and soy lecithin gave it a certain characteristic mouth feel (slightly gummy texture). A hint of vanilla and sea salt helped round out the stronger cocoa and coffee flavors.

Almond Brittle - July 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

G. L. Alfieri LLC
Almond Brittle - Dark Chocolate Coffee
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total package
Calories: 45 calories (estimate)
Cost: not available
Purchased from: G.L. Alfieri table at San Francisco Ferry Building, SF, CA

Today was the first day of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

This dark chocolate covered, crunchy almond brittle* infused with coffee flavor, from G.L. Alfieri (Ripon, CA), was well balanced, with a good mix of rich flavors and textures.

Alfieri Farms are located in the central valley of California -- an area known for farms and agriculture, about 90 miles inland from the San Francisco Ferry Building (where I bought these). The third-generation family owned business specializes in premium nuts and fruit(s); and almonds were the first ingredient listed in this brittle.

*Note: Chocolate products may not be available in the summer/hot weather months.