Montezuma's - Great Balls of Fire - Feb. 25, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Montezuma's Chocolates
Great Balls of Fire
Good
Weight: 1.147 oz. (32.5 g.) / 4.59 oz. (130 g.) total container
Calories: 172 calories (estimate) in 3 pieces
Cost: $13.00 total container
Purchased from: Abe's Market, online order

Today was Day #6 Chocolate and Chili Theme Week.

The Great Balls of Fire were spicy little numbers, from Montezuma's (West Sussex, U.K.), cleverly packaged in a container looked like a coffee cup and lid.

These chocolate-covered caramels came in three flavors: 1.) "Halley's" (white chocolate caramel, flavored with mango, lime and chili); 2.) "Swift" (milk chocolate with strawberry and peppercorn flavored caramel; and 3.) "Shoemaker" (dark chocolate covered salt, pepper and chili flavored caramel). These were, as stated on the package, "Flavours inspired by madmen and names inspired by space..."

Wild Ophelia - Smoked Chipotle bar - Feb. 24, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Wild Ophelia (Vosges Haut-Chocolat)
Smoked Chipotle Chili and Milk Chocolate bar
OK +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 300 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.00 (sale price)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Chili Theme Week, and the chocolate of the day was a Smoked Chipotle Chili Milk Chocolate bar from Wild Ophelia (part of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, based in Chicago, IL).

The bar's smoked chipotle chili powder and alder smoked salt were infused into a 41% cacao milk chocolate base. The flavors were balanced, and not overwhelming. My only quibble was that the milk chocolate itself seemed a bit bland, and slightly gummy once bitten off and chewed.

The flavor for this bar was inspired by "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (book/movie), and was part of a series of Wild Ophelia branded bars designed with tie-ins to this story. Today's Smoked Chipotle Chili bar was dubbed (to be from) "District 7: Lumber" -- calling to mind (if you stretch the analogy) the wood-fired taste of smoked chili in this bar.

Rescue Chocolate - Pick Me! Pepper bar - Feb. 23, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Rescue Chocolate
Pick Me! Pepper bar
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 320 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Abe's Market, online order

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

The Pick Me! Pepper bar from Rescue Chocolate (made by Tumbador Chocolate in Brooklyn, NY) was made with flavorful and creamy 66% Organic and Fairly Traded (vegan) dark chocolate, and contained pasilla and mulato chili pepper, spices and fleur de sel.

However, no need to be afraid of the heat, as the savory and spicy notes were well balanced, and the slightly salty flavor seemed just right.

The "Pick Me!" in the title refers to dogs who would be happy to be adopted, sponsored or rescued. 100% of the net proceeds from this line of Rescue Chocolate bars go to animal rescue groups.

Fittingly, I spent today leading a Chocolate Walk in the "Dogpatch" neighborhood of San Francisco, an area with several chocolatiers (as well as craft breweries, wine bars, and great little cafes). Dog images were everywhere (including dog paintings/drawings at Recchiuti's Little Nib and theLab Cafe). It was a beautiful day, and thank you to the great group who participated.

Kind - Dark Chocolate Chili Almond bar - Feb. 22, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

KIND, LLC
Dark Chocolate Chili Almond bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, San Mateo, CA

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

Dark chocolate and chili are good partners. Both can stand up to each other without wiping each other out. My favorite products apply a less combustible application of chili. This Dark Chocolate Chili Almond bar from Kind, LLC (New York, NY) employed such an approach. The blend of cascabel, ancho and habanero chilis was well balanced, with pleasant, slightly smokey, chili flavor notes.

I've enjoyed the gluten-free, dried fruit and nut bars from this company. They're crunchy and naturally sweet, and taste more satisfyingly substantial to me than others in this category. I also love nuts, and Kind bars I've tasted have contained large chunks of nuts -- in this case almonds, peanuts and cashews, with rice crisps adding a bit of extra crunch.

Theo Chocolate - Cinnamon Love Crunch bar - Feb. 21, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Theo Chocolate
Cinnamon Love Crunch bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.95 (estimate) 
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon Love Crunch bar from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) looked bright pink, sassy, and sweet.

This limited edition bar was created for Valentines Day this month. The bar, made with organic ingredients, also packed a complex, spicy flavor punch -- from cinnamon leaf oil, nutmeg and clove oils, cayenne*, and black pepper oil.

The flavorful bits of cinnamon brittle embedded in the smooth dark chocolate offered a refreshingly different take on cinnamon red-hots or more traditional crunchy candy bits.

*Cayenne and the Scoville Scale
What is the Scoville Scale, and what does it have to do with my chocolate? The Scoville Scale measures the level of capsaicin in chili peppers and hot, spicy foods. Bright red Cayenne peppers (named for the city, Cayenne, in French Guiana) rank a 3 out of 5 on the Scoville Scale. 

Love Bites - Mayan Heat - Feb. 20, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Love Bites Raw Confections

Mayan Heat
Good
Weight: .33 oz. (9.3 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 49 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Vegan Milk Chocolate
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Chili Theme Week.

The combination of cacao and chili peppers is as old as the hills -- if by "old" you mean thousands of years ago, and if by "hills" you mean the Maya Mountains in Central America.

So, it seemed only right to start this theme week with a piece of dark chocolate bark, dubbed 'Mayan Heat" by Merissa, the creator of Love Bites Raw Confections (Thousand Oaks, CA). Each piece of bark was peppered with warm, colorful specks of cayenne and paprika -- adding interest, but not too much heat.

I also sampled the star-shaped Vegan Milk Chocolate, made with cashews. As claimed, this piece was creamy and wonderful.

Today's two Love Bites Raw Confections were free of gluten, soy, corn and milk, and were sweetened with organic maple sugar. While not a chocolate-maker who starts with whole cacao beans from growers, Merissa is clearly focused on providing consumers with healthy end-products, and sources her ingredients carefully. (The company used cacao products from David Wolfe's Longevity Warehouse to make these raw chocolates.)

Thank you Katy for sending these chocolates from Southern California!

Chocolate Breakfast - Yes! - Feb. 19, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) The Yes Bar Co.
The Yes Bar - Coffee Cayenne
Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

2.) Hammond's Candies
Pigs N' Taters Bar
Good
Weight: .375 oz. (10.6 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) total bar
Calories: 55 cals. in 1/6 bar
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: N/A

Why eat bacon, hash browns and coffee, why you can have two different "breakfast" chocolates instead? Today's Chocolate Breakfast served as a transition between Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week, and Chocolate and Chilis Theme Week.

The Coffee Cayenne Yes Bar contained a healthy mix of nuts, seeds, coconut, chocolate chips, ground espresso and dried cherry bits. This gluten-free, GMO free bar from The Yes Bar Co. (Los Angeles, CA) did have a hint of cayenne, but it was very faint. So, there's no danger of burning yourself on this cup of java.

The cleverly named "Pigs N' Taters" Bar from Hammond's Candies (Denver, CO) incorporated (soy) bacon bits and flecks of potato chips into a smooth, milk chocolate bar base.