Nathan Miller - Strawberry & Rye Whiskey bar - April 5, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nathan Miller

Strawberry and Rye Whiskey bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g. ) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total package

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Nathan Miller is one of the few chocolate makers brave enough to incorporate buttermilk* into some of his craft chocolate bars. Buttermilk adds a tart sweet and salty freshness to milkshakes and desserts, so why not chocolate bars? 

Today's Strawberry and Rye Whiskey bar from Nathan Miller (Chambersburg, PA)—wrapped in festive yellow, green and orange (what looked to be handmade) paper and sky blue foil—had an intriguing dark chocolate aroma with fresh strawberry aroma.

The 55% dark chocolate had a relatively smooth, almost creamy melt and texture, and a slightly complicated flavor profile. It had a somewhat unexpected earthy (dirt, mushrooms) flavor spike about a 1/3 of the way through the tasting experience. However, on the back side of this note, there was a very faint hint of what was likely whiskey, followed be a pleasant slight strawberry and buttermilk ice cream finish. 

Ingredients: 55% buttermilk chocolate made with Oko-Caribe direct trade organic Hispaniola cacao, organic buttermilk, raw fair trade organic cane sugar, organic strawberry, organic cacao butter, organic rye whiskey.

*The company also sells a bar made with camel milk.

Chocolita - Strawberry Passion 78% raw dark chocolate bar - April 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita

Strawberry Passion 78% Raw Dark Chocolate bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1 bar

Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Today's Strawberry Passion 78% Raw Dark Chocolate bar was made by Chocolita (Sedona, AZ). 

The company makes a series of raw, dark chocolate bars with herbs. The herbal ingredients in this Strawberry Passion bar were less off-putting than some can be, making for a more enjoyable tasting experience.

The gluten-free, vegan, fair trade, low-glycemic, chocolate was made with Arriba Nacional Ecuadorian Fino de Aroma Cacao and had a light strawberry fruit note. Attractive bits of strawberry could be found on the back of the bar.

Ingredients: cacao paste*, cacao butter*, coconut palm sugar*, strawberry*, maca*, damiana*, ashwaghanda*, passionflower*, vanilla*, sea salt

Califia - Choc-A-Maca with Moonstruck Dark Chocolate Strawberry Truffles - April 3, 2018

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Califia Farms
Choc-A-Maca Protein (beverage)
Good
Weight: 5.25 fl. oz. (155 g.) / 10.5 fl. oz. (310 mL) in total bottle
Calories: 80 calories in 1/2 bottle
Cost: $0.49 for 1 bottle
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Moonstruck Chocolate Co. 

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Truffles

Good

Weight: .775 oz. (22 g.) / 3.1 oz. (88 g.) in total package of 4

Calories: 116 calories (estimate) in 1 piece

Cost: $17.00 for 1 package

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Strawberry Truffles from Moonstruck Chocolate Co. (Portland, CA) were creatively designed to look like strawberries.

However, because these sweet, strawberry-shaped chocolate confections, it was discovered, had been featured here before (as part of a Moonstruck summer fruit sampler a few years ago), another chocolate item was needed today.

Fortunately, there were back-up chocolates available, and duplication was avoided once again.
And, the primary chocolate today became a plant protein drink from Califia* Farms (Bakersfield, CA, with corporate offices in the downtown arts district of Los Angeles, CA).

The company's Choc-A-Maca Protein Almondmilk** beverage had a relatively creamy texture and authentic "chocolate milk" taste, with a slight plant (pea, rice) protein texture and aftertaste.

*Queen Califia of Spanish legend ruled over the mythical island of California. 

**Ingredients: Almondmilk (water, almonds), cane sugar, pea protein isolate, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), natural flavors, calcium carbonate, brown rice protein, maca root, sunflower lecithin, sea salt, potassium citrate, monk fruit juice concentrate, locust bean gum, gellan gum

Goldbaum's - Gluten Free Cocoa Sugar Cones - April 2, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Goldbaum's Natural Food Co.

Gluten Free Cocoa Sugar Cones

Good - Good +

Weight: .42 oz. (12 g.) / 5 oz. (144 g.) in total package of 12 cones

Calories: 41 calories in 1 cone

Cost: $0.99 for 1 package

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week!

This week began with strawberry ice cream nestled inside a Gluten Free Cocoa Sugar Cone from Goldbaum's Natural Food Co. (Newark, NJ).

Yes, ice cream an ice cream cone was on the sweet side for breakfast; but it was tasty. The crunchy cocoa-flavored cone held its shape (no broken cones in the package either which was a surprise); and the light cookie-like cone wasn't too sweet.

Fresh, organic strawberries and a tiny handful of nibs added some real fruit texture and tartness—and some unsweetened cacao intensity—that helped balance the sugar in the ice cream.

Dick Taylor - Single Origin Chocolate Rabbit 72% Belize - April 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Dick Taylor 

Chocolate Rabbit Single Origin 72% Belize Dark Chocolate

Very Good

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total rabbit

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 rabbit

Cost: $15.00 for 1 rabbit

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Bonus Feature!

This year April Fool's Day and Easter fell on the same Sunday (which also overlapped with Passover). Regardless of where and how you celebrate the return of Spring, today's bonus item would have delighted dark chocolate lovers.

Today's Single Origin 72% Dark Chocolate Chocolate Rabbit was lovely, complex, and made with Belize-grown cacao. This rabbit was not too sweet, and full of exquisitely-crafted and well-balanced flavor depth, including bold fruit, light spice and bittersweet notes.

It was the perfect finish to a great Spring celebration meal, and it was followed by a hike up in the green hills.  

Yves Thuries - Dark Chocolate Peppermint Oil and Flowers bar - April 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Yves Thuries
Dark Chocolate with Peppermint Essential Oil and Flowers bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 5 pieces of bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate with Peppermint Essential Oil and Flowers bar from Yves Thuries (France) was made in France with cacao from the company's plantation in Ecuador.

Yves Thuries is award-winning French Chef that who made his name in cookies and pastry. This namesake chocolate bar was manufactured by Excellent SAS Marssac Sur Tarn, France, and distributed by Salpa Inc. (Greenwich, CT).

This 70% cocoa dark bar consisted of smooth dark chocolate and creamy peppermint ganache (filling); and the pretty, sparkly green, mint chips were sweet and slightly crunchy and flavored with both peppermint oil and flowers as well as other ingredients.*

*The ingredients list: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, mint chip (sugar, mint flower, acacia gum, sodium copper chlorophyllin color, artificial flavor), whole milk powder, water, sorbitol, butterfat, dextrose, glycerol, soy lecithin, natural flavors mint and vanilla"

Chuao Chocolatier - Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% - March 31, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Chuao Chocolatier

Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% 

Enamored Collection

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 143 calories in 1/2 bar 

Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week. We're sampling another chocolate with blueberry and lavender today.

Today's Dark Chocolate Organic Blueberry Lavender 72% bar from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA) contained whole wild, organic blueberries infused with lavender flavor. (The blueberries were more visible when the bar was broken into pieces.)

Like most of the other blueberry + lavender blends this week, this chocolate tasted fairly sweet for a 72% dark chocolate bar.