Straus Family Creamery - Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream - April 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Straus Family Creamery
Organic Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream
Good +
Weight: 2/3 cup (128 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 340 calories in 1 (2/3 cup) serving
Cost: $2.49 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Organic Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream from Straus Family Creamery (Petaluma, CA) offered a satisfying blend of creamy, natural-tasting raspberry ice cream studded with chocolate chips.

Lake Champlain Chocolates - Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar - April 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar

Good+

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

Calories: 212.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Today's Organic Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT).

Slightly earthy dark chocolate was well balanced with bright tart-sweet, authentic red raspberry flavor. (Expect a few raspberry seeds.) The flavor profile of this dark chocolate initially gave the impression of a much higher cacao percentage bar, until the surprisingly sweet finish kicked in.

This Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was Certified Organic, Fair for Life, Kosher Dairy.

Hershey's - Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny - April 25, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hershey's

Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny

Good

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bunny

Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bunny

Cost: $1.49 (estimate) for 1 bunny

Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. Fresh raspberries and chocolate: what a great combination. 

Today's Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny was from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA). The sweet, solid milk chocolate bunny did indeed break apart easily; and the first piece to go was the basket the bunny was carrying.

We liked imagining the bunny enjoying fresh green grass, or gathering a raspberry or two into its chocolate basket (to place next to the tiny milk chocolate egg it had) before said bunny disappeared.

Elements Truffles - Raspberry Beetroot 70% bar - April 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Raspberry infused with Beetroot 70% bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Botanicals Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Botanicals this week have included a variety of plant-based ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, flowers and seeds. Today's Raspberry infused with Beetroot bar from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ) contained both a fruit and and a root vegetable.

The company's Ayurveda-inspired, cocoa butter-rich* bars have a slightly soft, creamy melt and texture (like chocolate truffles).

This 70% dark chocolate had red berry flavor balanced by slight beet, vegetable note; and the bar was garnished with a thin line of freeze-dried, raspberries (powder) on the back.

*Ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao Butter (Peruvian Criollo), Raw Honey, Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Raspberry Essential Oil, Organic Beet Root Powder, Organic Freeze-Dried Raspberry, Himalayan Sea Salt.

Dagoba - Organic Ginger Lime Milk Chocolate 37% cacao - April 23, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dagoba Organic Chocolate 

Ginger Lime milk chocolate 37% cacao bar

Good
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 2.83 oz. (80 g.) in total bar

Calories: 100 calories in 1/4 bar

Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar

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

Dagoba Organic Chocolate
Organic Ginger Lime milk chocolate 37% cacao Cacao Gems
OK ++ - Good
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 4.2 oz. (115 g.) in total package
Calories: 50 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package of 3 flavors
Purchased from: Target Stores, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's organic, gluten free Ginger Lime Milk Chocolates were from Dagoba Organic Chocolate (Ashland, OR).* One was in bar form and the other in individually-wrapped Cacao Gem form.

Although made with the same list of ingredients and wrapped in similarly themed packaging, the bar version of this Ginger Lime milk chocolate seemed a little tastier, fresher and a little more natural. The tiny pieces of crystallized ginger had a more natural soft chew, vs. crunchy flavored bit texture.

Both 37% cacao chocolates were very sweet (which may be OK if you like chocolate candy). However, like many other 37% chocolates, it was hard to taste the cacao under so much sugar and milk,

The design and packaging were well done. The pattern printed on the bar was especially nice, combining an abstract motif with a small figure, the outline of a cacao pod and a small company logo.

*Manufactured by Dagoba Organic Chocolate, a division of The Artisan Confections Company (owned by The Hershey Company). 

**The cacao (beans and butter) used to make these chocolates was sourced from dual-certified Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms.

Map Chocolate Co. - The Secret Garden - dried plum, cardamom Belize 70% bar - April 22, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Map Chocolate Co. 

"The Secret Garden - respite from the storm" dried plum cardamom Belize 70% bar

Good+++ - Very Good

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 187 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's "The Secret Garden" dark bar from Map Chocolate Co. (Eugene, OR) had a long, poetic name: "The Secret Garden respite from the storm Belize 70% with dried plum and cardamom."


This attractively packaged and designed bar came with a tiny leaflet laced with colorful, commentary—a weaving of information about the chocolate bar (makers notes) with memories and associations.

Pieces of local (Oregon) dried plum, and freshly-peeled cardamom seeds, adorned the back of this bar.

This well-tempered dark bar broke with a hard snap, and had an aroma with dark chocolate, spice, toast and dried fruit notes. The Belize 70% chocolate was smooth, almost creamy, and the bar had a light plum and cardamom spice finish.

*Note: The bar was listed as sold out on the company's website.

Map Chocolate Co. - "Favorite Flannel Shirt" Pumpkin Babka Caraway Seeds bar - April 21, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Map Chocolate Co.

Favorite Flannel Shirt pumpkin babka with caraway seeds bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 187 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's "Favorite Flannel Shirt" pumpkin babka with caraway seeds bar was from Map Chocolate Co. (Eugene, OR).

The bar's packaging unfolded a bit like a Russian nested doll. Underneath the brown paper outer wrapping was a beautifully illustrated, botanically-themed wrapper. And at the center, was a square chocolate bar, imprinted with an intricate, mandala-like pattern. The flip side was dusted with a tiny riot of pumpkin and caraway seeds, spices, sugar and oat particles.

This bar had a pleasant, faint intriguing aroma that was tough to pin down (dried plum, dessert, light spice with a comfortable top and bass notes). The aroma did have a comforting/comfortable quality, thus the possible connection with "Favorite Flannel Shirt" and "babka" in the name.

A babka typically might contain yeast dough/gluten, but it seemed that organic oats* were used instead to simulate the grain component here.

The base chocolate had relatively bold, dark flavor with a touch of citrus acidity, and bar had a lingering, even finish.

*Ingredients: "cacao beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, organic pumpkin, organic oats, organic spices, caraway, maple syrup, olive oil, organic brown sugar"

Allergy information: Soy free; may contain nuts and/or dairy due to shared equipment.