Intrigue Chocolate - Blackberry Mushroom (bar) - Dec. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Blackberry + Mushrooms 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Mushroom Week.

Today's Blackberry + Mushrooms 60% Cacao (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA). This bar was made in collaboration with Lumen Field (Seattle, WA). 

Origin story: The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Uganda, Rwenzururu - Semuliki Forest (Type: "Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado; Harvest Year: 2022). (Batch No.: 000000083024)

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate; ripe, tart, almost boozy, dark berry (blackberry); slight roast-y, slightly umami bitterness.

Texture: very smooth and buttery--with no mushroom powder/grit or berry seed particles (thank you!).

Flavor notes included: a blend of dark chocolate (chocolate-y, roast-y dark ganache), authentic blackberry notes, and diffuse, balanced umami (mushroom). 

I liked many things about this bar. First, this blend was well executed and well balanced, and the sweetness level was just right for me -- i.e, sweet, but not too sweet. Second, there were no "off" or astringent notes with this potentially challenging flavor blend.

Like other chocolates from Intrigue, I appreciated the thoughtful, short list of quality ingredients, the lack of emulsifiers or other additives, and the use of raw cane sugar.

Makers tasting notes/description: "...first developed...as an exclusive for their (Lumen Field) suites and gifts...The lush dark fruit and the rich deep earth are emblematic of the region's sun-drenched summers and mist-drenched winters."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, freeze-dried blackberries, mushroom blend (wood ear, oyster, cordyceps, turkey tail, lion's mane, shiitake, chaga, maitake, mesima, reishi)." 

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging.

David Rio - Black Rhino Cocoa Chai (+ mushrooms) - Dec. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

David Rio
Black Rhino Cocoa Chai 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 Tbsp. (80 g.) / 16.1 oz. (456 g.) in total container

Calories: 80 calories in 1 serving 
Cost: $14.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Amazon.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Mushroom Week.

Today's Black Rhino Chai -- black tea, exotic spices & rich cocoa -- was manufactured for David Rio (San Francisco. CA)

Aroma notes included: sweet cocoa, faint gingerbread spices and very faint spiced tea latte.

Texture: smooth texture after mixed with hot water and milks.

Flavor notes included: pleasant light cocoa, gingerbread and chai tea flavors. (Note: I put in a little extra of this powdered mix into my cocoa to get a bit more chocolate flavor. (Sugar was the number one ingredient.)

While it created an extra step to find my own milk, I also appreciated having the option to choose the milk of one's choice--hazelnut milk. It was fairly light (not thick and creamy), so I felt like I needed a bit more heft -- either whole milk or dark chocolate, to add flavor and make it a little less sugary.

I also tried mushroom jerky-infused milk. The hazelnut milk was OK, but the slightly sweet-salty mushroom jerky-infused milk didn't work as well as I thought it would. (I like savory chocolates; so I had to give it a try.)

I liked that this powdered mix dissolved into warm/hot liquids fairly easily (and completely). I'm a gingerbread fan, so I liked the ginger-forward chai spices. I also liked that the critically endangered Black Rhino got a little extra publicity with this product name. 

Ingredients: "sugar, cocoa (14%), black tea powder (5%), spices, salt."

Allergen-related information: (No information found on container.)

Mandala Chocolate - Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms, Chai Spices (bar) - Dec. 18, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Mandala Chocolate
Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms and Chai Spices (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 302 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar (when purchased in a 3-pack)
Purchased from: Amazon.com/Mandala Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Mushrooms Week.

Today's Organic Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms and Chai Spices (bar) was handcrafted in Asheville, North Carolina, by Mandala Naturals, LLC (Barnardsville, NC), using 70% stoneground cacao--and without added sugar.*

Aroma and flavor notes included: subtle chocolate and warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, very mild clove and nutmeg), very slightly woodsy sweetness (mesquite, licorice root), and very faint citrus (orange).

This 70% cacao bar included a wild chai blend: spices, herbs and "mushrooms unique to the Blue Ridge Mountains." All these flavors harmonized very nicely. The mushroom flavors were very undetectable. (The 70% cacao and range of spices in this bar makes them easy to miss.)

Texture: nice cacao buttery melt, smooth texture (especially given the amount of added spices and mushrooms).

I loved that this chocolate had an appealing, mild, natural sweetness with no added sugar.*

This bar had more nuanced flavors and a milder taste than most 70% chocolate bars, in part due to thoughtful ingredient selection and the lack of cane sugar.* You realize the effects of processed sugar when it's not there. There are other paths to sweetness.

Ingredients: "*Cacao, *Yacon, *Ginger, *Mesquite, *Maca, *Cinnamon, *Vanilla, *Licorice, *Cardamom, **Chaga, *Peppercorn, *Clove, **Reishi, **Spiceberries, *Nutmeg, *Fennel, *Orange Oil, Celtic Sea Salt (* = Organic, and ** = Organic and Wildcrafted)

Allergen-related information: No information listed.

*And I loved that "zero added sugars" actually meant no sugars and no artificial sweeteners. Instead, sweet-tasting herbs and botanicals (like yacon, maca, cinnamon, licorice, vanilla, etc.) supplied the "sweetness".

Verse Chocolate - 90% Original Dark Chocolate Medallion(s) + Chai tea - Dec. 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Verse Chocolate 
90% Original Dark Chocolate Medallion
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 4.23 oz. (120 g.) in total box of 12
Calories: 180 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $10.89 for 1 box of 12 medallions
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's 90% Original Dark Chocolate Medallions were from Verse Chocolate LLC (Nixa, MO). 

I enjoyed trying one of these individually-wrapped chocolates; and then paired two pieces of this ultra-dark chocolates with hot, homemade masala chai tea.

Normally, I would have picked a dark milk chocolate for a chai pairing, but at least part of the cocoa used to make these chocolate medallion-shaped pieces had been processed with alkali--a process that can neutralize acidic or bitter elements that might clash with other foods/beverages. 

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 90% cacao medallions were still quite robust, and included: heavy roast, ultra-dark, deep and dense cacao (that I associate with Forastero cacao varieties). 

The medallions were easy to hold on the tongue; and the shape (a relatively thin square with very rounded corners) allowed easy access to flavors. The texture was smooth with some mild graininess. 

I appreciated that this 90% chocolate was organic, had relatively low acidity, wasn't too sweet, and was made with only four ingredients 

However--possibly due to a relatively heavy roast/alkalizing process--there were no glimmers of naturally occurring fruit, floral, green or other notes (that I associate with more complex fine cacaos). I found myself transported to a deep, ultra-dark, very still, jungle, looking for a tiny uptick of other flavors. 

In fairness to today's chocolate, most chai spice or masala chai chocolates are milk chocolates (or dark milk chocolates), because: 1.) we associate chai tea with a creamy/milky taste, 2.) people like sweet teas and milk chocolates, and 3.) ultra-dark 90%+ chocolates don't always play well with strong spices or overwhelm subtler notes in other foods/beverages.

This was true today, even though this robust ultra-dark had been tamed a bit.* (Verse's Salted Almond or 70% Sea Salt Medallions would likely have been a better choice with the chai tea that I made using original robust spices (cardamom pods, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, etc.)

In fairness to Verse, I didn't contact them to ask about ultra-dark pairings. And I felt I should have known the two would fight each other a bit, as the company had clearly printed on the packaging: "This chocolate is not candy." (Love that.)

The company's name (Verse) refers to their efforts to share original chocolate flavor (closer to its source and history) with a chorus of people who might then join others singing a new verse to an ancient song (about cacao). 

Ingredients: Cocoa beans*, cane sugar*, cocoa processed with alkali*, cocoa butter*. (* = Organic ingredient.) Cacao: 90%.

Allergen-related: "May contain traces of tree nuts and sesame seeds."

* Ultra-dark 90%-100% cacao bars sometimes taste less bitter if chocolate makers alkalize the cocoa and add cocoa butter (yes to both today) or salt (or salty items) that can help balance bitterness. 

Pairings that may work: strong spirits like whiskey; salt or savory items like aged cheeses or roasted, salted nuts; dark roast coffee; very dark beers; or grated into/over some desserts (that are layered and/or could benefit from a little pop of flavor depth/contrast).

Kasama Chocolate Winter's Eve (bar) + Big Train Chocolate Chai mix - Dec. 16, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Kasama Chocolate
Winter's Eve (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama, online order

Big Train
Chai Latte (mix)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1/3 cup (51 g.) / 3.5 lbs (159 kg.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $29.51 for 1 large package
Purchased from: Amazon.com, online order

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

Kasama - Winter's Eve bar

Today's Winter's Eve bar (Batch #28) was a Seasonal Release made by Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, B.C., Canada). The dark chocolate base was made using single estate cacao beans from Costa Esmeraldas in northern Ecuador.

Aroma notes for this bar included: chocolate (hearty, roasted cacao), black licorice, and subtle chai-masala-like spices.

Maker's notes/description: "The oaky and roasty note of this cacao provide a rich-chocolaty canvas, through which each of the spices weaves its flavour threads, creating a tapestry of tastes..."

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Cinnamon*, Cardamom*, Ginger*, Cloves*, Turmeric*, Black Pepper* (* = Organic)

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

Big Train - Chocolate Chai Latte mix

Today's Big Train Chocolate Chai mix was distributed by Kerry Inc. (Beloit, WI).

This drink mix (designed to be suitable for cold and hot beverages) had a light, sweet hot cocoa aroma and sweet marshmallow hot chocolate with vanilla and very faint spices flavor. This is the kind of light, pleasant hot cocoa (using alkalized cocoa powder) that I remember sipping when I was young. 

Ingredients: Sugar, Nonfat Dry Milk, Coconut Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Cocoa Processed with Alkali), Instant Black Tea, Honey Granules (Sugar, Honey), Spice Blend (Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Anise, Ginger), Sodium Caseinate (A Milk Derivative), Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Silicoaluminate (Anti-Caking Agent), Silicon Dioxide (Anti-Caking Agent), Carrageenan, Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum, Bourbon Vanilla Extract from Madagascar.

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk.

 

TCHO - Dirty Chai with Cashew Oat Milk & Espresso (bar) - Dec. 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

TCHO
46% Cacao Dirty Chai with Cashew Oat Milk & Espresso (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .83 oz. (23 oz.)/ 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.49 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's 46% Cacao Dirty Chai with Cashew Oat Milk & Espresso (bar) was from TCHO Ventures Inc. (Berkeley, CA) in collaboration with Equator Coffees 

Aroma notes in this package of three, individually-wrapped bars included: chocolate; chai spices + vanilla; and coffee latte.

Texture: very creamy and buttery with a very, very faint and fleeting astringency/powdery mouthfeel 2/3 way through.

Flavor notes for this small batch collaboration bar included: chocolate; nuts; warm, spiced coffee latte; and faint vanilla and caramel.

I liked the maker's choice of a relatively short list of Organic ingredients (44% fair trade).

Ingredients: Cacao Beans**, Cocoa Butter**, Coconut Sugar*; Gluten Free Oat Flour* (Oat Flour*, Natural Vitamin E, Cashew Butter*, Cane Sugar*, Coffee Beans**, Masala Chai* (Basil Leaf*, Assam Tea*, Cardamom*, Cinnamon*, Ginger*, Cloves*, Black Pepper*), Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin*, Vanilla Beans* (* = Organic; ** = Organic and Fair Trade Certified). 

Allergen-related information: Contained Coconut, Cashew. "May contain other tree nuts." "Certified Kosher Pareve by Earth Kosher."

ChocolateSpiel - Chai Latte (bar) - Dec. 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

ChocolateSpiel 
Chai Latte (bar)
Good + - ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (27 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ChocolateSpiel, online order (Etsy)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Chai Tea Week.

Today's Chai Latte (bar) was from ChocolateSpiel (Seattle, WA).

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate; ground, warm chai spices (from Aditi Chai); faint coconut milk; and nuts. The coconut milk chocolate tasted slightly acidic/harsh; but the overall bar was otherwise quite nice.

I enjoyed the pleasing creamy texture; the festive and colorful appearance of this bar--created by spatters of different colors of colored cocoa butter; the short list of ingredients; and the smaller size.

Ingredients: Cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, coconut milk powder, chai spices from Aditi Chai, colored cocoa butter. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanut, gluten, tree nuts."