Cacao Sampaka - Bergamot Orange Milk Chocolate (bars) - Oct. 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Sampaka
Bergamot Orange Milk Chocolate 50% (bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 290 calories in 1 bar (1/2 package)
Cost: $Missing information for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Bergamot Orange 50% Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Cacao Sampaka (Barcelona, Spain). The company has been influenced by the art, architecture, culture and foods of Barcelona -- from the ceramic tiles of Gaudi to the flavorings in their chocolates.*

Aroma notes included: dark milk chocolate and fragrant citrus (orange) with faint vanilla, and very faint and pleasant spiced fruitcake--the kind you'd enjoy with a cup of tea.

Texture: creamy and smooth.

Instead of one thick bar, I appreciated this package included two, slimmer bars, back-to-back. (It can be easier to wrap your mouth around the textures and tastes associated with different chocolates when they are thinner.) 

Flavor notes included: satisfying dark milk chocolate with orange, vanilla and bergamot orange. (Bergamot is used to flavor Earl Grey tea.)

Normally, 50% milk chocolate is too sweet for me; but it may have been a more substantial cacao; and the added flavors helped balance out the sweetness. (Warning, this chocolate was slightly addicting.)

Ingredients: "Cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, natural bergamot flavor (0.2%), emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural vanilla flavor."

Allergen-related information: Contained milk, soy. "Our products may contain traces of nuts, peanuts, lactose, milk and sesame."

*Spain is the top producer of oranges in Europe, and bergamot flavored items can be found throughout Europe. Calabria, Italy, is often considered the "home" of bergamot oranges,

Ocelot Chocolate - Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ocelot Chocolate
Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend 
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (Thank you Eric)

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

Today's Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) was from Ocelot Craft Chocolate Limited (Dundee, UK).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: smooth dark chocolate, authentic orange and very faint vanilla.

Texture: notably creamy/cacao buttery, smooth texture, mouthfeel and melt.

I really enjoyed the texture; the sweetness level seemed well-chosen; and the blood orange oil and subtle vanilla flavors harmonized nicely with the dark chocolate. 

Ingredients: "cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*, blood orange oil (<1%), vanilla extract*. Cacao solids: 70% minimum.

Allergen-related information: "May contain almonds, hazelnuts and milk. 

   

To'ak - Galapagos Orange & Salt 65% heirloom cacao - Oct. 12, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

To'ak Chocolate
Alchemy - Galapagos Orange & Salt 65% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package 
Calories: 336 calories in 1 package (4 smaller bars)
Cost: $16.00 for 1 package of 4 smaller bars
Purchased from: To'ak Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Galapagos Orange and Salt 65% heirloom cacao bar(s) were created by To'ak (Tierra & Arbol S.A.S.) / To'ak International Inc. (Quito, Ecuador).

The heirloom cacao used to make this bar was "sourced from small agroforestry farms in coastal Ecuador" where cacao was "harvested from heirloom cacao trees that are cultivars and hybrids of Ecuador's...Nacional variety."

The attractively illustrated package was divided into four, smaller, square bars--each individually swaddled in gold foil.

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and buttery citrus (orange).

Texture: creamy with tiny, crunchy particles. I enjoyed the well-executed, well-balanced interplay between the buttery smooth and the crunchy textures.

I liked the flavors, and the sweetness level (not too much, thank you), the salt, and the authentic tasting orange. The peels were finely and evenly chopped, and expertly handled.

I also appreciated the care taken to make this a true, single origin Ecuador dark chocolate, with the orange peels and the salt hailing from the Galapagos off-shore.

Ingredients: "Dark chocolate (65% heirloom cacao, 35% cane sugar), candied Galapagos orange (orange peel, cane sugar), Galapagos sea salt crystals, cacao butter" 

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

  

Ora Cacao - Tantric Rose Blossom Ceremonial Cacao - Oct. 11, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ora Cacao
Tantric Rose Blossom, Enhanced Ceremonial Cacao
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total packet
Calories: "140 calories in 25 discs (23 g.)" - One serving
Cost: $N/A - gift from family
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family (Thank you Megan!)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

Today's "Tantric Blossom Cacao, Enhanced Ceremonial Cacao" was from Ora Cacao (Graton, CA). The maker (Jonas Ketterle, also founder of Firefly Chocolate), has created a variety of, unsweetened, bean-to-bar, drinking/sipping chocolate flavors, including several with floral or spice inclusions.

Aroma notes for this Organic drinking chocolate (prepared with hot water) included: dark chocolate (authentic fermented cacao); subtle fruit (citrus (orange); stone fruit and berry); floral (rose); very faint mellow wood/nut; and herbs (damiana, very faint licorice).

Texture for this prepared blend included a satisfying, thick, warm drinking chocolate with a very slight granularity in my throat, at the very end. (Note: a blender is suggested in the preparatory steps to make this cacao beverage more velvety smooth and slightly frothy.)  

I enjoyed the authentic, relatively subtle, citrus, rose and herbal flavor inclusions, and the authentic and balanced cacao aroma and flavor notes. This cacao had medium acidity and relatively low bitterness. 

It tasted like relatively high-quality cacao, and was not alkalized or over-roasted. (It tasted like it was made with un-roasted or lightly roasted cacao to preserve health benefits and flavors.)

I appreciated that this was unsweetened so I could add honey or other sweetener, or not. (I would suggest tasting this without sweetener first to better detect/enjoy the aroma and flavor nuances.) 

I liked that this was easy to prepare. And the small chocolate discs made it easy to divide into portions. I also liked that Ora included the following information: "33 g. of Caffeine & 196 mg. of Theobromine" on the package.

*Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Pink Rose Petals*, Orange Peel*, Damiana*, Licorice*. (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Manufactured in a facility that processes tree nuts (Almond, Cashew, Coconut)

Ragged Coast Chocolates - Lavender Blossom - Bittersweet Chocolate (bark) - Oct. 10, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ragged Coast Chocolates 
Lavender Blossom - Bittersweet Chocolate (bark) 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145 calories in 1/2 package and 290 calories in 1 package
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Ragged Coast Chocolates, online order 

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

Today's Lavender Blossom - Bittersweet Chocolate, Lavender & Vanilla-Dusted Sugar Dust (bark) was from Ragged Coast Chocolates (Westbrook, ME).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (with subtle stone fruit, cream, faint ripe floral berry (pomegranate + lilac + lavender), and vanilla.

Texture for this relatively thick bark/bar: smooth chocolate with barely detectable vanilla shimmer and tiny, soft lavender buds.

Flavor notes included: rich, nuanced dark chocolate (very faint, diffuse fruit; cream; balanced earth/loam). Floral notes included: vanilla, with occasional tiny bursts of lovely Maine lavender (buds).

I enjoyed the fleeting floral and complex chocolate aroma and flavor notes. The bittersweet dark chocolate tasted more nuanced than most, and this was due in part to the blend of floral (vanilla and lavender) inclusions.

Maker's description: "No one anticipates those first buds of the new season more eagerly than a Mainer. Our lavender bark honors our passion for spring by capturing the subtle, citrus notes of delicate lavender blooms." 

I'm saving a few floral and fruity chocolates to enjoy in December. But our winter is short in the San Francisco Bay Area. Camellias, daffodils and California poppies are back in February; and winter months bring welcome rains and green hills. Our coasts are rugged; but unlike the great northeast, the winters are more welcome here.

*Ingredients: Latin American Bittersweet Chocolate (cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla), Maine lavender, organic cane sugar, vanilla beans. 

Allergen-related information: "Allergens: Soy, Nuts, Milk, and Coconut."

Elements Truffles - Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate with saffron (bar) - Oct. 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Elements Truffles

Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate with saffron (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Amazon, online order (4 bars)

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

Today's Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Elements Truffles (Union City, NJ). 

The company offers attractively packaged chocolates "powered by the 5,000 year old science of Ayurveda..." And today's floral ingredient--saffron (from crocus flowers)--was called out as an "Ayurveda Superfood."

Aroma notes for this bar included: roasted cacao, floral (sweet saffron, chrysanthemum), and faint nut (almond).

Texture: relatively soft texture and melt with small, crunchy almond bits. 

Flavor notes included: mild-tasting dark chocolate, almond, and faint floral (chrysanthemum, saffron). The mild cacao/dark chocolate tasted authentic, and was relatively low in bitterness and acidity.

The sweetness (raw honey) tasted natural, authentic and slightly muted. (I enjoyed the lack of sugar buzz.)

Ingredients: "Organic Raw Cacao Paste, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Almonds, Saffron"

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

Cacao Sampaka: Dark Chocolate Pistachio 44% (bar) & White Chocolate Roses & Strawberries (bar) - Oct. 8, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Sampaka
Dark Chocolate Pistachio 44% (bar)
Good ++

Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total bar

Calories: 320 calories in 2 oz. of bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Cacao Sampaka
White Chocolate - Roses and Strawberries (bar)
Good ++

Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total bar

Calories: 330 calories in 2 oz. of bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

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

Today's attractively packaged tabletas (bars): Dark Chocolate Pistachio 44% (bar) and a White Chocolate Roses and Strawberries (bar)--were from Cacao Sampaka S.L. (Barcelona, Spain). 

Both packages were adorned with images of colorful ceramic tiles designed by architect (and some would say tile-obsessed) Antoni Gaudi over a century ago.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio

Aroma notes included: pleasing dark chocolate (cocoa) and very faint nut.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with embedded fresh-tasting, softly crunchy pistachio nuts. 

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (dark cocoa with a hint of vanilla, fudge brownie) with perfectly salted (at least for me) green pistachio nuts. The base chocolate was low in acidity and bitterness, and had a pleasing smooth dark chocolate flavor.

I loved the pretty, mostly whole, green pistachios, the added salt, and the 44% dark chocolate that tasted more like a smooth 65% cacao dark chocolate.   

Ingredients: "Sugar, cocoa mass, pistachio (16.5%), cocoa butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural vanilla flavor."

Allergen-related information: Contained pistachios. "Our products may contain traces of nuts, peanuts, lactose, milk and sesame."

White Chocolate Roses and Strawberries

Aroma notes included: aromatic sweet roses, red berry (strawberry) and very faint strawberry and vanilla milkshake/frappe. 

Texture: creamy, luxurious texture (but without being too heavy), interspersed with bits of crunchy, freeze-dried strawberry fruit. 

Flavor notes included: creamy and sweet white chocolate, lovely rose and strawberry.

Surprisingly, I did not find either one of today's chocolates--the 44% dark pistachio bar or this white chocolate bar--too sweet. The high-quality rose and strawberry inclusions helped balance the vanilla-tinged wall of authentic cocoa butter and sugar. Notably, cocoa butter was the number one ingredient and not sugar (thank you!).

Ingredients: "Cocoa butter, sugar, skimmed milk powder, strawberry crispy (12%) (strawberry, sucrose, fructose, acidity regulator (citric acid), reinforced by natural flavors), anhydrous milk fat, rose flavor (0.1%), emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural vanilla flavor, flavor. Cocoa 33% minimum."

Allergen-related information: "Our products may contain traces of nuts, peanuts, lactose, milk and sesame.