Thomas Keller Armando Manni - K+M Extra-Virgin Milk Chocolate Winter Spice (bar) - Nov. 28, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Thomas Keller - Armando Manni
K+M Extra-Virgin Milk Chocolate Winter Spice (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 193 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12+ (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Series.

Today's K+M Extra Virgin Milk Chocolate Winter Spice (bar) was a collaboration bar between Chef Thomas Keller and extra virgin olive oil maker Armando Manni. (K+M Chocolate is based in Napa, CA.)

Aroma: The initial sniff revealed pleasing, balanced, warm holiday spices, faint chocolate and very faint citrus (sweet orange). Note: after being opened for a few hours, the spice aromas were not quite as strong.

Texture: This Thomas Keller + Armando Manni (K+M) holiday milk chocolate bar had a very special, smooth texture with a relatively creamy, luxurious slow melt. The collaboration between chef + olive oil expert delivered a unique, rich mouthfeel.

Flavor: The smooth, relatively mellow dark chocolate (made with cacao from Hacienda Victoria, Ecuador) had notes of faint warm spices (star anise, allspice, cinnamon, ginger). A blend of whole milk powder, cocoa butter and extra virgin olive oil provided splendid texture, but may have muted some of the chocolate and spice (smooth and balanced) flavors a bit. However, it was still a very enjoyable and interesting bar to try. 

K+M maker's tasting notes: "Allspice, Citrus, Lush, Velvety"

Note: K+M also offers a Winter Spice hot chocolate, made with spices (such as: allspice, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper)

Ingredients: (Note: missing complete packaging. As I recall ingredients included: Cocoa beans, whole milk powder, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic extra-virgin olive oil, spices, tangerine oil)

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk.)

Hu - Pumpkin Spice Dark Chocolate (Holiday Edition) - Nov. 27, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Hu

Pumpkin Spice Dark Chocolate (Holiday Edition)

Good +++

Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar

Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $2.99 total bar

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

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Series.

Today's Hu (Kitchen) Holiday Edition Pumpkin Spice Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Hu Products LLC (Austin, TX). 

Aroma notes for this thick dark bar included: pumpkin pie spices and dark chocolate gingerbread. 

The texture was thick and creamy with a very faint granularity, possibly from finely ground spices (and/or from stoneground dark chocolate).

The cacao selected was a great choice for this holiday edition chocolate. The flavorful, balanced 70% dark chocolate helped balance the sweetness level, and worked well with the spices. Ah, the spices. They were divine.

The spice flavors were well balanced and wonderful--capturing the best of not one (pumpkin pie) but two favorite holiday desserts (pumpkin pie and dark chocolate gingerbread--one of my personal favorites). Unrefined coconut sugar (and a smidge of organic pumpkin) contributed some background warm holiday flavors to this blend as well.

In an unofficial endorsement, this Hu bar won the holiday spice chocolate taste-off at my family's Thanksgiving get-together. The fact that it was Organic, Fairtrade (and didn't contain any emulsifiers/lecithins) was an added plus.

I hope this high-quality, Holiday Edition Pumpkin Spice bar makes a comeback next year!

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade cacao; organic unrefined cane sugar; organic fair trade cocoa butter; organic pumpkin; organic cinnamon bark extract (organic cinnamon bark, organic olive oil); sea salt; organic allspice extract (organic allspice, organic olive oil); organic nutmeg extract (organic nutmeg, organic olive oil), organic ginger extract (organic ginger, organic olive oil); organic clove extract (organic clove, organic olive oil).

Allergen-related information: Produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk and wheat. (No refined sugar, cane sugar, sugar alcohols or erythritol; No dairy or soy; No palm oil; No lecithins or emulsifiers.)

Dick Taylor - Orange Bourbon Pecan 65% Dark (bar) - Nov. 26, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor
Orange Bourbon Pecan (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Series.

Today's Orange Bourbon Pecan 65% Dark (bar) was handcrafted by Dick-Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).

Aroma notes for this bar included: chocolate, pecan cookie, orange and slightly sweet spirits (Bourbon/whiskey).

Smooth, flavorful 65% (Belize cacao) dark chocolate enveloped crunchy pecan bits that were full of complex flavor upticks: nut, Bourbon, orange (and faint maple) flavors. 

I sprinkled one piece of this bar with a tiny shake of freshly ground cinnamon. It tasted like a holiday pie dessert plate in one bite.

And speaking of holiday pies, a family recipe for a Bourbon-soaked pecan (and orange) flavored pie was the inspiration for this Dick Taylor chocolate bar. Worked for me! I loved the layered sparkles of complementary flavor(s).

Ingredients: Chocolate (organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter) organic pecans, organic maple syrup, bourbon, orange essential oil 

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that also uses milk, tree nuts, wheat and peanuts.

Dick Taylor - Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar) - Nov. 25, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor
Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Series.

Today's Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar) was handcrafted by Dick-Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).

Aroma notes for this bar included: flavorful milk chocolate, sugar cookie and warm spices.

Texture: creamy milk chocolate (made with organic A2/A2 whole milk powder) was blended with ginger snap cookies.

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes mentioned above only with a deeper luxurious dive into the creamy, flavorful dark milk chocolate that surrounded the ginger snap cookie bits.

Ingredients: Chocolate (organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic A2/A2 whole milk powder, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean) Ginger Snap Cookies (unbleached enriched all-purpose flour, butter (pasteurized sweet cream butter), molasses, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice, white pepper, cayenne). (Cacao solids 55% minimum)

Allergen-related information: (Note: this bar was not gluten free.) Contains milk and wheat. "Made in a facility that also processes tree nuts and peanuts."

Nature's Heart - Churro Cacao Pecan Crunch - Nov. 24, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Nature's Heart

Churro Cacao Pecan Crunch

Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28.28 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package

Calories: 200 calories in 1 serving

Cost: $2.99 for 1 package

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

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate in the U.S. And, welcome to Day #7 of International Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week, and Day #1 of a short Holiday Spice Series.

Today's Nature's Heart Churro Cacao Pecan Crunch was distributed by Terrafertil US, LLC (Torrance, CA). Nature's Heart was started by two brothers in Ecuador, and the company's offerings are inspired by South American flavors.

Aroma and flavor notes for this spiced pecan snack included: fruit (apple), warm spices (cinnamon), faint cacao/cocoa, and nut (pecan), and very light/faint (possibly implied) coconut milk vanilla spiced latte. 

The pumpkin seeds (pepitas), cacao nibs and toasted coconut adhered to the pecans added some soft crunch and textural interest to the blend.

These pecans were pleasant and complex, and not too sweet. Lighter on the chocolate side, they provided a great holiday spiced snack for Thanksgiving--a welcome treat and dessert plate item that was also less sweet and filling than pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and holiday spiced eggnog (rompope) and churro flavored items.

Ingredients: Pecans, Erythritol (natural sweetener), pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted coconut chips, roasted cacao nibs, inulin prebiotic fiber, ground flaxseeds, MCT oil, ground cinnamon, cassava powder, sea salt, rosemary extract, stevia extract (rebaudioside A), ground allspice.

Allergen-related information: Contains tree nuts (coconut, pecans). Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, egg and milk products.

Alter Eco - Organic Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Bombs - Nov. 23, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco

Organic Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Bombs

Good ++

Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 3.8 oz. (108 g.) in total package

Calories: 240 calories in 3 pieces

Cost: $2.99 for 1 package 

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

Welcome to Day #6 of International Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Bombs were made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA). 

Aroma notes for these certified gluten free, individually-wrapped bombs included: smooth dark chocolate, very faint lemony green herb (oxalis, wood sorrel, sour grass), and nuts.

The outer chocolate shell was deep, dark and very lightly sweetened--allowing the relatively bold (for couverature) but nicely balanced dark flavor shine through. And the hazelnut butter filling was naturally nutty (not overly salty or sweet) and mild (a bit overshadowed by the dark chocolate).

These chocolates were as noteworthy for what they omitted as what they contained.

I loved the fact that these Hazelnut Butter "bombs" were not too sweet. (Thank you!) They contained a small amount of organic, raw cane sugar (6th ingredient listed). They did not contain sugar alcohols, low-calorie sweeteners or artificial sweeteners. 

At 2 net carbs per bomb/piece, these were labeled as Keto Friendly. A judicious amount of butter (organic butterfat) contributed to a feeling of fat-satisfaction (feeling full and satisfied), unlike many sweet and salty snacks that often trigger a desire for more.

Ingredients: *Organic cacao beans, *organic cacao butter, organic hazelnut butter, organic agave fiber, organic coconut oil, *organic raw cane sugar, organic butterfat, natural flavor, *organic vanilla beans.

*Fair for Life Fair Trade certified. Contains 61% Fair Trade ingredients."

Allergen-related information: "Contains hazelnuts, coconut, and milk. May contain almonds and soy. Individuals who are allergic to these should not consumer this product."

Canonica - Dark Chocolate with Nuts - Nov. 22, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Canonica Chocolate

Dark Chocolate with Nuts 

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.8 oz. (79.2 g.) in total package

Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of slab/bar

Cost: $ (see receipt) or price unavailable

Purchased from: The Chocolate Market, Terminal 2, SFO (Airport), San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of International Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. As so often is the case, interesting (international) chocolates are often found at large airports. Today's Swiss dark chocolate was found at a chocolate shop in the San Francisco's International Airport (SFO).

Today's Dark Chocolate slab with Nuts was made by Canonica SA (Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland). The company was founded in 1948 by Andre Canonica.

Aroma notes for this thick slab included: pleasing roasted nuts and smooth but flavorful dark chocolate with very faint, fleeting, tart (lemon) herb (oxalis, wood sorrel, sour grass).

The texture was hearty and pleasing with a generous helping of crunchy hazelnuts and pistachios.

The dark chocolate was high-quality and well balanced with the nut flavors, allowing the nuances of both to be identified and enjoyed (separately and, quite harmoniously, together).

Ingredients: (No ingredients label. Sold by the pound, individually wrapped, rectangular bar-shaped pieces.)

Allergen-related information: Contains nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios and possibly other nuts).