Godiva - Milk Chocolate Strawberry bar - April 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.

Milk Chocolate Strawberry bar

Good

Weight: .375 oz. (10.75 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 52.5 calories in 1/4 bar

Cost $2.96 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Kohl's, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

This very sweet* Milk Chocolate Strawberry Flavored with Other Natural Flavors bar was from Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.** (New York, NY). 

Scored into four squares (with each square stamped with a "G" for Godiva), the milk chocolate contained a creamy strawberry flavored filling. This bar may appeal to those who like chocolate candy and sweet fruit flavors.

A note about this week's outdoor photos of chocolates...Green spring grass lasts but a few months in the arid west, and it makes a good backdrop for early morning photographs of chocolate when the sun hasn't found its way inside yet.

*This bar contained sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and invertase (an enzyme produced by yeast that helps break down sugar) commonly used in the candy industry with liquid fillings, to help prevent crystallization. An unintentional situation that seemed to prove this point: this Godiva bar we bought had obviously been exposed to heat and was covered with white patchy "bloom" spots as a result; however, it still had a flawless, unified flowing strawberry cream center. 

**Godiva was founded in Belgium in 1926; and the Godiva brand has been owned by a few different large companies in recent decades (including Campbell Soup and Turkish Yildiz Holding—owner of the Ulker Group).

Larabar - Limited Edition Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar - April 7, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Small Planet Foods, Inc.
Limited Edition Larabar Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar
Good+
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total box of 5 bars
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Target Stores, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's Larabar Limited Edition Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar from Small Planet Foods, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) was constructed with a relatively short list of ingredients: Dates, Almonds, Semisweet Chocolate Chips, Strawberries, Apples, Cocoa Powder and Sea Salt.

The original Larabar fruit and nut bar line was launched in May 2000 by founder Lara Merriken.

Natural tasting, not too sweet and very satisfying, this gluten-free, dairy-free, Non-GMO and vegan bar had balanced, rich dried fruit, cocoa and strawberry flavor.

Bissinger's - Strawberry Caramel with Peanuts bar - April 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bissinger's 

Strawberry Caramel with Peanuts bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 225 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Today's Strawberry Caramel and Peanuts bar from Bissinger's (St. Louis, MO) was a balanced, sweet confection of a bar with a smooth dark chocolate base. The bar was made using cocoa and cocoa butter from Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa farms.

The 60 percent dark chocolate encased a thin layer of flowing caramel that was infused with a light strawberry (puree) flavor. A sprinkle of roasted peanut pieces adorned the back of the bar and added a slight nutty flavor and crunchy texture accent.

The bar contained milk, peanuts and soy (lecithin), but no gluten-containing ingredients.

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.