Lillie Belle Farms - Perfect Illusion 65% bar - May 18, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lillie Belle Farms
Perfect Illusion 65% bar
Good++
Weight: 2.06 oz. (57.75 g.) / 2.75 oz. (77 g.) in total bar
Calories: 309 calories (estimate) in 3/4 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lillie Belle Farms, Central Point, OR

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

Lillie Belle Farms' (Central Point, OR) makes bars and confections. The company's Perfect Illusion 65% Bean-to-Bar Dark Chocolate bar was crafted with just two ingredients (cocoa beans and sugar) using "rare White Beans from the remote valleys of Peru."

The maker description states that these mysterious (organic, fair trade) white beans "...are so special that we had to promise not to reveal exactly how we got them..."

The white beans have mild but complex flavor and seem to lack the bitter grapefruit twist that some other Peruvian beans seem to have. More cacao trees with fruit containing these white beans have been planted in the last several years; but it can take five years or more before harvests from trees become reliable/bountiful.

So, we may be seeing and tasting more of these beans in our chocolate in the future; but, in the meantime we can enjoy bars like this one.

So, how was it?

This very thick, gluten-free and vegan bar was well tempered and broke with a hard snap. It was smooth throughout the tasting experience, albeit with a slightly slower melt due to the bar's thickness. As the flavors were released they were varied and subtle -- with hints of dried fruit, cafe mocha/latte (there was no milk in this bar), and molasses. The bar was intriguingly complex; but no one flavor note jumped out as being too strong or visible. It all was unfolding slightly below the surface.

"Is it an illusion? Or is this just the best chocolate you have ever eaten?" the bar's packaging notes ask the reader? I don't know. You'll have to try this Good Food Awards winning bar to decide.

Patric Chocolate - Piura dark milk bar - May 17, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Piura Dark Milk bar
Weight: 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 348 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

Alan "Patric" McClure's painstaking hand-sorting, and careful slow-roasting, of cocoa beans pays off. His single origin, blended and flavored bars are some of the best in the U.S.

Blending cacao with milk, sugar, emulsifiers, vanilla and other added ingredients can dilute or dull cacao flavors substantially. But, today's Piura* Dark Milk chocolate bar from Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO) was a good example of a milk chocolate bar that can maintain a great flavor profile.

This carefully crafted "dark milk chocolate" bar had even and consistent caramel and sea-salted toffee notes throughout, and was buttery smooth. The slightly bitter flavor that I seemed to taste in most of the dark chocolate Peru bars this week, was instead more similar to "ruby red grapefruit" in this bar, as the tasting notes indicated.

*Piura is a coastal region in northwest Peru, one of several areas of the country where cacao is grown. (The capital city of Piura was founded by Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro in 1532.) Prized, white Porcelana cacao beans come from a valley in the Piura region. These cacao trees/beans were "re-discovered" this century and are being replanted elsewhere in the past several years as demand for fine-flavored cacao has continued to increase.

Timothy Adams - Machu Picchu Sipping Chocolate - May 16, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Timothy Adams Chocolates
65% Machu Picchu Peru Sipping Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 8 fl. oz. (estimate) for 1 serving
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 serving
Cost: $5.75 for 1 serving
Purchased from: Timothy Adams Chocolates, Palo Alto, CA

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

Timothy Adams Chocolates (Palo Alto, CA) is a local Bay Area chocolate shop run by creative duo Timothy Woods and Adams Hollands.

Today I tried their drinking chocolate for the first time -- an iced, 65% Machu Picchu* Peru Sipping Chocolate made with non-fat milk that was served in a slender glass bottle with a straw over ice.

Customers select the milk of their choice for their chocolate beverage. I chose cow's milk over hazelnut "milk." The hazelnut did sound tempting, but I wanted to be able to taste the 65% Peruvian chocolate flavor.

It may have been my imagination, but I thought I detected the same slightly bitter (grapefruit?) note as I've been tasting all week with other chocolates made from Peruvian cacao beans. Unique and unpleasant, this characteristic was part of a nicely well-balanced complex flavor profile in each chilled sip. It was very good, and very satisfying.

I look forward to tasting more hand-crafted truffles and Sipping Chocolate flavors from Timothy Adams in the future.

*Machu Picchu is an impressive, ancient (Inca) city. Ruins of this city, located in the Andes mountains of Peru, attract a large number of visitors and/or tourists). 

Trader Joe's - Peru 60% bar - May 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Peru 60% cacao dark chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.25 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 57.5 calories (estimate based on label) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of a larger single origin Chocolate Passport tasting pack
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

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

The Chocolate Passport single origin tasting pack was this past year's collection of single origin bars from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).

This sampler of 8 different bars was sold in local (California) Trader Joe's stores for a short time around the November-December holiday season. I hope the tasting pack concept will continue. These collections, with bars from different cacao-growing countries, have sold out quickly in the past year's that they've been offered. (Last May, I featured a similar Peru single origin bar from Trader Joe's that tasted slightly differently. Hard to tell whether the beans were the same plantation or not; but beans do vary from year to year, just like wine grapes do.)

Today's Peru 60% cacao dark chocolate bar was smooth, with a similar bitter note that I've tasted in other Peru single origin bars this week. But, the finish was clean, and the bitter note did not linger too long.  Tasting notes on the bar's packaging suggested an ideal pairing might be with a Cabernet Sauvignon (wine).

Lucuma ice cream
I did not have any Cabernet on hand. Instead I paired this chocolate with a small bowl of homemade Lucuma* ice cream, a dessert you might find served in Peru, with some Amazon-related toppings (dried golden berries, maca powder, chopped brazil nuts, etc.).

Gluten-free brownie
I also enjoyed a homemade gluten-free brownie from friend, Julie. Thank you Julie! Her cupcake shaped brownie were infused with very tasty ginger and lemon flavor. Yum.

*Lucuma is a fruiting plant that grows in Peru, Chile and Ecuador, and has a slight maple-butterscotch flavor.

Hageland - Peru 64 percent dark bar - May 14, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hageland
(Made in Belgium by Kim's Chocolates)
Peru 64% dark chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 151 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

The Hageland Peru 64% dark chocolate bar was made in Belgium by Kim's Chocolates.

I agree with the tasting notes printed on the packaging: "An unmistakable hint of fruit, with a slightly bitter cocoa taste, creates a surprising first impression..."

There was some fruit/acid that gave this bar some oomph/interest, and a bitter flavor that, surprisingly, didn't linger too long or spoil the experience.

Cello Chocolate - Peru bar - May 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cello Chocolate
70% cacao Peru bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ (part of a $36.00 single origin set of 6 bars; included shipping)
Purchased from: Cello Chocolate (online order)

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

Today's Peru 70% cacao dark chocolate bar was from Cello Chocolate (Nevada City, CA). Founders Ned and Debi Russell are committed to making single origin, bean-to-bar chocolate with just three ingredients: cacao beans, sugar and cacao butter, and to buying organic and fair trade ingredients when possible. (This bar contained both.)

I've said it before, but there is no place to hide with you're making chocolate bars with just cacao and sugar. The cacao has to be great, and the chocolate maker needs to get every step right to produce a great result. This is why I have such respect for smaller, craft chocolate makers. It's a great adventure.

South American countries (considered the birthplace of cacao) often have a complex and interesting flavor arc. Cello Chocolate's Peru 64% bar reminded me of single origin bars from both Venezuela and Ecuador that I've tasted.

This fairly thick bar was carefully swaddled in silver foil. It was well tempered and broke with a hard snap. The 70% dark chocolate was full of complex aroma and flavor, ranging from "lighter" notes: floral/marshmallow and dried fruit/cherries, to stronger notes: slightly bitter, earthy/loamy, mushroom. Overall it seemed well balanced and executed.

Not bad for making chocolate in a "home kitchen" environment.

Vanini - Dark chocolate with rosemary bar - May 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Vanini Chocolate (ICAM SpA)
dark chocolate 62% cocoa with rosemary bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) pieces of bar
Cost: $ lost information
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Walnut Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Manufactured by ICAM SpA (Orsenigo, Italy), the Vanini 62% cocoa bittersweet chocolate bar was peppered with bits of sugared rosemary, giving this chocolate a sweet, crunchy, rosemary finish and flavor.

This bean-to-bar chocolate was made in Italy from Peruvian cacao beans. Specifically, it was made from "Bagua lost world cacao from Peru" -- grown thousands of years ago in Amazon rainforest by the Mayo Chincipe people (in what is now Peru and Ecuador)..."who used it to prepare beverages well before the Maya and Olmec."

The Vanini 62 percent dark chocolate bar with rosemary was gluten-free, kosher, and made with "Sustainable Trade" cacao beans.

Rosemary and chocolate can go either sweet or savory and I like surfing the line between the two. I enjoyed this bar with a side of toasted walnuts with butter, rosemary, sea salt, and a hint of garlic.

I've enjoyed having a Chocolate and Walnut Theme Week. While cacao is thought of as a "New World" food (from Central and South America), walnuts have a rich, global history and were growing in what is now "New" and "Old" worlds. In other words millions of years ago, before the continents started splitting apart, many nuts including walnuts were already spread far and wide.

Now, on to Peru theme week...