Alter Eco - 85% Cacao Almond Blackout Organic Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 6, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco
85% Cacao Almond Blackout Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 4 sections
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar (thank you Bill)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Seeds* Theme Week. This week includes chocolates with seeds--as well as seeds that we call beans or nuts.

This bar contained cacao (seeds we call beans), almonds (seeds we call nuts) and vanilla beans (seeds we call beans). 

Today's 85% Cacao Organic Almond Blackout Organic Dark Chocolate (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA). 

The company founders have long been involved in supporting fair trade ingredients and organic and regenerative agriculture. (They were also early adopters of compostable packaging for their chocolates and quinoa many years ago.)

Aroma notes included: ultra-dark chocolate (relatively intense, roasted cocoa and nuts).

This bar had a relatively thick, hearty, cocoa-buttery dark chocolate texture with crunchy pieces of almonds and tiny, slightly crunchy, sea salt crystals.

Flavor notes included: deep, dark chocolate with a well-behaved bitterness that was also balanced with cocoa butter, almonds and salt. (Salt can also help cut bitterness.)

This ultra-dark 85% chocolate wasn't entirely "blacked out". It had just the right amount of raw cane sugar (not much) and crystalline sea salt (a judicious, sprinkle that had some flavor and detectable texture). I appreciated the smooth dark flavor and short list of organic and fair trade ingredients. 

When I went back to the store to buy more of these, there was nothing left but an empty box on the shelf--evidence of other ultra-dark chocolate fans in my neighborhood.

Ingredients: "*Organic cacao beans, *organic cocoa butter, *organic raw cane sugar, *organic almonds, sea salt (fleur de sel), *organic vanilla beans. (*Fair for Life Fair Trade certified. Contains 90% Fair Trade ingredients. Cacao: 85% minimum."

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

*Seeds come from mature flowering plants. Beans are a type of seeds--from the legume family. Cacao, coffee and vanilla are not members of the legume family; but we've come to call them "beans" over time. Confusing? Yes. Will this ever be corrected in our every day speech? Not likely. But, worth a mention, nonetheless.

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. - Extra Dark 71% with Salt & Nibs (bars) - Sept. 5, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir et sel de Camargue 
(Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar))
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir, eclats de feves de cacao 
(Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in total bar
Calories: 85.35 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Bonjour, and welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week--that featured a variety of chocolates with marine-related flavor additions and themes. The first of the two bars featured today contained sea salt and was adorned with a colorful, tattooed sailor.

This is also Day #2 of Chocolate and Seeds Week with chocolates that contain seeds (including seeds that are misnamed beans).**  The second bar featured today has bits of cacao seeds (aka nibs).

Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar)

Aroma notes for this 71% French dark chocolate with salt bar included: deep, dark chocolate (West African, Forastero/Amelonado varieties of cacao); dark, fudge-y, with a touch of earth and very faint tree bark/peat; and barely detectable cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxe texture and melt interspersed with crystalline sparkles of salt.

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate (that tasted slightly darker than 71% cacao); faint and balanced loamy earth and peaty-bark; satisfying upticks of salt; and very faint tropical fruit and nut. The unrefined cane sugar contributed a subtle, natural, fruity sweetness.

I liked this flavorful, dark and not too sweet dark chocolate, with a thick, luxurious melt and texture. I enjoyed the small crystals of Camargue* salt (and the salt origin story); the colorful illustration of a sailor with the tall ship (and bird) tattoos, on the package; and the use of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, Camargue salt flower 0.3% (* = Ingredients from organic farming, certified by FR-BIO-O1)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar)

Aroma notes for this second 71% French dark chocolate bar--with cocoa nibs--included: deep, dark chocolate and faint fruit (melon, fig) and very faint chocolate cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxurious texture and melt in the base 71% dark chocolate; accented with crunchy bits of cocoa nibs. 

Nit-picking time....Cacao beans or cocoa beans are actually seeds; and the terms cacao (or cocoa) nibs used to describe bits of beans, are (you guessed it) bits of seeds. It seems unlikely we'll correct these terms after using them for many decades now. But, a seed-themed week seemed like the best time to make this point.**

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate; subtle fig cookie and very faint diffuse tropical fruit (ripe pineapple, mango, sweet green banana, red apple); faint, balanced slightly acidic, woody (peaty) earth, and nut cookie.

I liked the depth and subtle complexity of the rich, cocoa flavor in this small dark chocolate bar; and that it wasn't too sweet (thank you!). The sugar did not mask some of the more nuanced cacao and chocolate flavors. I also liked the use of organic ingredients and the lack of emulsifiers and other additives.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, cocoa nibs* (* = Ingredients from organic farmers)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

*Salts in chocolates come with their own sea-related origin stories. Camargue salt comes from salt marshes in the Camargue region of southern France. This Mediterranean fleur de sel is used extensively in cooking in Southern France. The harvested salt is pushed up into large piles near pink salt evaporation ponds. Flamingos in the region also enjoy feeding in this landscape with large, shallow expanses of sea water and salt ponds. 

I could relate to this origin story. I live near the southern end of the San Francisco Bay (with salt marshes and a history of salt-making). We even have one, lone (live) flamingo that has been sighted feeding in some of the old salt ponds. 

**We may end up updating/clarifying definitions for seeds and beans in the future; but the following is what I was taught decades ago: A seed comes from a mature flowering plant/tree. A "bean" is a type of seed that comes from legumes; e.g. plants in the pea family (peas, lentils, beans). Cacao, coffee and vanilla are not part of the legume family; but their seeds are, nonetheless, called beans.

Antidote - "Mermaid" Seaweed + Toasted Black Sesame Milk Chocolate 56% cacao (bar) - Sept. 4, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Antidote
Mermaid - Seaweed + Toasted Black Sesame Milk Chocolate 56% cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Antidote Chocolate, online order 

Ahoy, and welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today's Antidote Mermaid - Seaweed + Toasted Black Sesame Milk Chocolate 56% cacao (bar) was made in Ecuador. Antidote Creative Director, CEO, and self-described chocolate dreamer, Ms. Red Thalhammer, is Austrian and is based in the U.S.

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark milk chocolate; fruit (sweet, diffuse, dried fig, citrus, berry); and faint umami (sesame, seaweed) and muted fresh wood shavings (cedar). Arriba Nacional (variety) cacao was used to make this 56% cacao milk chocolate.

This smooth (light/fluffy and creamy) dark milk chocolate yielded to a generous field of tiny, crunchy black sesame seeds. 

Flavor notes included: sweet-ish, dark milk chocolate with nutty/seedy (sesame), and faint, fleeting umami, seaweed (think very lightly salted nori), and barely detectable, pleasant wood. These flavors politely lingered into the finish, with an occasional very tiny pops of authentic sesame or seaweed flavor breaking through. 

I always enjoy trying chocolate and umami flavor blends. I was expecting more salt (which often accompanies umami/savory flavors) in today's bar. There was very little. This milk chocolate was neither ultra sweet nor too salty--or heavy in any way. The flavors were complex but almost delicate. These flavors and the salt were made much more low-key by the milk.

Maker's description: "...brings...all the flavor--without all the sugar."..."In just one bite you'll encounter what we like to call "an experiential escape."

Ingredients: "cacao beans, cacao butter, milk powder, whole cane sugar, black sesame seeds, nori seaweed, sunflower lecithin."

Allergen-related information: Contains milk, sesame. "Made in a facility that handles soy and nuts."

NearyNogs Chocolate - "Salt Water Days" - Irish sea salt, cacao nibs & gold dust 60% Ecuador (bar) - Sept. 3, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

NearyNogs Chocolate
"Salt Water Days" - Irish sea salt, cacao nibs & gold dust 60% Ecuador (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 166 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week.

Today's "Salt Water Days" - Irish sea salt, cacao nibs & gold dust 60% Ecuador (bar) (Batch 2604) was from NearyNogs Chocolate (Mourne Coast, Ireland). 

This small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker is "nestled between the Mourne Mountains and the Irish Sea." And today's bar is their "ode to sunny beach days." (include parts of their description) the golden sheen off the water. 

The cacao used for this 60% dark chocolate was made using cacao from Hacienda Limon in Ecuador.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (ganache), very faint tart-sweet fruit (citrus, berry, dried fig), and faint roasted and caramel notes found in mocha lattes.

There were two different flavor zones in this bar: 1.) the base dark chocolate (ultra-dark, bittersweet chocolate-y tart made with non-alkalized cocoa powder); very faint diffuse fruit (citrus, berry); roasted marshmallow/toffee; and a very slightly earthy, bittersweet tang; and 2.) the bites that also included the crunchy cocoa nibs and sea salt. The latter bites tasted mellower, nuttier, and a bit more well balanced to me. 

Note: salt tends to cut bitterness a little. I liked the bites with salt and nibs a bit better. It was nice to have a wee bit of contrast though. I'm a huge fan of well-executed complexity and layered flavors. 

Someone asked me: Did the gold have a flavor? Not that I could taste. Pure gold is considered an inert substance, and doesn't spark taste sensations per se; but it can (and did today) create pretty visual effects. And appearance is part of the whole tasting experience.

Having walked on the coastal trail near Dublin, the subtle glow of the gold sheen on this bar did indeed bring back happy memories of late afternoon light on the Irish sea when I was there. Thank you to NearyNogs for the temporal transportation today and for being who they are (solar-powered chocolate factory, soulful family stories, thoughtfulness, and nature-inspired, beautiful, compostable packaging).

Maker's Tasting Notes: Caramel, Butter, Toffee, Salt

Ingredients: "60% cacao beans, unrefined cane sugar, Irish sea salt, edible gold dust. (cocoa solids 60% minimum)."

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging.

*Edible gold has no taste; and it is "inert" so it doesn't react with anything?? and passes through the digestive system.

Chocolates Unlimited by Denise - Chocolate fishing set: Gone Fishin' sign; Fish, Sinker; Reel; Gummy Worms

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolates Unlimited by Denise
Dark Chocolate Gone Fishin' set: with sign, fish, reel, sinker, bait (gummy worms)
Good +
Weight: 1.9 oz. (54 g.) / 7.24 oz. (205 g.) in total box of 5 items
Calories: 294.5 calories (estimate) in 3 items
Cost: $16.00 (+ shipping) for 1 box of 5 items
Purchased from: Chocolates Unlimited by Denise, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week.

Today's novelty chocolate gift set from Chocolates Unlimited by Denise was inspired by and designed for fishermen (and women). The five realistic looking fishing essentials/items in this box included dark chocolate versions of a Gone Fishin' sign, a fish, reel and sinker. The fifth item was a small packet of gummy worms (bait)--a fun addition to this kit, that I did not taste.

The company offers a wide variety of different novelty and different molded/shaped chocolate items.

This dark chocolate was good, with no dramatic low lights or high lights. The cocoa was alkalized and therefore not overly acidic, or bitter. I have no complaints. (It was tastier than dark chocolate syrup, which often gets a similar treatment.)

The texture and flavor were smooth. 

Though, having been spoiled by craft chocolate makers, the melt was not quite as buttery/rich as some other bars, partly because of use of less expensive oils vs. added cocoa butter. 

Ingredients: "Herkens Dark Chocolate: Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel and Cottonseed Oils, Nonfat Dry Milk, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Cocoa, Glycerol Lacto Esters of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin and Salt."

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk and Soy.

Cadbury - Original Chocolate Fish chocolate bar - Sept. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cadbury 
Original Chocolate Fish chocolate bar
Good+
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) in total bar
Calories: 78.4 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $17.40 + shipping for 1 box of 6 bars
Purchased from: (AshRoseHampers, Etsy store, online order)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week, including craft chocolate bars, a few sea-related novelty chocolates, and this Chocolate Fish candy bar,

This "Original Chocolate Fish" (chocolate covered marshmallow fish) "As Kiwi as..." from Cadbury was "Made In Australia From Imported And Local Ingredients."

Aroma notes included: chocolate and spun sugar.

The highlight of this fish-shaped candy bar may have been the texture of its light, spongy pink (strawberry) marshmallow center that was covered by a thin layer of smooth dark chocolate. (Happily it was 43% cacao dark chocolate, a higher cacao percentage than in many candy bars.)

Flavor notes included: sweet marshmallow (think a light, creamy, sponge-y version of cotton candy or spun sugar) and dark chocolate. Yes, it was very sugary sweet.

I'm featuring this sea-related chocolate fish because I'll be teaching families about fish and birds today at a marsh nature center, and to honor an Australian colleague (who does a great job teaching children to net fish). 

Note: for those interested, supplies of this bar may be limited, as I've read that Cadbury may be discontinuing their 20-gram version of a candy bar classic*. (Although "smaller 'sprat' versions may still be available.)

Ingredients: Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Cocoa Mass, Invert Sugar, Gelatine, Cocoa Butter, Milk Solids, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, E476), Colour (E120), Flavours, Cornstarch. (Dark Chocolate Contains Cocoa Solids 43%)

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk, Soy. May Contain Peanuts, Tree Nuts."

*Fish-shaped chocolates have been around for well over a century. The first chocolate fish I was able to find information about was produced in 1903. Later versions with marshmallow filling appeared in Scotland in the 1930s. While there are schools of other chocolate fish in the chocolate sea, Cadbury's Chocolate Fish is perhaps the most well-known in this century.

Kasama Chocolate - "Forest & Sea" - Special Release 65% Dark Chocolate with Rosemary and Sea Salt (bar) - Aug. 31, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Kasama Chocolate
Forest & Sea - Special Release 65% Dark Chocolate with Rosemary and Sea Salt (bar)
Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160.5 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Greetings, and welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week.

Today's "Forest & Sea" - Special Release (Batch 14) 65% Dark Chocolate with Rosemary and Sea Salt (bar) was from Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, BC, Canada). 

This bean-to-bar maker offers a variety of single origin chocolates (many made with cacao from the Philippines); some have flavor inclusions/infusions.

I was excited to experience this chocolate that was inspired by forests and the sea--two of my favorite places to be.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and sweet herbal, clean piney forest (rosemary).

Texture: I could barely feel the tiny bits of rosemary sea salt in the smooth dark chocolate; but I could taste them.

Flavor notes included: smooth, flavorful dark chocolate, redolent rosemary, and satisfying crystalline flecks of sea salt. This bar also had a wonderful, subtle long finish, with diminishing fresh, fragrant rosemary. That attenuation allowed space for some faint, fleeting, fruit/floral to come to the fore.

The sugar and salt levels felt just right. 

I really enjoyed this outdoors-inspired blend. I live near pine trees and palm trees, near the brackish San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean, and grow heaps of rosemary in my yard. So this well-executed Forest & Sea chocolate bar made me feel deeply at home.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Rosemary*, Sea Salt (* = Organic)

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