Madre Chocolate - Cinnamon Mac nut spread - Oct. 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Madre Chocolate
Cinnamon Daddy Mactella spread
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 3.9 oz. (109 g.) total jar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $11.99 for 1 (4 oz.) jar
Purchased from: Madre Chocolate (online order)

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

This flavorful Cinnamon Daddy Mactella spread, created by Madre Chocolate (Oahu, HI), came straight from Hawaii -- and was made from Hawaiian Hamakua cacao; Kona organic cinnamon; Kona macadamia nuts; and Hawaiian vanilla and sea salt. A bit of hazelnut oil enhanced the mild nutty taste from the ground mac nuts.

The chocolate base flavor was strong and pure and wasn't drowned out by too much sugar -- a big plus when you have quality chocolate with complex, bold fruit/acid notes that kick in after the first bite begins to melt in your mouth.

This spread would be delicious in a flaky pastry, as a ganache/filling, or on a piece of toast. However, I can envision many other uses*. Just eating a spoonful, a la carte, now and then would be pleasant as well. Aloha.

Other suggestions on Madre Chocolate site: warm slightly and use on vanilla pannacotta or ice cream; use as a cake filling. 

John and Kira's - Eagle Ranch Pistachio - Oct. 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

John and Kira's
Eagle Ranch Pistachio chocolate
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .383 oz. (10.86 g.) / 5.75 oz. (163 g.) in total 15-piece box
Calories: 58 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $ N/A part of larger, 15-piece collection box
Purchased from: John and Kira's, online order

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Cinnamon Theme Week. Cinnamon makes a great front man, but also a dynamite supporting player. A background hint of cinnamon warms up any flavor profile considerably. Today, we move from chilies and cinnamon to other flavors with a cinnamon spark.

This Eagle Ranch Pistachio chocolate, part of a 15-piece Every Flavor Collection box from John and Kira's (Philadelphia, PA), was covered with dark chocolate. Inside was a smooth, creamy white filling with ground pistachio nuts from the Schweer family's pistachio grove (Eagle Ranch, New Mexico) -- spiced with a well-balanced dash of cinnamon.

Christopher Elbow - Dark Spice bar - Oct. 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate
No. 2 - Dark Spice bar
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.)
Calories: 240 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cocoa Bella, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Cinnamon Theme Week, and today's bar was another successful blending of cinnamon with chilies. While cinnamon came from Asia, it partners so naturally with chocolate that it's easy to forget that the original spice used with cacao beverages in Latin America was likely a type of allspice. Cinnamon was introduced many years later.

This No. 2 Dark Spice bar (part of a numbered series of bars) from Christopher Elbow (Kansas City, MO) possessed a captivating blend of ancho and chipotle chilis. These flavorful ground chilis didn't burn, but rather the infusion lingered and complemented the 61% dark chocolate base. Cinnamon and spices heightened the well-balanced warmth. 

Patric Chocolate Holy Mole! bar - Oct. 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Holy Mole! bar
Very Good
Weight: .76 oz. (21.45 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 114 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.99 (plus shipping for online orders)
Purchased from: Patric Chocolate (online order)

The thing about great chocolate is that I enjoy it so much more, and I'm satisfied with so much less. An apparent contradiction, but not necessarily so when it comes to well-crafted chocolates. I stopped after eating "only" 1/3 of today's bar, and enjoyed lingering notes of chocolate, chilies and cinnamon.

Alan "Patric" McClure, of Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO), and his crew, know their way around well-crafted chocolate -- largely because they've been meticulous about quality, with each step in the chocolate-making process -- from sourcing the right cacao beans to finishing with fine flavor additions.

Today's Patric Chocolate's Holy Mole! smooth, dark chocolate bar contained a flavorful blend of fairly traded cacao from Papua New Guinea and Ghana; Spanish smoked pimenton from La Vera, chilies de arbol; cinnamon; and a hint of vanilla salt. This perfectly balanced melange of flavors played off each other beautifully.

The Holy Mole! bar was a collaboration with Zingerman's (a well-known deli and group of family-owned, food-related businesses in Ann Arbor, MI). 

Trader Joe's - Chili Cinnamon bar - Oct. 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate - Chili Cinnamon bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1/2 bar / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: (part of a larger tasting flight pack)
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

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

The first chocolate beverages and edible offerings were created in Central and South America -- the birthplace of cacao. And, some of the first flavor additions included spicy items, including chilies and spices similar to allspice and cinnamon, and sweet ingredients, such as honey.

Today's Dark Chocolate Chili Cinnamon 70% cacao bar, part of a multi-bar tasting flight from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA), evoked these early Mayan blends, with a touch of warmth and spice. (I also tried pairing shards of this dark bar with some peanut butter ice cream with cinnamon. It worked.) 

Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Rugelech - Oct. 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Gluten Free Bake Shoppe Inc.
Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Rugelech
Good +
Weight: 3.5 oz. (99 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) total container
Calories: 385 calories in 3.5 pieces
Cost: $5.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

As someone who can't have most baked goods made with traditional (wheat) flour, I appreciated today's gluten-free bake shop treat.

This evening, I enjoyed a few pieces of Katz Chocolate Rugelech from Gluten Free Bake Shoppe (Monroe, NY). Each piece of rugelech (also available in Cinnamon flavor) had a moist layer of chocolate goodness with a hint of cinnamon oozing out of a baked gluten-free dough. These were very tasty, and had broad appeal. That is, I did not find myself saying: "Hey, not bad for gluten free." I thought they were good, period.

The ruggelech and Katz line of gluten-free baked goods that I looked at (including cinnamon strips, doughnuts, and other items) were kosher and labels stated they were manufactured in a certified dairy free and nut free facility.

Pelican Bay - Hot Chocolate for Two - Oct. 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pelican Bay Ltd
Hot Chocolate for Two
Good
Weight: 2.75 oz. (77.5 g.) / 5.5 oz. (155 g.) total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 package (+ liquid added)
Cost: $4.99 for total package for 2 people
Purchased from: HomeGoods, San Carlos, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Hemp Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cinnamon Theme Week.

The chocolate that brought these two converging theme weeks together was a cone-shaped package of "Hot Chocolate for Two" from Pelican Bay Ltd (Dunedin, FL). This hot cocoa was a perfect choice for one of the first cold evenings of the fall.

Complete with miniature marshmallows and red cinnamon-flavored candies, all this cocoa mix (powder with dark chocolate chunks) needed was some hot liquid. "How about trying a milk alternative?" I thought. Maybe some hemp milk? I remember hemp milk being one of the better tasting fake milks ("filks")* after trying some a several months ago.

*Note: Warm these filks with caution (or mix with half cow's milk initially), as heating up these alternative milks can shift flavors. Brands and formulations vary.