Shekoh Confections - Bergamot - June 17, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Shekoh Confections
Bergamot
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 62 calories (estimate) in 1 piece 
Cost: $4.40 ($22 for a 5-piece box)
Purchased from: Shekoh Confections, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Bergamot chocolate was created by Chef Shekoh Moossavi at Shekoh Confections (Palo Alto, CA).

Subtle aroma notes for this chocolate included tart green herb (oxalis) and light citrus perfume. A perfectly thin* dark chocolate shell encased a sweet bergamot infused chocolate ganache (filling) that had a lovely, slow, creamy melt. 

Bergamot is the aromatic citrus fruit (rind) that flavors Earl Grey and Lady Grey (black) teas.

The base (Valrhona) chocolate was rich in layered flavor with true chocolate (dark chocolate mousse, very faint earth and even fainter nut) and subtle caramel notes that extended into the finish.

The sweetness level, and layered flavors and textures were all well balanced and complex--while still harmonizing very nicely as a whole.

Maker's description: Bergamot oil, black loose tea infusion, Valrhona dark chocolate.

Ingredients: (Not listed on small box)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on small box)

*Shekoh's fresh-made filled chocolate confections that I've tasted have all been very well executed. The bottom of her domed chocolate confections is thick enough to provide weight and stability. The chocolate sides (of dome) are just thin enough to provide a slight cracking sensation when you take a bite, but just strong enough to prevent any punctures/cracks. I really appreciate her skill that extends from layered and well balanced flavors to the structure and taste of the chocolate.

Green and Black's - Organic Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar - June 16, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Green and Black's

Organic Milk Chocolate with Almonds (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar

Calories: 260 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $4.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA 

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

Today's Green and Black's Organic Milk Chocolate with Almonds (bar) was made in Italy and distributed by Mondelez Global LLC (East Hanover, NJ).

This bar had true, rich, creamy, sweet milk chocolate aroma and flavor with nutty and caramel notes. (I felt I could really taste the organic milk (24% milk content); and that was a good thing.)

Tea pairing experiments

As for (tea) pairings, it's a bit like mixing paint colors. You can mix two analogous (similar) colors (close to each other on the color wheel), e.g. yellow and orange. Or you can choose opposite colors (e.g. red and green) on the color wheel. Similar colors might be more harmonious. Opposing colors may clash, destroy/dull each other's best attributes, or they might complete each other wonderfully--e.g. adding a bright citrus or fruit note to liven up or add flavor depth to a dark, dense chocolate.

One form of analogous tea pairing might involve mirroring a chocolate's attributes. For example, for this bar: a full-fat, frothy creamy (dairy or almond) milk (black) tea latte with a hint of vanilla. Optional: few drops of authentic almond flavor (extract, liqueur) and splash of hazelnut milk and drizzles of caramelized sugar and chocolate syrups, and whipped cream.

A possible opposite/opposing, yet still somewhat complementary, tea pairing choice: Red Osmanthus Tea with light, bright fruity (apricot, apple) flavor notes. This herbal/Chinese medicinal tea is made with dried, tiny, pale golden, (gui hua) flower blossoms. 

Almonds are related to plums, apricots, peaches and apples. (They're all in the prunus genus.) While osmanthus flowers are in a different family, the aroma/flavor is somewhat similar to these fruits. Note: Brew the dried flower tea for a few minutes with hot water and then decant liquid/tea (discarding the blossoms/tea) soon after the water turns a pale golden color; otherwise the tea will have a slightly bitter taste.

I tried both tea pairing options mentioned above. Either one might work, depending on your taste preferences. 

That said, I would eat some of this chocolate by itself first before pairing it with anything else, as it had deeply satisfying milk chocolate, cream and nutty flavors. Yes, it was quite sweet, but it was also of substantially higher quality than you'll experience than most 37% cacao milk chocolate bars. And the cream and nuts helped balance the sugar.

Maker's description: "rich milk chocolate with whole roasted Mediterranean almonds for a full nutty flavor"

Ingredients: Organic milk chocolate (organic cane sugar, organic milk, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla extract), organic almonds.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk, soy, almond. May contain: other tree nuts.

Equal Exchange - Organic, Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond & Teas (Brown Sugar Boba, other) - June 15, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange 
Organic and Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (9 pieces/squares) of bar
Cost: $2.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, featuring several chocolate and tea pairings. 

Today I sampled two items: 1.) a 55% Dark Chocolate bar with tea, and 2.) a boba tea ice cream bar (with cocoa powder).

Today's Organic, Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond Toasted Pieces (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA). Since its inception 30 years ago, this co-op owned company has built many "alternative trade" relationships with small farmers in several countries around the world.

The organic cacao used to make this chocolate came from the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Togo. The organic sugar was from Paraguay, and the organic vanilla was from Madagascar.

This relatively sweet, 55% cacao dark chocolate bar was embedded with bits of toasted almond. The aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: true chocolate (dark chocolate pudding), faint nut and malt, and very faint tart green herb (oxalis).

I paired this with a warm, organic black tea latte with almond milk. It worked.

Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar

Shao Mei (Xiao Mei)
Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar
Good +
Weight: 2.82 fl. oz. (80 g.) / 11.3 fl. oz. (320 g.) in total box of 4 bars
Calories: 146.2 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 4 bars 
Purchased from: Safeway, San Mateo, CA

The second item sampled today was a Shao Mei Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar (product of Taiwan, (manufactured by Hwa Mei Food Col, Ltd., Changhua County, Taiwan) that contained a small amount of cocoa powder.*

This frozen pop (and other recent boba tea flavor arrivals in the frozen foods aisle at the market) reflected the popularity of boba milk teas--and in particular brown sugar boba (with pearls sweetened with brown sugar/honey)--in California and elsewhere. It was a fun change of pace (frozen dessert) on a hot day.

The milky ice cream frozen bar was veined with a prominent brown sugar marbling. Embedded brown sugar colored boba (aka tapioca/starch pearls, or mini mochi balls) contributed a springy, starchy and chewy textural element. 

The cocoa powder added a wee bit of flavor depth. I thought I imagined a little tea flavor; but I could not find any tea in the rather lengthy ingredients list (see below), unless it was one of the unnamed "flavors" at the end of the list.

Ingredients: Water, mini mochi brown sugar (maltose syrup, acetylated distarch adipate, water, brown sugar, tapioca starch, brown sugar flavor, caramel colors, palm oil, cocoa powder, potato starch), sugar (sugar, caramelizing sugar), maltose, coconut oil, skim milk powder, brown sugar, cream, whey powder, food coloring (caramel (E150a), FDandC Yellow #5 and #6 (E102 and E110)), cornstarch, maltodextrin, emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), Polysorbate 80), thickeners (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum, sodium alginate), flavors, salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk and dairy products. Made in a plant that also processes products containing peanuts, mangos, nuts, soybeans, milk, dairy products, egg products, sesame products, and gluten-containing grains. 

* This bar was different than yesterday's Brown Sugar Boba tea ice cream bar with vanilla ice cream--that did not contain cocoa powder.

 

Equal Exchange - Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk (bar) - June 14, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange 
Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 9 pieces (squares) of bar (1 serving)
Cost: $2.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, featuring chocolate and tea pairings.

Today's Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk with Coconut Palm Sugar (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange Co-op (West Bridgewater, MA).

Equal Exchange, a co-op owned company, has been building alternative supply chain relationships and focusing on fair trade and small farmers for many years. Their offerings include chocolate, coffee, and other packaged foods.

The ingredients used to make this bar were all grown by small farmer co-operatives around the globe. The organic cacao was grown in the Dominican Republic and Peru. The organic sugar was from Paraguay and Costa Rica. The organic vanilla was from Madagascar; and the organic coconut was from Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

This bar had notably thick, coconut (milk) creamy texture with rich, sweet, authentic toasted coconut, chocolate and brown sugar (aroma and) flavors. A hint of vanilla enhanced the sense of sweetness even more. This 55% cacao bar would be great for coconut lovers with a sweet tooth and/or those searching for a sweet diary milk chocolate alternative with a little extra flavor.

Tea Pairings

Pairing chocolate with wine, tea, coffee or milk(s), can be tricky. Ideally, one should not dominate or take the other chocolate or beverage flavor(s) sideways. The best pairings elevate each both items, resulting in delicious blend. 

I tried pairing today's coconut milk chocolate with the following tea-related items:

1.) Frozen Brown Sugar Boba tea and vanilla ice cream bar (from Taiwan)
2.) Chilled Hibiscus kombucha tea
3.) Warm chai tea (oolong tea, chai spices and chai spice-infused honey)
4.) Hot/warm grapefruit leaf tea

Once again, I found that frozen and chilled tea items dulled chocolate (bar) flavors. (Cocoa butter melts at around body temperature, at which point fats and solids start separating and, arguably, the zone where embedded flavors are most easily released and enjoyed.)

Today's coconut chocolate bar was also quite sweet (a bit of a challenge), ruling out many sweetened tea offerings as partners for fear of creating overly sugared blends. 

The pairing winner? Hot/warm fresh grapefruit leaf tea (think light green, lemon, and faint lemongrass notes). This will not come as a complete surprise to those who like Thai warm coconut milk and lemon grass (savory) soups or chilled lemongrass and coconut sugar drinks. The unsweetened, fresh grapefruit leaf tisane/tea added some flavor depth/lift in the form of light acidic fruit and green notes and balanced the inherent sweetness of this bar.

Ingredients: Fairly traded, organic coconut palm sugar; fairly traded, organic chocolate liquor; fairly traded, organic cocoa butter; fairly traded, organic coconut flakes; organic coconut milk powder (fairly traded, organic coconut milk, organic tapioca maltodextrin).

Allergen-related: "Contains coconut. May contain milk, peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds."

Taza Chocolate - Seriously Dark 87% Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 13, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Taza Chocolate

Seriously Dark 87% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good +

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

Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar

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

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, including chocolate items with tea, and chocolate and tea pairings.

Today's "Seriously Dark" 87% Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA). The company specializes in minimally processed, stoneground chocolate and offers a variety of bars, discs, barks and chocolate covered nuts.

Taza's Seriously Dark bar was made using direct trade certified cacao; and the aroma had relatively bold dark chocolate, floral and vanilla, diffuse ripe fruit, and tropical forest notes. Taza is known for less processed, flavorful chocolate--flavors preserved in part due to short(er) grinding and conching times in large stainless steel machines.

Today's 87% bar did not contain tea. Instead I searched for three different teas to find the best pairing with this chocolate. 

I knew this bold dark chocolate might not pair easily with teas....But, the perils of pairing be damned; the hunt was on for a match.

Tea partners for Taza: Matcha (ice cream bar), ginger, grapefruit leaf...

I first tried pairing today's Taza Chocolate ultra-dark bar with its apparent opposite: a frozen, creamy, smooth, delicate, grassy Matcha (green tea) Brown Sugar Boba ice cream bar -- inspired by popular boba (tapioca pearl/mini-mochi) tea drinks from Taiwan. The refreshing, matcha tea bar (like green tea ice cream or an iced matcha latte) was perfect for today's hot weather.

However, the pairing of a Matcha ice cream boba bar with the Taza 87% chocolate was a study in contrasts. They each had unique, enjoyable aromas and flavors. Unfortunately, the combined array of vibrant taste and texture (and temperature) sensations failed to mesh harmoniously.

These two offerings were best enjoyed separately. Blind dates don't always work out. However, after a little more tea speed dating, I did find better mates for both the chocolate and Matcha tea bars.

Cool ginger tea did not agree with this ultra-dark bar. Just when I thought this Taza 87% bar was a confirmed singleton, with its rough, almost crunchy texture, unique floral sweetness, and untameable spirit, I tried pairing it with some warm grapefruit leaf tea (made by pouring very hot water over torn grapefruit (or lemon) tree leaves and letting the infusion steep for a few minutes).

The pale, amber-hued grapefruit leaf tea had a lemony citrus flavor. And it was surprisingly harmonious with today's Seriously Dark chocolate. The warmer tea (vs. frozen tea ice cream) also made the chocolate flavors more accessible. (Frozen chocolate quickly loses textural and flavor benefits.)

And, for our Matcha Brown Sugar Boba bar, the best match was: creamy, buttery, dark chocolate truffles dusted in dark cocoa powder.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla beans.

Allergen-related: "Contains traces of almonds, cashews, coconut, hazelnuts and pecans."

Alec's Ice Cream - Matcha Chocolate Chip - June 12, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Alec's Ice Cream

Matcha Chocolate Chip

Good ++

Weight: 2/3 cup (122 g.) / 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) in total container

Calories: 310 calories in 2/3 cup serving

Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 container

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

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

Today's Matcha Chocolate Chip ice cream from Alec's Ice Cream* (Petaluma, CA) was made with organic cream and milk from pasture-raised cows in Sonoma, CA. 

Alec's chose "ultra-premium Japanese Matcha" for this blend; and the ice cream did indeed have a high-quality, refreshing, matcha green tea latte aroma and flavor. 

The happy cows (mentioned above, from Alexandre Family Farm, the first certified regenerative, organic A2 dairy in the U.S.) contributed to the creamy, rich texture of the base ice cream--that was studded with a generous helping of smooth, dark chocolate chunks. 

The dark chocolate may not have been super bold or complex, but it was well matched and crafted for this ice cream. Made with coconut oil (and organic, alkalized cocoa), the chunks/chips were texturally accessible--easy to bite into and enjoy (unlike chocolate chips that lose flavor and become small, ebony-colored waxy bits when frozen). And the relatively mild flavor profile allowed the the matcha and cream to shine.

The ice cream was sweet, without being overly so (thank you!). This judicious level of sugar helped showcase the green tea and chocolate flavors, mellowed only by the creamy ice cream base. (Yes, we're back to the cream. Visions of happy cows again.) 

Less sugar (and whipped air) means this denser ice cream is firmer when you first take it out of the freezer. I advise leaving it out for a few minutes after taking it out of the fridge, or using a strong scoop/spoon. (I broke a pretty (but apparently weak) spoon trying to drill into this Matcha Chocolate Chip ice cream straight out of the freezer.) It's worth the wait.

Maker's description: "Mellow and earthy meets sweet and sublime..."

Ingredients: Organic cream, Organic skim milk, organic cane sugar, organic chocolate chunks (organic cane sugar, organic coconut oil, organic alkalized cocoa powder (organic cocoa powder, potassium carbonate), organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla extract), organic egg yolk, organic matcha (less than 0.5%), organic carob gum, organic guar gum.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, egg, soy, coconut." "Manufactured on equipment that also processes tree nuts, peanuts and soy."

*Founder and CEO Alec Jaffee and the Alec's Ice Cream team took over the site of the much loved Three Twins Ice Cream in Petaluma, CA. 

Endangered Species - Luscious Blueberries + Dark Chocolate 72% (bar) - June 11, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Endangered Species
Luscious Blueberries + Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate and Fruit(s) Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, that includes chocolate + tea pairings.

Today's Luscious Blueberries + Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa (bar) was from Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC (Indianapolis, IN). 

Aroma notes for this bar included dark chocolate; authentic, smoky floral vanilla bean; and dark berry jam cake.

The 72% cocoa dark chocolate had a thick, creamy texture with a satisfying, relatively slow, even melt. The chocolate flavor was deep, dense and mellow (almost nutty). 

The sweetness level was balanced by dark, rich chocolate and (more subtle) dark berry/blueberry flavors. 

I paired this bar with a black tea flavored with fresh, strained blueberry juice and a lemon slice.

Ingredients: Bittersweet chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), cane sugar, dried blueberries, sunflower oil. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Soy." "Produced on equipment that also processes products containing milk, peanuts and tree nuts."