Good Hope Bakery - Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Brownie - Apr. 10, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Good Hope Bakery
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Brownie
Good ++
Weight: 2.89 oz. (82 g.) in 1 brownie
Calories: 330 calories in 1 brownie
Cost: N/A - sample provided. ($4.00 for 1 brownie)*
Purchased from: N/A - sample from Gluten-Free Good Hope Bakery

Welcome to Day #1 of a Baked Goods With Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free and Dairy Free Chocolate Brownie was from Good Hope Bakery (Springvale, UT).

The company specializes in gluten free cookies, brownies and other treats, that are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. Their offerings can be ordered online and shipped nationwide (anywhere in the U.S.). (The individually-wrapped brownies were well-sealed.)

Aroma notes for today's individually-wrapped chocolate brownie included: chocolate-y (brownie); very faint vanilla; and other delicate wafts of other baked goods (freshly baked chocolate chip cookie; very faint, fig (cookie) and chocolate souffle).

Texture: An appealing blend of a relatively light, cake-like brownie interspersed with firmer, chocolate-y chips/pieces with a rich melt. This hearty brownie landed squarely in the "Goldilocks" zone for me: not too gooey, not too dry. Just right.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y (brownie), chocolate chips, and faint cocoa with vanilla accented with a pinch of salt that helped balance the sweetness. It was made with oat flour; there was no "oat-y" taste (a good thing in my book when it comes to certain chocolate items.)

Each generously-sized brownie contained 6 grams of protein; and 50 grams of carbohydrates. I ate this brownie with some California walnuts and almonds, and plenty of water, before a hike outdoors; and it provided satisfying taste (and fuel) for the day.

Ingredients: Granulated Sugar, Certified Gluten Free Oat Flour, Dairy Free Chocolate Chips, Eggs, Canola Oil, Cocoa, Water, Vanilla Extract, Salt, Baking Powder.

Allergen-related information:  Contains Egg. Gluten Free (Made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.) Dairy Free. 

*Pricing for multi-packs is also available. Five-brownie packs are currently $18.50 and packages of 10 are $35.00. Check with Good Hope Bakery/website for most up-to-date information. At the time of this writing, the company provided both online order and pickup options.

Anarchy Chocolate - 100% Dark Chocolate (bar) - April 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Anarchy Chocolate
100% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.55 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Anarchy Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's 100% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Anarchy Chocolate (at Anarchy (Cocoa) Farm in Trat, Thailand). 

The family-owned, small-batch chocolate maker sells a variety of Thai cacao-based offerings (chocolate bars, cacao nibs, cacao husk tea).

Aroma notes for today's 100% cacao chocolate included: ultra-dark chocolate with rich, balanced earth tones (peat) and authentic, deep chocolate-y cacao; and very faint (almost undetectable), diffuse fruit, spice, and mild tart-green (lemony herb, oxalis).

Texture: appealing, creamy, smooth texture with a slight astringency in the finish (consistent with, and less than, most 100% chocolates).

Flavor notes included: bold, well-balanced 100% dark chocolate, with rich creamy smooth texture, medium acidity, and relatively low level of bitterness (for a 100%er). Subtle earth and other aroma notes (listed above) were also present in the background.

Ingredients: No information listed on packaging. (Likely just cacao and cocoa butter)

Allergen-related information: No information.

 

Anarchy Chocolate - 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) - April 8, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Anarchy Chocolate
85% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 219 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.55 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Anarchy Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Thailand Theme Week.

Today's 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Anarchy Chocolate (at Anarchy (Cocoa) Farm in Trat, Thailand). 

The family-owned, small-batch chocolate maker operates on their own farm, and sells a variety of Thai cacao bean-based offerings (chocolate bars, cacao nibs, cacao husk tea).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (dark chocolate ganache, lemony green (oxalis)); and very faint floral spice and fruit (diffuse fig, tropical fruit).

Texture: dark chocolate with a slightly uneven melt (out-of-temper) and a slight graininess/astringency (throat tickle).*

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate; natural sweetness (honeyed rice, fruit); and very faint tart lemony herb (oxalis) and spice. 

This was a fun chocolate to try; and I enjoyed the relatively gentle flavor complexity. It was relatively low in bitterness for an 85% ultra-dark (high-percentage cacao) bar, and it wasn't too sweet--allowing the subtler flavors to shine through.

I'm a huge supporter of small businesses making bean-to-bar chocolate. For Anarchy Chocolate, and a handful of others, the difficulty level goes up as they're making chocolate from tree-to-bar in a cacao growing zone. They operate a farm; may be doing their own fermenting; and are making chocolate in warm and humid climates; and shipping to other countries without being able to completely control the end-to-end shipping process.*

Ingredients: Not listed.

Allergen-related information: None found.

*Note: The textural attributes mentioned were likely from a long transit time from Thailand to the U.S. (A few months elapsed between when the order was placed and when it was delivered.) I'm guessing that the package, containing three different bars, may have been held up in customs for some time, and that this time did not include storage at an ideal temperature range.

 

Anarchy Chocolate - 33% Milk Chocolate (bar) - April 7, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Anarchy Chocolate
33% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++  
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 219 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.55 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Anarchy Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's 33% Milk Chocolate (bar) was made by Anarchy Chocolate (at Anarchy (Cocoa) Farm in Trat, Thailand). 

The family-owned, small-batch chocolate maker sells a variety of Thai cacao bean-based offerings (chocolate bars, cacao nibs, cacao husk tea).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bean-to-bar chocolate included: very subtle/gentle dark milk chocolate and very faint, diffuse fruit (subtle tamarind with rice).

I really liked that this 33% milk chocolate wasn't too sweet (thank you!), and that it had a subtle, unique rich flavor. I'm so used to 33% chocolate being ultra-sweet I flinch a little before tasting it; and I expect that the sugar will overwhelm any flavor notes that might have been present. Not this time.

Note: Unfortunately, the package took a few months to arrive from Thailand (likely held up by customs and/or it sat in a mailing room or two). So the chocolate had bloomed (it had a whiteish appearance in all but one spot). Being out of temper* also affected the texture (slightly more crumbly). Thankfully, the aroma and flavor did not seem affected. 

The good news, it arrived yesterday right as I was about to give up and move on to a new chocolate origin (Haiti) theme week. Perfect timing!

Ingredients: (No ingredients label.)

Allergen-related information: Milk I am assuming. (None listed.)

*When chocolate is precisely heated and cooled in a process known as tempering, the chocolate will break with a hard snap. However, if the chocolate is later exposed to excessive heat (warm room, sun) or cold (refrigerated space) it can go "out of temper." The crystalline structure (of the cocoa butter) can change--or recrystallize to a less stable/desirable crystalline structure/form. These exposure(s) can affect the chocolate's appearance (mottled, white look), texture (less snap, more crumble), taste, and shelf-life (shorter shelf life).

Fossa Chocolate - 54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar) - April 6, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Thailand Theme Week--focused on cacao/chocolates from Thailand and chocolates containing Thai-grown and Thai-inspired flavor inclusions.

Today's 54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

The company's description of this bar read: "Creamy and fruity rose infused Tanzania 54% Dark Milk Chocolate topped with chewy dehydrated lychee from Chiang Rai, Thailand, and crunchy cacao nibs."

Aroma notes included: fruit (floral, sweet, lychee), and cocoa/cacao.

Texture: creamy smooth chocolate base and clusters of small, slightly crunchy, cacao nibs.

Flavor notes included: a base of mild dark chocolate (made even creamier and more subtle by added cocoa butter); cacao nibs; delicious pieces of sweet, refreshing, authentic lychee fruit; and floral (rose).

I loved the authentic and balanced flavors and gentle complexity. This was a sweet chocolate bar, but the sugar didn't overwhelm the natural fruit and floral notes. (Thank you.)

Maker's tasting notes: "Delicate rose infused milk chocolate with the sweet aroma of lychee"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, lychee, rose absolute 

Allergen-related information: "Contains dairy. Produced in a facility that processes nuts."

KanVela Chocolate - Chiang Mai Origin Dark 70% (bar) - Apr. 5, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

KanVela Chocolate
Chiang Mai Origin Dark 70% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar (per package)
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Chiang Mai Origin 70% dark chocolate (bar) was from KanVela Chocolate (Thailand). The company has been making bean-to-bar and tree-to-bar chocolate since 2018. 

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand, north of Bangkok.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (smooth, complex), faint fruit, nut, sweet green, warm spice, and very faint, balanced earth.

Flavor notes for this well-tempered bar included: dark chocolate (brownie, ganache) with faint (diffuse) fruit; nut; sweet green; warm spice; and very faint, well balanced earth. Flavor notes were very similar to the aroma, just more chocolate-y and delicious.

I appreciated the well-balanced, well-executed, complex aroma and flavor notes in this bar.

Ingredients: Cacao Nib 65%, Sugar 30%, Cocoa butter 5% 

Allergen-related information:  "Made in a facility that processes milk, wheat, sesame, soy and tree nuts." 

KanVela Chocolate - 70% Dark Chocolate Thailand Origin (bar) - Apr. 4, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

KanVela Chocolate
70% Dark Chocolate Thailand Origin (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate Thailand Origin (bar) was from KanVela Chocolate (Thailand).

Aroma notes included: chocolate (dark cocoa, red fruits; balanced earth/peat/very faint tannin).

Texture: well-tempered, smooth chocolate with an even texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: bold yet smooth dark chocolate with diffuse red fruit (red apple, ripe red berry, faint mango and even fainter honey); and subtle, complementary earth.

Ingredients: Cacao nib 65%, Sugar 30%, Cocoa butter 5% 

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that processes milk, wheat, sesame, soy and tree nuts."