Taitau - 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 26, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Taitau (Tai Tau)
72% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads Specialty Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) from the Taitau (Tai Tau) Exclusive Selection line (Lietuva, Lithuania) was imported into the U.S. by B&I Overseas Trading Inc. (Van Nuys, CA).

The company offers a variety of chocolate confections and bars--made with single origin (or blends of identified) single origin cacaos, e.g. "Ghana, Arriba, and/or Granada." This bar was made using "premium quality Ghana and Granada cocoa beans."

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate, vanilla, faint aromatic tobacco, roasted coffee, balanced earth, and subtle caramel.

The texture was uniformly fudge-y, smooth and rich.

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes, and included: bold, balanced, deep, dark cacao (Forastero cacao from Ghana), dark chocolate and vanillin, very faint, smooth aromatic tobacco, caramel, and very faint, fleeting stone fruit (peach jam -- perhaps a flicker of Trinitario variety cacao from Grenada).

Ingredients: "Cocoa mass (made from premium quality Ghanian and Grenada cocoa beans), sugar, emulsifier - rape (canola) lecithin, flavoring vanillin."

Allergen-related information: "This product may contain traces of peanuts, hazelnuts, gluten and milk."

Taza - Hazelnut Praline 70% Dark (bar) - Aug. 25, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Taza Chocolate
Hazelnut Praline 70% Dark (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #12) of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. 

Today's Hazelnut Praline 70% Dark (bar) was from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA).

Taza is known for their organic, bean-to-bar, less processed and stone-ground chocolates. (Less processing can result in more authentic flavor(s). (Some more volatile, natural aroma and flavor notes may be lost with longer processing times, even if smaller particle sizes can result in a creamier mouthfeel.)

Aroma notes for today's bar included: dark chocolate with balanced earth (peat notes that disappeared after being opened for several minutes), nuts, and brown sugar/toffee.

The texture was relatively smooth. And flavor notes included: deep, dark chocolate, balanced rich forest/earth, bitter and sweet, clean mineral, faint nut, tiny crunchy toffee bits--and a relatively long dark finish.

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Toffee (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Organic Caramel Color), Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt, Organic Sunflower Lecithin." 

Allergen-related information: "Contains Hazelnuts. May Contain Traces of Other Tree Nuts and Sesame Seeds."

Ritter Sport - Roasted Peanut (bar) - Aug. 24, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Ritter Sport
Roasted Peanut (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.09 oz. (31 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 5 pieces/squares
Cost: $4.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Ritter Sport Roasted Peanut (bar) was from Alfred Ritter GmbH and Co. KG (Waldenbuch, Germany) was made in Austria.

Aroma notes for this bar included: sweet dark chocolate, roasted nuts and peanuts. 

The texture of the base chocolate (no cacao percentage listed on the U.S. label) was smooth, thick and creamy, and complemented by a generous dose of crunchy roasted peanuts. 

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate and peanuts. Smaller amounts of almond flour and hazelnut paste were hard to detect directly, but made for a pleasant, even nuttier overall flavor. A small amount of sea salt helped balance the sweetness of the chocolate.

If you like chocolate and peanuts (and I do), you'll enjoy this bar. Also, thank you to Ritter for continuing to advance in cocoa sourcing practices. (On the bar's label: "100% Certified Sustainable Cocoa Sourcing".)

"Sweet chocolate with roasted and salted peanut pieces, almond flour, hazelnut paste and ground vanilla beans."

Ingredients: "sugar, peanuts, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, almond flour, hazelnut paste, salt, soy lecithin, ground vanilla beans."

Allergen-related information: (Contains: peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, soy.) "May contain traces of other tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and sesame seeds."

Venice Organics - Chocolate Joy (Raw Snacks) - Aug. 23, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Venice Organics
Chocolate Joy 
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total container
Calories: 160 calories in 1/3 container
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Part of Farm Fresh produce box, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's refrigerated, Organic "Chocolate Joy" raw snack offering was manufactured in California for Venice Organics (Los Angeles, CA). The company (formerly known as Rowe of Venice) offers a line of organic and raw offerings, including cacao nib-based confections and chocolate bars.

Aroma notes for this bar-shaped, raw confection included: dark chocolate/cacao nibs, soft coconut and faint nut. 

This snack had a hearty, moderately chewy texture. Ground cacao nibs, unsweetened coconut and raw almonds were melded together with coconut oil and lightly sweetened with blue agave. All these potentially crumbly elements were held together firmly, because it was refrigerated. (Coconut oil solidifies below 76 degrees F. (24 degrees C.).) Given the hot summer weather today, having a cool treat like this was an extra plus.

Flavor notes for this chilled confection included: rich cacao, fresh coconut, and ground almonds.  

I enjoyed the authentic cacao bean (cacao nibs) flavor--with no added emulsifiers, flavors, or dairy. This organic, vegan offering is also grain-free and gluten free.

Ingredients: *Raw Almonds, *Unsweetened Shredded Coconut, *Raw Blue Agave, *Virgin Coconut Oil, *Cacao Powder, *100% Cacao Chips, Himalayan Pink Salt (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "This product contains almonds and coconut and may contain nut shell fragments."

Golden Gobi - Chocolate with Seaberry and Milk Chocolate Yurts - Aug. 22, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Golden Gobi 

Chocolate with Seaberry
Good - Good ++
Weight: .182 oz. (5.16 g.) / 2.19 oz. (62 g.) in total box of 12 pieces
Calories: 49.2 calories (per label) in 1 piece 
Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Yurt-shaped milk chocolates
Good +
Weight: .495 oz. (14 g.) / 4.95 oz. (140 g.) in total box of 10 pieces
Calories: 49 calories (per label) in 1 piece
Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week, featuring chocolates with a variety of nuts. 

Today's "Chocolate with Seaberry" and yurt-shaped milk chocolates from Golden Gobi were made in Mongolia. I was able to taste chocolates from one of the more remote regions of the globe, thanks to a friend who recently visited Mongolia and brought these back. Thank you Toni!

I ate today's two milk chocolates with toasted pine nuts, because I'd read that Mongolians are fond of pine nuts. (Pine "nuts" are technically seeds--as are cacao "beans"; but pine nuts are often classified as tree nuts.) 

Chocolate with Seaberry chocolates

This oval-shaped filled sweet milk chocolate confection had aroma notes that included sweet milk chocolate and very faint fruit (citrus, berry). The milk chocolate was relatively creamy and smooth, and the caramel-like (Seabuckthorn flavored with Vitamin C) filling had a tart sweet fruit (citrus) note.

Ingredients: Sugar, milk powder, vegetable fat, cacao (powder, butter), whey powder, skimmed milk powder, Emulsifier: lecithin E322, E476, flavour, vanillin.

Allergen-related information. Contains milk, possibly soy (lecithin)

Yurt-shaped chocolates

I loved the yurt shape of these chocolates--a shout out to traditional steppe dwellings.* The sweet milk chocolate was filled with a very sweet, creamy milk chocolate ganache.

Ingredients: Sugar, Cacao Butter, Full Cream Milk Powder, Cacao Mass, Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey powder, Emulsifier: Lecithin (E322), Natural Bourbon Vanilla.

Allergen-related information: milk, possibly soy (lecithin). May contain traces of other nuts or gluten.

*Yurt-style structures are home to at least half of Mongolia's residents, especially those who live in more rural areas.

Laderach Chocolatier Suisse - Assorted Pralines (Dark) - Aug. 21, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Laderach Chocolatier Suisse
Assorted Pralines Dark
1.) Pistachio - Good ++
2.) Hazelnut - Good ++
Weight: .766 oz. (21.6 g.) / 4.6 oz. (130 g.) in total box of 12 pieces 
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pralines 
Cost: N/A - gift from friends  (Thank you Milo and family!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friends

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

Today's Assorted Pralines Dark was manufactured by Laderach (Schweiz) AG (Ennenda (in the canton of Glarus), Switzerland). The Swiss chocolatier and confectionery maker was founded by Rudolf Laderach in 1962. 

This very attractive 12-piece assortment (2 each of 6 flavors) was elegantly designed and packaged. Each piece had appealing details. Since this is a week featuring chocolate and nuts, I focused on the two "nuttiest" praline flavors: pistachio and hazelnut.

Pistachio 

Aroma notes for this Pistachio praline included: chocolate, cream/butter, faint lemon-herb (oxalis), and very faint nut.

It was topped with a perfect, green, lightly sugared, whole pistachio nut; and inside this confection had a pretty, bi-colored (green and caramel brown colored, layered interior).

A smooth dark chocolate shell enveloped a dual center: a nutty creamy-crunchy layer atop a green pistachio marzipan-style layer. In the finish there was a brief flavor glimmer of green tea chocolate.

Hazelnut

The hazelnut praline had very similar aroma notes: chocolate, cream/butter, faint lemon-herb (oxalis), and very faint nut.

An open cup of creamy chocolate was brimming with an artful piped-in buttery swirl of sweet, creamy chocolate ganache. Further down in the chocolate cup were more layers: creamy chocolate and crunchy bits of hazelnut, and sweet creamy chocolate with vanilla and caramel notes. 

I am a sucker for layered flavors like this, even if they are a bit on the sweeter side for me. The nuts helped balance the sweetness.

Both these well-executed confections had great texture and flavors, and exemplified sophisticated chocolate architectural design and style.

Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa Paste, Cocoa Butter, Glucose, Butter (Milk), Hazelnuts, Sorbitol, Cream (Milk), Almonds, Pistachios, Vegetable Oils (Palm Kernel, Palm, Coconut), Clarified Butter (Milk), Soy Lecithin, Fructose, Invert Sugar Syrup, Caramel, Natural Flavors, Salt (Fleur de Sel), Skimmed Milk Powder, Ground Vanilla, Sunflower Lecithin, Gum Arabic, Maltodextrin, Vegetable Fats (Palm Kernel, Palm, Coconut), Coloring (Turmeric Oleoresin, Carmine, Annatto Extract)

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Milk, Nuts, Soy. May Contain Egg, Other Gluten (Inclu. Wheat), Other Nuts."

Orchard Valley Harvest - Dipped Almonds, 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate - Aug. 20, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Orchard Valley Harvest
Dipped Almonds - Almonds Coated in 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate
Good + 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total package of 8 packs
Calories: 160 calories in 1 pack

Cost: $5.00 for 1 package of 8 individually-wrapped packs
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Orchard Valley Harvest Dipped Almonds --Almonds Coated in 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate--were distributed by John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (Elgin, IL).

One percent of the sales of this product goes "towards tackling child hunger across America."

Aroma notes for these glossy, dark chocolate covered almonds included: chocolate (dark ganache), nut (almond, peanut), faint vanilla and faint, fleeting fruit (pear). (Note: there were no peanut ingredients listed in this product.)

The whole almond centers had a crunchy, roasted texture; a smooth, fudge-y 64% dark chocolate covering (and a shiny coat); and a smooth, dark chocolate finish that was balanced and not too sweet (thank you!).

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract), Almonds, Gum Acacia, Sugar, Confectioner's Glaze.

Allergen-related information: Contains tree nuts (almonds). May contain milk, peanuts and other tree nuts.