Trader Joe's - Milk Chocolate Habanero; Chili Collection - Feb. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Chili Chocolate Collection
Habanero Milk Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 5.64 oz. (160 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 50 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $4.99 for 1 box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda, CA

Bienvenidos (Welcome) to Day #3 of Chocolate and Chilis Theme Week.

Today's Milk Chocolate Habanero round was part of a Chili Chocolate Collection* from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).


Covered in milk chocolate (decorated with red peppers), the dark chocolate ganache (filling) had caramel overtones and a restrained amount of habanero chili/chile.

Habanero peppers rank relatively high—100,000 - 350,000 SHU (Scoville heat units)—on the Scoville scale used to measure spicy pepper heat. (Although there is one habanero (the Red Savina) that tops the charts at an impressive 350,000 - 580,000 SHU.)

*This collection or assortment of milk and dark chocolate discs were filled/infused with four different chili/chile flavor fillings.

Trader Joe's - Milk Chocolate Guajillo; Chili Collection - Feb. 11, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Chili Chocolate Collection
Milk Chocolate Guajillo
Good
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 5.64 oz. (160 g.) in total package
Calories: 50 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $4.99 for 1 box of 16 pieces
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda, CA

Buenos Dias mis amigos en chocolate. (Good day my friends in chocolate.) Today is Day #2 of Chocolate and Chili Theme Week.

For the next few days I'll be featuring different spicy milk and dark chocolate rounds from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) Chili Chocolate Collection (a 16 piece-assortment box with four different chili flavors).

Today's Milk Chocolate Guajillo round was what you might expect -- a sweet, classic milk chocolate flavor with an up-and-to-the right slow burn from the guajillo chili/chile.

The guajillo is a popular pepper in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, with a tangy, bright flavor and a fruity, medium heat; and it is rated 2,500 - 5,000 SHU* on the Scoville scale that measures spiciness.

*Scoville Heat Units

Lula's - Baja Chili Toffee - Feb. 10, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lula's Chocolates
(Lula Lund's Chocolates LLC)
Baja Chili Toffee
Good+++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. piece
Cost: $7.95 ?? (wild guess) - find receipt? for 1 package
Purchased from: Lula's, Carmel-by-the-Sea location, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Chili Theme Week! When well balanced, the blend of rich chocolatey, cacao (with fruity acid) with a hint of pepper (alkaline heat) can liven up and enhance flavors of both these plant-based staples...like yin and yang, or Bonnie and Clyde.


With luck, we can enjoy the seven chocolates for this week and avoid getting burned by the fiery tiny vegetable outlaw beasts, that can make grown men shudder in their boots: ghost pepper, guajillo, jalapeno, habanero, and chili pepper blends.

We start today's theme week in Carmel, the California coastal hamlet. Former mayors of Carmel include Western star (and successful director) Clint Eastwood. I can hear the outlaw music swelling.

I bought today's Baja Chili Toffee at a Lula's shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea (that was decorated for Valentines Day). Lula's is based in nearby Monterey, CA; and owner Scott Lund is their chief chocolatier and head honcho.

The packaging described today's toffee as "the wild child" of the company's toffee family.

Well, was it? Was it kid? Go ahead, and make my day...I'll admit it. My loopy courage was fueled by the fact that I have a cold. Chili can't really hurt me, because my taste buds are turned down a notch, right? I needn't have worried. This Baja Chili Toffee was very good, with only a few pockets of feisty heat. Not too spicy, and robustly flavorful.

The generous slab of buttery toffee, was coated with chocolate and roasted nuts and covered with chili powder the color of sunset. It was good, with a pleasant chili flavor and bite. One of the better toffees I've tasted.

My cold gave me chili eating super powers this week and may encourage me to fly too close to the sun. Well, it's time to say adios and to ride back to the ranch to rest up for tomorrow. But, before I do, I'll just take one more bite of this tasty toffee.

good & delish - Royal Orange bar - Feb. 9, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

good and delish
Distributed by Walgreen Co.
Royal Orange Premium German Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walgreens (El Camino), Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #5) of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's bar was offered under the Good and Delish brand name.*

The Royal Orange Premium German Dark Chocolate bar, distributed by Walgreen Co. (Deerfield, IL), had an orange, almost floral, aroma.

And the orange-infused dark (57% cocoa) chocolate aroma, combined with chewy orange and almonds bits, made this a pleasant confection.

Very rainy weather kept me hunkered down in the chocolate bunker today. (My apologies for the dimly lit photo of this bar. It's much more cheery outside on a bright, sunny day.)

I was unable to find information about the source of the German chocolate in today's German-made bar. The company does offer other chocolate items with German (and Belgian) origins.

*Walgreen Co. is a corporation with more than 8,000 stores, and over 600 just in California in late 2016. Good and Delish (aka good (ampersand) delish) is a brand sold at Walgreens stores.

Moo Free Chocolates - Cheeky Orange - Feb. 8, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Moo Free Chocolates
Merry Moos Selection Box
Cheeky Orange
Good
Weight: .813 oz. (23 g.) / 3.6 oz. (103 g.) in total package of 4 bars
Calories: 130 calories (estimate per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $5.50 for 1 package of 4 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's Cheeky Orange bar was from Moo Free Chocolates (Reading, UK).

The individually-wrapped, snack-size bar was made of orange-flavored, sweet (45% cocoa solids) chocolate with some rice crunchy bits. Only it wasn't traditional milk chocolate. It was entirely "moo free."

Part of a 4-bar Merry Moos holiday assortment, this Cheeky Orange bar (and the three other bar flavors in the package) were made with rice milk instead of cow's milk. The bars were dairy free, gluten free, vegan, and with contained "no GM" (ingredients).

In addition to the company's serious ingredient choices and omissions, they managed to capture the spirit of fun. Each of the 4 Merry Moos (bars) were named after various animals. Today's Cheeky Orange bar was represented by a Cheeky Monkey "mascot" named Cheeky Chops. 

John Kelly - Orange Truffle Fudge Bar - Feb. 7, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

John Kelly Foods, Inc.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Orange Truffle Fudge Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 255 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Pebble Beach Market, Pebble Beach, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Orange Truffle Fudge bar from John Kelly Foods, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)

Their Truffle Fudge bars are constructed more like truffles than bars -- in that they have a soft, relatively light but also fudgey chocolate ganache-like filling.

Today's Semi-Sweet Orange Truffle Fudge bar wrapped in gold foil was no exception. Though small in size, it was very satisfying in taste and smooth, satisfying texture—like eating a giant truffle. This bar contained subtle orange flavoring.

Theo Chocolate - Cranberry Orange 55% bar - Feb. 6, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate
Cranberry Orange bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's item was a festive Cranberry Orange bar, from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) that was bought at the tail-end of the Christmas holidays. Its seasonal sparkle brought cheer into a dark, rainy day.

This 55% dark chocolate bar had an appealing balance of tart, fruity (freeze-dried cranberries, orange oil) flavor and slightly chewy texture.

Most dark chocolates below 70% cacao solids tend to taste too sweet to me. but the tart cranberries helped balance the sweetness.

The base chocolate was made with USDA Organic, Fair for Life and Non-GMO Project Certified cacao. In fact, all of the ingredients in this bar were organic, and 98% were fair trade certified.

Theo Chocolate was an early proponent, and adopter, of ingredients that were compliant with organic and fair trade standards—particularly for items obtained from outside the U.S. where labor and environmental standards may be more variable.

While the case can be made that individual farmers in some countries find it tough to pay for annual certifications, co-ops (or situations where costs might be shared) seem to be able to supply much of the demand for certified ingredients.