Zotter Chocolate - 72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) - April 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter Chocolate
72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars 
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: zotter, online order

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

Today's 72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) was from Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Fort Myers, FL). The cacao used to make this chocolate was from PISA*.

Aroma notes included: balanced, complex, deep dark chocolate with subtle earth followed by fruit (tropical fruits: cacao, mangosteen and very faint passion fruit and mango). 

Texture: soft, smooth, rich, substantial with slow, thick creamy chocolate caramel-like melt.

Flavor notes included: a rich bouquet of well-integrated cacao flavors: true chocolate; with light tropical fruits and dried fruit (date, faint fig); and faint, smooth roasted cacao/coffee.

This well-executed chocolate was smooth, with cacao butter-y richness. I really enjoyed the subtle dark complexity--especially the fruit spectrum in the aroma and flavor.

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass**, Cane Sugar**, Cocoa Butter** (** = Organic (100%, Fair Traded (100%)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured On Equipment That Processes Other Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Milk, Soy and Sesame."

*PISA works with many small cacao growers in Haiti to create high-quality cacao for specialty markets/ smaller-batch chocolate makers--such as Zotter. Almost all the Haiti chocolates featured this week have been made with PISA cacao. 

Taza Chocolate - Organic Chocolate Covered Nuts - April 26, 2024

 Chocolate of the Day

Taza Chocolate 
Organic Chocolate Covered Nuts
Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 16 oz. (453 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $8.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market 

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

Today's Organic Chocolate Covered Nuts were from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA). 

While the cacao origin wasn't explicitly stated on the package, there was an image of a woman cacao farmer in Haiti; and the company sources cacao from the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Haiti (PISA* in the Acul du Nord District).

Aroma notes included: bold chocolate-y chocolate (extra dark brownies); faint roasted nuts; (almonds); very subtle and balanced earth; very faint vanilla; and very faint sweet/tart green-citrus (oxalis) and red fruit.

Texture: smooth, chocolate coating over softly crunchy (whole) nuts.

Flavor notes included: deep, dark bold chocolate (with a very slight, well-balanced earthiness); authentic, whole nut (almond, cashew and hazelnut) centers; and a faint trace of vanilla.

Maker's notes (for Haiti cacao): Dried fig, tart cherry, roasted nuts.

Ingredients:  Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Almonds, Organic Cashews, Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Beans, Sea Salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds, Cashews and Hazelnuts. May Contain Traces of Other Tree Nuts and Sesame.

*Taza has been working with Produits Des Iles SA, or PISA, since 2015. PISA represents over 1,300 cacao farmers and works with farmers to develop high-quality cacao that can be sold to specialty markets, including bean-to-bar chocolate makers, such as Taza Chocolate. Most of the cacao in this week's Haiti bars come from PISA.

OWYN - Dark Chocolate Non-Dairy Protein Shake - April 25, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

OWYN
Dark Chocolate Non-Dairy Protein Shake 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 11 oz. (330 mL) in 1 container
Calories: 170 calories in 1 container
Cost: $9.99 for 4 pack (4 containers)
Purchased from: Safeway, Fremont, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Protein Shake was distributed by Only What You Need, Inc. (Fairfield, New Jersey). 

This single serving beverage contained a generous helping of plant protein (20 grams of protein per single serving/container.

Aroma notes included: cocoa, chocolate milk, and hard to identify sweet-savory (nut and green vegetable) notes.

Texture: smooth beverage, with a very slightly thickened texture (with a barely there creamy/silky, gel-like mouthfeel). All the ingredients were well incorporated; there was no trace of any protein "grit."

Flavor notes included: cocoa, chocolate milk; faint vanilla and caramel; and very faint (barely detectable) vegetable (green pea, greens), with a slight lingering sweetness.

The sweetness level felt right. (This protein shake drink was sweet right into the finish, but not overly so.) Monk fruit extract helped create sweetness (and minimize any bitterness).

Ingredients: Water, OWYN(TM) Protein Blend (Pea Protein, Organic Pumpkin Seed Protein, Organic Flax Oil), Soluble Fiber, Organic Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavors, Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Greens Blend (Broccoli, Spinach, Kale), Monk Fruit Extract.

Allergen-related information: ("...Independently tested for detection of the top 8 allergens every lot, every time.") For more information, visit the company website: liveowyn.com)

Quinn - Chocolate'y Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets - April 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Quinn Foods LLC
Chocolate'y Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $4.29 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate'y Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets were distributed by Quinn Foods LLC (Boulder, CO). Kristy at Quinn Foods (named for her son) set out to create "cleaner" versions of childhood snacks.

These filled nuggets were part of an umami snack plate (that also included tamari-roasted soy beans, black sesame crackers and nori (seaweed)). 

Peanuts, peanut flour and peanut butter seem like a natural fit with umami foods and flavors. (At least one study showed that peanut powder was found to "elicit an umami taste and umami-enhancing effect."*)

Aroma notes for these crunchy snacks included: faint pretzel and faint tamari-peanut rice cracker, and very faint, fleeting almost meat-like savory/umami.

Texture: There was an appealing contrast between the well-executed, lovely, crunchy texture of the pillow-shaped pretzel shell and the smooth, creamy filling. 

Flavor notes: The peanut-infused pretzel and chocolate-y filling were hearty and satisfying, and all three flavors (pretzel, peanut and chocolate (cocoa) complemented each other. 

These were pretzel nuggets first and foremost. While peanuts showed up in the aroma (peanut butter was the #1 ingredient listed), the overall flavor was more like muted umami pretzel and less like fresh-roasted peanut-y. 

Also, these nuggets were not overly sweet or salty. They were closer to savory bar snacks and less like some sweetened peanut butters and chocolate peanut butter cups. (Thank you, from someone who likes savory chocolate flavor inclusions.)

Ingredients: Peanut butter (dry roasted peanuts, sugar, salt), whole grain sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, organic palm oil (sustainably sourced), expeller pressed high oleic sunflower oil, organic powdered sugar (organic cane sugar, organic tapioca starch), organic cane sugar, salt, organic cocoa powder, pea protein, peanut flour, vanilla extract, sunflower lecithin, sea salt, mixed tocopherols (to retain freshness).

Allergy-related information: Contains peanuts. 

Allergen-related information: Contains Peanuts. 

Hebel & Co. - Double Chocolate Organic Sesame Tahini Halva - April 23, 2024

Chocolate of The Day 

Hebel & Co. 
Double Chocolate - Organic Sesame Tahini Halva
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (32 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total container/tub
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ (Missing information) for 1 container
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Umami* Theme Week. Today 

Today's Organic Double Chocolate Organic Sesame Tahini Halva was from Hebel & Co. (North Hollywood, CA).

Sesame tahini-based halva (derived from the Arabic word halwa (sweet confection)) is a traditional Middle Eastern confection made from ground sesame seeds and honey. Dairy free kosher versions are particularly popular this week when Passover is being celebrated.

Aroma notes for today's relatively modern chocolate and vanilla** version included: sweet, nougat like aroma and appearance; faint sweet sesame seed confection; and subtle chocolate and vanilla.

A slab of halva can look rather humble in appearance. However, the texture and flavors can be divine. The thick slice I tasted had a uniform, softly chewy (micro) crunchy, almost nutty, flaked texture that within 3-4 seconds dissolved into smooth, creamy deliciousness.

Flavor notes included: rich, creamy and sweet, high-end sesame nougat-like flavor infused with chocolate (cocoa) and vanilla. Not too stiff or sticky. Just right.

The sweetness level also felt just right for a confection. It wasn't made with honey; but the tapioca syrup and cane sugar sweeteners didn't obscure more subtle sesame and vanilla flavors.

Ingredients: Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Chocolate (Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Beans), Organic Cocoa Powder, Certified Sustainably Sourced Organic Palm Oil, Organic Quillaja Extract, Organic Vanilla Extract, Citric Acid.

Allergen-related information: (Contains sesame.) "Made in a Facility That Processes Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Wheat, Soy, Milk."

* Umami flavors are associated with savory foods with high levels of glutamic acid/glutamate. These amino acids and protein building blocks exist not only in meats and mushrooms, but also in a variety of other foods, including: sea and land vegetables/plants, peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts), cashews and several seeds (sesame, hemp, pumpkin, chesnut, chia). (Sesame seeds contain a whopping 4000 mg. of glutamic acid in a 100 gram (3.53 oz. portion.)

**Halva-style confections (aka halvah, halawa) made with varying ingredients have been enjoyed in countries like Iran/Persia, Greece, Turkey and Egypt long before new world flavors like chocolate and vanilla were added. (A sunflower seed version can be found in Russia.) That said, the more recent additions of chocolate and vanilla seemed a perfect, natural and complementary fit with this historic sweet.

Sabadi - Il Cioccolato di Agrigento (bar) - April 22, 2024

Chocolate of the The Day

Sabadi 
Il Cioccolato di Agrigento (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 118 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's Market, online order

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

Today's Il Cioccolato di Agrigento (bar) 60% (Ecuador cacao) chocolate bar with olive oil and bay leaves was from Sabadi srl (Modica, Sicily, Italy). (Agrigento is a town in southwest Sicily.)

Sabadi (Saturday in English) offers a variety of chocolates, including raw chocolates and Italian herb and fruit infused items, as well as other Italian foodstuffs. I recommend a browse of their website. If I'm able to travel to Sicily in the future, I'll definitely look them up.

Aroma notes included: sweet dark chocolate, savory herb and oil (very faint olive oil potato chips).

The texture of this chocolate was slightly crunchy from (I'm assuming) less refined sugar crystals, similar to some stone-ground chocolate where the cacao was minimally ground, adding a slightly crunchy creamy texture. In this case the sugar was the "rougher" ingredient, and not completely incorporated. I was expecting olive oil and cocoa butter creaminess. But I also enjoyed the added textural interest. (The company does some wonderful things with different sugars.) 

Flavor notes included: sweet, dark chocolate (with very faint fruit-floral); herb (light rosemary-mint, faint tarragon, sweet (Turkish) bay leaf). Note: there are different types of bay leaves. Bay* leaves in California are much stronger, and less "sweet" and nuanced than those found in Southern Europe.

This 60% "cold processed" chocolate was relatively sweet because: 1.) in part because the sugar crystals weren't ground down and fully incorporated, so I could taste the sweetness in a more intense way; 2.) the Ecuadorian cacao was inherently smooth (low in bitter/sour notes that can dampen or counter-balance sweetness); and 3.) 60% is a lower percentage of cacao than many dark bars (by definition there is more sugar).

Flavors were well balanced. The dried bay leaf had a lovely, nuanced/layered herbal flavor. The olive oil was very subtle.

I paired this chocolate with a high-umami, Italian-inspired meal with savory tomato and mushroom sauce. (Tomato is a high-umami fruit from the Americas that has become fully embedded into European--and global--cuisine(s).)**

Ingredients: Cocoa mass** -- origin: Ecuador -- variety: Nacional Fino de Aroma; cane sugar*, extra virgin olive oil (min. 5%), dried bay leaves (min. 1%). Cocoa: 60% minimum.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of nuts, milk and soy.

*California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica)--aka California laurel, Oregon myrtle, Pacific myrtle, Myrtlewood, Spice tree, Pepperwood---is native to California and Oregon in the U.S. It has a strong, almost eucalyptus-like/menthol-like strength. A little goes a long way. 

European bay laurel leaves are much more nuanced and pleasant (and less likely to give some people a headache).

** The Americas, for a variety of reasons, became more densely inhabited later than Africa, Europe and parts of Asia. The indigenous peoples of the Americas cultivated many species of plants and domesticated animals early on. 

Subsequent European explorers sped the spread of cacao, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, peppers, vanilla, allspice, many squashes, Brazil nuts, avocados, tobacco, and many other uniquely American tropical fruits, grains and other foods worldwide in a big way. 

According to the Smithsonian Institution, approximately 60% of the world's diet today is based on foods that originated from the Americas.

 

Deux Cranes LLC - Dark Chocolate With Miso Almonds (bar) - April 21, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Deux Cranes LLC
Dark Chocolate With Miso Almonds (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190.6 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate with Miso Almonds (bar) was from Deux Cranes LLC (Los Gatos, CA).

Company tagline read: "Handcrafted Chocolates Rooted in Japan, Inspired by France"

Miso is a traditional Japanese, umami-rich paste made from fermented soybeans and rice malt (sometimes barley)--that's used in soups, sauces and spreads. 

Deux Cranes description: "The almonds in this bar are roasted with white miso paste, emphasizing the roasted flavor of the 70% dark chocolate and almonds in this savory, umami-filled bar." 

Aroma notes included: dark roast (cacao, almonds, coffee), dark chocolate, and umami (miso).

Texture: smooth, almost creamy. (The almond and miso flavors and textures were almost fully incorporated.)

Flavor notes included: dark roast cacao/chocolate with savory and slightly sweet notes, including miso and almonds. The darker roast flavor made this chocolate seem slightly darker than 70%. But, it was also sweet enough to feel balanced. The miso contributed an authentic, slightly tangy, savory soy flavor.

Thank you to Deux Cranes for creating this blend. I like trying new and different flavor combinations, so I appreciated tasting this bar. Chocolate is a tremendously versatile medium -- it can be paired successfully with sweet, bitter, sour, salty, or savory/umami flavor inclusions. Some fermented items, like today's miso, are trickier than others. Including the almonds to the mix helped to mellow and meld the roast-y and bold flavors.

(Deux Cranes) Flavor Notes: "Roasted, Rich Cocoa, Umami"

Ingredients: "Dark Chocolate (cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin (emulsifier), natural vanilla extract), Almonds (glucose syrup, sugar, water, miso (rice, filtered water, soy beans, sea salt, alcohol))"

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Almonds, Soy" "May contain traces of soy, nuts, milk, fish, and gluten. Produced and packaged in the same facility as soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, sesame, and milk products."