Honey Acres - Chocolate Honey Mints - June 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Honey Acres
Chocolate Honey Mints
Good
Weight: .376 oz. (10.6 g.) / 1.13 oz. (32 g.) total package of 3
Calories: 36.6 calories in 1 mint
Cost: $1.49 for a package of 3 honey mints
Purchased from: The Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

I like honey, and I like chocolate. So, I was looking forward to trying these gluten-free and dairy-free Chocolate Honey Mints from Honey Acres (Ashippun, WI).

Each of the three gold foil-wrapped mints in this package was filled with peppermint oil infused honey and covered in 99% dark chocolate, creating a bold contrast between the "lighter" mint honey inside and the unsweetened, very dark chocolate coating.

Honey Acres is a family owned and operated business in Wisconsin with access to their own bee hives. They produce and sell a variety of honey-related offerings, including: honey (basswood, clover, orange blossom, buckwheat, wildflower), honey mustard and dark chocolates.

Kohler - Absinthe chocolate - June 17, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kohler Co.
Absinthe
Good
Weight: .35 oz. (9.9 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total box of 4 pieces
Calories: 55 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $9.99 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Kohler Co.

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

Any chocolate with absinthe is rather intriguing, as the alcoholic drink that supplies the flavor is derived from anise, fennel, and a complex blend of herbs, that includes a few members of the mint family (lemon balm, sage, spearmint or peppermint).

Absinthe became legal again in the U.S. in recent years*, after being banned for quite some time due to concerns over a compound (thujone) associated with wormwood (absinthe's signature ingredient).

Today's green-tinted Absinthe jewel from Kohler Co. (Kohler, WI) was made with a 63% dark chocolate and absinthe infused ganache, wrapped in a milk chocolate shell. It had a hint of herbal finish, but was quite mild otherwise.

This Absinthe gem was part of Kohler's 4-piece Emerald variety box (that also included mint emerald, green tea, and lime chocolates).

*In December 2007, St. George Spirits (Alameda, CA) was the first company in the U.S. to start legally producing absinthe again.

Kohler - Mint Emerald - June 16, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kohler Co.
Mint Emerald
Good++
Weight: .35 oz. (9.9 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) for 1 box of 4 pieces
Calories: 55 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $9.99 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Kohler Co., online order

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week -- an opportunity to introduce some lovely green color (and flavors) to chocolate.

These Mint Emerald filled chocolates (part of a Variety Emerald box of 4 "green" flavors), from Kohler Co. (Kohler, WI) tasted very fresh.

Freshness, flavor balance, texture/melt, and quality ingredients are all key for good-tasting truffles and filled chocolates. But if the chocolates aren't fresh, other good qualities may not matter. Fortunately, this attractive emerald green milk chocolate, filled with creamy, milk chocolate ganache and natural mint flavor, was great on all counts.

I also sampled a Kohler "Green Tea" chocolate (shown at right with two mint leaves) with a sip of hot mint green tea, from the same, 4-piece Variety Emerald collection box. It was attractive and authentic tasting as well.

Tomorrow I'll feature the Kohler Absinthe "Emerald" chocolate. (Yes, the herbal concoction that is Absinthe also includes members of the mint family.)

Lucienne's - Mint Sugar Free dark bar - June 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lucienne's
Mint Sugar Free 83% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.2 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) total bar
Calories: 62.7 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

This Mint Sugar Free dark bar from Lucienne's (Trumansburg, NY) was made from 83% Ecuadorian Antigua Nacional cocoa, "gently roasted," and sweetened with the company's "all natural" proprietary stevia blend.

The bar was designed for those watching their intake of sugar and carbs. Low in carbohydrates (1 net carb and 4 grams of fiber per serving), this dark bar with a tang of peppermint was sugar-, sorbitol- and maltitol-free, as well as GMO-free, dairy free and gluten free. (No soy either.)

*Note: Lucienne's has ceased production of their chocolate bars. As of this post date, customers are being referred to Vintage Plantations (Newark, NJ) a company that supplied Ecuadorian cacao for Lucienne's.

Pacari - Dark Chocolate Covered Banana - June 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pacari Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Covered Banana
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total package
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: lost information
Purchased from: lost information

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

Pacari Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador) makes single origin chocolates, using Arriba Nacional cacao from Ecuador. Today's chocolate was not a Pacari bar, but rather a sleek package of dark pearls crafted from organic dark chocolate with dried banana inside, from the company's "Raw" line.

These glossy dark pearls were satisfying and full of natural chocolate and banana flavor and texture.

Equal Exchange - Ecuador Dark bar - June 13, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange
Organic Ecuador Dark bar
Good
Weight: .4375 oz. (12.5 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 88 calories in 1/8 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

It was an Ecuador Dark bar from Equal Exchange (West Bridgewater, MA). It was from Ecuador. And it was Dark -- darker flavor than you'd expect for a bar with 65% cacao content, rather like a full-bodied, strong cup of coffee. That sums up today's chocolate, but it's not the end of the story.


This organic, fairly traded, single origin dark bar was made from cacao beans grown in the Manabi region of Ecuador, and it was produced for Equal Exchange (at an undisclosed location) in Switzerland. There also was a very subtle hint of vanilla (from Madagascar).

Equal Exchange makes a line of bars (using cacao from the Dominican Republic, Panama, Ecuador and Peru) and highlights small farmers and co-ops, and the individuals behind these organizations. Founded in 1986, Equal Exchange is, in fact, a worker owned co-op.

Republica Del Cacao - Manabi 75% bar - June 12, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Republica Del Cacao
Manabi 75% bar
Weight: .166 oz. (5 g.) / .5 oz. (15 g.) total package
Calories: 25 calories in 1 piece
Cost: (unknown)
Purchased from: (unknown)

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

This Single Origin Dark Chocolate sampler package contained three individually-wrapped chocolates from Republica Del Cacao (Quito, Ecuador).

Inside this package were two different chocolates, made with Arriba* cacao beans from Ecuador. The 75% cacao chocolate (in the purple wrapper) was made with cacao beans from the Manabi region of Northern Ecuador, and the two other pieces were crafted from beans from the El Oro region in southern Ecuador.

This bite-sized bar tasted smooth and chocolatey, with very little bitterness.

*Note: Republica Del Cacao was founded in part to help preserve indigenous, high-quality, fine aroma Arriba Cacao plants (that produce cacao beans) in Ecuador.