Fossa Chocolate - 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar) - Sept. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar)
Good 
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 66 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar 
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito and (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Billed as offering an "umami of the sea" experience, this bar delivered. When you opened this bar, you could see authentic marine life--tiny little dried shrimps nestled amongst the sesame seeds. 

But, the sight of these tiny crustaceans were not the surprise. (I have enjoyed chocolates with smoked salmon as well as dried anchovies and many other umami (savory) flavor inclusions before.) Nor was it the slightly fishy aroma that emanated from the bar--that became much fainter after taking a bite of the chocolate.

Surprise! This bar contained 6 of the 8 major food allergens,* including gluten (wheat flour), although it was not present in visible amount(s). I've been dodging wheat/gluten all my adult life. I like it; it doesn't like me. So, I limited my tasting to a smaller piece of this 70% dark bar, and shared it with others.

The dark chocolate was bold enough that it covered up what might have been a "fishy" flavor. The dried shrimps and bonito fish flecks contributed a bit of chewy texture and a hint of saltiness and no scary fishiness. If blindfolded, it's unlikely I would have been able to identify the specific type of seafood (shrimp, bonito) flavor inclusions.

The bar was not too sweet or too salty (thank you). It was a skillful, balanced, implementation of these unusual flavors. Definitely worth trying if you can get over the fear factor. (Tiny dried shrimps are almost adorable when you become accustomed to them.)

*Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, dried shrimp, seaweed, sesame, soy sauce, lactose, salt, egg, spices, yeast extract, wheat flour.

*Note: "Contains seafood, sesame, egg, dairy, gluten and soy."

The Wine Rayzyn Co. - Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn - Sept. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

The Wine Rayzyn Company, LLC
Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn  
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) in one package
Calories: 60 calories in 1 package
Cost: $missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered CabernayZyn were made by The Wine Rayzyn Company, LLC (Napa, CA). Located in the heart of wine country in Northern California, the company specializes in food items made with wine grapes (rather than conventional eating grapes you'd see at a market).

Surprise! Wine grapes are great for high-end raisins (and grape juice) too. Normally these grapes are likely pricey enough that it's more profitable to use these for wine, but finding these grapes in their less processed, non-alcoholic phase is wonderful, rare treat.

The Wine Rayzyn Co. points out that the combination of today's dark chocolate and crunchy wine grapes offers a "double dose of antioxidants." It's true, both dark chocolate and grapes are relatively high in antioxidants--polyphenols, specifically, that are found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine.

Today's crunchy (due to thick skins, small seeds, and perhaps a few stems*), dried Cabernet wine grapes were covered in a light layer of dark chocolate. 

These "CabernayZyns" were slightly lighter (in weight and flavor) than expected and slightly more rounded in shape than traditional raisins. 

And, even though the smooth, almost creamy* dark chocolate covering was nice and light, it was hard to taste nuances of grape flavor(s) associated with the grape used to make a bold, red Cabernet wine. (But, then again, the sugars in these raisins hadn't been converted to alcohol and aged either.)

Overall, this was a tasty, fun new snack to try, and these were not too sweet (thank you!).

*Ingredients: Dried Cabernet grapes with seeds and stems, dark chocolate (chocolate mass,  sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, milk fat (butter), pure vanilla). 

Siamaya Chocolate - Durian Milk Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Siamaya Chocolate
Durian Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Durian Milk Chocolate (bar) was crafted by Siamaya Chocolate / Siamaya Craft Co., Ltd. (Chang Mai, Thailand).

The chocolate bar, made in Thailand, was redolent with authentic durian fruit,* and had a fainter chocolate, aroma. This milk chocolate was sweet, but not enough to overwhelm the unique fruit flavor. Although it was sweet enough to make it hard to detect cacao nuances. 

*Properly ripe durian fruit is very tasty, sweet, fruity and slightly pungent. It's also difficult to describe. It's a combination of smooth, creamy white mango, a custardy melon with a hint of musk or something similar. When overripe or not properly ripened, the adjectives spew from people's mouths with some disgust--and none of their word choices are good. (Excrement, garbage, sweat, you name it, it's on the why-I-don't-like-durian-fruit list. This poor, maligned fruit is even on the "no fly" list (not allowed on certain forms of public transportation) due to its potential odor. Thankfully, today's Siamaya Chocolate bar seemed to have captured this unique, and occasionally controversial, fruit in perfect form, perhaps the chocolate even captured or stabilized the best of the flavor. 

Ingredients: cacao nibs (38.8%), organic cane sugar (33.95%), powdered milk (14.55%), cacao butter (9.7%), durian fruit (2.7%), organic sunflower lecithin (0.3%).

Siamaya Chocolate - Thai Peanut Curry (bar) - Sept. 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Siamaya Chocolate

Thai Peanut Curry (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar

Calories: 334 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Thai Peanut Curry (bar) was from Siamaya Chocolate / Siamaya Craft Co., Ltd. (Chang Mai, Thailand).

Siamaya makes bean-to-bar chocolate. They blend locally grown, pesticide free Thai cacao beans with locally inspired, and for us perhaps surprising and unique, Thai flavor inclusions. 

Today's gluten free and vegan Thai peanut curry bar was inspired by Thai massaman peanut curry. The maker(s) have layered sweet dark chocolate with chilies, cinnamon, lemon-grass and candied ginger.

This bar had an aroma with sweet and spicy peanuts fresh out of the roaster, and subtle chocolate notes.

After the first taste, the peanut bits were soon relegated to textural elements with faint nutty notes. Why? When I bit into the bar, pieces of candied ginger stole the show. And just when I thought the ginger might becoming too bossy, sassy upticks of chili sizzle and spice heat rose to the forefront. The finish was calmer, with hints of lemongrass and ginger. 

This hearty chocolate highlighted authentic Thai flavors, and offered an exciting, fun, full flavor ride. The chocolate was sweet, but not too sweet.

Peanut history

Peanuts are a culinary staple in many countries in Asia, and around the globe. This humble legume originated in South America (Peru, Brazil), and likely overlapped with the original cacao-growing regions. Indigenous people may have even ground nuts, cacao seeds (aka cacao beans), chilies and spices (allspice, vanilla) together for inclusion in beverages and foods (think early mole sauces).

Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, English) brought peanuts back to Europe and elsewhere. The Portuguese likely brought peanuts to Africa from Brazil as early as the 1600s. Peanuts were also introduced to Asia. (The earliest written records of planting peanuts in Thailand date back to the mid-1800s.)

By the 1700s, Africans (slaves) had brought peanuts back to the Americas, specifically to North America; and peanuts were planted and cultivated, especially in the southern U.S. They were, at first, thought of as a food for the poor and for livestock.

Sometimes foods, things and people come full circle, or are discovered and popularized in another culture before they're appreciated in their home town or country.

Ingredients: cacao nibs (44%), organic cane sugar (24%), peanuts (17%), candied ginger (9%), cacao butter (4%), spices (1%), chilies (0.7%), sunflower lecithin (0.3%).

Atlantic Candy Company - Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise - Sept. 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Atlantic Candy Company 

Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise

Good 

Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) in total chocolate item

Calories: 128 calories in 1 piece

Cost: $1.00 (estimate) for 1 chocolate toy item

Purchased from: Target, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Toy Box Chocolate + Surprise was manufactured by Atlantic Candy Company (Saint Augustine, FL).

This novelty item was part of a series containing re-imagined creatures and animals (with clothing, accessories) inside bi-colored plastic spheres, covered in milk chocolate. 

The hollow, outer chocolate-sphere was easy to open, without being too fragile. The texture was smooth and uniform. And, as expected, the chocolate was quite sweet, making it difficult to taste much beyond the sugar.

Thankfully, the only artificial ingredient was related to the vanillin (vanilla flavoring).* Everything else looked pretty wholesome. The bulk of this chocolate surprise item was the toy inside, so there wasn't much chance of someone overdosing on the sugar.

I must confess, it was fun getting a surprise toy inside this chocolate--even as an adult. It brought back fond novelty-chocolate-chomping childhood memories. (Heaven forbid that we chomp our chocolate now, said the adult who enjoyed the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character in their youth.) It's much more, elegant, slow-motion zen tasting at this stage of life. But, there's nothing like a good dose of humor and fun to lighten things up now and then.

*Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), vanillin (artificial flavor)

Agapey - Ginger Rum - 70% Dark Chocolate with Ginger Rum caramel filling - Sept. 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Agapey Chocolate Factory (Barbados)

Ginger Rum 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Good ++

Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 185 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend (thank you Toni!) 

Purchased from: Gift from a friend (who visited Bridgetown/Agapey)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Ginger Rum 70% Dark Chocolate filled with ginger rum caramel was from Agapey Chocolate Factory (Bridgetown, Barbados). It was a gift from a friend who traveled to several Caribbean islands and brought this back to the U.S.--a bit of a challenge, transporting chocolate in warm weather. (Thank you Toni!)

This is the first chocolate I've featured on Chocolate Banquet made in Barbados; and this filled bar (four chocolate cubes melded together) incorporated several ingredients grown/made locally, including the sugar and rum.

My tasting notes are below: 

Aroma: rich deep dark chocolate (cocoa, brownie) and buttery rum aroma notes

Melt/texture: smooth, substantial dark chocolate contrasted with soft, flavor infused caramel filling/center(s).

Flavor: Undulating bold, true dark chocolate (balanced earth, fudge brownie) mingled with sweet, velvety golden caramel infused with Mount Gay Rum (Barbados) and ginger spice-- both warming flavors. The ginger was very subtle, and not too strong.

Finish: light lingering rum and dark chocolate finish

I enjoyed the fact that the 70% cacao dark chocolate was bold and interesting and was not too sweet (thank you!). This dark chocolate was the perfect counterpoint to the softer, sweeter rum and ginger caramel, and helped balance the sweetness.

Ingredients: "all natural roasted cocoa beans, caramel (corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk (pasteurized milk, sugar), sugar, palm oil, water, butter (cream, salt), salt, vanilla extract, soy lecithin (an emulsifier)), cane sugar, ginger, rum, cocoa butter...May contain traces of peanuts/nuts."

Fossa Chocolate - Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar - Sept. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 272 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week. 

Today's Duck Shit Dacong oolong tea bar was a collaboration between Fossa Chocolate (Singapore) and tea lifestyle company, Pekoe and Imp (Singapore). 

Yes, you did read that correctly. Duck Shit tea. Surprise. 

But, sometimes you have to take a few risks in life, and get beyond first impressions. Was there really duck "content" in this bar? Was this a milk chocolate? (It was not identified as such, but it did contain milk powder). There was no mention of the cacao percentage...But, why quibble with all these questions, when it's more about the taste, right?

Behind the surprising name

What's the story behind the surprising "Duck Shit" name? The following is the explanation on the bar's packaging: "Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit) is an oolong tea cultivated in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province. The story goes that the farmer, in an attempt to hide the secret to his delicious tea, gave it an unpleasant name and it stuck."

How did it taste?

This chocolate tasting experience started with a fragrant, slightly floral, faintly fruity oolong tea with faint green (tea) note and subtle chocolate aroma.

The melt was smooth; tannic acid from the tea added a light astringency about mid-way and into the finish. 

It may have been my imagination (we have very bad air quality in California this week from fires which is affecting the senses), but I experienced a very fleeting, faint note of water (lake/lagoon) flavor (mineral + water plant/moss funk) at the tail end of the finish. It was not bad, just different. 

Regrettably, I was so focused on the interesting tea flavors that I missed any subtleties of the cacao. (The addition of milk powder may have also mellowed some tea and cacao flavors in this bar.) The tea was quite balanced, but dominated the nuance zone when it came to flavor notes. The two complemented each other and made for a rich and complex flavor ride--my favorite mode of culinary transportation.

Maker's notes: "...flavours of longan (aka dragon eye fruit, related to lychee and rambutan fruits) and malt along with floral and mineral finish enhanced by the Malaysia origin wine-barrel fermented cacao used in this chocolate."

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa powder, milk powder, tea leaves