Mirzam Chocolate Makers - 62% Dark Chocolate Halwa (bar) with saffron and rose - June 1, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
Kakaw Manufacturing Co. LLC
62% Dark Chocolate Halwa (bar) with saffron and rose
Good+ - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Halwa (bar) with saffron and rose was from Mirzam Chocolate Makers (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) in conjunction with Kakaw Manufacturing Co. LLC (Dubai).

This bar was part of an Emirati collection of chocolates inspired by "treasured recipes" and the "rich cultural landscape of U.A.E."

The name Mirzam refers to a bright star,* itself a reference to stars that may have guided travelers and merchants along fabled Arab trading routes, by land and sea. The flavor inclusions in Mirzam chocolate bars are largely items that would have been traded along these routes.

Today's 62% dark bar had a rich saffron and light rose floral aroma. (Saffron threads come from purple saffron crocus flowers.) The base dark chocolate was smooth, and a mix of halwa** inspired flavor inclusions*** transported one. Sticky, crunchy bits of saffron- and rose-infused caramel brittle and nutty bits of pistachios, almonds and dates added rich flavors and textural contrast.

*Mirzam, also known as Murzim, is a bright, beta star in the constellation Canis Major. 

**Halwa, also known as halva, halvah and other variations, is a dense, sweet confection from the Middle East, that can be sliced into pieces. Ingredients may include flour or nut butter, sugar/honey, nuts, rosewater, saffron, and other floral and seed (notably sesame) ingredients.*** Variations abound across Central and Southern Asia and up into the Mediterranean region.

***Ingredients in this bar: Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, unrefined cane sugar, almonds, pistachio, dates, rose, saffron.

Markham and Fitz - Ooh La Lavender 64% bar - May 31, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers
Ooh La Lavender - Lavender, honey, vanilla, nibs 64% dark chocolate bar
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Ooh La Lavender bar was made by Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers (Bentonville, AK).

This lovely 64% dark chocolate bar contained the aforementioned lavender (lavender oil); Patagonia honey (a floral honey sustainably produced by Patagonia Bee Products); cacao nibs and vanilla.

The single origin chocolate was made using organic cacao that was grown in Oko Caribe, Dominican Republic. (The makers work with importing partners, such as Uncommon Cacao.)

The bar had a great lavender floral aroma—made extra beautiful with honey and an almost invisible but very effective touch of vanilla.

Honey itself can provide a subdued floral note or two. This bar was sweetened with honey and cane sugar. Using honey in this bar added great complementary flavor and, when combined with the DR cacao, the 64% cacao chocolate (that tasted more like a 75% bar), was not too sugary sweet (thank you!).

Why don't more makers choose to work with honey? Not everyone wants floral or honey flavors added to their chocolate, however subtle they may be. And refined cane sugar is considered more "neutral" as well as being less expensive. Honey can be more challenging to work with than cane sugar.*

The texture was smooth and the flavor was the realization of aromas promised, punctuated by crunchy cacao nibs. The chocolate had a bold, smooth dark flavor that the makers balanced very nicely with the other flavors.

This Ooh La Lavender bar had a very pleasant, very light lingering honey and lavender finish that felt both refreshing and calming. Overall it was a very well executed bar, and a well-deserved Good Food Awards** win.

*Unlike cane sugar which is fairly dry, honey is about 20 percent water, and is considered a humectant (meaning it acts to preserve moisture). Chocolate generally reacts poorly to water or moisture and can "seize up" in its melted form (when be made into chocolate bars) if one adds water. Not a great thing to happen in the manufacturing process, which is also why powdered milk (and not fresh milk) is added directly to chocolate in the making of milk chocolate. 

**The Good Food Awards have roots in the slow food and sustainability movements in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. If you're looking for great chocolates, peruse their list of winners. 

Choquiero Chocolate - Mayan Rose with Cinnamon and Maca 75% bar - May 30, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Choquiero Chocolate
Mayan Rose with Cinnamon and Maca Root bar
Good++
Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

The aroma of today's Mayan Rose with Cinnamon and Maca Root bar from Choquiero Chocolate (Grass Valley, CA / Santa Cruz, CA) promised a wonderful balance between the chocolate and flavor inclusions.

And this organic, vegan, fair trade 75% cacao bar delivered. The chocolate had smooth and soft (added cocoa butter) flavors and texture. Barely detectable hints of cinnamon, vanilla and salt gave it a lift. Sweetened with coconut sugar, the dark chocolate was sweet, but without a sugar buzz (thank you!).

Ingredients: (All Organic): Cacao paste, cacao butter, coconut sugar, vanilla bean, maca, Himalayan salt, rose "pedal," rose "essene" and cinnamon.

Mirzam Chocolate Makers - 62% Dark Chocolate with Rose bar - May 29, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
(Kakaw Manufacturing LLC)
62% Dark Chocolate with Rose bar
Good++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 229 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Mirzam Chocolate Makers 62% Dark Chocolate with Rose bar was made, from bean-to-bar, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This elegantly designed, ebony-colored chocolate broke with a well-tempered snap and gave off a lovely rose aroma.

The 62% cacao dark chocolate (made with cacao grown in Ghana, with a bold, smooth and slightly earthy flavor) was an interesting choice to pair with a delicate floral infusion (Bulgarian rose oil).

However, the rose oil was strong enough to stand up for itself. And its beautiful rose scent and flavor was a successful match the the bolder dark chocolate made by a talented chocolate maker. Had this same bar been made with a 75% or higher cacao solids percentage, the floral notes likely would have been overpowered.

Antidote Chocolate - Lavender Flowers + Red Salt slow roasted 84% bar - May 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote Chocolate
Lavender Flowers + Red Salt 84% slow roasted cacao, low sugar bar
Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Lavender Flowers + Red Salt slow roasted cacao bar was from Antidote Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The chocolate, made with cacao grown in Ecuador, had a relatively creamy melt and texture. The bar had a green plant aroma which softened into lavender flower bud flavors after the first bite. A balanced amount of red salt added some mellow contrast.

The lower sugar level in this vegan, 84 percent cacao bar (and no attempt to add alternative sweeteners) was refreshing.

Antidote Chocolate - Earl Grey and Orange 70% bar - May 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote Chocolate
Queens of Paradise: Earl Grey and Orange 70% cacao bar
Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Earl Grey and Orange 70% Cacao bar was from Antidote Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY). I included this bar in a flower-themed chocolate week, as the floral notes of Earl Grey tea remind me of flowers as much as tea.

This vegan, gluten free and Kosher dark chocolate bar had an initial herb tea and light citrus/acetic acid (vinegar) aroma.

Chewy bits of orange peel yielded pleasant, authentic citric flavor that complemented the smooth dark chocolate base (made in Ecuador with Arriba Nacional cacao grown in Manabi, Ecuador) and not too sweet (thank you).

The bergamot* (Earl Grey tea) note was a bit more delicate and fleeting. The bar had a balanced, lilting orange finish.

*Bergamot, sometimes referred to as a bergamot orange, is an aromatic citrus fruit with floral notes, that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavor. (It can be grown in Mediterranean climates.) The peel is where the fragrance stems from. The fruit itself is fairly sour, unlike the sweet orange fruit we are used to eating.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Kukka - Chocolate with Flower Petals, Rose Crystals 69% bar - May 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Kukka - Chocolate topped with flower petals, rose crystals 69% (bar)
Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 1.696 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 129.8 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: (one of a 4-bar Nordic Flavors box)
Purchased from: Goodio Chocolate (online order)

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

Today's "Kukka" - Chocolate topped with flower petals, rose crystals 69% (bar) was made from scratch by Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

This bar, part of a 4-bar Nordic flavors assortment pack was inspired by experiences and flavors in nature.* The back of the bar—arranged with edible flower petals with a hint of birch sugar—was a work of natural and culinary art.

The sweet, stoneground dark chocolate gave way to slight upticks in floral flavor. (Make sure you have a bite with a rose crystal in it.)

*Inside the packaging was printed a very endearing love letter to nature and childhood memories having to do with selecting a flower and playing the game: she loves me, she loves me not... The end of this note indicates that this bar has incorporated "only 'loves you' petals." Sweet.