Not Your Sugar Mamas - Lavender Sea Salt bar - Apr. 26, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Not Your Sugar Mamas
Lavender Sea Salt Bar
Good+ - Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.13 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62.26 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210* calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week.

Today's Lavender Sea Salt 75% cacao chocolate bar was from Not Your Sugar Mamas (Vineyard Haven, MA). The organic and raw bar was free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar.

This dark chocolate broke with a soft snap and was suffused with the natural aroma and flavor of lavender. Instead of sugar, the organic bar was sweetened with a hint of maple. As the chocolate melted in my mouth, I tasted no off or sharp flavors in the chocolate. The cacao had been minimally processed (as close to raw as possible). Lavender was the dominant flavor.

I liked the fact that the two founders, Bennett and Ky, chose to use local sea salt** from the Martha's Vineyard area.

*210 calories for 1/2 bar (per label). This sounds high, unless there's lots of cocoa butter.

**I have wanted to make some chocolates with local San Francisco Bay salt, but it's hard to find a good source. (The San Francisco Bay Area was once home to dozens of salt-making companies.)

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

Rau - Cacao Superfood Drink - Apr. 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rau
Rau Chocolate Original Cacao Superfood Drink
Good
Weight: 1 fl. oz. (29.5 mL) / 12 fl. oz. (354 mL) in total container
Calories: 7.5 calories in 1 fl. oz.
Cost: $4.59 for 1 container/bottle
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Salt Theme Week. And we're starting the week with a salt-subtle item, made possible with the absence of sugar.

Today's Organic, Cacao Drink contained: "filtered water, raw cacao powder, raw cacao butter, Himalayan pink salt, raw vanilla bean, spice, monk fruit."

No sugar, and no artificial sweetener. It's unusual to find anything like that in the chocolate world, short of baking chocolate or a 100% cacao bar.

The company added monk fruit (luo han guo) as a sweetener to this cold processed cacao beverage instead. So, it was not too sweet, and subtle hints of vanilla and pink salt have a chance to come through a bit.

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

Dick Taylor - Los Bagels Slug Slime bar - Apr. 24, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Humboldt State University - Special Edition Bar
Los Bagels Slug Slime (with sesame and poppy seeds)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar (plus any applicable shipping)
Purchased from: Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (online order)

Welcome to the last day (Day #10) of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today's Humboldt State University Special Edition Bar - Los Bagels Slug Slime 72% Belize bar was crafted by the founders and team at Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).


Los Bagels Co. (Arcata, CA) is a popular bagel bakery and cafe in Humboldt County, founded by an owner with Jewish and Latino roots who opened the business in 1984. With locations in Arcata and Eureka—and a third location at Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA)—the company's Slug Slime, La Granola, and other bagels and baked goods have developed a local following.

The Los Bagels Slug* Slime is available as an a la carte Roasted Seasoning Blend that can be sprinkled on bagels or other baked goods (...or, today, a chocolate bar). I'm assuming this "Slime" seasoning mix includes the same ingredients in today's Dick Taylor bar: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic and salt.

From its description alone, this Dick Taylor Slug Slime bar would make my list of interesting chocolate breakfast candidates.

And an experimental collaboration like this bar says something about bean-to-bar makers and Dick Taylor founders (Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor)—i.e., their skill and confidence to take on a daring blend of fine dark chocolate with onion and garlic. (The sesame and poppy seeds and salt are a snap compared to onion and garlic.)

While the Los Bagels bar will likely charm the students and citizens surrounding Humboldt State**, did this combination of sweet and savory flavors work?

The Slug Slime bar, swathed carefully in shiny gold foil, had a mild sweet chocolate and savory aroma.

The first bite delivered a hearty, yet surprisingly balanced blend of slightly salty bagel fairy dust and chocolate. And, within seconds, rather than being overwhelmed by the savory spices, the acidic, rich 72% Belize dark chocolate flavor bloomed and refused to be dominated by garlic or onion. Ole.

Alas, when I checked the Dick Taylor website this morning, this bar was already sold out.

*Slug slime is a reference to banana slugs and other slugs that live in the moist Redwood Forests of Northern California. (Also there are a variety of sea slugs who reside in the nearby Pacific Ocean.) At least one other institution of higher learning in Northern California claims the banana slug as a school and/or team mascot: the University of California at Santa Cruz, south of San Francisco.

**A portion of the proceeds from sales of this bar go to Humboldt State University.

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

Alli and Rose - Dark Chocolate Acai and Blueberry with Chia - Apr. 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alli and Rose
Dark Chocolate Acai and Blueberry with Chia
Good
Weight: 1.20 oz. (34 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (1/5 package, or about 10 pieces)
Cost: $3.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Ross, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

It's another chia day...Today's Dark Chocolate Acai and Blueberry with Chia pieces—distributed by Alli and Rose Inc. (Lincolnton, NC)—were, according to the packaging, "fruity bite size bliss."

Glossy, chocolate coated spheres were filled with a sweet and chewy berry fruit-flavored center. I did pick up a slight chia seed crunch, but it was very subtle. If you prefer chocolates or confections that are more sweet and smooth, and less "seedy" or textural, these might be for you.

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

Two Degrees - Chocolate Peanut bar - Apr. 22, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Two Degrees, Inc.
Chocolate Peanut All Natural Snack Bar with Quinoa, Millet and Chia
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.66 oz. (44 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


The next time I have a craving for chocolate and peanut butter, I'll have one of these Chocolate Peanut bars from Two Degrees, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) instead.

This chewy, almost crunchy, complex and interesting Chocolate Peanut bar did contain, as expected, both chocolate and peanuts (and peanut butter).

However, the chocolate and peanuts were were incorporated into a satisfying and filling mix of seeds: sunflower, sesame, quinoa*, millet and chia seeds, and other ingredients (rice crisps, raisins, plum puree). The bar was sweet, but without being overly so.

This bar was Vegan and GMO-free Certified. (It was not labeled as Gluten Free, although it contained no gluten ingredients that I could see on the label.)

*Yes, quinoa is a seed too. The plant is related to spinach and beets (rather than grains); and the part we eat is considered a seed.

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

Kutoa - Chocolate Banana bar - Apr. 21, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kutoa Health Company, LLC
Chocolate Banana bar
Good+
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 174 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.89 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Banana bar (whole fruits and chocolate) with chia and flax seeds was produced by Kutoa Health Company, LLC (Austin, TX).

The company, a Certified B Corporation*, developed a "Buy a bar, feed a child" initiative as part of their mission. If you buy one bar, part of the proceeds go toward feeding a hungry child in need.

This vegan, gluten and soy free, Non-GMO Project Certified bar had an intriguing green forest, banana, date and chocolate aroma and flavor, and soft, mildly chewy texture. It tasted naturally sweet without being too sweet. Gluten free oats and pea protein helped to mellow the acidic tang that some fruit and date bars have, but without the odd starchy quality that bars with these ingredients sometimes have.

Plant and Seed Identity Issues
So, below are some fun facts about chocolate, seeds and "nuts" concerning posts this past month:

• Chocolate is made from cacao beans—and these "beans" are really seeds.
• Banana is technically an herb and fruit-bearing plant. And the edible fruits are, botanically speaking, giant berries.
• Dates are fruits, but the pits or seeds are sometimes used to feed livestock.
• Peanuts are not nuts or seeds; they are legumes.
• Cashew nuts, pine nuts, almonds are seeds. (Almonds are considered "stone-like seeds.")
• And, bonus points for those of you that remember this one: Unlike Brazil nuts, cashews really do come from Brazil. And, Brazil nuts are large seeds and not nuts.

*B Corporations are for-profit companies that are certified by a nonprofit (B Lab). Companies are evaluated on their social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. 

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

Himalania - Dark Chocolate Hemp Seeds - Apr. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Himalania
Dark Chocolate Hemp Seeds
Good
Weight: 2 Tablespoons - 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 (2 TB) serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today's Himalania Dark Chocolate Hemp Seeds were distributed by BrandStorm, Inc. (Van Nuys, CA).

Seeds are great. Fiber, Omegas*, Magnesium. Let's hear it for seeds. However, when it comes to hemp seeds, we've needed to import ours from Canada, as there have been restrictions on growing hemp for food, fiber and oil in the U.S.

The Himalania Non-GMO Verified hemp seeds were sustainably grown, toasted, and enrobed in dark chocolate.

These seeds looked a bit like dark chocolate caviar. They had a slightly malty aroma and flavor, and a somewhat fibrous, seedy crunch.

Hemp Seed History
Hemp originated in Central Asia but over time was cultivated in other countries.

Himalania packaging points out that hemp was "once a staple ingredient amongst ancient civilizations," and that the seeds "have achieved great longevity due to their ability to nourish and fuel in their natural state. Each serving provides...vitamins and minerals, including proteins, fibers, omegas and essential amino seeds."

Unfortunately, the history of hemp is conflated with marijuana use, although the seed's nutritional profile is quite compelling on its own.

*Himalania Dark Chocolate Hemp Seeds contain: 0.5g Omega-3 and 1.5 g. Omega-6 per serving. One serving is 2 TB or 1.06 oz. (30 g.). 

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