Hagensborg - 70% Santo Domingo dark bar - Feb. 3, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hagensborg Chocolates
70% Wild B(o)ar Santo Domingo dark bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 of bar
Cost: $ Missing info
Purchased from: Missing info

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Some Enchanted Islands* Theme Week.

Cacao grows in many exotic and tropical isles near the sea. Being near water helps moderate the temperature (not too cold and not too hot); and being near the Equator (plus or minus 20 degrees Latitude) helps regulate the light and heat needed for temperate forests, plantations and farms—and cacao.

First we'll visit a few islands in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic (DR) has gone by many names in the past—including Hispaniola, an island referenced in pirate tales long ago that was (and still is) joined with Haiti.

Europeans from Spain and other nations brought cacao to Caribbean islands, where it is still grown today.

Santo Domingo is a large city, and the capital of the Dominican Republic. It's one of the oldest cities in the Americas. It's also the name of the surrounding province in the DR, where cacao is grown.

Hagensborg Chocolates - Santa Domingo bar

Today's 70% Cocoa Wild B(o)ar dark chocolate single origin bar was from Hagensborg Chocolates (Barnaby, British Columbia, Canada). This Santo Domingo bar was made from cacao beans grown in the province of the same name, on the southern side of the DR. This province borders on the Caribbean Sea.

The bar had a rich, smooth, consistent, and chocolatey aroma, flavor and texture. And pre-molded bite marks around the edge of this bar (possibly from a chocolate-eating pig on the same bar) made me smile.

Hagensborg product packaging is just plain fun. Cartoon pigs lounge, cavort and frolic across bars of Hagensborg chocolate (on printed packaging and on bars). Thank you Hagensborg for some lively levity.

* Sing to the tune of "Some Enchanted Evening" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, if you'd like.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

WB Kitchen - Mocha Java ONA Bar - Feb. 2, 2016

Source: WB Kitchen website

Chocolate of the Day: 

WB Kitchen
Mocha Java ONA Bar
Good-Good+
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 172 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A
Purchased from: WB Kitchen, Loveland, CO

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

Source: WB Kitchen website

WB Kitchen (Loveland, CO) offers organic bars and cookies. Honey and almonds are the first ingredients listed in the offerings I've tried. Today's Mocha Java ONA bar was no exception.

An organic honey (and coconut milk) house-made caramel base provided a moist, rich base that contained chewy bits of almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and cocoa nibs. Shredded coconut suffused the bar with coconut flavor.

The coffee in this certified gluten free and paleo Mocha Java bar was from Bean Cycle Roasters (Fort Collins, CO). The coffee added robust flavor and helped balance out the sweetness.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com, unless otherwise noted.

WB Kitchen - ONA Chocolate Bar - Feb. 1, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

WB Kitchen
ONA Chocolate Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: WB Kitchen, Loveland, CO

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

WB Kitchen (Loveland, CO) is mindful about the ingredients in their bars and cookies.

Today's ONA Chocolate Bar was moist, chewy, honey-sweetened, and filled with nutty taste and texture (almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and coconut bits).

The chocolate flavor in this certified gluten free and paleo bar was provided by unsweetened cocoa powder and cocoa nibs.

Honey's thick texture can present both challenges and opportunities for those making chocolate items. WB Kitchen's bars are "held together with a honey caramel that we make in house," that's finished off with some house-made coconut milk*. (Nicely done.)

I asked WB Kitchen president and founder, Chris Feuille, about the honey they use in their organic offerings.

Chris mentioned that it was difficult to get 100% organic honey in the U.S. They use an organic honey from South America for their bars.** (They wanted organic, non-GMO certified and fair trade ingredients for their 100% organic bars.)

*The company makes their coconut milk in-house "because all commercially available ones contain guar gum or preservatives and we do not put those in our products ever."

**Note: WB Kitchen uses honey from a family-owned, supplier, Colorado Honey Co., in their cookies.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Caven Creations - Hey Honey! bar - Jan. 31, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Caven Creations
Hey Honey! bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

The Hey Honey! 82% cacao dark chocolate bar was from Caven Creations (Santa Cruz, CA).

This dairy and gluten free bar was made with 4 ingredients: raw, organic, Fair Trade Ecuadorian Rio Arriba cacao, raw organic honey, raw organic Tahitian vanilla beans, and Himalayan pink crystal salt.

The raw cacao bar had a faint dark chocolate aroma, and a relatively even dark chocolate flavor, with a few bites having a bit of an earthy flavor note. The sweet level was low in this ultra-dark bar; some bites had a bit more of a natural honey lilt. And tiny salt crystals provided some occasional texture.

This bar's wrapper was adorned with a picture of a caveman (with raised club). Accordingly, I enjoyed this bar with a paleolithic era-inspired plate that included: seed crackers, cacao nibs, berries, and of course honey and almonds.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Amella - Honey Chocolate Mint Caramels - Jan. 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amella
Honey Chocolate Mint Caramels
Good+
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total box of 6 caramels
Calories: 150 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: Amella,  El Segundo, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

Amella (El Segundo, CA) offers an award-winning variety of caramels—including agave-sweetened caramels, sea salt caramels, vegan and cocoa butter caramels, and honey caramels.

I found today's Honey Chocolate Mint honey caramel flavor at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco when I stopped by the Amella booth.

These individually wrapped, certified gluten free and kosher, caramels had a satisfying smooth, chewy melt.

The flavors were well balanced and these honey-sweetened caramels were not overly sweet (thank you). The peppermint was authentic, and not overpowering (thank you). The mint was also mellowed a bit by the cream (#1 ingredient) in these caramels. The honey flavor was pleasing; and the chocolate provided a rich flavor backdrop.

If you wanted to fancy things up, you could also unwrap these chocolate caramels, and include them in a dessert tapas plate with honey, almonds, fruit and mint leaves.

Previously I'd tried Amella Roasted Almond (agave) caramels with dark chocolate. I think these would be a nice complementary flavor on such a plate.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Toblerone - Swiss Milk Corn, Honey, Almond Nougat bar - Jan. 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Toblerone
(Mondelez Global LLC)
Swiss Milk Chocolate with Toasted Crushed Corn and Honey and Almond Nougat bar
Good
Weight: 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 540 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

Toblerone of Switzerland bars have a unique triangular shape—reminiscent of Swiss mountain peaks.

Today's Milk Chocolate with Toasted Crushed Corn and Honey and Almond Nougat bar—distributed by (Kraft Foods' snack division) Mondalez Global LLC (East Hanover, NJ)—was chock full of sweet, toasted corn crisps, almonds bits, sugar, honey, and a bit of vanilla. Egg whites helped bind and create a crunchy, nougat-like texture and flavor.

Looking at this bar made in Switzerland made me want to go trekking in the Swiss Alps. Until then...Eating an entire bar for breakfast fueled a walk around the neighborhood.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Vosges - Chestnut Honey Almond bar - Jan. 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Chestnut Honey and Almond bar
Good +
Weight: 2.25 oz. (64 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 285 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Honey and Almonds Theme Week.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat (Chicago, IL) offers chocolate bars with a wide variety of flavor inclusions—including honey and almonds.

Today's bar also incorporated a relatively unusual ingredient: chestnuts. These tree nuts have a sweet, nutty, mildly earthy baked potato flavor. My first chestnut memory: the aroma of roasted chestnuts in New York City, buying a small bag, peeling off the glossy brown shells, and enjoying the warm chestnuts on a winter day.

This gluten-free, dark 62% cacao filled bar was imbued with sweet almond (marzipan) flavor. The caramel-colored center was a soft blend of Italian chestnut puree, Swiss almond, amaretto liqueur, and raw Hawaiian white (Kiawe flower nectar) honey*.

*Tasting notes hint at slight pineapple and coconut flavor 

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.