Siddha Chocolate - Lucky Lovers 69% Cacao + Cacao Nibs & Pink Salt (bar) - May 16, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Siddha Chocolate
Lucky Lovers 69% Cacao, Cacao Nibs, Pink Salt (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/2 bar/package
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Safeway, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's Lucky Lovers 69% Cacao, Cacao Nibs and Pink Salt (bar) was from Siddha Chocolate (manufactured by Siddha Remedies, Oxnard, CA).

The company invites consumers to "elevate your nature" by enjoying this dark chocolate that contains a blend of 11 "aphrodisiac" herbs and 7 flower essences. (See ingredients list below.)

Aroma notes for this chocolate included: pleasant dark chocolate, and light, almost ethereal herbal and floral notes.

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate was punctuated with crunchy cocoa nibs and sparkles of sea salt.

Flavor notes included: roasted, light cocoa, smooth dark chocolate, a diffuse bouquet of light florals and botanicals, marshmallow, and faint floral spice (vanilla). 

There was a relative (yes, elevated) lightness, smoothness, and natural sweetness to this chocolate. The cocoa nibs provided a complementary, authentic, relatively grounded, bold dark chocolate flavor and crunchy texture. And the pink salt (more present in some bites than others) rounded out this offering nicely.

Overall, this Lucky Lovers chocolate was very well-balanced. The "dark" (chocolate, cocoa nibs) was well integrated with "light" (florals, botanicals). The small quantities of bark, roots, seeds, fungi, and other elements were hard to detect.

The sweetness (coconut sugar, erythritol, yacon) level in this "Keto friendly" bar was enough to be pleasant without being overly sweet. (Happily my teeth felt smooth and un-coated by sugar afterwards.) 

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass*, Cacao Butter*, Coconut Sugar*, Cacao Nibs*, VitaFiberTM* (IMO; Prebiotic Fiber), Erythritol*, Yacon*, Sunflower Lecithin*, KSM-66 Ashwagandha Root, Pink Salt, Catuaba Bark, Vanilla* Cordyceps Mycelia Extract, Horny Goat Weed Aerial Parts, Lemon Peel*, Maca Root, Mucuna Puriens Seed, Muira Puama Root, Shatavari Root, Shilajit Mineral Pitch, Fo-Ti Root, Eurycoma Longifolia Jack Root, Christmas Cactus Flower Essence, Coconut Flower Essence, Desert Rose Flower Essence, Hibiscus Flower Essence, Manzanita Flower Essence, Pegasus Orchid Cactus Flower Essence, Scarlet Pimpernel Flower Essence (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contained coconut (sugar); 96% Organic ingredients. (No other allergen-related information found on packaging.)

Chocolarder - Rose Gin Truffles Ashaninka, Peru 72% (bar) - May 15, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolarder

Rose Gin Truffles, Tinkure Cornish Gin

Ashaninka, Peru 72% Dark Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. oz. (100 g.) in total box of 12 truffles
Calories: 241 calories (per label) in 6 truffles (50 g.)
Cost: 16.50 (British Pounds) + shipping for box of 12 truffles
Purchased from: Chocolarder, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Gin Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Rose Gin Truffles were made by Chocolarder Craft Chocolate Makers (Falmouth, Cornwall, UK). The company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates--both single origin and several infused with local flavors. (I really enjoyed the Wild Gorse Flower bar.)

The Rose Gin in these truffles was from the maker's friends (and relative neighbors) at Tinkture Cornish Gin. And, from further afield, the 72% dark chocolate was made using Ashaninka, Peru cacao beans.

Aroma

Aroma notes for these Limited Edition truffles included: pleasant chocolate; faint, freshly baked sweet (yeast) bread; faint floral and faint fruit (sweet lemon peel, and other more faint/diffuse acidic sweet-tart fruits).

The aroma notes signaled a dark chocolate with depth and subtle complexity--not too dark, more of a middle ground 70+%-er with faint fruit notes. However, (as often happens) the chocolate flavors were stronger than the aroma.

Flavors

These Rose Gin truffles captured the extremes that can be found in a single cacao pod (from sweet and light to bitter and dark). The same tremendous range also exists in manufactured chocolates: from sweet, flavor-infused white chocolates to bold, roasted, bitter, ultra-dark chocolates). Although you're usually not experiencing these extremes in the same chocolate or same bite.

Each generously-sized Rose Gin truffle was lightly dusted with cocoa. Under that light dusting, the thick dark shell and the light filling were poles apart. The firm, 72% cacao dark shell tasted slightly bitter, bold, roasted, and somewhat acidic (citrus). In contrast, the white center was sweet, soft (buttery and fluffy), with delicate, floral (rose-scented) notes.

Since the theme this week is chocolate and gin, one can argue gin and tonic cocktails (with the bitterness coming from lemon peel and tonic and sweetness coming from syrups, fruit and/or juices) provide a refreshing flavor contrast. However, those thoroughly blended cocktails don't include the potentially eclipsing elements of dark cacao.

I had to re-taste these truffles several times to sort out how I felt about this confluence of opposing forces. Was the dark chocolate shell too thick and overpowering for the more delicate center? Or was this like the two powerfully authentic rivers (one dark, one light) in Brazil that join the mighty Amazon River perhaps? The colors eventually blend together downstream, but they don't harmonize all at once.

I can't reverse the course of a river; but I do know changing the tasting order of different flavor courses can make a big difference.

The (tasting) order of things...

I recommend eating these chocolates inside out, from light to dark, instead of dark to light.

When I cut these truffles in half, and scooped out and ate (with a tiny ice cream tasting spoon) the sweet filling first, it was a very different, more harmonious, tasting experience. I loved the rose gin flavored ganache filling; and I could also taste more of the chocolate nuances (a mellow nuttiness, less bitterness) afterwards. Reversing the order seemed to magically reveal/restore the true, thick chocolate shell flavor: a well-balanced, bold 72% cacao chocolate (vs. a harsher 90%-er). 

Thank you to the makers for creating these limited edition, gin-inspired truffles. I deeply appreciate inspired flavors; and complex, balanced chocolates. While I was tasting these filled chocolates, I recalled eating cacao fruit and seeds in the middle of a temperate rain forest, and pondered the balancing forces in nature--and in food and drink. Chocolate truffles are rarely this thought-provoking.

Maker's tasting notes: "Bright, sweet rose ending with a lingering, warming gin melting into fruity dark chocolate"

Ingredients: "Dark Chocolate (Cocoa beans, Unrefined sugar), Rose gin fondant (Unrefined sugar, Glucose, Tinkure Rose Gin, sea salt)"

Allergen-related information: Made in a kitchen that handles dairy and tree nuts, in our Falmouth factory, Cornwall..."

Karuna Chocolate - Gin infused dark chocolate 75% Edelschwarz Alpine Bio Gin (bar) - May 14, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Karuna Chocolate
Gin infused dark chocolate 75% Edelschwarz Alpine Bio Gin (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 158.7 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Gin infused dark chocolate 75% Edelschwarz* Alpine Bio Gin (bar) was from Karuna Chocolate (South Tyrol, Italy).

Mountains are special places. This chocolate was made from Chuncho cacao grown in the mountains of the Urubamba Valley in Peru by Karuna Chocolate makers who live and produce chocolate in view of the Alps--in an area where Italian, German and Austrian influences can be felt (think Edelweiss flowers, felt hats, forests and mountains).

The subtle but complex aroma notes for this 75% dark chocolate bar included: chocolate (faint roasted, very faint raisin rice pudding, dark berries (blueberry, cranberry, juniper)), faint citrus botanical, and very faint Boston brown (molasses) bread.

This dark chocolate had a creamy, "light"/whipped texture with a relatively rapid melt. (Chuncho cacao is associated with having a slightly higher percent of cocoa butter and a creamy texture.)

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (dark forest, rich, roasted cacao), dark berries (blueberry, cranberry, juniper), and very faint gin citrus (lemon) and botanicals. (There was no alcohol flavor.)

This chocolate was not too sweet (thank you), making it easier to make out the chocolate and gin flavor nuances. The juniper (often the signature flavor of a gin flavor inclusion) was extremely subtle allowing other berries/fruits and botanicals to share the stage.

I suggest savoring this chocolate slowly to appreciate the subtle flavors. It reminded me of sitting quietly in a dark forest glade and gradually noticing berries, flowers and perhaps a small bunny or two scampering by. Something a little magical about this place. 

Maker's tasting notes: "berries, citrus fruits, juniper and herbs"

Ingredients: Cocoa beans*, raw cane sugar*, Edelschwarz Bio Gin* (20%), cocoa butter*, Cocoa min. 75% (*certified organic).

Allergen-related information: "It may contain traces of nuts." ("Non-alcoholic product")

*Edelschwarz is a dry London style gin with 17 botanicals including (edelweiss), blueberry (schwarzbeere), juniper, cranberry, rosehips...and more.  

Goldkenn - The Botanist, Islay Dry Gin (filled bar) - May 13, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Goldkenn

The Botanist - Islay Dry Gin 37% Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total box

Calories: 245 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads Specialty Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's The Botanist - Islay Dry Gin (filled bar) was from Goldkenn (Bordeaux, France) and made in Switzerland.

Aroma notes included: sweet fruit (cherry jello with apple and lemon) and faint chocolate (sweet milk chocolate, along with faint baked vanilla cookie).

 

Sweet, smooth, relatively creamy milk chocolate cavities were lined with sugar crystals and contained a gin syrup center. 

The gin syrup filling was boozy and almost smokey (dry with very faint juniper and citrus) compared to the very sweet (37%) milk chocolate. The high sugar content of the chocolate and the syrup will appeal to those with a sweet tooth, but may be a bit overwhelming for dark chocolate fans--or those interested in tasting more flavor nuances in the cacao/chocolate and The Botanist Islay Dry Gin.

Yesterday's dark chocolates filled with gin syrup (from Germany) had great flavor complexity; there was no milk to mute flavors, and the sugar levels were lower. My bias: I enjoy darker milk chocolates, and tasting more aspects of the cacao and flavor inclusions (in this case gin).

This bar contains alcohol, and is not considered suitable for children.

Ingredients: Sugar*, cocoa butter**, cocoa mass**, The Botanist Gin (7%), whole milk powder*, skimmed milk* powder, butterfat* (milk), whey* powder (milk), emsulsifier: rapeseed lecithin, flavour, natural vanilla extract. (Made in Switzerland.) "A single asterix  denotes "Ingredients from Switzerland.")...A double asterix indicates Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Allergen-related information: "May contain hazelnut, almonds, walnuts, pecan nuts, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, egg, soya, wheat and barley. Cocoa minimum 37% in chocolate." 

Schwarzwald - Gretchen Gin Pralinen 60% cacao - May 12, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Schladerer Schwarzwald

Gretchen Gin Pralinen 60% Cacao
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total box

Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces (2 servings)
Cost: $12.95 (+ shipping) for 1 box of 12 pieces
Purchased from: European Deli, online order

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

Today's Schladerer Schwarzwald Gretchen Gin Pralinen 60% Cacao chocolates were manufactured by RC-Confiserie GmbH (Germany).

Aroma notes included: pleasant, very faintly nutty, smooth bittersweet chocolate with very subtle herb and floral notes.

Note: Before you take a bite, place a small plate, bowl under the piece of chocolate. Otherwise the sweet liquid gin syrup may drip onto your shirt. (And worse yet, you may lose some of the tasty syrup.)

 

Each small (two-bite size), hollow smooth, creamy chocolate shell was lined with a fine sugar crust inside (like a geode) and was full of flavorful, sweet Gretchen Gin syrup. This layered design offered a multi-textural experience.

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (nut, very faint vanilla coconut cookie), a brief crunch of sugar crystals, and an unfolding of lovely sweet gin notes (juniper, sage), subtle fruit (faint lemon, apple, raspberry) and floral (saffron, vanilla, rose) notes.

These filled, dark chocolates were sweet (but, thankfully, the sugar didn't seem to overwhelm fine flavors) and the filling had just the right amount of gin flavor complexity. Warning: these beautifully (individually) wrapped filled chocolate gems can be fairly addictive. They would make a great dessert item.

Note: These chocolate centers did contain alcohol; and, as such, are not suitable for children.

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa mass*, water, distilled dry gin (19% in filling), cocoa butter*, emsulsifier: lecithins. (*Rainforest Alliance Certified)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of soya, egg and hazelnuts."

Kasama Chocolate - Odd Society Wallflower Gin & Juniper 70% (bar) - May 11, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Kasama Chocolate
Odd Society Wallflower Gin and Juniper 70% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 163 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Odd Society Wallflower Gin and Juniper 70% Cacao bar (Batch No. 11) was made by Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, B.C.).

This special release dark chocolate was made with cacao from Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea. 

The maker(s) went "all in" on infusing juniper flavor. The cacao was "aged in an oak cask for four weeks with Odd Society Distillery's Wallflower Gin, then (the cacao) was stone ground...with juniper berries."

Aroma notes for this 70% bar included: faint chocolate, citrusy evergreen; gin-soaked/pickled (small) cocktail onion (vinegar brine, black pepper, lemon); juniper berry; lemon/citrus jello; and an initial, very faint terpene/ammonia note that dissipated quickly after opening.

As is often the case with chocolate tasting, some aroma notes carried over to the flavor, and taking a bite yielded a much richer chocolate flavor (than was present in the aroma). 

The acidity was moderate, and the aroma notes mentioned above extended into the finish with a relatively bold, citrusy-evergreen taste (spruce/douglas fir tips, but not as delicate). 

A welcome flicker of blackberry at the end added some fruit and balance. (A little more of that luscious, ripe blackberry note please.)

The sweetness level was about right. It would be tough to go more sweet or less sweet with this unique juniper-flavored chocolate. Too sweet would mean losing touch with chocolate nuances, and might venture into cloyingly sweet cocktail territory. Too little, and the juniper might be a bit overwhelming.

Maker's tasting notes: "...aromas of fresh cut evergreens, and hints of orange blossom."

Ingredients: Gin Barrel Aged Cacao Nibs, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Juniper Berries (*Organic).

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

Charbonnel et Walker - Sipsmith Gin Truffles - May 10, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Charbonnel et Walker
Sipsmith Gin Truffles
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .812 oz. (23 g.) / 3.85 oz. (110 g.) in total container
Calories: 130 calories in 2 truffles
Cost: $29.95 (+ shipping) for 1 box of 8 truffles
Purchased from: Bloomingdales, online order

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

Today's Sipsmith Gin Truffles were made in the UK* for Charbonnel et Walker (London). ("By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, Chocolate Manufacturers, Charbonnel et Walker Ltd., London.") The company is well-known for their truffles, e.g. Pink Marc de Champagne truffles (with brandy and strawberry flavors).

The Sipsmith Gin used in today's truffles comes from a distillery in London that has been operating for almost 200 years.

Aroma notes for these truffles included: slightly boozy, sweet chocolate with faint, juniper, vanilla, faint sweet green floral/herbal, and very faint, fleeting black peppercorn.

Texture: Smooth dark chocolate surrounded a creamy, gin-infused white chocolate ganache (center).

This complementary blend of dark and white chocolate flavors matched the aroma notes above, and included: smooth dark chocolate, gin, juniper, creamy vanilla. The spirits/gin lingered into the finish but was not too strong.

These luxurious, and somewhat addictive truffles were sweet, but balanced. The dark chocolate and the gin off-set the sweetness.

Ingredients: Bittersweet chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa fat, soy lecithin), white chocolate (sugar, cocoa fat, dry whole milk, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavoring), salted butter (milk), Sipsmith Gin (R), powdered sugar, natural juniper flavoring. (Bittersweet chocolate contains cocoa solids 70% minimum.)

Allergen-related information: Contains milk and soy. May contain tree nuts and wheat.

*More than 1,700 different gins are produced in the UK. So I wanted to feature at least one British gin-inspired chocolate this week. 

Gin-flavored chocolates this week hail from the UK, Norway, Spain, Germany, Scotland, Canada and Italy. No gin chocolates from the U.S. (This may also have to do with U.S. rules that apply to selling alcohol in chocolates.) I did pair two chocolates with local (California) botanical gins.