Dandelion Chocolate - 100% Camino Verde, Ecuador (bar) - Apr. 25, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Dandelion Chocolate
100% Camino Verde, Ecuador
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's single origin, single ingredient 100% Camino Verde, Ecuador (bar) was made by Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA). 

Rich, layered aroma with tart sweet fruit (apple, stone fruit - peach, very faint cherry), subtle molasses, warm spice, very faint green floral notes. and faint brown fruit (date, dried persimmon, very faint fruit vinegar).

This 100% bar had a thick, substantial texture at room temperature (65 degrees F. / 18 degrees C.).

Though the overall taste will strike some as bitter, or even a tad sour, this ultra-dark chocolate offered rich and complex dark flavor depth, like a fine stout or porter.* 

Do savor a small square of this chocolate slowly to taste this full ebony-dark palette untainted and un-brightened by sugar. There was a dark roast quality to this chocolate without it actually tasting roasted. (A unilateral dark roast would likely have destroyed some of the more nuanced botanical and green notes.)

Flavor notes, in order of appearance, included: earth, mellow green seed/nut and other very faint green floral/botanical notes, subtle baked biscuit (yeast bread), clean mineral, green waxy plant, hops and malt, and other elusive elements (possibly a barely there glimmer of dark/sour fruit acidity, and relatively pleasing edible leaves (artichoke). 

The chocolate had a long finish that lasted for at least four minutes, and conjured up imaginary notions of an Edam/Cheddar cheese plate with unsalted nuts, dried fruit--with an ultra-dark beer, with a porter-spiked, 100% chocolate, barely sweetened, beer fruit cake for dessert. Quite a fantasy meal from just the first few bites of chocolate.

The cacao beans (harvested in 2019) used to make this 100% bar "were grown by producers all around Ecuador and were fermented by Vicente Norero near Guayaquil."

Dandelion makers' tasting notes: "...Eric visited Camino Verde (translation: green road) in 2016, and was impressed by the unique fermentation process. In this bar we taste notes of creme fraiche, black coffee, and roasted peanuts."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans

Allergen-related information: "Contains no dairy, gluten, nuts, or soy." "May contain trace amounts of sugar."

*Think 1 part stout with "chocolate" malt, 1 part porter, with a dash of lambic perhaps.

Laderach - 70% Ecuador grand cru noir (tablet) - Apr. 24, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Laderach Chocolatier Suisse
70% Ecuador grand cru noir
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32 g.) / 2.3 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 186 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.90 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Laderach retail store, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week. 

Ecuador produces a variety of cacao varieties (Forastero, Amelonado, Trinitario, Criollo, and more) for chocolate makers to work with, so this Ecuador-themed chocolate week spans a variety of chocolate aromas and flavors.

Today's 70% Ecuador grand cru noir (tablet/bar) was from Laderach Chocolatier Suisse (Ennenda, Switzerland). 

This attractively packaged, single origin bar--made with cacao from "northern Ecuador"--was purchased in a local Lauderach chocolate shop in northern California. 

Aroma notes included: subtle, sweet dark chocolate, with very faint warm spice and green-lemon herb (oxalis/sour grass, wood sorrel).

This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap and had a very smooth, almost creamy melt and mouthfeel.

The overall/initial flavor was very chocolatey (brownie batter/fresh-baked, moist brownies) with faint, fleeting green-lemon herb (oxalis), warm floral spice (vanilla) and light earth notes. (I'm guessing this 70% dark chocolate was made using a Forastero/Amelonado cacao variety(ies).)

The cacao flavors were balanced with a moderate, well-managed complexity. 

Ingredients: Cocoa paste, sugar, cocoa butter, Natural Flavors.

Allergen-related information: "May contain Egg, Milk, Other gluten (Incl. Wheat), Other Nuts, Soy."

Kaitxo - Txokolate Con Leche - Regaliz y Violetas - Apr. 23, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Kaitxo

Txokolate Con Leche - Regaliz y Violetas

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.4 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Txokolate Con Leche Regaliz y Violetas (Milk Chocolate Liquorice and Violets) bar was made in Spain by Kaitxo Kraft Basque Txokolate (Balmaseda, Spain).

Chocolate almost always has an international story to tell. This bar included ingredients from at least two different continents. European licorice is some of the best--made from licorice root from Europe and Asia. Edible violets/viola flowers can be found in Europe, North America and elsewhere. And the cacao used to make this bar was grown in Peru, according to the packaging.

The chocolate smelled at its best and most intriguing after being open for a few minutes. (Like some fine wines, some higher-end, craft and single origin chocolates can benefit from being allowed to "breathe" a bit after first being opened.) Aroma notes included: chocolate (clay soil, light nut and wood, chocolate-y), light floral (violet, vanilla) and very faint herbal (root) notes. 

Smooth, creamy milk chocolate was punctuated by crunchy, sugary violet flower (candied violet) bits.

This milk chocolate bar had a pleasing, harmonic complexity. Skillfully made, the sweet slightly earthy, nutty chocolate was balanced by the somewhat "darker" licorice (liquorice) root flavor and brightened by the subtle floral notes from the candied violets. A faint hint of uplifting vanilla added warmth. 

The end result was a subtle undulation of flavors that served as a fitting celebration of spring, temperate rain forests, gardens, and chocolate + botanical blends--all on my list of favorite things. 

This bar would also be a fun gift, especially for those who appreciate flavors like root beer and authentic licorice root. The licorice was important, but relatively subtle and well-managed in this bar.

Ingredients: Sugar, powdered milk, cacao, cacao butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vanilla extract, liquorice (2%), and violets (1%).

Allergen-related information: "May contains (sic) traces of peanuts, tree nuts and soy, wheat and milk products."

Homemade - Chocolate Vanilla Rose Milk - Apr. 22, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Artisan Kettle Organic Chocolate

58% Cacao Organic Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar
Good + 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4 oz. (113.5 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (2 squares) 
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's homemade chocolate, vanilla and rose milk beverage was based on squares of a 58% Organic Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar--made for Artisan Kettle Organic Chocolate (Madison, WI). 

A few times a year I make/create homemade chocolate items (brownies, confections, desserts, beverages, entrees, side dishes, etc.). Today's beverage blend was one of those days. 

I used this relatively bold 58% Cacao Artisan Kettle Organic Chocolate to add rich flavor to a vanilla milk and rosewater beverage (fancy chocolate milk). 

I first gently heated Organic A2/A2 Vanilla Milk (whole milk) from Alexandre Family Farms (Crescent City, CA), and stirred in 2 squares of today's dark chocolate. After cooling and chilling this mixture (with one small, dried tart cherry), I stirred in several drops of rosewater before drinking. Because this was a relatively flavorful dark chocolate, I had to add a bit more milk as I went, so the rosewater would be detectable.

The chocolate (by itself) had faint warm spice (cinnamon) and vanilla-botanical (very faint green and floral botanical) notes and a rich, true chocolate (brownie) flavor. (Cacao source was identified as "small family-owned farms in South America" on packaging.)

This organic baking chocolate made for a good eating chocolate. After tasting this, I felt this would have been great for chocolate brownies with cinnamon. In fact, upon closer examination, the inner packaging included a recipe for "Artisan Kettle Mexican Hot Chocolate Spicy Brownies." This, intuitively, seemed like a great match with/for this chocolate.

Ingredients (in base chocolate used): Organic fair trade certified chocolate liquor, organic cane sugar, organic fair trade certified cocoa butter, organic fair trade certified cocoa butter, organic sunflower lecithin, organic vanilla extract.

Allergen-related information for all four ingredients used to make this homemade beverage. 

• Artisan Kettle 58% dark chocolate bar: "Manufactured in a peanut and tree nut free facility." (vegan, dairy free, soy free, nut free, gluten free, GMO free)
• Alexandre Family Farms Organic A2/A2 Vanilla Milk: Contains milk.
• Surabhi - Gulabjal Fresh Rose Water: (contains "preservative")
• 1 small dried tart cherry - left to infuse in the beverage blend overnight (contains sunflower oil)

Theo Chocolate - Peach Blossom and Chai Tea pieces - Apr. 21, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Peach Blossom White Tea Ganache - Good ++ - Good +++
Chai Tea Ganache - Good ++
Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total box of 4 pcs.
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces 
Cost: $10.99 for 1 box of 4 chocolates 
Purchased from: FarmFresh to You, online order

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

Today's Peach Blossom Tea and Chai Tea Ganache chocolates, 2 pieces from a 4-piece Spring Tea Ganache Collection, were from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Peach Blossom White Tea Ganache
The aroma for this confection was an uplifting blend of fruit (dried pear and apricot) and floral (fragrant stone fruit blossoms) notes. 

A dark chocolate shell surrounded a soft but substantial (think cold butter), creamy ganache center.

The taste was a celebration of spring flavors, including relatively bold, faintly earthy dark chocolate, with surprisingly un-muted floral (a blend of stone-fruit blossoms and orange blossoms) and tart sweet fruit (apricot, pear, loquat, peach) notes. The relatively small dose of sugar in this confection resulted in clearer, more accessible flavors. 

The delicate white tea was more of a hidden contributor, and seemed the perfect choice and delicate foil for these other flavors.

Chai Tea Ganache

Aroma notes included: chai tea spices (star anise and other warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger) and chocolate.

The dark chocolate veneer gave way to a velvety soft, ebony-colored dark ganache.

As with the other pieces in this Spring Collection assortment the tea-infused ganache was enrobed in the same smooth, yet bold dark covering with a well-managed earth note. This cacao choice* helped balance out the clear, naturally sweet floral and fruit notes--miraculously, not eclipsing them in the process. 

Big thanks to Theo Chocolate for these skillfully orchestrated, Spring-inspired filled chocolates, with a relatively light touch of sugar. The clarity and access to the authentic floral, tea and fruit flavor inclusions was very satisfying. 

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade cacao beans; organic, fair trade cane sugar; peach blossom infused cream (organic cream, organic peach blossom tea (organic white tea, organic quince, natural peach flavor, organic peaches, essential orange oil, essential tangerine oil), and possibly organic whole milk powder, organic butter, organic nonfat milk powder, honey, organic lemon juice). For more detailed/specific information, please contact Theo Chocolate. 

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk.) "Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, and sesame."

*According to information available on the Theo Chocolate website, the cacao was sourced in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the sugar was sourced in Brazil.

 

Theo Chocolate - Hibiscus Herbal Tea Chocolate - Apr. 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Hibiscus Herbal Tea Chocolate
Good +
Weight: .42 oz. (12 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total 4-pc. collection 
Calories: 60 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $10.99 for 1 4-pc. collection
Purchased from: FarmFresh to You, online order

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

Today's Hibiscus Herbal Tea Ganache chocolate was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). It was part of a 4-piece Spring Tea Ganache Collection. This small box held a flavorful dark assortment that showcased floral tea flavors, including jasmine, hibiscus and peach blossom.

The rectangular, filled dark chocolate (Democratic Republic of Congo cacao*) was adorned with an attractive, fine line of what may have been powdered (freeze-dried, magenta-colored) hibiscus and sugar. 

Aroma notes included: red fruit, faint floral, very light herbal/root, and chocolate notes.

Texturally, the dark chocolate shell/coating was smooth. And the filling inside was a light, almost whipped, light beige-mauve colored ganache.

Tasting notes for this piece included: subtle red fruit (tart cherry); dark, very slightly earthy, relatively bold dark chocolate (that lingered into a relatively long finish for a confection); root/herbal (faint, delicate root beer), faint, tart sweet red floral (hibiscus), and faint honey. 

I enjoyed the complexity in this balanced and flavorful filled chocolate; bold dark chocolate helped balance the sweetness. And a judicious amount of sugar helped to let more delicate floral tea and other flavors shine through.

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade cacao beans; organic, fair trade cane sugar; hibiscus tea infused cream (organic cream, organic hibiscus tea (organic hibiscus flowers)), organic fair trade cocoa butter, and possibly organic whole milk powder, organic butter and organic nonfat milk. (For an exact list of specific ingredients on this Hibiscus chocolate, please contact Theo Chocolate.)

Allergen-related information: (Contains dairy (cream, milk).) "Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, and sesame."

*According to information on the Theo Chocolate website, the cacao used to make the dark chocolate couverture/shells for this Spring Tea 4-piece Ganache Collection was from/sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and the sugar was from/sourced in Brazil.

Theo Chocolate - Spring Tea Collection - Jasmine Tea Ganache - Apr. 19, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Jasmine Tea Ganache 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .42 oz. (12 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total box of 4 pieces
Calories: .42 oz. (12 g.) in 1 piece
Cost: $10.99 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: FarmFresh to You, online order

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

Today's Jasmine Tea Ganache chocolate confection was part of a 4-piece Spring Tea Collection (assortment) from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). Each of the four flavors were enrobed in dark chocolate and contained a different tea-infused, ganache filling.

The aroma: rich dark chocolate laced with aromatic jasmine, was exactly as promised.

The silky smooth dark chocolate interior (ganache)--a blend of dark and milk* chocolate--was covered in a firmer dark chocolate shell.

This enjoyably complex, dark confection had a lovely jasmine floral tea flavor from start to finish (thank you)--even though it was surrounded by bold dark chocolate (think Forastero variety cacao) that had balanced earth and dark brownie batter notes--mirroring the image of April flowers springing forth from rich, dark soil outside my window.

A judicious amount of sugar allowed the complementary bittersweet (intense cacao and sweet floral) flavors to shine through. This Jasmine chocolate would be a treat for dark chocolate and botanical/floral fans who normally find confections/filled chocolates too sweet.

According to Theo Chocolate's website: Cacao for this collection was sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and sugar for this collection was sourced in Brazil.

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade Cocoa beans; organic, fair trade cane sugar; jasmine tea-infused cream (organic cream, organic jasmine tea (green tea with jasmine))* -- and possibly organic whole milk powder, organic butter, organic nonfat milk powder and honey. (For a complete list of ingredients for each flavor in this collection, contact Theo Chocolate.)

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk.) "Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, and sesame."

*Cream in the filling (ganache) served as a "carrier" for the jasmine tea. Flavors are often infused into cream, and then incorporated into chocolates. Cream is much easier to blend with chocolate than water. (Ground cacao beans have a fairly high fat content and are naturally hydrophobic, i.e., they don't easily mix with or dissolve in water. A vat of melted chocolate can "seize up" when water is added.)